No-Bake Energy Balls: Your Afternoon Pick-Me-Up!
Snacks should be easy — a mid-day nibble to get you through to dinnertime or a little post-workout boost. But if you’ve ever attempted to find the right snack, you know how difficult it can be. So many snacks are packed with sugar, unhealthy oils and ingredients you’ve never heard of. At least that used to be the case until these energy balls came onto the scene. This is the snack you’ve been waiting for!
Energy Balls — The Perfect Healthy Snack?
What makes energy balls the perfect healthy snack? Quite a few things! They’re portable, making them easy to carry along for a food fix on the go. They use minimal ingredients; you likely have everything you need to make these energy balls in your pantry already. Oh and did I mention they taste great?
These easy-to-make energy balls are also vegan-friendly, are naturally gluten-free and have no refined sugar. They require no baking or crazy kitchen tools, so they’re excellent for getting kids in the kitchen. Yep, they are the perfect healthy snack!
Nutrition Facts
One energy ball contains approximately:
- 190 calories
- 15 carbs
- 13.2 grams fat
- 5 grams protein
- 73.4 miligrams sodium
- 12 grams sugar
- 183 milligrams potassium (5 percent DV)
- 5.4 grams fiber (22 percent DV)
- 30 milligrams calcium (3 percent DV)
- 4.9 milligrams iron (22 percent DV)
- 0.6 milligrams vitamin C (1 percent DV)
The ingredients in these energy balls are packed with health benefits of their own:
Cacao nibs are a superfood that have been used for thousands of years to increase energy. They’re full of fiber, so you’ll feel full longer after eating these energy balls, and are useful in helping you stay regular. Because cacao nibs are a good source of iron as well, they can help prevent anemia.
Sunflower butter is a great alternative to nut butters. It’s high in protein, so your muscles will particularly enjoy it after a session at the gym. It’s also full of healthy fats to keep your skin looking good.
Medjool dates sweeten these energy balls the all-natural way. These dates are the fruit of the date palm tree, and they’re one of my favorite ways to add a sweet flavor to recipes. They’re also a natural energy booster and can help decrease cholesterol. Not too shabby!
How to Make Energy Balls
What’s best about these energy balls is just how simple they are to make. Start by placing the cacao nibs and the shredded coconut into a food processor. Pulse until well-combined.
Next, place the remaining ingredients in the food processor. Blend them up until well-combined.
Roll the mixture into 12 balls (approximately 1 inch in diameter). Roll the balls individually in cacao nibs, shredded coconut or hemp seeds.
… then place on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper.
Cover the baking sheet and let chill for an hour in the refrigerator before eating, or freeze up to 2½ weeks.
Print
No-Bake Energy Balls
- Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These easy-to-make energy balls are also vegan-friendly, are naturally gluten-free and have no refined sugar. And yeah, they give you natural energy!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cacao nibs
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted and then cooled
- 8–10 Medjool dates, pitted
- ½ cup sunflower butter (or almond butter)
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Place the cacao nibs and shredded coconut into a food processor and pulse until well-combined.
- Place the remaining ingredients into the food processor and blend until well-combined.
- Roll the mixture into 12 balls (approximately 1 inch in diameter).
- Roll the balls individually in cacao nibs, shredded coconut or hemp seeds and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cover and chill for an hour or freeze up to 2½ weeks.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Freezing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 73mg
- Fat: 13.2g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 5.4g
- Protein: 5g
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61 Comments
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They sound delicious
I’m going to make these and only add 4 dates and 1/3 cup monk sugar. Should be approximately 5 added sugars which will also reduce carb count. I’ll follow up here and post results. Have to experiment and get the nutrition numbers adjusted.
Appreciate detail of ingredients and nutritional value.
Thank you very much!
this would be a great recipe if all ingredients were available in our area. The dates and hemp seeds are not available in our area and since I’m a type two diabetic, there’s too many carbs and sugar in this recipe for me. Two of these great sounding Energy-Balls would be a normal carbohydrate maximum meal for me, (maybe three if I made them slightly smaller.) I’m only permitted 60 grams of carbs in a meal as an adult male. If possible, any artificial sugar replacements for sugar or lower carb substitutes for a recipe would help tremendously in the recipe if the substitute artificial ingredients work in the recipe.
I just made then and they are delicious! I love that hint of salt you added to this recipe.
I didn’t have hemp seeds so substituted with Sunflower Seeds.
Thank you Dr. Axe !
How would chia seeds work.
Would love these but way too much sugar content. Any substitutions for no added sugar?
I’m going to make these and only add 4 dates and 1/3 cup monk sugar. Should be approximately 5 added sugars which will also reduce carb count. I’ll follow up here and post results. Have to experiment.
Thanks, for the recipes…..
please post printable recipe for this! Thank you!
Hi Lily, we are in the midst of reformatting our recipes so the print recipe function will work better than ever. Thanks for your patience!
FIXED!
You have to watch the video to get the recipe? Can’t the recipe be written out in the article?
Instead of dates, would figs be ok ? What are the dietary changes that would result from use of figs instead of dates ? Thanks Dr. Axe !
I made these using organic almond butter instead of sunflower butter… and added 1 teaspoon pure organic vanilla extract to the mix. Yum!
sounds YUM and how does one make Sunflower Butter? [am about to google and could be good to have sub-recipe included? :-) ]
Woah so high in sodium!!
Hi, Garnet! Thanks for catching that. We’ve updated this post with the correct nutrition facts.
Any substitute for the dates as I have trouble with digesting dried fruits?
Hi, Patie!
