Customizable Energy Balls will keep you satisfied and nourished at any time of day! Ready in just 10 minutes with minimal ingredients like nuts, coconut, and dates, these pretty bites are a great snack on-the-go. Vegan, gluten-free, no-bake treats with no food processor required!
If you're ever in San Diego, I highly recommend visiting the Little Italy Farmers Market. It is a massive, year-round street market that takes place downtown on Saturday mornings. In our current apartment I am fortunate enough to be walking distance. It's a wonderful place to draw recipe inspiration and get new ideas.
Recreating store-bought items is one of my favorite hobbies as it's very satisfying to craft your own version of a food you really enjoyed while out. A few months ago I went through the same process with this Green Machine Smoothie from Erthe Foods. The last time I visited their stand at the farmers market I picked up a lavender energy bite. This recipe was inspired by that!
Flexibility is the name of the game for this recipe. I wanted to create something that would work with a variety of ingredient types so that you could hopefully use what you have on hand. The standout feature today is of course the bright pink color, courtesy of beet juice. It makes for prettier photos but is 100% optional and does not affect flavor!
How to Make Energy Balls
No baking is required for this recipe, and the ingredient list is relatively short to boot. You'll need:
- Dates or raisins
- Nuts and nut butter
- Almond extract (trust me!)
- Salt
That's about it! Optional toppings like chocolate chips, cocoa powder, hemp seeds, or coconut are definitely encouraged.
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I highly recommend using a food processor for this recipe, but there are some ways to get around it.
How to Make Energy Balls Without a Food Processor
I understand that a food processor is an expensive piece of kitchen equipment and not accessible to everyone. I also know that it takes up quite a bit of space, so in a small kitchen that's not always easy! If you are looking to make this recipe without a high-powered blender or processor, here are some tips.
- Instead of whole almonds or cashews, we'll sub in equal amounts of almond flour and finely ground oat flour. This helps mimic the texture that comes from grinding nuts fresh. I find that subbing purely almond flour tends to be heavy on my stomach, so oat is a helpful component!
- Soaking the dates in hot water for ten minutes will insure they are extra soft so they can easily be chopped and mashed into a paste. This will help hold everything together, along with some extra runny nut butter.
I hope you enjoy these customizable energy balls! Please let me know in the comments or on Instagram if you give them a try. This recipe was inspired by Oh She Glows.
Looking for more date-sweetened recipes? Try one of these!
Customizable Coconut Almond Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds or cashews OR 1 cup almond flour and 1 cup oat flour See notes if not using food processor
- ¾ cup dates deglet noor or Medjool, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 TBS runny nut butter I like almond best in this recipe, but cashew and peanut butter also work
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup water divided and used as directed
- Toppings of choice such as mini chocolate chips crushed nuts, shredded coconut, or cocoa powder
Instructions
How to Make Energy Balls With a Food Processor
- Add nuts to processor bowl and chop until fine (but so much that they turn into nut butter). Drain your soaked dates and add them next, pulsing to combine. Next add salt, nut butter, and almond extract. Blend until a rough ball forms. Add water 1 TBS at a time until a cohesive but not wet mixture is achieved. You will likely not use the entire ¼ cup!
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Using heaping tablespoons, scoop dough into spheres and roll with your hands.
- If desired, roll in additional toppings listed above. For these photos I used shredded coconut mixed with beet juice! Let balls chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before enjoying.
How to Make Energy Balls Without a Food Processor
- Instead of using whole nuts, we're using an equal mixture of almond flour and oat flour. Add these to a large bowl.
- Drain your soaked dates and carefully place them on an edged cutting board. Dice as finely as you can. Once diced, use a fork to make the mixture as gummy as possible. Add to bowl with almond and oat flours.
- Add salt, almond extract, and nut butter and stir with a spatula to combine. Add small splashes of water until a cohesive (but not wet) mixture is formed).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Using heaping tablespoons, scoop dough into spheres and roll with your hands.
- If desired, roll in additional toppings listed above. For these photos I used shredded coconut mixed with beet juice! Let balls chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
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