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No-Bake Energy Bites

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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 they have cooled before adding in the chocolate chips, or the chocolate may heat and turn a bit melty.)
  • 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!

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No Bake Energy Bites Recipe

No Bake Energy Bites

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 301 reviews
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 20-25 energy bites 1x

Description

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


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  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.  (This will help the mixture stick together more easily.)
  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.


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.

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2,121 comments on “No-Bake Energy Bites”

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  1. This sounds delicious.  Has anyone tried subbing regular butter instead of nut butter?  I cannot digest nuts but the rest of this sounds lovely. 

  2. So can I eat them all in one sitting? lol! Seriously, these are delicious! Thank you for sharing :) Dried cherries and almonds are delicious in these too

    • We’re so happy you enjoy these Heather! :) And YES, we totally hear you on the dried cherries and almonds! ;)

  3. isn’t very important to soak the oats at least 6 hours before consuming ? 

  4. Thank you for sharing mouth watering recipes, I will surely try.

  5. They are all delicious and so easy to make.

  6. WAY too sweet with all that honey! I like the concept otherwise. Next time I’m going to start with a tablespoon and add only to taste. I don’t know how anyone could enjoy this level of sweetness, and I have a sweet tooth!

  7. When you say to store it in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week, are you saying they won’t be ready to eat until a week later, or that they last for about a week? Thanks.

    • No, just that they will last for about a week or so. We hope you enjoy these!

  8. Do you know if these can freeze and be thawed out later? 

    • Yes, definitely, and they don’t take long to thaw at all. We hope you enjoy them! :)

  9. Made these this past weekend and ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM! I took some to work as well, and came home with an empty container! Everyone thought they were delicious! Will definitely be making them over and over again!
    Thanks so much for the recipe

  10. I love these ideas, but what would you suggest as a recipes for granola energy bites? I like oats, but would love to use granola too. Switch it up.

    • Hmm, you could make smaller versions of these (the size of granola clusters), or just try a granola recipe that has a really good binder (preferably egg white). Not staring the granola as much towards the end (and especially after it’s baked and is cooling), will help you get good size clusters. Also, you could try adding some granola to these, if you want that crunch.

  11. Can you use quick oats?

  12. Thanks for great recepiee.

  13. I made these thinking they would be a healthy snack.  After I made them I figured out the calories per ingredient, totaled the # of calories and divide by 12. I intend to make 12 balls.  Each ball has approx. 228 calories.  I didnt expect these to be that high, as a result I will not be eating them.  I am hoping my math is wrong :(

  14. What are the carbs and calories 

    • Hi Gregory — we’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!

  15. Thank You so much for this brilliant little snack , packed with energy as you say , I am quite new to this Healthy Eating ,  only a couple of months in , I never want to go back to the rubbish food that I was buying at the Supermarket , I started my healthy eating with a Breakfast Smoothies , then finding you on ( Pinterest ) was a blessing , so please keep your ideas coming !!!      June Koch  XX

  16. Made these as instructed but just coconut not toasted and no chia.  Amazing but I only got about a dozen.   But they went quick and so.delicious.

  17. Delicious!! My toddler loves them as well. I just made them again with natural almond butter instead of peanut butter and only used 1/4 c of honey (I cut the oats down a bit too to make sure they would be sticky). A delicious alternative as well. Great for quick snacks!

  18. Hi! I LOVE these- So far I’ve made the regular and the chocolate peanut butter ones. Heaven!!

    My question is- Can you freeze these? I’d like to make a bunch of them and freeze for snacks after my baby is born in a few weeks. What do you think- will they keep?
    Will they defrost ok?
    Thanks!

    • Thanks Laura — we’re so glad you enjoyed these! And yes, you can most definitely freeze these, they freeze great! Because they’re so small, they don’t take long to defrost (on the counter), or you can thaw them in the fridge. And congrats on your new baby! :)

  19. I made a batch of these energy balls and then got the flu and didn’t fancy them, they’ve been in the fridge a few weeks, will they still be okay? It’s all store cupboard ingredients so I would have thought so but wanted to check to see your thoughts!

