My family loves this energy balls recipe! Chewy, nutty, and easy to make with 8 ingredients, these energy bites are a delicious healthy snack.
This energy balls recipe is my family’s favorite healthy snack. Adapted from my protein balls, it’s easy, delicious, and entirely no-bake.
These energy bites are chewy, nutty, and lightly sweet—and they also happen to be good for you. They’re made with simple ingredients like peanut butter, flaxseed, and whole rolled oats…with a handful of chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.
These no-bake bites keep well in the fridge for several days and freeze well for months, so they’re a great grab-and-go snack to keep on hand.
My son Ollie loves eating one after school, and Jack and I reach for them when we need a quick energy boost during the workday. Lately, we’ve been going through about a batch a week. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Energy Bites Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this energy balls recipe:
- Whole rolled oats – Also called old fashioned oats, they fill these bites with fiber and give them their structure. Readers often ask if they can substitute quick oats for old fashioned. I like the chewy texture of the rolled oats here, so I don’t recommend swapping them out!
- Creamy peanut butter – It gives the bites a delicious nutty flavor and helps them stick together. I always use natural peanut butter in this recipe, but I think conventional would work too.
- Ground flaxseed – It adds fiber and healthy fats and helps bind the balls together.
- Honey – For moisture and sweetness. Substitute maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.
- Chopped peanuts – For nutty crunch.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut – For chewy texture and buttery flavor.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- Mini chocolate chips – Use dairy-free chocolate chips to make this recipe vegan. I like the Enjoy Life brand.
- Optional: A pinch of sea salt – If your peanut butter is salted, you may not need this. But if it’s unsalted, adding a pinch of salt will make the rich, nutty flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Recipe Variations
- Make them nut-free. Replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter and omit the chopped peanuts.
- Use a different nut butter. Almond butter and cashew butter are great here too.
- Change up the mix-ins. Not a fan of coconut, peanuts, or chocolate chips? Replace any of them with chopped dried fruit like cranberries, cherries, or raisins. Other chopped nuts would also work in place of the peanuts.
- Spice them up. Add a pinch of cinnamon or ground ginger.
Let me know what variations you try!
How to Make Energy Balls
I have good news: you don’t need a food processor to make this recipe! It couldn’t be easier:
- Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl. The mixture will be thick. If it feels too dry to come together, add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until it holds together when pinched.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the oat mixture, then roll it into balls.
- Chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
That’s it!
Tip: Because this recipe is so simple, it’s a great one to make with kids. Ollie and I love making it together!
How to Store Energy Bites
Store these energy bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can you freeze energy bites?
Yes! These no-bake energy bites freeze well. Seal them in an airtight container or bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. They thaw in minutes at room temperature!
More Healthy Snack Recipes
If you love these peanut butter energy balls, try one of these healthy snack recipes next:
No-Bake Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole rolled oats
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- Pinch sea salt, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the oats, peanut butter, flax seed, honey, vanilla, chocolate chips, peanuts, and coconut. If your peanut butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt too. Mix to combine. The mixture will be thick.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the mixture, then use your hands to roll it into balls.
- Place on a large plate or baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm.
- The energy bites keep well in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze well.
I might have missed it somewhere or maybe not, but do you offer the nutrition content including calories etc. for your recipes? Thank you!
I’ve made this in the past with added cocoa powder. I do not add chocolate chips. The recipe is great. I have used techina rather than almond butter.
So glad you love the recipe, Sara!
Hi Sara,
How much cacao powder do you put in? I would like to make these as snacks for cycling outings and cacao powder would be great in lieu of chocolate chips to avoid the chocolate melting when the weather is hot!
How many calories for one ball?
Hi this is a wonderful recipe ! So easy to make and assemble. I will be going on a hike in a couple of days. So I think it is going to be a great snack to carry. However, Do you think these will stay fresh outside the refrigerator for a week ?
Hi Neetha, yep! I think that would be fine. They’ll just be a bit softer.
What is the nutritional information breakdown on these balls?
Followed the recipe exactly as posted & they turned out amazing. Not dry at all & even my kids like them! Thank is for sharing!
Hello and thank you for all those delicious recipes of yours. Whatever recipe I have tried so far was delicious! I have a question for this particular recipe. Do you think that we could use both oat flour and shredded coconut in combination?
Hi, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes! I haven’t tried using a mix of oat flour and shredded coconut here, but I think it could work well! I would do 3/4 cup of each or 1 cup oat flour and 1/2 cup coconut.
Delicious and easy to assemble. My dates were already fresh and soft so it made the mixture sticky. I used the food processor first to make the oat flour then added the remaining ingredients.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I didn’t see any nutritional info — how many calories per ball? How much protein? They look delicious, can’t wait to make them. Thanks!
Hi Sue, we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes unfortunately. To get an estimate for this recipe, you could plug it into an online nutrition calculator.
These turned out delicious! Both my toddlers also gobbled them up! I added a tad bit more almond butter – perfect! Thanks for a great recipe!
These turned out delicious! Both my toddlers also gobbled them up! I added a tad bit more almond butter – perfect! Thanks for a great recipe!
I wanted to know the same thing as Dave: What’s the nutritional info on these?
have nutritional info on these? thx
Your recipes look and sound yummy. I only wish you had the nutritional information with them. I am a diabetic so I have to watch AND count carbs. The snack bites with dates, oats, etc. make me drool looking at them!!!
I too would like nutritional information n your recipes. Also can almond flour be substituted for oat flour in this recipe?
Hi K, yep! You could use almond flour here.
Hi. I’m allergic to almonds and wonder if other butters. like walnut, cashew or tigernut would work as a substitute. Thanks!
yep! Any of those should work fine.
These were a hit! Delicious, healthy post-workout snack, and perfect consistency by adding a little extra water until they were just right. Thank you!
Hi Valerie, I’m so glad you loved them!
These taste great but mine came out a bit dry. I didn’t have almond butter so I used peanut butter instead so that might have something to do with it. Otherwise, do you know what I could have done wrong?
Hi Aria, nut butters can vary in consistency – I’d just add a touch of water until the mixture comes together. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much 🙂
These were so easy! I love them and keep them on hand for a sweet craving. I imagine that I’m eating cookie dough and it takes away my ice cream cravings!
I’m so glad you love them!
I’m a private chef and one of my clients shared this recipe with me and they are so delicious! Now, I make them every few weeks and even will keep some in the fridge at home for a quick snack. They are a favorite all around! Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes!
I’m so glad you’re loving them!
Hi Danielle, I’m sorry these didn’t work for you – the recipe is meant to be made in a food processor. The mixture is to dry (like what you’re describing), to work in a blender.