Energy Balls
Easy, no-bake Energy Balls made with simple pantry staples—stir, scoop, and chill for bite-size snacks that are perfect for lunchboxes, after-school fuel, and make-ahead breakfasts. Kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, and customizable with your favorite mix-ins.
I’m always looking for healthy snacking options for my kids, and this easy energy balls recipe is one of my favorites. These delicious protein balls are loaded with healthy fats and last forever since I can store them in the freezer! We love to make an extra large batch and freeze them until needed. They are a wonderful quick snack that isn’t full of preservatives or unhealthy ingredients.
With rolled oats, creamy peanut butter, chocolate chips and a few other simple ingredients, these delicious bites are loaded with protein and have the most amazing flavor. Whether we make these energy bites or our Monster Energy Bites, there’s always a quick protein packed snack available to grab on the go!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These are a wonderful on-the-go breakfast or protein filled snack. These energy balls have healthy fats, are high in fiber and low in sugar. You can even send them in school lunches to keep your kiddos fueled during the day.
- These healthy engergy balls requires no baking, so you don’t even have to turn the oven on! A very kid-friendly recipe that they can make all on their own.
- You can easily adapt this recipe to make it vegan, vegetarian and/or gluten free. Just use dairy-free chips and a different sweetener option!
Ingredients For No Bake Energy Balls
- Peanut butter – I recommend using a smooth and creamy peanut butter, not a chunky one. If you choose to use a natural peanut butter, make sure that the butter and oil are thoroughly mixed together before adding it in with the other ingredients. Almond butter, cashew butter and sunflower seed butter would all be super tasty if you can’t use peanut butter.
- Old fashioned oats – Oats are the main ingredient that will hold the energy balls together. To ensure these are gluten free, make sure that you get gluten-free old fashioned oats.
- Salt – A little bit of salt will help to balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Mini chocolate chips – Use whatever flavor of chocolate chips that you’d like. Milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark chocolate — they all work!
- Honey – To keep these lower in sugar, sweeten the energy balls with honey. Maple syrup is a great alternative.
- Protein powder – I used vanilla protein powder in this recipe, but you can use any flavor that you want.
More Add-Ins
These peanut butter energy balls would be tasty with so many different add-ins. Chia seeds and ground flaxseed are a great way to add more nutritional benefits to these no bake energy balls. You can also make them chocolatey with a bit of cocoa powder!
Add more texture and a variety of flavor to this recipe with things like shredded coconut, crushed nuts or dried fruit.
If you switch up the add-ins in these no-bake energy balls, just make sure that the mixture is not overloaded. You’ll need to be able to roll up the balls and have them stick together easily.
How To Make Energy Balls
- Add all ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl and combine thoroughly with a silicone spatula or mixing spoon.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop the no bake energy bites and roll into a 1-inch ball. Place each one onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet.
- Place the cookie sheet into the fridge for an hour, or until the energy balls have hardened.
Pro Tips
- Don’t roll the balls too big or they won’t set in middle. Make sure you keep them in the fridge or freezer long enough to set before biting into them.
- While rolling, the mixture should not be dry or overly sticky. If you find it to be too dry, add some extra honey or a dollop of peanut butter. If the mixture is too sticky, a few extra oats mixed in should do the trick.
- If you are making this with smaller kids and rolling the balls is tricky for their little hands, have them press the mixture into a parchment-lined baking dish, leave it to set and then cut into bars or small squares.
These easy energy balls are a wonderful snack option for kids and adults alike! Make a big batch when you meal prep and you’ll be all set for a busy week on the go.
Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl mix peanut butter, honey, oats, protein powder, salt and mini chocolate chips until well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the energy balls and then roll them into a 1-inchball. Place onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet.
- Place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the balls are hardened before storing.
Notes
Nutrition
Storage
Fridge: Store energy bites in an airtight container or zip top bag for up to two weeks.
Freezer: This is my favorite way to store energy bites because they will last a few months in an airtight container or freezer bag.
More Easy Snack Recipes
- A yummy Fall Snack Mix is the best treat to make during those chilly months! It’s a salty sweet combo that everyone will love.
- Kids love to help make Ladybug Oreos. They are the perfect sweet treat snack for spring and summer. Plus, they’re just adorable!
- Make Ham and Cheese Rollups as an easy snack or a quick lunch item. They always disappear when I set them on the lunch table.
- Homemade Uncrustables are sure to save you some money on that grocery bill. They’re the best copycat snack and are so easy to make!