    • We would try one and see. They should be fine, the only thing that might be questionable is their taste (just because they aren’t as fresh at this point) — but if they taste good, then eat away :)

  20. How many calories do you think are in one ball? I love these! I just made them today! 

    • Hi Amanda! We aren’t sure, but some folks like using the MyFitnessPal app — which should give you a decent estimate. We hope that helps — we’re glad you enjoy them! :)

  21. To the original recipe, I use half rolled oats and half quinoa, or sometimes all quinoa. Even more nutrition! I also make them into bars instead of balls. They can go straight into a pan and then cooled. I grab one and a banana for breakfast as I’m a “can’t get out of bed, eat breakfast on the go” kind of person. :)

    • We love the idea of putting quinoa in these Carina — great thinking! :D

  22. These were soooo good! Easy to make too.
    I took them to work and they disappeared. I used crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy. I also used peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips.

  23. Made the original recipe today….they are amazing and very easy to make. Happy I have my snacks for the week. P.S I didnt use vanilla (didn’t have any) still taste pretty darn good!

    • Thanks for sharing Melissa — we’re so glad you enjoyed them! Good to know they are just as yummy without the vanilla too! :)

  24. I love these! I was just wondering how long you think they are good if kept in the fridge? I used organic smooth peanut butter organic ground flax seedl and everything else in the ingredients list except chia seeds.

    • Thanks Ania — we’re glad to hear that! And yes, we think they’re yummy cold, so the fridge works great (plus, it will help keep them fresher longer).

  25. I’ve made these a million times since seeing the recipe.  I changed it a bit so I use 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup coconut flakes, instead of chocolate chips,  I use 2tbsp of organic cacao powder,  and I use Adam’s all natural crunchy peanut butter.  
    I have counted the calories, and if you make 20 balls or of one batch with my modifications,  it’s  100 calories each.  

  26. These look so yum!!!  I want to make a few batches to bring in to my coworkers..  I’m thinking they might freeze well….have you tried that?  Thank you for the delicious recipes!

    • Thanks Kira — we hope you and your coworkers enjoy! And yes, you can definitely freeze them — they don’t take long to thaw at all. :)

  27. How long would these last in the fridge/freezer?

    • We’d say at least a week in the fridge, if not longer! A few months in the freezer. We hope you enjoy!

  28. Wow, so easy to make and sooooo good. I made a bunch of these for the first time on moving day to feed to our helpful neighbours and friends. Everyone loved them – from the 18 month old to the 75 year old! They were gone in a flash, so I made a fresh batch the day after for my family to enjoy.  I looked forward to trying the variations – they all look delicious! 

    • Thanks Angie — we’re so happy these were a hit! Thanks for giving them a try, and for your sweet words! :)

  29. I made these tonight without the coconut.  I rolled up 2 balls, got lazy, and then just started eating it with a spoon :) 
    My almost 2 year old really enjoyed it too. 

  30. Hey, these are such an awesome idea!! My family is always on the run and I was looking for an energy bar recipe. I was just wondering, how many calories and how much sugar and protein would you say are in your 1 inch balls?

    • Thanks Ashley — we hope you and your family enjoy these! Unfortunately though, we aren’t sure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!

  31. These are so tasty! Perfect little pick me up before my morning workout. Can’t wait to try your other variations on these!

  32. Hi! I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for awhile and finally made it this evening. It tastes delicious! However, the mixture was challenging to shape into balls even after having been in the fridge for 30 minutes. You had mentioned 10-20 minutes in the post, but it says 30 minutes in the recipe. It took much longer than expected to make this. It would also be helpful if you changed the total time to reflect how long it actually takes to make the energy balls. Thanks! 

