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Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites are no-bake healthy snacks disguised as dessert! These homemade oatmeal energy balls can be whipped up in just 5 minutes! A guilt-free treat that satisfies sweet cravings while providing lasting energy for busy families.
These Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites taste a whole lot like no-bake cookies, and my kids (and I) aren’t at all sad about it. They are made with all kinds of whole foods, simple to put together, and just the thing you need in the afternoon when your sweet tooth is making a fuss.
They’re perfect for popping into lunchboxes, grabbing before soccer practice, or enjoying with your afternoon coffee when you need something sweet but don’t want to derail your healthy eating habits. Make a batch today to enjoy all week!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites Recipe
- Quick and No-Bake Convenience: These energy bites require just 10 minutes of hands-on preparation and some chilling time in the fridge. No oven needed!
- Kid-Approved Taste: The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is practically irresistible to little ones. These bites taste like a treat but fuel their bodies with goodness. It’s a win-win situation that every mom can appreciate.
- Customizable: Need to work around allergies or preferences? Swap peanut butter for sun butter, adjust the sweetness level, or add mix-ins like mini chocolate chips or dried fruit. These energy bites adapt to your family’s needs.
- Make-Ahead Win: With a two-week refrigerator shelf life and the ability to freeze for up to three months, you can make a big batch on Sunday and have healthy snacks ready all week long!
🍽️ My kids absolutely love it when I make a couple different batches of yummy no bake energy bites and pop a variety into their lunchboxes!
Recipe Ingredients
- Dried oats — I like using old-fashioned oats or a combo of old-fashioned and quick.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
- Peanut butter
- Ground flaxseed
- Honey
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Chia seeds
- Vanilla extract
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- Sweetener: You could use maple syrup if you want to make them vegan.
- Peanut butter: Nut butters, such as almond or cashew butter, would be good alternatives to peanut butter. Note that the flavor will change with substituting another butter!
- Oats: Either old-fashioned oats, quick-cooking oats, or a combination of the two will work in this recipe.
How to Make Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
- Step 1: Put all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine well.
- Step 2: Set the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Step 3: Roll about a tablespoon of the energy bite mixture into a ball.
- Step 4: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
You can use any natural peanut butter for this recipe (I used the one from Costco). If you use a more traditional peanut butter, you might need to increase the amount by a few tablespoons or add more honey so that they stick together.
I get Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes online, and they are usually in grocery stores in the baking aisle. They are chubby coconut flakes that toast up really nicely and are great added to all kinds of things, like yogurt and desserts.
You can buy ground flaxseed in a bag (also called flax meal), or you can buy whole flax seeds and grind them yourself at home in a coffee or spice grinder (I have one just for this purpose).
If your mixture is too crumbly, there are a few potential culprits. First, make sure you’ve allowed the mixture to chill for at least 30 minutes as directed. If they’re still not cooperating, add a tablespoon more peanut butter or honey, mix well, and try rolling again. The type of peanut butter you use can make a difference, as natural varieties sometimes need a little extra binding help.
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
- Batch Treats: 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.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: For uniform size and quicker preparation, a small cookie scoop works wonders. This ensures even-sized bites that will chill and set consistently.
- Warm Honey & PB: If your honey and peanut butter are particularly thick or cold, warming them slightly before mixing will make incorporating the dry ingredients much easier and create a smoother consistency.
- Toasted Oats: For an extra layer of nutty flavor, try lightly toasting your oats in a dry skillet for 5 minutes before adding them to the mixture. This simple step adds wonderful depth to the final taste.
- Don’t Skip The Chill: Don’t skip the chilling time! Those 30 minutes in the refrigerator make all the difference in how well your energy bites hold together. If you’re in a hurry, 15 minutes in the freezer can work in a pinch.
- Prevent Sticking: Keep a small bowl of water nearby when rolling your energy bites. Slightly damp hands will prevent the mixture from sticking to your fingers and make the rolling process much cleaner and faster.
More Healthy Snack Recipes to Consider
Dip Recipes
Lemon Garlic Hummus Recipe Without Tahini
Healthy Snacks
Medjool Date Protein Bites: No-Bake Sweet Treat
Healthy Snacks
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites {No Bake}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry oatmeal, (I like old fashioned oats.)
- 2/3 cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-2 tablespoon chia seeds, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add everything to a medium bowl and mix to combine well. Stick the bowl in the fridge and let it chill for half an hour. This resting time helps to ensure that the balls will stick together when rolled.
- After the chilling time, take a tablespoon of the mixture in your hand and roll it into a ball. Repeat with remaining oat mixture. If your balls aren't sticking together after the resting period, you can add a little more honey or peanut butter, stir well, and try rolling again. Sometimes it just needs a little more of the wet ingredients to hold together well.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- I developed this recipe with organic natural peanut butter. If you use a more conventional peanut butter, you may need to add a little more honey or peanut butter for the energy bites to stick together.
- Feel free to use any nut butter in this recipe (but remember that the flavor will be different). Sun butter would be a good option if you want to send them with your kids to school but they need to be nut-free.
- Accurate measurement of the ingredients is important to this recipe for the energy bites to stick together.
- Use maple syrup instead of honey to make these energy bites vegan. If you want them to be gluten-free, make sure all your ingredients are gluten-free.
my friend made these for me after I had a baby and I loved them!!! Great snack for breastfeeding moms. I want to make them for a friend, but she’s gluten free. Are these gluten free?
If you use GF oats they are!
These are so delicious! I wonder if I can substitute dates for the honey?
Do you have a food processor to run them through first? I think if you could get them a bit pasty first it would work really great!
Thank you sooo much! I was really looking into a chocolate version of the energy balls and yours is PERFECT!! My teen loves them!! It actually is his…. breakfast! 🙂 I mean seriously, with a glass of orange juice, I am pretty sure it’s better then the famous Oatmeal in paper bags (full sugar) he usually eat!
So thank you!! 🙂
Awesome! That made my day!