These energy balls are lifesavers! When you’re hungry in between meals, running out the door without breakfast, or craving a wholesome little treat, these energy balls will come to the rescue. They’re the perfect healthy grab-and-go snack.
This recipe is made with oats, honey, nut butter, and toasted nuts and seeds, though it’s endlessly adaptable to suit your preferences. I designed it to offer sustained energy from the whole grains and nuts. One ball is just sweet enough to taste like a treat, and offers a healthy dose of protein and fiber.
This recipe was inspired by my husband’s mom’s interpretation of my no-bake granola bars. She always has a batch in the fridge for her grandkids, and they’ve become a staple in our house, too. I crumbled one over my yogurt just this morning, and they’ve kept my energy level up through this postpartum phase. They’re a perfect homemade gift for anyone who’s in a busy season of life, that’s for sure.
Energy Ball Ingredients
This recipe comes together quickly and easily, especially with the help of some basic kitchen tools. Use a food processor to chop the mix-ins, and a medium-sized cookie scoop to turn the mixture into balls (affiliate links).
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here’s what you’ll need and why:
- Old-fashioned oats: Rolled oats offer a hearty, chewy base. You can substitute an equal amount of quick-cooking oats if that’s what you have, but I prefer the texture of old-fashioned oats here.
- Ground cinnamon and salt: Cinnamon is technically optional, but it offers some subtle warming spice. The salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, ensuring that your balls are far from bland.
- Mix-ins of choice: I love a combination of pecans, almonds and pepitas (green pumpkin seeds). You can incorporate dried fruit, chocolate and coconut as well. You’ll find more flavor variations below.
- Flaxseed: Toasted flaxseed adds irresistible little crackly bits. It also absorbs some of the moisture from the nut butter, while contributing additional fiber.
- Nut butter: This recipe calls for an entire 16-ounce jar of peanut butter or almond butter. Measuring nut butter can get messy, but this recipe makes it easy!
- Honey or maple syrup: Either option contributes welcome sweetness and necessary stickiness that brings the mixture together. I prefer honey, which is a little sweeter. You’ll also find an option for puréed Medjool dates in the recipe notes.
Watch How to Make Energy Balls
Variations & Substitutions
This recipe is flexible and fun to play with. It calls for a total of 1 3/4 cups of mix-ins, counting the pecans, almonds, and pepitas. (The flaxseed absorbs some moisture, so for consistency’s sake, leave that one as-is.)
You can easily adjust the ingredients to suit your taste buds. Try substituting other nuts, shredded coconut, dried fruit, chocolate chips or chopped chocolate! You can blitz all of these ingredients together in the food processor (if you’re using chocolate, be sure to let the nuts cool completely before combining them so the chocolate doesn’t melt).
Here are some variations to try:
Fruity
- 1 cup pecan pieces
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
- 1/4 cup pepitas
Chocolate-almond
- 1 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Coconutty
- 3/4 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Trail mix-inspired
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
More Healthy Homemade Snacks
If you enjoy these energy balls, try one of these wholesome, nutty recipes next:
Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Energy Balls
These energy balls are the perfect wholesome snack! Each one is packed with whole grains, nuts and seeds, and offers a healthy amount of protein and fiber. Recipe yields about 36 balls.
- Place the oats in a large mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Toast the nuts: Warm the pecans and almonds in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they smell nicely fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer them to the bowl of a food processor (if you don’t have a food processor, pour them onto a cutting board), then return the skillet to the heat and add the pepitas. Warm the pepitas until they are fragrant and beginning to make little popping noises, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Lastly, add the flax and cook for about 30 seconds while stirring constantly, then transfer the mixture to the food processor.
- Blitz the mix-ins briefly in the food processor (or chop them by hand). Run the machine until the ingredients are all broken up into pieces smaller than your pinky fingernail. Pour the mix-ins into the bowl of oats.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey. Stir until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a big spoon to mix them together until the two are evenly combined and no dry oats remain. This takes some arm muscles, but you can do it!
- Use a medium cookie scoop or measure a heaping tablespoon of the mixture, then roll it into a ball and place it in an airtight container. Repeat until you have used up the oat mixture.
- The bites keep well for up to 10 days at room temperature, up to 3 weeks in the fridge, or several months in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor (they retain more moisture when chilled, and become more dry at room temperature–I love them either way).
Notes
Recipe adapted from my Easy No-Bake Granola Bars.
Mix-in options: This recipe calls for 2 cups of nuts and seeds total. You can change the mix-ins by substituting other nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts) or seeds, such as sunflower seeds. Or, you can replace some of the nuts/seeds with chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate, shredded coconut, or dried cranberries or cherries.
Change it up: These balls can be sweetened (mostly) with Medjool dates, if you’d like to increase the fiber content. Soak 12 dates in piping hot water for 10 minutes, then tear them in half and remove their pits. Place them in a food processor with 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey and blend until completely smooth. Use this mixture in place of the ½ cup honey or maple syrup.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it nut free: Do not use nuts (pepitas and sunflower seeds are good options) and replace the nut butter with sunflower butter.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
