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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 they have cooled before adding in the chocolate chips, or the chocolate may heat and turn a bit melty.)
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.
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!
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.
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.
Once these are made, how long do they last before they are no longer fresh? If I make a batch I plan on eating no more than 2 a day, which would be 12 days until they are gone. Is that too long? Thanks!
Just made these and they are delish!!! Easy to make and perfect for pre or post workout or for any time of day, as promised! I’ll be making these again and again. :) Thanks for the recipe!
OK, I just skimmed the replies but didn’t see my question…can these be frozen? I was thinking of making several varieties at one time and then freezing them for the kiddos morning snacks.
Jillian —
Yes! We live in the Caribbean so I decided to store mine in the freezer to pack as my daughter’s morning snack. No problems at all and freezing them allowed us to eat them a little bit slower before they turned into a goopy mess in our hands! :o)
love skiing at breck!! best place ever:) love these!! they sound delicious, and plus for me their gluten free! thanks so much! btw, I found you via Pinterest. again, thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try them!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I lead a cooking track at a creative camp for kids 8-12 a couple weeks ago. This was one of the recipes we used and they loved it! I brought several different substitutions for them so they could create their very own version. These are kids from low income families who don’t always eat healthy. This was a great way to show them how they could make something at home rather than buying granola bars. Thanks again!
My husband hates peanut butter. (but loves peanuts, tell me how this works!) Any suggestions for replacements? We’ve tried almond butter too and he didn’t like it. It is so unfortunate because I LOOOOOVE peanut butter!
Jessie —
I HATE peanut butter, and pretty much all other nut butters! However, I really looooove soynut butter for some reason. It tastes much sweeter I guess.
They are amazing! Made them for my son who starts 2 hour football practice after school on Monday. Figured he could use a healthy snack before 2 hours of man to man. Just hope I don’t eat them up before he does. Thanks for a great healthy alternative to a store bought granola bar!
I’m thinking cocoa powder, no coconut (fewer calories), almond butter, and agave nectar for substitutions ? Kinda like Nutella? OMGosh! I wanna make them NOW,
We’ve got a hurricane outside and I’m looking for something sweet.. that I don’t have to worry about the power going out in the middle of cooking.. and I have all of these ingredients in my pantry (craisins in lieu of choc chips) what a great compromise! ;)
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!!!
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!
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.
DrDrea —
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…
We’ve been making energy balls together with my daughter for afterschool snacks, she loves them. Can’t wait to try out your combination. We just shared about it on our site and will add your link for a resource. Thanks for sharing! https://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/08/simple-solutions-for-healthy-school.html
Made these tnite and just noticed that the recipe calls for GROUND flax seed. Yeah it definitely wasn’t ground. I’ll see how these turn out in the morning Smh
I read pretty much all of the 360 (so far) responses and didn’t notice anyone say anything about the type of peanut butter to use (other than powdered or not… never heard of powdered peanut butter before!! hmmm). People! Read labels. A LOT of peanut butters out there are FULL of hydronated oils (think Crisco), sugar, and salt. Not so healthy. Now I LOVE peanut and almond butters… just sayin’… read the labels and choose a healthier one (not gonna comment on other issues with nut butters like rancidity, etc… oops! I guess I just did :-/). That said, thanks for the recipe (love the energy shake idea – #136 Treacy). I’ve been looking for something to make for a VERY health and issue conscious eater. With the RIGHT, organic, fair trade, vegan, ingredients MAYBE she’ll enjoy these. Dunno if I’ll be able to afford to make them though after buying the ingredients that match those specifics. :-(
Made these last night (with raisins instead of chocolate chips) and they came out great! Now, I have breakfast for the rest of the week. I’ll definitely be making these more than once. Thanks for sharing!
These are so good! I’ve made 4 times, trying different variations. I love adding oat bran, almond butter, cocoa and chia seeds too. This last batch I even added a baby food jar of pureed sweet potato. This added veggies and kept a good consistency. THanks for the recipe idea!
