9 Date Energy Balls Recipes
on Jul 07, 2016, Updated Jun 15, 2024
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Date Energy Balls are packed with fiber, protein and healthy fat. All you need are some dates and nuts, a few extras, and a food processor and you’ll be rolling up these healthy snacks in a few minutes.
These simple fruit and nut treats are healthy snacking perfection. There’s something magical about the combination of the healthy fat and protein from the nuts, and the natural sweetness and carbs from the dates. This is the ultimate whole food pick-me-up.
While you’re at it, prep a Veggie Box, some Extra Protein Oatmeal Bites or a couple of these 10 Snacks to Prep in Advance so you have easy, healthy snacks for you and your family when hunger strikes.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super easy and fast to make – thanks to the food processor.
- Each recipe calls for just a handful of whole-food ingredients.
- They make a simple breakfast or snack and a great addition to lunch boxes.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: dates, peanut butter, cocoa powder, peanuts
- Lemon: dates, cashews, shredded coconut, lemon, salt
- Almond Joy: dates, almonds, cocoa powder, shredded coconut, salt, vanilla extract
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: dates, pecans, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, salt
- Piña Colada: dried tropical fruits, dates, cashews, almonds, salt
- Coconut: shredded coconut, dates, cashews, almonds, coconut oil, vanilla extract, salt
- Dark Chocolate Cherry: almonds, dried cherries, dates, salt, dark chocolate chips
- Peanut Butter and Jelly: dates, peanuts, peanut butter, dried blueberries, almonds
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
Nuts – The nuts that you use don’t really matter; use what you like. I normally do half almonds because they are a nice “neutral” nut with a firm texture. The other half I’ll use what I have and it’ll end up being pecans, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, or a combo of any of those.
Dried fruits – I like to use dried fruit with no added sugar because these recipes are sweet enough thanks to the dates. You can customize these healthy snacks with any dried fruit you want.
Dates – Fresh dried dates should be a bit sticky. If your dates are a bit older, they will be drier. They are still fine to use but you may need to add a little water if the mixture isn’t coming together into a dough.
How to Make Date Energy Balls
- Step #1. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor.
- Step #2. Turn the food processor on and process for 3 to 5 minutes or until it turns into a thick “dough.”
- Step #3. Remove the blade and roll about a tablespoon of the dough into a ball with your hands.
- Step #4. Store completed balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for longer.
Recipe FAQs
You are going to need a at least an 8-cup food processor. I have this 13-cup Kitchen Aid Food Processor and it’s awesome. If you have a smaller food processor or a weak motor, make a half batch so that you don’t burn out the motor.
Maybe. If you have a high-power blender, it should work but I haven’t tested it. I have only made these energy balls in a food processor.
About 3 to 5 minutes. Try not to run it so long that the nuts turn into nut butter because that will pull the oil out. They are still fine to eat but will be greasy when you roll them into balls.
If you don’t have time to roll the dough into balls, you can press the mixture into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper. Chill for at least two hours, remove them with the paper, cut into bars, and store.
I like to use raw unsalted nuts for these, but I have tried them with roasted and/or salted nuts too and they were great. If you are using salted nuts, don’t add any salt to the recipe.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to check whether your dates are pitted or not. If they aren’t pitted, remove the pits by carefully slicing them open with a paring knife and popping the pit out.
- If the ingredients are chopped into super small pieces but the dough isn’t coming together, try adding a teaspoon of water at a time (up to a tablespoon or two) to encourage everything to come together.
- Be sure to add at least some salt (it really heightens the sweet), and if you like a sweet and salty treat, go heavy on your pinch.
More Healthy Snack Recipes to Consider
Healthy Snacks
8 Easy Homemade Granola Bar Recipes
Gluten Free Recipes
8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
From Scratch Recipes
Grandma’s Quick Pickled Cucumbers – Refrigerator Pickles
Granola Recipes
Healthy Homemade Granola
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9 Date Energy Balls Recipes
Ingredients
Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
- 1 cup dates
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, (natural, normal, chunky, smooth, doesn't matter much)
- 2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup peanuts
Lemon Energy Bites
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, (I like this brand of unsweetened shredded coconut)
- zest from one large lemon
- juice from one large lemon
- pinch of sea salt
Almond Joy Energy Bites
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup almonds
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut, (I like this brand of unsweetened shredded coconut)
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pumpkin Pie Spice Energy Bites
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Piña Colada Energy Bites
- 1/2 cup dried tropical fruits, (I used mandarin oranges, pineapple, and mango)
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup almonds
- pinch of sea salt
Coconut Energy Bites
- 1 cup shredded coconut, (I like this brand of unsweetened shredded coconut)
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- additional shredded coconut for rolling
Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites
- 1 cup almonds
- 2/3 cups dried cherries, (I like dried tart cherries)
- 2/3 cup dates
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted
Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bites
For the Peanut Butter side:
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
For the Jelly side:
- 1/2 cup dried blueberries
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/2 cup almonds
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of your food processor and blend until the nuts are well chopped and a thick “dough” starts to form, about 3-5 minutes of processing. If the ingredients are chopped into super small pieces but the dough isn’t coming together, try adding a teaspoon of water at a time (up to a tablespoon or two) to encourage everything to come together.
