This No-Bake Energy Bites recipe is easy to make, full of feel-good ingredients, and irresistibly delicious!

Easy No Bake Energy Bites Recipe

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

Energy Bites Ingredients

No Bake Energy Bites Ingredients:

To make this no bake energy bites recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • Old-fashioned oatsAlso called rolled oats — these will serve as the base ingredient for our energy bites.
  • Shredded coconutWhich 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 butterI have used both traditional creamy peanut butter and natural creamy peanut butter in this recipe, and both work!
  • Ground flaxseedTo add some extra protein, fiber and omega-3s to our energy bites.
  • Semisweet chocolate chipsI photographed this recipe with standard-sized semisweet chips, but mini semisweet chips mix in easier.
  • HoneyTo add some natural sweetness and also help to bind the energy balls together.
  • Vanilla extractFor 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 Bites (Balls)

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.

Healthy 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 barsPress 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.

Healthy Energy Bites with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter

More Healthy Snack Recipes:

Looking for more healthy snack inspiration? Here are a few of my favorite snack recipes!

No Bake Energy Bites

4.92 from 407 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 20 -25 energy bites
No Bake Energy Bites Recipe
This No-Bake Energy Bites recipe is easy to make, full of feel-good ingredients, and irresistibly delicious!

Ingredients

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

Prep Time: The prep time listed does not include time for the mixture to chill.  To speed up the chilling, I recommend spreading the mixture out on a small baking sheet and popping it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until the mixture is cool.
Source: Recipe slightly adapted from Smashed Peas & Carrots.

Additional Info

Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

About Ali

Hi, I'm Ali Martin! I created this site in 2009 to celebrate good food and gathering around the table. I live in Kansas City with my husband and two young boys and love creating simple, reliable, delicious recipes that anyone can make!

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4.92 from 407 votes

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Recipe Rating




2,367 Comments

  1. Chrissy says:

    Did peanut butter drop off the recipe?

    1. Ali says:

      1/2 cup. Sorry about that, the recipe somehow was mistakingly edited when we copied it over to the new design yesterday.

  2. Mary wikswo says:

    I wanted more of a recovery bite- we live 40 minutes away from where we bike and I prefer to eat as soon as I put the bike up. I don’t want the ready made stuff with preservatives, so I made these, deleting the chocolate ( I am sensitive to caffeine). I add a scoop of protein powder, about a quarter cup of ground nuts( I used almond left over from another recipe) and maple syrup for the extra liquid needed to make it stick together. All the other ingredients stay the same. To me, they taste like cinnamon rolls.

  3. Annie says:

    Is the original recipe gluten free? My friend is allergic to gluten and expecting, I’d like to make her a batch or two but I know nothing about what contains gluten and what doesn’t. Thanks!

    1. Ali says:

      Yes, it is. Enjoy!

    2. Emily says:

      If it has oats in it… It is not gluten free

    3. Ali says:

      If you buy gluten-free oats, it is gluten free. Enjoy!

  4. Ludicrous Mama says:

    FYI, chocolate IS vegan. Many BRANDS are not, if they contain milk, but the cacao processed into chocolate that is sold to confectioners is dairy-free. Each company adds their own mix of fillers and emulsifiers and such.

  5. antonia canjar says:

    will try no bake energy bites only issue l have is peanut butter

    1. Ludicrous Mama says:

      Use almond butter, cashew butter, soy butter, sunflower seed butter…

  6. Barbara says:

    Can you tell me how many calories would be in a 1-inch ball of the original recipe?

  7. LeeAnn G Taylor says:

    This is my absolute favorite recipe and I make it weekly. Since I’m currently pregnant and will be nursing, they are a fabulous way to get a quick healthy snack in on the go. I love that if you’re in a hurry, they can be made with just six ingredients and the recipe is simple enough to substitute out things if you happen to be out of something. 5 stars in my book for sure!

  8. maddy says:

    I brought these to a long swim meet (6+ hours!) For a quick burst of energy, and to share with my teammates. Left them unattended for 5 minutes, and they were gone! I made these with half maple syrup and half honey, but they didn’t stick together well. Also had whole flax seeds and a few sunflower seeds. Using cocoa nibs also gave a good caffeine dose, as coffee doesn’t bode well before races. Great, even in crumble form (had to pinch some out)!

  9. Neelam says:

    I made these with almond butter and added a little cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Also used maple syrup instead of honey and I toasted the oats a little. Oh these are so good! Thanks for such a simple, yes delicious recipe!

  10. Cheryl says:

    Do you have an approx. calorie count for the original energy balls?

    Thanks,

    1. Ali says:

      Hi Cheryl,

      If you read through the comment section, quite a few readers have calculated nutrition facts. You can calculate approximate facts at myfitnesspal.com, although I don’t trust its accuracy so hesitate to publish them on the site. Good luck!

      ~Ali