Healthy Energy Balls with dates and oats (GF+7 Variations)

These healthy energy balls come together in as little as 20 minutes with 7 simple ingredients and get you a whopping 25 delicious energy-snacks.

They are made with dates and oats contain healthy fats, proteins and are refined sugar-free.

And they are so easy to customize!

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this high-energy snack
• What you'll need & Substitutions
• How to make these healthy energy balls
• Nuts versus nut butter
• You can make it nut-free
• Make dairy-free or vegan-friendly energy balls
• Other spices or flavors you can use
• Adjust the level of sweetness
• Substitute the dates
• Other Add-ons
• Make them a Festive Treat
• How long do energy balls last
• Meal prep idea
• More healthy snacks you might want to try
• 📖 Recipe

Why you'll love this high-energy snack

Let's make them!

What you'll need & Substitutions

You have options!

You only need a few essential ingredients, and some add-ins can be swapped based on what you have on hand or what you prefer flavor or diet-wise.

• Butter or coconut butter (to keep it dairy-free and vegan-friendly);
• gluten-free steel-cut oats;
• For extra flavor add cinnamon—see more options below;
• A medley of nuts like whole cashews, pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts (see options below to make it nut-free);
• A natural sweetener like Medjool dates and black raisins (see variations below).

How to make these healthy energy balls

Toasting the Oats

• For about 5 to 7 minutes, toast the raw oats in some melted butter over medium-low heat until they are a few shades darker.
• They will smell almost like popcorn—no kidding.
• It gives them a lovely crunchy texture with a buttery consistency and makes them easy to process in the blender.
• You want to go for steel-cut oats because it adds a depth of flavor, rich nuttiness, and a subtle sweetness to these energy bites.
• If preferred, you can add one teaspoon of coconut sugar while toasting—optional but perfect if you want to make these treats into a Holiday worthy bite.
• Allow the oats to cool just a tad before you process them into the blender.
• But don't cool completely. The toasted grain might harden into clumps, and then it will be hard to get them out of the pan.

Blending all the ingredients

• Use a Vitamix, a Nutribullet type of blender, or a food processor.
• I recommend adding in the toasted oats first to ensure that they will be processed entirely, followed by the spices, soft dates, raisins, and nuts.
• The mixture should have a beautiful smooth consistency.

Note: The color of the mixture may vary based on the color of the toasted oats, the type of natural sweetener, and the nuts used.

Form Balls

Use a spoon or one tablespoon measurement of the mixture and roll it into balls. Repeat until done.

Chill & Serve

Usually, I place them on a large plate slightly separated from each other to prevent them from sticking and let them completely cool somewhat in the fridge before serving.

Chilling is optional, but I highly recommend it.

If you want to store them immediately for later, place them in an airtight container, preferably separated with parchment paper between each layer.

Nuts versus nut butter

I usually make these energy balls with cashews and pecans. Don't have any on hand? Use other nuts you like, such as almonds or even almond butter instead.

Note: if you opt for a nut or seed or tahini butter instead of whole nuts, the texture will be slightly softer.

You can make it nut-free

For those who have nut allergies, sunflower butter is a great alternative, and I have used it many times myself in this recipe.

Make dairy-free or vegan-friendly energy balls

To make it vegan-friendly, you only have to swap real butter for coconut butter or coconut oil. That's it!

Other spices or flavors you can use

Want to change it up?

Use pumpkin pie spice or Dutch Speculoos—it gives you that warm autumn smell and and lovely fall flavors.

They also taste incredible when adding Chai spices, apple pie spice, cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder.

All good options.

Adjust the level of sweetness

The Medjool dates and half a cup of black raisins usually are plenty enough to sweeten these snacks naturally.

But feel free to pump up the number of raisins to one cup or leave them out for a less sweet taste.

You can also add a few pinches of Stevia Powder or some coconut sugar according to your taste while you toast the steel-cut oats for a sweeter experience.

Like it less sweet, use only the Medjool dates or whatever dried fruits you substitute it with, and leave out any raisins.

Substitute the dates

If you don't have any dates or raisins on hand or like to play with different flavors, then try the following natural sweeteners :

• dried figs
• dried prunes
• dried apricots
• dried cherries
• or only use dried raisins instead

At home, we prefer Medjool dates, raisins, or dried apricots. Of course, your flavors will differ based on what you choose, so pick a dried fruit you love.

Other Add-ons

Before you refrigerate, roll the energy balls a few times through a bowl filled with either

• sesame seeds
• fine unsweetened coconut shreds
• hemp seeds
• ground flax seeds

They'll stick to the energy balls and add a nice nutritional touch.

Make them a Festive Treat

Serve in mini cupcake holders to become the best version of themselves during the Holidays. 

How long do energy balls last

They stay well for a few weeks in the fridge or a few months in the freezer.

However, you do have to let them sit on the counter after freezing, so they can soften a bit before serving.

Meal prep idea

They're a lovely rotational make-ahead snack because they are easy to pull together, store well, and are portable.

I hope you enjoy these gluten-free energy bites as much as my family does!

More healthy snacks you might want to try

• Creamy Coconut and Protein-rich dark chocolate-covered bites.
• Rice Crispy Cupcake Treats—the healthy way, of course. They are super fun to make with your kids too.
• No Flour Peanut Butter Cookies—they are a real treat.
• Healthy flourless brownies—they are irresistable!
• Lupini beans—absolutely addictive!

I always love to hear if you tried out this recipe and if it worked for you. Also, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my Monthly Newsletter!

📖 Recipe

This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated with new pictures and more information.