Sometimes, “real” food sounds exhausting and you just want something quick and easy to throw into your purse and call “lunch” without anyone judging you.
Well, consider this a judgment free zone. And if today is one of those days, here is my solution: Energy bites!
5 ingredients
15 minutes
Naturally sweetened (when using naturally sweetened dark chocolate!)
Tastes like a peanut butter cup
Get on board.
I’m kind of into quick and easy right now.
Warmer weather has meant more adventuring for us and I love having snacky things on hand for sporadic activities. I’m like that weird friend of yours with all the mom things in her purse who doesn’t actually have any kids. No sign of babies around here, just so many snacks.
So, energy bites! 5 ingredients:
Dates
Peanut butter
Chia seeds
Oats
Dairy-free dark chocolate
The good news about these little gems is they’re totally customizable! No peanut butter? Sub any other nut butter. Not into chocolate (seriously Rhonda?)? Omit it and add more oats and chia seeds. Never heard of chia seeds? Sub flax or hemp seeds. It’s that easy friends.
This is basically hippie cookie dough. Take a spoon and eat it straight. (Who on Earth would do such a thing? Me – I would.)
Or reach down in there and roll the batter into little portable energy bites.
Your friends are gonna be so happy to see what’s in your mom purse.
These guys are so good it’s dangerous! They’re:
Tender
Peanut buttery
Crunchy from the chia seeds
Naturally sweetened
Chocolate-studded
Wholesome
& Seriously delicious
Races? Hikes? Road trips? Travel? These are the snacks for you.
If you try this recipe, you know the drill. Let us know by leaving a comment or taking a picture and tagging it @minimalistbaker on Instagram! We love seeing what you come up with. Cheers!
5 Ingredient Peanut Cup Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates (pitted // if dry, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain well)
- 3 Tbsp all-natural salted peanut or almond butter
- 1/4 cup dairy-free dark chocolate (roughly chopped)
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds (or sub flax or hemp seeds)
- 2/3 cup rolled oats (gluten-free as needed)
Instructions
- Pulse pitted dates in a food processor or blender until they’re in small pieces or it forms a ball (see photo).
- Add oats, chocolate, chia seeds, and peanut butter and pulse or mix until combined. You want there to be consistently small pieces but not overly processed.
- Carefully roll into 1-inch balls (29-30 grams per ball), using the warmth of your hands to mold them together. Should yield 14-15 balls (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
- To set, pop in fridge or freezer for 15 minutes. Otherwise, eat as is! Will keep fresh in an air-tight bag or container for up to a week. Freeze for longer term storage.
Video
Notes
* Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Michelle says
I made these for the first time today. I have been searching for a healthier sweet snack. These are perfect. I was afraid to try dates and now I can’t understand why I haven’t been eating these my whole life. The real trick will be seeing if my husband will try them.
Welcome to the wonderful world of dates, Michelle! We’re excited for you to try more recipes with them and hope your husband enjoys them as well :) Thanks so much for sharing your experience! xo
Caitríona says
I just love your writing! (And, of course, your recipes are wonderful – my go-to site when I need inspiration. Daily!) xCaitríona
Aw, thank you so much for your sweet words, Caitríona! We’re so glad you enjoy our site! xoxo
Krw says
We had started eating more plant-based and increasing fiber in our diet. While vacationing, my husband bought an energy bowl at a coffee shop since there were limited options that he considered healthy. He said it was fine but I thought I could do better. He loves peanut butter so when I got home I started looking up recipes. He loves Reese’s peanut butter cups so this one jumped out and was the first one I made. He says these are dangerous because they are so delicious. My teenager loves them too. The first batch I made as written. The second batch I added a splash of vanilla And that’s not wrong either. I’ve saved a bunch of your other recipes for energy bites, but right now my husband says why move on to something new when these are so awesome so I’ll be saving those recipes for when he thinks he wants to try something new.
I don’t know why some people have trouble with them sticking together because mine were absolutely perfect texture to stick together. I feel like the flavor develops after they sit in the fridge and settle for the 15 minutes. I haven’t tried freezing them yet but plan to as soon as I get a batch that doesn’t get gobbled up right away just so I can see if the texture changes after freezing, but love these!!
