No-bake energy bites, one of my all-time favorite recipes!

And it’s just one of the dozens you can get in my FREE downloadable protein recipe book here.

Recipes like this one are easily adaptable to what you prefer in terms of ingredients or flavors. I especially love recipes like this because it’s a great way to sneak in more nutritional bang per bite but it still tastes great! So great- even the kiddos love these!

With simple pantry ingredients that you likely already have on hand, these are super easy to roll together in no time at all!

And if you want to save even more time, you can press the mixture into a parchment-covered baking dish, and then cut them into energy bars. They are the perfect make-ahead recipe to keep on hand for healthy snacking or breakfast on the go. See  how I make my Energy-Bites in this quick Demo Video.

INGREDIENTS:

To make this no-bake energy bites recipe, you can start with the following ingredients:

• Old-fashioned oats: Also called rolled oats — these will serve as the base ingredient for our energy bites.
• Shredded coconut: Which I highly recommend toasting — either briefly in the oven or in a sauté pan — before adding to the energy bites.  (Just be sure that they have cooled before adding in the chocolate chips, or the chocolate may heat and turn a bit melty.)
• Creamy peanut butter: I have used both traditional creamy peanut butter and natural creamy peanut butter in this recipe, and both work! You can also substitute this with any of your favorite nut-butters.
• Ground flaxseed: To add some extra protein, fiber, and omega-3s to our energy bites.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: I photographed this recipe with standard-sized semisweet chips, but mini semisweet chips mix in easier.
• Honey: To add some natural sweetness and also help to bind the energy balls together.
• Vanilla extract: For a touch of extra flavor.
• Chia seeds (optional): Feel free to skip the chia seeds, if you do not have any on hand.  But I love adding in a tablespoon or so when I do!
• Protein Powder (optional): I add protein powder to up the nutritional bang per bite and prefer to use Juice Plus Complete plant protein for its flavor and quality ingredients but you can substitute any protein formula you may have on hand or prefer.

HOW TO MAKE ENERGY BALLS:

To make these energy bites, simply…

1. Stir everything together.  Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
2. Chill. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until the mixture is chilled.*
3. Roll into balls.  Roll into mixture into 1-inch balls.
4. Serve.  Then enjoy immediately!  Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

If you have trouble getting the energy balls to hold together, I recommend adding in more peanut butter to make the mixture a bit more sticky.  Or if you would rather, you can also just press the mixture into a square baking dish to make flat energy bars instead of round energy balls.

 

MAKE IT YOUR OWN OPTIONS:

There are other options when it comes to making energy bites, you can be flexible or get creative!  I  share more about some of my  favorite add-ins in the Demo Video  here.

• Protein Formula: I prefer Juice Plus Complete plant protein and use the vanilla for this recipe for its flavor and quality ingredients but you can substitute any protein formula you may have on hand or prefer.
• Make energy bars: Press the mixture firmly into a parchment-lined 8×8-inch baking pan, chill, and then slice into energy bars (instead of rolling the mixture into energy balls).
• Use a different nut or seed butter: Use almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or any other nut/seed butters that you prefer in place of peanut butter.
• Omit the coconut: I’ve heard from many of you over the years who don’t love coconut.  If that’s the case, no prob, just omit the coconut and add in an extra shake of oats instead.
• Add spices: If you would like to give these energy bites some extra flavor, feel free to add in a few pinches of ground cinnamon or some pumpkin pie spice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup toasted shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chips)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Demo Video

 

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