Healthy Energy Balls sweetened with Medjool Dates. These no-bake, raw bites are packed with wholesome ingredients like oatmeal and sunflower seed butter. They are "guaranteed" to put a smile on your face and just might give you a surge of energy too!
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These tasty little energy balls are not new at our house. But, the way they're sweetened sure is. Instead of honey or agave nectar, they are sweetened with medjool dates. We use this date paste to sweeten Chocolate Date Balls and Date Balls with Rice Krispies too!
It's love at first bite. 🙂
It's a new year and the perfect time to move out of your comfort zone and try new recipes and ingredients. Ever wonder what nutritionists and healthy foodies are trying next? The wait is over! Hop down to the bottom of this post and see links to recipes using "new" ingredients by the members of the Recipe Redux. Prepare to be inspired.
But, first...
Energy Balls with Medjool Dates Tips and Tricks
Medjool dates! Where have you been all my life? I should have known how much I'd love you. I've always been a big raisin fan.
But you are even better. Larger, plumper and sweeter than other dates with an almost caramel-like taste. I could gobble you up like pieces of candy. Turns out you are also an incredibly delicious, all natural sweetener too!
Check out How to Make Date Paste or watch this quick video on how to make a large batch of Medjool Date Paste:
And so...a new sweetener has been added to our arsenal.
These dates are larger than they look. They are about an inch in length and come with a large pit. Buy them pitted or make a slit down the center and remove it.
Medjool dates are naturally very soft. Still, I soak them for a few minutes in hot water while assembling the other ingredients.
Add the dates and a little water that they soaked into a small-sized food processor and pulse to create a "date paste." Add additional water as desired to thin the consistency. Done. You have your sweetener.
This year is all about simple and healthy recipes. And, this whole process seems contrary to this focus...at first. I do it because it's that good.
In addition, you can make lots of "date paste" and just store it in a jar in the refrigerator. So, the next time you want to make healthy energy balls, it's super-duper easy. And, I bet you'll find other ways to incorporate this natural sweetener in other recipes too!
Once the paste is made, it's a matter of simply combining all of the other ingredients and then rolling the dough into balls...lots and lots of balls, somewhere between 20 and 30, depending upon how small you make them...and how many bites you take in between.
Enjoy!
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Healthy Energy Balls with Medjool Dates
Ingredients
- 8 medjool dates pits removed
- 1 cup uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
- ½ cup ground flax seed
- ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sunflower seed butter (or peanut butter)
Instructions
- Fill a glass container with very hot water. (I heat about 2 cups in the microwave for about 1 ½ minutes.)
- Add dates to water, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 5-10 minutes. This softens the dates and makes them easier to puree, but may not be necessary if dates are very soft.
- Remove dates from water and place in a small food processor.
- Add to the food processor about 1 Tablespoon of the water the dates soaked in.
- Pulse until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add additional water to thin the consistency of the paste, if desired.
- Set date "paste" aside.
- Combine oatmeal, flax seed, coconut flakes and chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.
- Add date paste, vanilla extract and sunflower seed butter to the dry mixture.
- Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Refrigerate dough for about 15 minutes if possible. (It's not required, but does make it easier to work with.)
- Form dough into Tablespoon-size balls.
- Refrigerate balls in an air tight container.
Nutrition
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Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I love my snack bites! These are wonderful dear!
The Food Hunter
I love making these sort of treats!
Sam
Medjool Dates are so amazing. So sweet. So perfect. I love these to tide me over. Better than most other "snacks" 😀
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
I love your tips and tricks! I only recently found Medjool dates. Yum! 😀 And these balls look so delicious!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
These sound like perfect little pick-me-ups! I love date-sweetened treats (the texture is pleasing to me), so I definitely want to give these a try.
angie
I love dates, and these energy balls look so delicious! The perfect snack after a good workout!!!
Nicole Hood
I love using dates to sweeten recipes and these no bake energy balls look delish!
Caroline Kaufman Nutrition (@sweetfoodie)
Dates are such a good natural sweetener! These look really good 🙂
Melanie
These turned out great, even without the coconut. I added some to my kids' lunchbox and they loved them. Thank you for the recipe.
Marjory
Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Maggie
I keep a jar of these handy. A quick burst of energy to get me through a busy day. The kids love them as well. Great snack before/after soccer.
Marjory
I"m so glad you like them!
Darla
These are very good& helps with my sugar fix! But I had never bought or eaten a date so I didn't realize they had seeds. When I chopped them in my processor it cracked it! Note to self ! Take out seeds before adding to processor!
Marjory
Oh no! I'm glad you liked them. You can buy them without the seeds too!
Ttrockwood
I just had a tester from a batch i made for my best friend who is a new mommy, they're fantastic! I used 1/4c ground flax and 1/4c chia seeds, and added a good sized pinch of salt. Instead of coconut inside i used hemp seeds. But my nut butter was extra drippy so the balls were still very "wet", so i rolled them in some coconut!
Really delicious, and i love that these are easily made vegan!
Marjory
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Love the variations.
Jen
How long will these keep in the fridge?