We’re so glad you and your family enjoy these energy bites! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Vanda says
Hello – these look wonderful! How would you reccomemd thawing them from frozen? And how long do you think they will keep when frozen?
Hi Vanda, you can thaw at room temperature (about 15-20 minutes) or in the refrigerator (for several hours). They will keep for a minimum of 1 month in the freezer (up to ~6 months though they may start getting a little freezer burn after 1 month).
Mermaid says
Edited the recipe, added splash maple syrup to keep sticky vibes for glue-like reasoning to be present (this works if making them into bars or rolling into balls). Also added cocoa.
Did it all organic. Made almost 20 balls with a few larger ones and a few smaller ones, did 3 tablespoons peanut butter, HEAPING. :)
Thank you for sharing! xo
Mermaid says
Absolutely, oh and they are DELICIOUS. I cannot wait to do the carrot cakes ones you have :) SO EXCITED!!!!!!! Thank you so much :)
We hope you love that one just as much! xoxo
Mel says
Great toddler snack. Because I definitely don’t have time to sit around rolling these into balls I press the mix into a loaf pan and slice into little snack bars.
Smart! Thank you for sharing, Mel! xo
Sally B says
Just made the recipe and looking at the comments, this one gave me an idea of using my mini muffin pan to make disks of these. Can’t wait to try that (and adding vanilla) next time!
Rachel says
I’ve made these 3 times and they always turn out delicious. I found it helpful to look at the ingredients by weight option (metric) since a cup of dates was awkward to measure. I add some pumpkin seeds, and this last time a tablespoon of cocoa powder. These are fantastic as hiking and backpacking snacks. For anyone who is having trouble getting these to form balls, try adding a little more peanut butter and/or a few more dates. It’s a very versatile recipe and I’ve also doubled it with no problems. Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing your experience and modifications, Rachel! xo
Em says
I don’t like dates but am about a week away from giving birth and am trying to get my 6 dates a day in. How many bites do you think I would need to eat to get approximately that much in a day?
Hi Em, 1 cup packed pitted dates is ~11 dates, so you’d need to eat about half the batch (~8 energy bites). Here are a couple other ideas that might be helpful: Tahini Stuffed Dates and Almond Joy Stuffed Dates. Hope that helps!
gail k says
My daughter and I really like these!!! Just a smidgen of gourmet chocolate added
Yay! We’re so glad you and your daughter enjoy them, Gail. Gourmet chocolate sounds very delicious! Thank you for sharing! xo
Manisha S says
Can you use chocolate chips instead of the dark chocolate? Looks delicious.
Yes!
Andrea says
Made this as an afternoon snack for my kids. Quick and delicious, thank you!
Yay! Thank you for the lovely review, Andrea! xo
Libby says
Loved making these. Any substitute for chocolate? Making for children and without the choc they came out very sticky? They loved them even if they were!!
Hi Libby! You could try extra rolled oats! So glad you enjoyed them overall. xo
Jennifer Baldwin says
Followed the recipe and they turned out exactly like the pictures! These are so delicious, even my picky son liked them. The dark chocolate I had on hand has freeze-dried raspberries bits in them, so it added a nice raspberry flavor to them!
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your son both enjoy them, Jennifer. Freeze-dried raspberries sound like a very delicious addition. Thank you for sharing! xo
Mary-Beth says
Delicious, easy and they really do pack energy!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Mary-Beth!
Gerty Shipmaker says
I come from a long line of professional bakers and bake everything from bread to cream puffs. I spent over $25 on ingredients for this recipe and it would not hold together or puree or anything. I had soaked the dates even but there was not enough moisture so I added melted coconut oil. A complete bust. So very disappointing.
Sorry to hear that was your experience, Gerty. Would you mind sharing what type of dates you were using? Medjool work best in this recipe.
Becca says
I had a similar issue initially because the dates I used were pretty dry (I didn’t read the recipe close enough and had blended them without soaking- whoops!)
