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!
These are delicious! I added some brewer’s yeast to help with lactation since they already had oats and flax seed! Great alternative to “Lactation cookies” for breast feeding moms looking to up their milk supply!
I made these for my DD to take to work. I omitted the coconut and chia seeds, used wheat germ, and added cocoa in place of chocolate chips. Yummy! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I love these as well! I told my trainer about them and he suggested adding protein powder to them. He’s always trying to get me to eat more protein. I’ll try and and let you know how they turn out. I love them though! Thanks!
Thanks for this awesome recipe! I made the original version and substituted finely chopped mixed nuts for the coconut. (daughter hates coconut). Everyone loved them! I will definitely try other versions. Thanks again!
I have been making these for months now! My boyfriend LOVES them. He requests them all the time. For him, they are the perfect snack for breakfast before hitting the gym. Our favorite variation is with cranberries. In fact, I just finished a batch and they are chilling in the fridge!
These are GREAT! Thanks for sharing. I will definitely be making these again!!
LOVE these! I make them all the time. Do you have any idea how many calories these wonderful things contain?
I put all the ingredients into the Lose It! app, and it came out to 85 calories per energy bite (assuming 24 bites per batch). I eat one in the morning with my coffee, one mid-afternoon to take care of that midday slump. All kinds of awesome!
thanks for the calorie count!
yay calorie count!
yay calorie count!
So delicious! I added chopped dates to mine.
Could I substitute the peanut butter with something with no salt?
FYI: Some health food stores (Earth Fare) have a grinder where you can make your own peanut butter using their unsalted peanuts.
You can just buy natural peanut butter, the one I get is only peanuts, no added salt, none at all. Check the labels.
Peanutbutter does not inherently have salt or sugar in it, though many store bought versions have all kinds of additives. Look for a variety where the only ingredient listed is “peanuts” or “roasted peanuts” preferably organic! :)
Excellent recipe! Thanks so much!
I used half the amount of maple syrup and it still turned out great. Also I used hemp hearts and sesame seeds as well as the chia and flax. Super delicious and simple!