These no-bake energy balls are so easy to make at home that you won’t buy any store-bought version after trying this easy healthy snack recipe! It’s similar to my Nut-Free Energy Balls, Banana Protein Balls, or Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls. I’m a huge fan of such high-protein snacks because that’s easy to make and easy to eat after a workout.
What Are Almond Butter Energy Balls?
An almond butter energy ball is a raw, no-bake snack made with plant-based ingredients high in fiber, protein, and usually no refined sugar. There are plenty of different energy ball recipes, but most use oats as a source of fiber and protein. Also, they are always sweetened with unrefined sugar like Medjool dates, rice syrup, or maple syrup. Finally, energy balls often contain healthy fats and extra protein from nut butter, seeds, or nuts.
How To Make Almond Butter Energy Balls
These oatmeal energy balls are made with almond butter. Almond butter is a great source of healthy fat, and it’s lower in carbs than peanut butter which stabilizes your blood sugar for longer. All you need to make almond butter balls are:
Ingredients
Natural Drippy Almond Butter – it’s highly recommended to use a fresh jar. Stir it well to combine the oil from the nuts and the nut butter. If your almond butter is too dry, the batter is dry and hard to stir. Brown Rice Syrup – or liquid sweetener of choice including agave syrup, coconut nectar, or maple syrup. Vanilla Extract – for flavor. Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats or quick oats – feel free to use a gluten-free certified oat brand or replace it with quinoa flakes for a gluten-free cereal swap to oats. Dark Chocolate Chips – you can use sugar-free chocolate chips to decrease the added sugar in the recipe. Ground Flaxseed – This brings a ton of healthy fiber, protein, and nutrients.
Combining Ingredients
The great thing about this energy ball recipe is that you don’t need a food processor! All you need is a mixing bowl, a spoon, and your hands.
Adjusting The Batter
Depending on how runny your almond butter is, your dough can end up perfect or a little dry and crumbly. That’s ok. You can always adjust the energy balls recipe:
If too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help the ingredients come together. If too wet, add 1-2 teaspoons of flaxseed meal or oats.
Refrigerating
Refrigerate the batter for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to form energy balls later. This extra step allows the fiber in flaxseed meal and oat to absorb the moisture and makes the batter easier to roll.
Rolling Into Balls
Remove the bowl from the fridge. Grease your hands with coconut oil to prevent the batter from sticking to your hands. Scoop out 1-2 tablespoons of batter, roll it between your hands, and place it on a plate covered with parchment paper. Repeat the rolling steps until there is no more batter left.
Storage Instructions
Homemade energy balls can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container. They harden slightly in the fridge, and you can bring the balls to room temperature 30 minutes before eating to soften. You can also freeze the energy balls. This allows you to double or triple this recipe to meal prep healthy high-protein snacks for later in the month. Store the energy bites in zip lock bags in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature the day before.
Allergy Swaps
If you have any food allergies, I listed some swap options below for you to try.
Nut-allergy – You can swap the almond butter with any seed butter like hemp seed butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini. Seed allergy – You can replace the flaxseed meal with almond flour or oat flour. To achieve a similar texture, you may need a little bit of almond flour – up to an extra 1/4 cup. Oat allergy – Quinoa flakes or millet flakes works well as a swap to rolled oats. Sweetener – Any liquid sweetener, including sugar-free maple syrup, works well in this recipe. You can’t use a crystal sweetener. Chocolate allergy – You can replace the chocolate chips with dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, or pumpkin seeds.
More Energy Balls Recipes
I love to create energy balls recipes to eat as a pre-workout energy booster or snack in the afternoon when a sweet craving hits! Below are my most popular energy bites recipes for you to try.
