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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers and Snacks

    Energy Balls with Medjool Dates

    UPDATED Sep 14, 2020 · PUBLISHED Jan 22, 2016 BY Marjory Pilley · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    No Bake Energy Balls with Medjool Dates Pin

    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!

    CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE NOW

    Energy Balls with Medjool Dates Recipe

    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.

    Medjool Dates

    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.

    Pureed Medjool Dates

    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!

    Oatmeal and Chocolate Healthy Energy Balls with no added sugar

    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.

    Healthy Energy Balls with Medjool Dates Recipe

    Enjoy!

    CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE NOW

    Energy Balls with Medjool Dates Recipe

    Healthy Energy Balls with Medjool Dates

    Healthy Energy Balls sweetened with Medjool Dates. These no-bake, raw bites are filled with wholesome ingredients like oatmeal and sunflower seed butter.
    4.89 from 17 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 30 Balls
    Calories: 79kcal
    Author: Marjory Pilley

    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.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.5mg
    Nutritional and Food Safety Disclaimer

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine

      January 22, 2016 at 12:16 pm

      I love my snack bites! These are wonderful dear!

      Reply
    2. The Food Hunter

      January 22, 2016 at 2:53 pm

      I love making these sort of treats!

      Reply
    3. Sam

      January 22, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      Medjool Dates are so amazing. So sweet. So perfect. I love these to tide me over. Better than most other "snacks" 😀

      Reply
    4. Erin @ Texanerin Baking

      January 22, 2016 at 4:57 pm

      I love your tips and tricks! I only recently found Medjool dates. Yum! 😀 And these balls look so delicious!

      Reply
    5. Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen

      January 23, 2016 at 9:28 am

      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.

      Reply
    6. angie

      January 23, 2016 at 12:57 pm

      I love dates, and these energy balls look so delicious! The perfect snack after a good workout!!!

      Reply
    7. Nicole Hood

      January 24, 2016 at 12:23 am

      I love using dates to sweeten recipes and these no bake energy balls look delish!

      Reply
    8. Caroline Kaufman Nutrition (@sweetfoodie)

      January 25, 2016 at 11:32 am

      Dates are such a good natural sweetener! These look really good 🙂

      Reply
    9. Melanie

      November 09, 2016 at 11:21 am

      These turned out great, even without the coconut. I added some to my kids' lunchbox and they loved them. Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Marjory

        December 04, 2016 at 1:48 pm

        Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

        Reply
    10. Maggie

      August 07, 2017 at 9:07 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Marjory

        August 07, 2017 at 10:18 am

        I"m so glad you like them!

        Reply
    11. Darla

      September 22, 2017 at 11:32 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marjory

        September 22, 2017 at 3:04 pm

        Oh no! I'm glad you liked them. You can buy them without the seeds too!

        Reply
    12. Ttrockwood

      October 06, 2017 at 9:04 pm

      4 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marjory

        October 07, 2017 at 10:40 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Love the variations.

        Reply
    13. Jen

      January 26, 2018 at 2:42 pm

      How long will these keep in the fridge?

      Reply
      • Marjory

        January 28, 2018 at 11:56 am

        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.

        Reply
    14. Lynn

      April 03, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Marjory

        April 05, 2018 at 8:20 am

        Thanks for your comment and tip. I'm so glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    15. Jenaco

      April 11, 2018 at 6:56 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Marjory

        April 12, 2018 at 8:11 am

        Thanks so much for your comment and tip on hemp seeds!

        Reply
    16. Gene Prudhon

      December 20, 2018 at 6:36 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Marjory

        December 20, 2018 at 10:53 am

        Enjoy! A pound of date paste in the fridge sounds like a TERRIFIC idea to me! So many ways to use it!

        Reply
    17. Suzanne K

      February 10, 2019 at 6:05 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Marjory

        February 11, 2019 at 9:27 am

        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. 🙂

        Reply
    18. K Snyder

      June 27, 2019 at 8:26 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        June 27, 2019 at 8:37 am

        8 dates will yield about 1/3 cup of date paste. Enjoy!

        Reply
        • Kelly Snyder

          June 29, 2019 at 8:54 pm

          5 stars
          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!

          Reply
          • Marjory Pilley

            June 30, 2019 at 7:57 am

            Great additions! ?

            Reply
    19. Stephanie

      August 06, 2019 at 7:39 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        August 07, 2019 at 7:43 am

        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. 🙂

        Reply
    20. Elizabeth

      September 02, 2019 at 10:47 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        September 02, 2019 at 7:19 pm

        Great tip!!! Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    21. Ricco

      January 06, 2020 at 10:56 am

      Can I bake these so that they don't have to be refrigerated? I want to send in the mail to Colorado

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        January 06, 2020 at 2:52 pm

        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.

        Reply
    22. Dawn Edwards

      July 22, 2020 at 9:29 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        July 23, 2020 at 7:31 am

        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!

        Reply
    23. Andi’s Mom

      August 15, 2020 at 8:10 pm

      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!

      Reply
    24. Jp

      August 28, 2021 at 9:43 pm

      5 stars
      These are so fast and easy to make, great for a snack with coffee

      Reply
    25. Faythe

      August 29, 2021 at 8:35 am

      I can’t eat oatmeal. Any suggestions for a substitute ?

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        August 29, 2021 at 9:45 am

        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/

        Reply
    26. Suzi

      January 01, 2022 at 2:39 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        January 02, 2022 at 8:53 am

        Thanks Suzi! Love your chocolate version!

        Reply
    27. Stacey

      January 14, 2022 at 2:12 pm

      5 stars
      So easy and delicious! My family loves them. Thank you!

      Reply
    28. Karen

      February 22, 2022 at 12:51 pm

      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.

      Reply
    29. Sarah

      February 26, 2022 at 3:36 pm

      4 stars
      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

      Reply
    30. Holly

      May 24, 2022 at 5:06 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        May 25, 2022 at 8:02 am

        Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm so happy you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    31. Tulips

      September 14, 2022 at 10:04 pm

      5 stars
      Hi , thanks for the lovely recipe
      How long does it stays fresh in the refrigerator?
      Thx

      Reply
      • Marjory Pilley

        September 15, 2022 at 7:17 am

        Hi! Store in the refrigerator for about a week and they can be frozen up to 3 months.

        Reply
    32. Hilary

      March 11, 2023 at 9:29 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply

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