Marjory
Store protein energy balls in the refrigerator for up to a week. They can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Lynn
These are so delicious! My kids love them and so do I. I used 10-11 dates the second time I made them because 8 didn’t seem to be enough to keep them together the first time. I also use enjoy life mini chips to make them dairy-free.
Marjory
Thanks for your comment and tip. I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Jenaco
These are great. I used flax seeds and hemp seeds as I didn't have chia seeds. Great recipe and a great snack for my sporty kids.
Marjory
Thanks so much for your comment and tip on hemp seeds!
Gene Prudhon
My first attempt at date balls found me mixing the dates into a paste by hand. Hard and messy work. I've purchased a pound of date paste and look forward to using this recipe.
Marjory
Enjoy! A pound of date paste in the fridge sounds like a TERRIFIC idea to me! So many ways to use it!
Suzanne K
I love this recipe! I was wondering if for a change you think it would work with cashew butter and Craisins? How would you alter the recipe? I tried one I found with those ingredients but it wouldn’t hold together. Wondered about using the date paste as I think that’s a key ingredient in holding these together.
Marjory
Absolutely! Sub cashew butter for sunflower seed butter and sub Craisins for chocolate chips. Keep the amounts of the oatmeal and other ingredients the same. The date paste serves as the sweetener AND helps hold everything together along with the nut butter. You can make the date paste ahead of time and store in the refrigerator (just did a post on that-see link in post) If you go that route, then use about 1/2 cup of the date paste and add more to taste if desired. 🙂
K Snyder
I made date paste per your recipe. Maybe I need to reread your post but exactly how much date paste is equivalent to 8 dates? 🙂 please & thank you!
Marjory Pilley
8 dates will yield about 1/3 cup of date paste. Enjoy!
Kelly Snyder
5 out of 5 agreed these were really, really good. I altered a little by adding chia seed & hemp seed. Glad I found this gem of a recipe!
Marjory Pilley
Great additions! ?
Stephanie
This is my go to powerball recipe. It has all the good stuff to satisfy my sweet tooth and help in my transition to a vegan diet and my cancer recovery. I have it always open on my phone.
Marjory Pilley
I'm so glad it is helpful and wish you all the best! Once you have the basic recipe down, it's easy to make variations by subbing out different types of nut butters, seeds. fruits, etc. But, this is our go-to version too and we have it almost every week. 🙂
Elizabeth
Turned out just right but I made 15 so they pretty big. I also sprayed my hands with cooking spray and that helped a lot.
Marjory Pilley
Great tip!!! Thanks for sharing!
Ricco
Can I bake these so that they don't have to be refrigerated? I want to send in the mail to Colorado
Marjory Pilley
Hello! I have not tried baking this recipe. My initial reaction is that they would need a little more oatmeal or other dry ingredients added first. You may want to look at the Banana Everything Cookie and make some modifications to that recipe.
Dawn Edwards
You're hot water tip was fantastic! We're a celiac household with our second having to most recently remove dairy. This was a fun healthy snack that we could all make together. Both kids are SUPER excited about this and gave your recipe two thumbs up! Thank you for your post!
Marjory Pilley
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to check out the post on making date paste - you can make up a big batch and keep it in the fridge to sweeten and make all kinds of things!
Andi’s Mom
These are sooo good! I saved the recipe a while ago but just had dates I wanted to use and these are perfect!
I omitted the chocolate chips and added chopped almonds.
Perfect healthy snack!
Jp
These are so fast and easy to make, great for a snack with coffee
Faythe
I can’t eat oatmeal. Any suggestions for a substitute ?
Marjory Pilley
Try a crispy cereal like we did in this recipe to make Date Balls with Rice Krispies! https://www.dinner-mom.com/date-balls-with-rice-krispies/
Suzi
I make these all the time! They are so good! I omitted the coconut, added cocoa powder, and used almond butter. Perfect to go snacks for our active family. Thank you!
Marjory Pilley
Thanks Suzi! Love your chocolate version!
Stacey
So easy and delicious! My family loves them. Thank you!
Karen
Just made these. I used homemade almond butter which was still warm, so I kept batter in frig about 30 mins before forming the balls. The date paste wasn’t perfectly smooth, but I figured an occasional small chunk didn’t matter. Very tasty! A keeper.
Sarah
The dates seem to overpower the chocolate chips, so next time I will not use them and will sub dried fruit like banana chips, mangos, etc. or add more coconut. Coconut matches better with dates for my taste buds. Otherwise, a good recipe
Holly
I made these last week and am making them again tonight. They taste just like a no bake cookie! I did leave out the flax seed since I didnt have any, but it didnt change the consistency. My husband loves them as a quick, sweet snack. Thanks!
Marjory Pilley
Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Tulips
Hi , thanks for the lovely recipe
How long does it stays fresh in the refrigerator?
Thx
Marjory Pilley
Hi! Store in the refrigerator for about a week and they can be frozen up to 3 months.
Hilary
I love these date balls so much! I have been eating them while I have been pregnant for the last couple months for energy and for the oxytocin effect in dates for delivery. I have made 4 double batches. I normally put in Lilly's milk chocolate chips to help with limited sugar intake and natural peanut butter for protein. So GOOD! Thanks for sharing this recipe!