8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
on Mar 23, 2017, Updated Jun 12, 2024
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8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Ball recipes you will love to make and snack on! Full of healthy whole food ingredients and so easy to make – you won’t regret making a double batch.
No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls are an easy thing for the kids to grab out of the fridge. They travel great, are so easy to make, and taste like a cookie! These are going to become a fast family favorite in your house, too.
While you’re in prep mode, you should also make a couple of these Salad in a Jar recipes, a few Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt Cups, and these Snacks in a Jar to be a little extra for the week.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These are an easy, budget-friendly whole food snack.
- It’s fun to get creative with your mix-ins if you want.
- Your kids will love making them and eating them.Make a simple breakfast or snack and a great addition to lunch boxes.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet and Salty: oats, almond butter, honey, pretzels, almonds
- Blueberry Muffin: oats, almond butter, honey, dried blueberries, cinnamon
- Peanut Butter Cookie: oats, peanut butter, honey, peanuts
- Vegan Banana: banana, oats, vegan mini chocolate chips
- Monster Cookie: oats, peanut butter, honey, peanuts, mini M&Ms, mini chocolate chips
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: oats, peanut butter, honey, mini chocolate chips
- Double Chocolate: oats, peanut butter, honey, cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookie: oats, almond butter, honey, raisins, pecans, coconut
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- You can use quick-cooking instead of old-fashioned oats. They are still considered a whole grain because the oats are just cut smaller.
- If you use old-fashioned oats, the texture will be chewier. I found that a mix of the two was the best, though using one or the other will work well too.
- To make No-Bake Oatmeal Energy balls vegan, you could try substituting agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup for the honey. (I haven’t tested these but they should all work – you may need to add a little more if the “dough” is too dry.)
- You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, sunbutter, and just about any other nut butter that you like, though it will change the flavor of the oatmeal energy balls.
- Almond butter works the best if you don’t want a lot of flavor from the nut butter. For example, it works the best in the Blueberry Muffin No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls because almond butter doesn’t overpower the other ingredients like peanut butter would.
- Add what you love. Don’t let these recipes stop you from adding what you think sounds good or what you might have on hand; these are just to get you started.
How to Make No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
Step #1. Put the nut butter and honey in a small bowl and mix them together.
Step #2. Add the oats and other “mix-ins” according to the recipe you are following below and mix together well.
Step #3. Let the mixture chill for 30 minutes and then roll a heaping tablespoon of “dough” into a ball.
Step #4. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for about a week. Makes about 10 to 12 balls per recipe.
Recipe FAQs
I have found that a mix of old-fashioned and quick-cooking oats (also called 1-minutes) oats gives the energy balls the best texture. But you can use all old-fashioned oats or all quick-cooking oats if it’s what you have.
If you want the energy balls to maintain their whole-grain status, you need to use either old-fashioned oats, quick-cooking oats, or a combination of the two.
In addition to the mix-ins in these 8 recipes, you can also add in some “superfoods” if you want to increase their nutritional value. Throw in a tablespoon of chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and/or hemp hearts to any of these recipes.
You may have added too many dry ingredients. The fix is easy – add something sticky like a little more nut butter or honey.
Make sure that the mixture has rested for the full 30 minutes. If it’s still too sticky to handle, mix in an extra tablespoon of oats until the mixture has the right level of stickiness to work with.
Expert Tips
- Make a double or triple batch so you have enough for the whole week – put them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or store them in the freezer for up to three months.
- Be sure to measure the oats and add-ins accurately. If you use heaping measuring cups, it will throw off the ratios and the energy balls won’t stick together well.
- Rest time is a must. Don’t skip it because this is when the oats absorb some of the moisture, which helps everything stick together properly.
