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!
I used steel cut oats because that was all I had. They are definitely more crunchy – crunchier than I’d like. The flavor was superb but I will make sure and used rolled oats next time.
I made these to help at an aid station for a Kodiak 100 mile/50 mile Ultra Marathon in September. The Ultra athletes LOVED them so much. I listed the ingredients and they said it was a perfect blend of what they needed. I found they stuck to my hands a bit when rolling so I coated my hands with a thin layer of coconut oil, which added a little fat to it for the runners.Thank you so much for this recipe. I can’t wait for next year’s race!
That’s awesome Candace! We’re happy to hear they were such a hit! Great idea coating your hands with the coconut oil too, these guys do tend to get a little sticky to work with! :)
Love these, but mine are having trouble sticking….wondering what I did wrong?
They might just need to be chilled in the refrigerator a bit more. That makes them more sticky, or you can also add in more peanut butter. Enjoy!
Hello! Can’t wait to try these. Are the coconut flakes sweetened? And how long did you toast for? Thank you so much.
You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes. And I just toasted mine for 10-15 minutes until they were golden. Enjoy!
So I am not a big fan of coconut, can these be made without?
Yes, they definitely can! Feel free to add in some more nuts, oats or dried fruit to replace it if you like. We hope you enjoy these!
Can you substitute the coconut for coconut oil? If so how much do you think it would take? Thank you.
No, unfortunately you need solid coconut flakes (not the oil) for this recipe. Sorry!
Hey there. I tried these the other day and loved them!! When it calls for 1/2cup ground flax seed…does that mean take 1/2 cup of flax seed and then grind it OR does it mean grind enough flax seed to make 1/2 cup of ground flax seed? Thanks for clarifying. Also, is it necessary to purchase organic flax seed? How long will flax seed last? I found some online and theres ALOT in the 4 packages. Thanks for your help!
Ah, good question. 1/2 cup flax seed that has ALREADY been ground. And organic or non-organic is up to you, and different brands will last different amounts of time. If you don’t want an entire bag, I’d check the bulk section at your local grocery store. Enjoy!
hello
Is there anyway you can substitute or leave out the flax seed???
Thanks.
Hi Dolly! Yes, you can definitely leave out the flax seed, and/or you can add some more oats and nuts if you’d like. We hope you enjoy these!
I make a batch of these basically weekly. My husband and two toddlers love them as much as I do! I use this as my base recipe but always add extras like hemp hearts or a plant based protein powder. I also press them into a pan with parchment paper and cut them like granola bars! These are great for breakfast, snack time, pre or post workout, etc. I’ve passed this recipe on to countless friends already who rave about how good they are! Thank you!!
That’s awesome Krystel, we’re thrilled that you and your family love these! And we think the hemp hearts and protein powder are awesome additions! :)
Tried this recipe out and loved it!!! The only things I did differently were instead of vanilla extract I used almond extract & I didn’t toast the coconut but it was still super Yummie!!! Thanks for this idea I just started a new job and I don’t really have time to get breakfast so this is super easy I just make a double batch Sunday night get it all ready put them all into a big container and take it with me on Monday and store it in the fridge at work, it lasts me all week & it turned out amazing and after I let my new coworkers try some they loved it!!
Awesome Jessica, we’re happy you and your co-workers loved these! And the almond extract sounds yummy! :)