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
- 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
- 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
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.
these are well over 200 calories each without the chocolate chips and are all carbs. they sound appealing but really aren’t all that great. so the energy would be from loading up on carbs… i got this link from “healthy kids lunch ideas” well, it is not. not unless it is balanced with some sort of protein.
If you stick to the recipe with chocolate chips and make 20-25 balls out of it, then each has a caloric value between 110-130. The energy balls get the majority of their calories from healthy fats and not carbohydrates. Healthy fats are essential to a healthy diet, above all children. As you certainly know every living creature is made up out of cells, and cell membranes are largely made out of phospholipids. Peanut butter is not just a source of healthy fat but is a protein source as well. If you add the complex carbohydrates from the oats, you certainly have a well balanced snack or lunch idea for children. Just saying…
These sound so yummy. The other no-bake cookies are too sweet but these really sound great for travel, camp outs or a busy day out and about. Thanks.
These are so tasty! I made a batch & the energy balls didn’t last a day in my house. I now double the recipe! So yummy, thank you!
Made a double batch of these for the week! My kids love them and so do I! My little football player eats 1 right after school before football practice and swears it gives him energy. Thanks so much for sharing this healthy alternative!
I am definitely going to make these! These are perfect for my brother before his workouts.
Love the energy bites…also, I married the love of my life in Breakenridge Feb 11,1979.
These were DELICIOUS! Whipped ’em up in no time at all and stored them in the freezer. They worked great as an easy snack to send to school with my daughter. My husband (who doesn’t usually eat anything for breakfast) became a fan of eating a few of these before leaving for work.
We didn’t have chocolate so I used sunflower seeds and golden raisins. SO GOOD! Time to go make another batch now! Thanks for the great recipe!!!
These are amazing. Thank you for sharing. I am a cook for a Private Elementary school and all my kids and staff Love these. =)
AWESOME. Do you have the nutritional values for these, or I could look it up.
these are so delicious! someone brought them into my nutrition class, and I am definitely making them!