This No-Bake Energy Bites recipe is easy to make, full of feel-good ingredients, and irresistibly delicious!
Friends, have you tried this no bake energy bites recipe? ♡
It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes here on the blog, and one that I’ve personally made about a zillion times since I first published it here eight years ago.
I love these little energy bites because they are easy to make with simply pantry ingredients that I almost always have on hand. They are super easy to mix up and roll into cute little energy balls. (Or if you would like to save 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 breakfasts. And most importantly, they are just irresistibly good.
Over the years, thousands of our readers have made and loved this classic energy bites recipe too. So I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try!
No Bake Energy Bites Recipe | 1-Minute Video
No Bake Energy Bites Ingredients:
To make this no bake energy bites recipe, you will need 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 the coconut has cooled before adding in the chocolate chips or the chocolate may melt.) Feel free to use either sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Creamy peanut butter: I have used both traditional creamy peanut butter and natural creamy peanut butter in this recipe, and both work!
- 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!
How To Make Energy Balls:
To make these energy bites, simply…
- Stir everything together. Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Chill. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until the mixture is chilled.*
- Roll into balls. Roll into mixture into 1-inch balls.
- 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.
Possible Energy Bites Variations:
There are all sorts of ways that you can customize this energy bites recipe, so feel free to get creative! For example, you are welcome to…
- 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.
More Healthy Snack Recipes:
Looking for more healthy snack inspiration? Here are a few of my favorite snack recipes!
- Chocolate No Bake Energy Bites
- Seed Cycling Energy Bites
- Easy Refrigerator Pickles
- Nooch Popcorn
- Beef Jerky
- Sea Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips
No Bake Energy Bites
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
Instructions
- Stir everything together. Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Chill. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until the mixture is chilled. (This will help the mixture stick together more easily.)
- Roll into balls. Roll into mixture into 1-inch balls.
- Serve. Then enjoy immediately! Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
How many calories per bite?
I have recently joined a nutritional program where tracking Macros is important. I’m a scientist, and good with Excel so I decided to measure/weight all ingredients while baking. I found the calories to be higher than what other commenters have reported in the comments.
If links are allowed, I uploaded a screenshot of my Excel Spreadsheet here:
But essentially, for a 14.3 gram ball size, there are 78.4 calories, 4.7g of Fat, 8.5g of Carbs, and 1.5g of Protein.
Thanks! This is super helpful.
I love these energy bites! My husband loves them too- I leave out the chia seeds and coconut. Planning on making and freezing a bunch before we have our baby in May, so we can have some easy snacks for when we’re new parent zombies ??
I’ve had this saved for a long while, finally made them today. Even my husband loves them! I did add chopped slivered almonds, just because I had some. No coconut, my husband can’t stand it. But I might try another batch with coconut soon!
Can I use Almond extract instead of Vanilla?
These are SO DELICIOUS!
I substituted the honey with SUGAR FREE/Imitation Honey by Honey Tree (can be purchased at some Walmart’s, Grocery Stores OR on Amazon) and I used SUGAR FREE Chocolate Chips! My family loves these & I can hardly keep them on hand! THANK YOU for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi there! I have been making these energy balls for YEARS. We are currently staying with my future-in-laws at the moment and my FMIL had made it a point to say although she enjoys the flavor of coconut, she would need eat these because she doesn’t like the texture of coconut. (That last sentence doesn’t give her justice for the theatrics imposed upon me while making them. I love her but facts are facts!) You’d think I’d play the obedient future daughter-in-law and take out the coconut, but nope, and guess what – she loves them so much that she’s made them TWICE now. I think every ingredient in this recipe absolutely complements the other and I wouldn’t change a thing!
I just made these and they are SOOOO good! I love toasted coconut and chocolate, so these are going to be my new favorite snack. I substituted protein powder for the ground flax (because I didn’t have any) and it turned out great!
This taste amazing! The balance between sweetness of honey, creaminess of peanut butter and mild bitterness of dark chocolate is really splendid!
My only problem is I cut the recipe in half. I wish I made more.
What is considered a serving?