You may try any other form of sweetener, like 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup, just remember it may change the consistency. I hope this helps!
What would be a good substitute for cacao nibs?
Hi, Laxmi!
You may try dark chocolate chips or desiccated coconut. I hope this helps!
A little goes a long way… diabetics can add ground flax seeds or chia seeds to the recipe to increase the amount of fiber. Fiber slows down the rate at which sugar enters the blood stream. Definitely a healthy snack for diabetics as well I’ll say!!!
Is it really true that raw oats can’t be digested by our bodies?????
Thank you, very informative information!
Any substitute for sunflower butter? Have never seen this…never knew it existed. Thanks!
Almond Butter might be a good substitute.
You can get Sunflower Butter from either Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s Grocery Stores, or the Amazon website.
try sprouts whole food stores
Hi Kathy!
You may substitute any nut butter in place of sunflower butter. I hope this helps!
Kim. Is the Mayo Clinic the final word on salt? And as you said it is what they RECOMMEND. Do you have any research on this at all?
The Mayo Clinic recommends a maximum intake of 1.5 grams of sodium for an entire day for women over 50. One ball has that much sodium! Not good for people with high blood pressure.
Typical salt without any minerals (i.e. Morton salt) should be limited- yes. But quality sea-salt with it’s dozens of essential minerals is quite a different story. Mayo’s blanket statement saying ‘salt’ will scare many from enjoying a full flavored and healthy life.
Jesus words on ‘real salt’; Mark 9:50 “Salt is good…”, Luke 14:34 “Therefore, salt is good…”
Morton separated the minerals (to sell) from sea salt and sold it to the public as a salt that ‘Flows like rain’ instead of clumping like sea salt can.
one last thought- Salt deprivation was a common form of torture in centuries past.
Keep thinking for yourself, and God bless!
I agree Brian! If our Creator says it’s good for us, it is. Even used in an illustrative way: “Let your words always be gracious, seasoned with salt…” (Col 4:6) – our speech is made more palatable, pleasant, easier to take when “salted”. Meats used to be preserved with salt. Now there are nitrates & nitrites. Seems like greedy men have always found ways to “improve on” what is natural & healthy. Yes, REFINED salt is bad for you. My father, despite being on a low sodium diet AND diuretics for a long time, still has to take his meds to control his blood pressure. What’s going on there? What he needs is a healthy diet which includes beneficial natural sea salt!
Brian G-I agree whole heartedly.
Good on you, Brian! KUDOS! Finally someone has something nice to say, & also constructive. Please know that it matters. Thank you.
I agree I have 7 siblings with high blood pressure and no matter what clinic or doctor tells them about sodium they refuse to count their daily sodium as I do.
I am the only one without high blood pressure and due to two generations of high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke I really don’t care what anyone else says I keep my daily sodium count around 1500 mg per day.
My dad had heart attack and stroke and my mom had a pace maker for a slow heart and congestive heart failure and the family refused to keep her sodium level low so many ICU stays for several years.
I have a brother who has had a heart attack and open heart surgery with stints and his attitude toward sodium is if I can’t enjoy salt in my food what is the point of living.
People should do their own research and yes check each major heart clinic to see what they recommend. My mom stayed out of the hospital and no swelling in her body and had easier breathing and energy to even work in her flowers as long as she was on 500mg of sodium a day.
Her problem was her own children, when I wasn’t around monitering her salt intake my family members brought fastfood or cooked salty food for their own taste which ended up hurting her. She always ended up in ICU after their visits. They never did and still do not believe in keeping a daily count of how much sodium they take in daily and all 7 take high blood pressure medication and they say taking that medication allows them to eat sodium. I know many people with the same attitude and it seems they are on all the medical boards disagreeing with anyone who says we should lower our sodium.
My comment was made under Kim’s comment not Brian’s comment as I was agreeing with her comment.
Do your own research with as many studies and clinics and heart doctors as you can find. One opinion is not enough.
A Print button would be nice unless I just can’t find it. I copied and paste but just hitting the print is so easy.
You could be a little kinder in your response.
That tone isn’t necessary.
Wow, nasty! What you will find on many websites with articles or recipes like this, they will have a “print” button that will eliminate all the advertising & unnecessary stuff, and get right down to printing only the part that you want instead of having to manually copy & paste into a new document. It’s nice for us Morons to be able to have this shortcut!
On your keyboard, hold down Ctrl and press P
When the print options appear, choose only the pages you want to print. (i.e: 9-12)
Hope this helps. :)
I would need to substitute something for the shredded coconut. I imagine that’s not possible.
Hemp seeds are a great substitute, Gudrun! I hope this helps!
I don’t have a food processor. What about a blender-Nutra Bullet?
You may try a blender- Nutra Bullet. That should work just fine!
Thank you so much!
Is there an alternative to almond flour? I am allergic to almonds.
Just omit the almond flour, it is not necessary in my opinion. But you could certainly substitute another type of flour if you prefer.
Try Coconut Flour as an alternative.
Coconut or tigernut flours could be used, also ground flax seeds
According to Mike Adams, heavy metals scientist, flax and sunflower seeds are high in cadmium. Why would sunflower anything be used?
If you’re really worried about cadmium, then don’t eat chocolate or potatoes either. Lol
Try Coconut Flour as an alternative.
Use a seed flour – simply grind sunflower and pepitas and viola!
Do you have a all natural coco brownie ingredient recipe.
These are AMAZING! I made these and I eat them when ever I am craving chocolate or a quick “pick me up” after a long run.
How do you feel about adding rolled oats? Too much?
Rolled oats, uncooked, are indigestible.
Muesli anyone?