Made these last night. Instead of chocolate chips, I use 1 tablespoon of cocoa. Used the extra crunchy peanut butter so they had nuts in them. Will double the recipe next time. Mine were perfect!!
Thanks for sharing. These are fantastic! You are so right – variations abound. My last batch I added protein powder. Instead of chocolate I added craisins. Great treat at anytime!
Just made these but used PB2 instead of regular peanut butter and I love it! Will def make again, but also going to play around with flavors. The chocolate PB2 would be really good. Brilliant combo: chocolate PB2 instead of peanut butter and chopped dried banana instead of coconut!
Just ate one of these. They were delicious! I didn’t have any coconut or flax so that wasn’t added. They are still fantastic though. Thanks for sharing! :)
I wanted to cut sugar and carbs from recipe but I love chocolate. I want to substitute the coconut. What is better, rice crispies or shredded wheat and I was not going to use the flaxseed
I am going to love making these. I have a vegan mom and a sister alergic to peanuts, so I will substitue almond butter and it will be a treat both can eat.
Once these are made, how long do they last before they are no longer fresh? If I make a batch I plan on eating no more than 2 a day, which would be 12 days until they are gone. Is that too long? Thanks!
made these, and they were amazing! a total hit!
Oh my, these look good. Just what I need for studying right now!!!
Just made these and they are delish!!! Easy to make and perfect for pre or post workout or for any time of day, as promised! I’ll be making these again and again. :) Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made these a couple of times and they are soo good! I keep them around when i want something sweet without ruining my entire day.
OK, I just skimmed the replies but didn’t see my question…can these be frozen? I was thinking of making several varieties at one time and then freezing them for the kiddos morning snacks.
Yes! We live in the Caribbean so I decided to store mine in the freezer to pack as my daughter’s morning snack. No problems at all and freezing them allowed us to eat them a little bit slower before they turned into a goopy mess in our hands! :o)
love skiing at breck!! best place ever:) love these!! they sound delicious, and plus for me their gluten free! thanks so much! btw, I found you via Pinterest. again, thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try them!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I lead a cooking track at a creative camp for kids 8-12 a couple weeks ago. This was one of the recipes we used and they loved it! I brought several different substitutions for them so they could create their very own version. These are kids from low income families who don’t always eat healthy. This was a great way to show them how they could make something at home rather than buying granola bars. Thanks again!
DO WE COOK THE OAT MEAL?????
printing out the recipe, trying after a trip to the store!
Any idea what the calories would be for one fabulous energy bites as written?? Trish
Is there anyway you can make these without the peanut butter? I’m allergic to it, but they still look so good ):
My husband hates peanut butter. (but loves peanuts, tell me how this works!) Any suggestions for replacements? We’ve tried almond butter too and he didn’t like it. It is so unfortunate because I LOOOOOVE peanut butter!
I HATE peanut butter, and pretty much all other nut butters! However, I really looooove soynut butter for some reason. It tastes much sweeter I guess.
Try the brand “I.M. Healthy” for your husband!
Is there an alternative to peanut butter for binding? I’ve had to eliminate peanut butter from my diet.
Can I put this in the freezer? Thanks!
They are amazing! Made them for my son who starts 2 hour football practice after school on Monday. Figured he could use a healthy snack before 2 hours of man to man. Just hope I don’t eat them up before he does. Thanks for a great healthy alternative to a store bought granola bar!
Made them but added some nutella instead of chips. Yummy! :)
I’m thinking cocoa powder, no coconut (fewer calories), almond butter, and agave nectar for substitutions ? Kinda like Nutella? OMGosh! I wanna make them NOW,
I’m thinking cocoa powder, agave nectar and almond butter as substitutions…. nutella-like…. ohemgeeeeee!
We’ve got a hurricane outside and I’m looking for something sweet.. that I don’t have to worry about the power going out in the middle of cooking.. and I have all of these ingredients in my pantry (craisins in lieu of choc chips) what a great compromise! ;)
these are so delicious! someone brought them into my nutrition class, and I am definitely making them!
