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. S Watts says:

    These classic balls look so yummy. Will be making them this weekend! FYI: I loved agave when it first hit the market but, it’s just as bad as Corn syrup… something to do with how they process the agave.  Again love your blog.

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thanks, we hope you love them, and thanks for being a fan of the blog as well! :)

  2. Meggan says:

    Obsessed with these. Thank you. 

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      You’re very welcome Meggan, we’re glad you love them! :)

  3. Kristy Pickering says:

    I just wanted to say how much I enjoy this recipe (the first one.) I make it weekly for snacks while I’m out, and while super tasty, they keep me satisfied. My husband and daughter are also big fans. We’re planning to make these to go with us on vacation. Thanks so much!

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thank you Kristy, we’re so happy you and your family enjoy these – thanks for sharing! :D

  4. Meghan says:

    I can’t wait to try these!  Is the flax essential for binding?  My husband has a sensitivity to it and I’d like to omit it if possible.  Will they hold together without it or should I sub in something else?

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thanks Meghan, we hope you enjoy them! The flax is not essential – we would just add more oats in place of it. :)

  5. Dyann says:

    I LOVE these energy bites – I double the recipe and make them at least every second week! 

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thanks for sharing Dyane, we’re so glad you like them! :)

  6. Diana says:

    You can do so much with these. I make mine with-Oats, flax, chia, hemp, coconut flakes, dark choco chips, cranberries, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom mix these. Almond butter, honey, blackstrap molasses, vanilla mix these then combine. Makes it easier to mix doing liquid and dry separately. So good!! :)

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      You can indeed Diana, aren’t they fun?! :) We love how you make yours, yum!

  7. Melanie says:

    I input the recipe into MyFitnessPal as you suggested and the estimated calories per ball is 140. 

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Thanks for sharing with us Melanie!

  8. Nicole says:

    These are so good!  I didn’t bother to toast the coconut flakes (too lazy, you know?), but they worked just fine raw (more nutritious, too).  I also used agave, omitted the chia and didn’t bother to chill the dough.  It really does taste like cookie dough!  Delicious!  I will be keeping this recipe close by. 

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      We’re happy you liked them Nicole, thanks for sharing! :D

  9. chana says:

    can i make them without oats

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      Hi Chana! The oats hold everything together, so they’re essential in this recipe, and we can’t really think of a substitute.

  10. Lauren says:

    Can you use steel cut oats for these? 

    1. Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven says:

      We haven’t tried that Laura, and we suppose you could, but the old fashioned, rolled oats will be softer in texture. The steel cut oats will have some bite to them. Perhaps you could try a mix of the two?