Video: How to Make No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
More Healthy Snack Recipes to Consider
Breakfast Recipes
Protein Shakes
Snacks
Breakfast Bars
From Scratch Recipes
Celery Juice
Snacks
Sweet Potato Chips
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
Ingredients
Monster Cookie Energy Bites
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup mini M&Ms
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- dash of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup dried blueberries
- dash of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- dash of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Sweet and Salty Energy Bites
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup crushed pretzels
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted almonds
- dash of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Peanut Butter Cookie Energy Bites
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup toasted coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- dash of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Double Chocolate Energy Bites
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- dash of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
Vegan Banana Oatmeal Bites
- 1 ripe medium banana, not too overripe
- 1 cup dry oats, old fashioned, quick-cooking, or a mix of the two
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
For the Energy Bites (first 7 sets of ingredients)
- Add the nut butter and honey and stir to combine well. Add all of the other ingredients and stir to combine well.
- Refrigerate the mixture for about 30 minutes.
- Use a spoon to scoop about a tablespoon of the cookie ball mixture into your hand. Roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. This should make about 12 oatmeal energy balls.
- Store the balls covered in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
For the Banana Oatmeal Bites:
- In a medium bowl, add the peeled banana and mash thoroughly with a fork.
- Add the dry oats and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate until the mixture holds together, about 30 minutes.
- Use a spoon to scoop about a tablespoon of the energy ball mixture into your hand. Roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. This should make about 12 oatmeal energy balls.
- Store the balls covered in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
- If your oatmeal bites aren’t sticking together well after the resting time, add another tablespoon or two of nut butter or honey.
- If the mixture for the energy balls are too sticky even after resting for 30 minutes, add a few more tablespoons of oats until you can handle the dough.
- Keep in mind that different factors like the type of oatmeal and the mix-ins you add are going to affect the “stickiness” of the energy balls.
- If the energy ball “dough” is sticking to your hands badly, wet your hands lightly with water! The water helps to be able to work the dough into a ball without sticking.
- You can customize any of these recipes with different mix-ins – use what you have on-hand!
- To boost the nutrition in these energy balls, add a tablespoon of “superfoods,” such as chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and/or hemp hearts. (You might need to add a little more nut butter or honey if these extra absorb too much moisture).
Love these recipes
It says –> Want all 8 recipes in one easy printable? You can get it for free here!
But there doesn’t seem to be a live link… Am I just not seeing it? …. #ThereAreCookiesToMake 🙂
Thank you for these recipes! They look so easy and SO yummy!!
Can I use steel cut oats??
Nope, stick with old fashioned or quick oats, the steal cut are just too tough to chew raw.
Love the idea. Would request the fiber count on the nutrition chart for carb watchers. Would love to incorporate them into my diet!
Fiber doesn’t seem to be in the program that I use. I’ll try to figure it out!
Delicious
Just made the peanut butter chocolate chip variety to take to work for a quick healthy snack. They were a sticky mess to make but i tried one and it was good.
This is going to sound so dumb, but I am really dumb when it comes to oats. When I go to the store I see steel cut oats, quick 1 minute oats, quick 3 minute oats, old fashioned oats…ahhh! Which ones do I use? I’m guessing its one of the taller canisters?
Get old fashioned or a mix of the quick (1 or 3 minute, either one) oats AND the old fashioned. Just don’t go for the steel cut oats, they are too crunch uncooked.
Could you just double up the honey instead of using a nut butter?! our schools are 100% nut free, and my kids hate the taste of sun/wow butter 🙁 Would love to make them something like this, but all i find are recipes with nut butters.
Yep, I think it would be great. You just need it to be stick. If you don’t want that much sweet, sometimes I just add a few tablespoons of hot water until it comes together.
I just made the PB chocolate chip and I am waiting for them to come out of the fridge. I want to make the blueberry muffin, but I have an almond allergy. Have you tried something else in place of the almond butter for this recipe? I’m guessing PB wouldn’t taste very good with blueberry. 😉
I think sunflower seed butter would work well!
These are awesome! I added ground flax seed to mine and they turned out great 🙂