AWESOME. Do you have the nutritional values for these, or I could look it up.
These are amazing. Thank you for sharing. I am a cook for a Private Elementary school and all my kids and staff Love these. =)
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!!!
Love the energy bites…also, I married the love of my life in Breakenridge Feb 11,1979.
I am definitely going to make these! These are perfect for my brother before his workouts.
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!
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!
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 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…
I made these with carob chips… They were EXCELLENT!
We’ve been making energy balls together with my daughter for afterschool snacks, she loves them. Can’t wait to try out your combination. We just shared about it on our site and will add your link for a resource. Thanks for sharing! https://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/08/simple-solutions-for-healthy-school.html
Made these tnite and just noticed that the recipe calls for GROUND flax seed. Yeah it definitely wasn’t ground. I’ll see how these turn out in the morning Smh
My co-worker made these, im not a peanut butter person, but these were fantastic!
Is there a substitute to the coconut? I’m allergic to coconut, but these sound yummy!!!!
Made these today, used crushed grape nuts instead of flaxseed, SO YUMMY!
I read pretty much all of the 360 (so far) responses and didn’t notice anyone say anything about the type of peanut butter to use (other than powdered or not… never heard of powdered peanut butter before!! hmmm). People! Read labels. A LOT of peanut butters out there are FULL of hydronated oils (think Crisco), sugar, and salt. Not so healthy. Now I LOVE peanut and almond butters… just sayin’… read the labels and choose a healthier one (not gonna comment on other issues with nut butters like rancidity, etc… oops! I guess I just did :-/). That said, thanks for the recipe (love the energy shake idea – #136 Treacy). I’ve been looking for something to make for a VERY health and issue conscious eater. With the RIGHT, organic, fair trade, vegan, ingredients MAYBE she’ll enjoy these. Dunno if I’ll be able to afford to make them though after buying the ingredients that match those specifics. :-(
Made these last night (with raisins instead of chocolate chips) and they came out great! Now, I have breakfast for the rest of the week. I’ll definitely be making these more than once. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe! Almond butter tastes great in these for a peanut-free option :D
can you freeze these
if so how
thanks for the great recipe
These are so good! I’ve made 4 times, trying different variations. I love adding oat bran, almond butter, cocoa and chia seeds too. This last batch I even added a baby food jar of pureed sweet potato. This added veggies and kept a good consistency. THanks for the recipe idea!
Made these last night. Instead of chocolate chips, I use 1 tablespoon of cocoa. Used the extra crunchy peanut butter so they had nuts in them. Will double the recipe next time. Mine were perfect!!
Thanks for sharing. These are fantastic! You are so right – variations abound. My last batch I added protein powder. Instead of chocolate I added craisins. Great treat at anytime!
I have a never ending supply of 100% puremaple syrup. Do you think I could sub that for the honey?
What are the calories per ball?
Just made these but used PB2 instead of regular peanut butter and I love it! Will def make again, but also going to play around with flavors. The chocolate PB2 would be really good. Brilliant combo: chocolate PB2 instead of peanut butter and chopped dried banana instead of coconut!
Did you make the PB2 in the usual ratio?
I just found your recipe, and I am VERY excited to try it out. I’m going to use hemp seeds and hemp butter.
Believe it or not, I was living in Breckenridge and working on the mountain at the very same time you were discovering how yummy these snacks were :-)
Just ate one of these. They were delicious! I didn’t have any coconut or flax so that wasn’t added. They are still fantastic though. Thanks for sharing! :)
I wanted to cut sugar and carbs from recipe but I love chocolate. I want to substitute the coconut. What is better, rice crispies or shredded wheat and I was not going to use the flaxseed
I am going to love making these. I have a vegan mom and a sister alergic to peanuts, so I will substitue almond butter and it will be a treat both can eat.