    • Hi Courtney! We’re so glad you enjoyed these! We’re sorry you had a difficult time shaping them though. Sometimes we’ll spread them out on a baking sheet and refrigerate so that they’ll cool faster. We just edited the recipe to reflect the time. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

  33. P.S. Look forward to making these again with some of the modifications other commenters suggested. :)  Will share the recipe with the women’s pilates community I am a part of. 

    • Awesome Courtney — we hope you and your friends enjoy them! :)

  34. Just made a batch of these today. So tasty! Subbed in raisins for the chocolate chips and added about a tbsp of maple syrup. I am Canadian after all!

    • We’re so glad you enjoyed them Tania (and you can never go wrong with maple syrup)! ;)

  35. Looks delicious, can’t wait to try this recipe! Any recommendations for a substitution for the coconut flakes?

    • Thanks Mauri — we hope you enjoy! And if you’re leaving out the coconut, you can just add more oats, nuts, and/or dried fruit. We hope that helps!

  36. I’m gonna try these with fiber syrup. It’s less than half the calories but has a high fiber content. Thanks. 
    The syrup is called Fiber Yum and you can get it on Amazon.com

  37. How long do you think these will keep if not refrigerated? I would like to make them to send to my husband overseas.

    • Hi Rebecca! These should keep for about a week or so, if you don’t refrigerate them (they keep for about two weeks in the fridge). If you’re sending them overseas, we would recommend freezing them beforehand. We hope that helps, and that your husband enjoys them!

  38. Is the flax seed have to be ground?

    • It doesn’t have to be, but we prefer it because the texture is less noticeable. We hope you enjoy these!

  39. I had these at a retreat last weekend and I couldn’t leave them alone! I had to get the recipe and I’ve already made (and ate) one batch – addictive for sure. 

  40. I chilled the mixture but they’re extremly difficult to roll into a ball-shape. Should I add more peanut butter or honey for them to set better? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

    • We’re sorry to hear that Ingrid! To speed up the chilling, we recommend spreading the mixture out on a baking sheet, then covering it with plastic wrap and refrigerating (the longer, the better). If that still doesn’t work, you could try adding some more oats perhaps? More peanut butter or honey would probably make them even stickier to roll. We hope this helps — let us know how it goes!

  41. Can I substitute hemp sends for the flax?

    • Hi Maya! We haven’t tried that, but we think you could — just note that the texture will be crunchier. We hope you enjoy! :)

  42. Just made a batch for our upcoming camping trip! A previous recipe used more peanut butter and less oats and less flax, and they felt “off” to me. These were PERFECT. This will be my go to energy bite recipe.

  43. Can the coconut flakes be substituted for something else? Or just left out?

    • Yes, you can leave them out! You might want to add some extra oats and/or nuts/dried fruit to compensate. We hope you enjoy! :)

  44. Thanks so much for the recipe. They were a little flakey but rolled okay. Everyone loved them even my boys aged 1 and 3. They were meant ro help roll them but they just ate each one I rolled. Thanks ✋?

  45. I’ve made these several times now and my family loves them. It isnt easy to find a healthy snack that will please my husband, pre-teen, and toddler, but these do it. I just break them into small pieces for my little one. I highly recommend these for short road trips or longer ones if you’re taking a cooler. I occasionally replace the chocolate chips with nuts for a fun crunch and to make them even more portable where the chocolate melting may be a concern.  Thanks for the fabulous recipe! 

    • Thanks Christy — we’re so happy to hear you and your family love these! :)

  46. Delicious!!! ?

  47. These are wonderful. As mentioned i can’t keep my hands off of them. Do you have any idea of a calorie count? Ballpark?

    • Thank you Shannon — we’re so happy you enjoy them! We really have no idea how many calories each of these have, but if we absolutely had to guess, we’d probably guess around 80-100 — but don’t quote us on that! :)

  48. Hi Tiffany ,  I also not keen on coconut ( unless it’s in a Malibu ) but I substituted with toasted Almond Flakes ,  delish………June  X

  49. Oats should be roasted or raw??