- When the ingredients are well incorporated, remove the blade from the food processor.
- Take 1 large tablespoon of the “dough” and roll it into a ball in between your hands.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Keep the balls in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer much longer.
Additional instructions for the dark chocolate cherry version:
- Take 1 large tablespoon of the “dough” and roll it into a ball in between your hands. Repeat with remaining dough. Drizzle the top of each ball with melted dark chocolate. Keep the balls in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer much longer.
Additional instruction for the peanut butter and jelly version:
- Add all of the ingredients for the peanut butter side to the bowl of your food processor and blend until the nuts are well chopped and a thick “dough” starts to form, about 3-5 minutes of processing. If the ingredients are chopped into super small pieces but the dough isn’t coming together, try adding a teaspoon of water at a time (up to a tablespoon or two) to encourage everything to come together. When the ingredients are well incorporated, remove the blade from the food processor and scrape the mixture out into another bowl.
- For the jelly side, add all of the ingredients to the bowl of your food processor and blend until the nuts are well chopped and a thick “dough” starts to form, about 3-5 minutes of processing. If the ingredients are chopped into super small pieces but the dough isn’t coming together, try adding a teaspoon of water at a time (up to a tablespoon or two) to encourage everything to come together. When the ingredients are well incorporated, remove the blade from the food processor and scrape the mixture out into another bowl.
- Take a large teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture and roll it into a ball. Take a large teaspoon of the jelly mixture and roll it into a ball. Press the two balls together and roll into one larger ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. Keep the balls in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer much longer.
Video
Notes
- If you are using salted nuts, omit the additional salt until you can taste the processed mixture and see if you’d like a little more salt or not.
- You can usually find pitted dates in grocery stores near the raisins – get them if you want to save the step of pitting them yourself.
- Watch your food processor for when the nuts are chopped finely but haven’t started turning into nut butter. If you overprocess the nuts, the oil will come out. They are still fine to eat but will be greasy.
- You may need to add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water to the mixture if it’s too dry and not forming a dough.
- Date Energy Balls can be stored in an airtight container (I love this container!) in the fridge for about a month, and in the freezer for much longer. I love to eat mine cold out of the freezer best.
I have been looking for a lemon bar of sorts to satisfy my need for the flavor of lemon. These are fantastic. I will continue to make. Trying the peanut butter chocolate this week.
Have searched for energy balls and this recipe immediately caught my eye. It’s neat to have so many variations. Am in the process of making to take with us on a trip. They all look very, very good.
ps also added some cinnamon and chili powder to the pb/c ones and yummmmmm!
These are incredible! thank you! I’m pregnant and supposed to eat a lot of dates to promote labor and am digging into the pb/choc, lemon, and coconut energy ones (I added about 3/4 tsp of cardamom to that one and doubled the dates because i’m supposed to eat a lot) and they’re all amazing!
I know this link is 4-5 years old now but I was surprised none of these are nut free. We don’t have allergies but I wanted to make these as school snacks. I haven’t received anything about allergies in his school but always prefer to be on the safe side.
You could try using seeds like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds!
I made the chocolate PB balls, and they were delicious! I’m excited to try some of the others 🙂
I’m very very excited to try these!!! I love that they are made of wholesome healthy food my toddler could eat for dinner but will think is dessert. Haha.
Just so you know, the food processor you link to is no longer available. I was a bit bummed cause my hubby and I are in the market for a bigger one. Our mini just doesn’t cut it anymore 😅
thanks for the yummy recipe!
I made the almond Joy ones yesterday minus the coconut because I didn’t have any on hand. These are so good, I couldn’t stop eating them! Thank you for the recipes I cannot wait to try the rest!
I’ve been making several of these and we just love them. Currently, I’m in love with the LIME version…I’ve been rolling them in coconut and keeping them in the freezer. Lovely little snack. Just realized that I forgot the zest today–no matter they were still delicious!!
The dark chocolate cherry and almond joy are great, too…but I felt like the caffeine was affecting me if I ate a couple of these at bedtime! (might just have been in my head 🙂 )
Melissa I use DateMe date paste (it is just dates no added ingredients) Can’t wait to make some of these balls!
That sounds really convenient! Where do you buy it?