I just added an extra tablespoon of creamy peanut butter and it worked like a charm! Great recipe. It’s versatile, easy, and delicious!
Diana says
I added a tsp of vanilla extract, and sea salt, and OMG these tasted like a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup!! Will definitely be making them again.
Whoop! We’re so glad you love them, Diana. Thank you for sharing! xo
Chip says
These look great. Very keen to try them out. As I only have ground flaxseed and not whole flaxseeds, should I reduce the quantity by half? So half a TBSP of ground flaxseed?
Hi Chip, yes, reduce by half!
Chip says
Thanks for the reply. Made these last night and they came out brilliantly! Very tasty! My dates were a bit dry (even after soaking) so I added a little extra peanut butter. As the peanut butter I used was 100% peanuts and nothing else, I added a little sea salt to the batter. I used 1/4 cup of 70% dark chocolate in the batter (as instructed) and melted another 1/4 cup with a little coconut oil to coat the balls. I half dipped the balls in the melted chocolate and sprinkled some sea salt on top. That touch of salt balanced out the sweetness perfectly. Will definitely be making these again! Thanks for posting this recipe.
Amazing! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Chip.
June says
I made these as well and dipped them in melted 95% chocolate with the sea salt – they were absolutely delicious – don’t know how many batches I have made already – everybody loves them!!! Have to start hiding them so I have some for myself! 😀
Yum! Love your additions, June! xo
Catherine says
Not at all as in pictures. And very disappointing. It’s really mostly oats, loosely held together by dates and nut butter. I have had delicious date-based energy balls that looked like the picture, and these are not very good in my opinion. I followed the recipe and it feels like a waste of time and ingredients.
We’re so sorry you had a negative experience with the recipe, Catherine! This one is usually a reader favorite. Since they weren’t holding together well, we wonder if perhaps the dates were too dry?
MR Baker says
Haha! That’s too funny. Because these are amazing!
Karen says
Made these just as the recipe read. So good and a great healthier treat when I want something sweet.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Karen! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Iliana says
These look delicious! Can I substitute almond flour for the oats?
Hi Iliana, that might work! It’s less absorbent so you may need to use more of it.
Milena says
Recipe looks very tasty.
Dark chocolate typically contains palm oil which is bad for health and the environment. Have you tried to sub in powdered cocoa (or even better, ground raw cocoa) instead and increase the peanut or almond butter to compensate?
And roll them in coconut flakes … 🥥
Hi Milena, we have a recipe for German Chocolate Cake Energy Bites that sounds more like what you’re looking for! Just leave off the “frosting”. Hope that helps!
Marianne Egling says
Made these delicious little peanut balls today. Did add some LSA to the mixture and a few drops of coconut oil. also made them smaller, they are lovely little snack when craving something sweet. Will certainly be making them again.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Marianne. Thank you for sharing! xo
Linda Addison says
I just finished making this quick and delicious recipe. I added Lily’s stevia baking chips and a 1/4 tsp vanilla. I was afraid they wouldn’t make it to the freezer for my snack tray I am taking to a baby shower. I did a bit of snacking myself. They are absolutely delicious and super easy. I used the small scoop in my cookie scoop grouping and it made 18. That’s ok with me. Thank you for such a quick and tasty little energy bite! I always enjoy your recipes. Next time I will definitely add unsweetened dried cranberries. I bet a few small chopped nuts would finish it off just right……Yum Yum!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review, Linda! xoxo
Jenny Taylor says
Can I used cocoa nibs rather than dairy free dark chocolate?
Hi Jenny, you can! If they are unsweetened, just keep in mind the recipe will be less sweet.
Paulette says
I use my homemade peanut butter (Trader Joe’s reduced salt peanuts blended in my Ninja until smooth and creamy) to make these. I have to admit that I use more peanut butter than called for in the recipe. They are just so delicious! I’m wondering if the home made peanut butter is what makes the balls a bit oily as I roll them. The taste and texture are not affected; just wondering if the oil is from the peanut butter. These are definitely a vegan go-to snack for me and my husband.
Hi Paulette! We’re so glad you and your husband enjoy them! It is probably the peanut butter that makes them a bit oily!