Easy Energy Power Balls

These easy no bake power balls are quick to make, call for simple ingredients and are one of our go-to homemade energy bites! Many of the ingredients can be substituted based on what you have on hand and they last in your fridge for up to two weeks and in your freezer for up to three months!

Easy Energy Power Balls

Related: We love these soft and chewy granola bars!

Energy Balls Recipe Ingredients

The flavors and variations for energy bites (also called energy balls or power balls) are endless! This recipe is my go-to recipe and one that I make word for word the most often. It’s also easy to adapt to your favorite ingredients. Let me walk you through the basic recipe and then I’ll share some popular variations below. I bet you have most, if not all the ingredients needed to make the recipe already.

  • Oats — I usually have rolled oats in my kitchen, but instant oats will also work well. Hardier oats like steel cut oats are not going to work in this recipe since we aren’t cooking them.
  • One or more power ingredients — I especially love adding ground flaxseed, chia seeds and hemp seeds. Protein powder is another option.
  • Nut butter or sunflower butterPeanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter and more exotic nut butters work interchangeably in the recipe. For nut-free energy bites, sunflower butter is my top choice and while I haven’t tried it yet, I’ve been meaning to swap in tahini, which should be pretty tasty.
  • Honey or other sticky sweetener — If you don’t eat honey, try pure maple syrup or agave nectar.
  • Salt and spices — I always add a bit of sea salt to the mix and love cinnamon. You can experiment with other baking spices like cardamom, clove, allspice and nutmeg.
  • Chocolate, nuts or dried fruit — Adding something melty, crunchy or chewy is a nice touch. In our photos I added mini chocolate chips, but regular size chocolate chips or chopped chocolate works, too. Cacao nibs are also an excellent option.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

Power / energy balls ingredients: oats, peanut butter, honey, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, chocolate chips

How to Make Energy Balls

Making these power balls really could not be any easier. Add everything to a bowl and mix until well blended and sticky. Then using your hands, roll into balls. If you find that the mixture is too sticky, dip your fingers into some water and roll with damp hands.

Energy ball mixture that's ready to roll into balls

Storing Them

The key to storing power balls is to keep them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. When stored properly, they will last in the fridge for up to two weeks and in the freezer for up to three months.

Popular Variations

As I said above, I make the basic recipe all the time and love it. That said, there are lots of ways to adapt these. I’ll share a few below to get you started, and then if you come up with an epic variation, share it in the comments below so we all can see!

Oatmeal raisin — Take a cue from oatmeal raisin cookies and increase the cinnamon to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon and add raisins and chopped nuts (I like pecans or walnuts)

Extra chocolate — Stick with the basic recipe and add chocolate chips as well as a drizzle of melted chocolate over the formed balls or roll in cocoa powder.

Chai inspired — Introduce the spices from chai tea for a spicy energy ball. Try adding 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of ground cloves and a pinch of ground nutmeg.

Coffee lovers — Add a tablespoon of espresso powder to the recipe for a caffeine kick.

Rolled energy bites

More Heathy Recipes

Easy Energy Power Balls

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These easy no bake power balls are quick to make, call for simple ingredients and are one of my go-to homemade energy bites! Use our recipe below as a guide. Many of the ingredients can be substituted (example: quick oats for rolled oats or flaxseed meal for chia seeds). You can also add some extra ingredients based on your needs. Protein powder, for example, is a nice addition (read the article above for all of our tips and variations).

Makes 10 to 12 (1-inch) balls

You Will Need

1 cup rolled oats or substitute quick oats

3 tablespoons ground flax meal, chia seeds or hemp seeds

1/2 cup nut butter or sunflower seed butter

1/3 cup honey, pure maple syrup or agave nectar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips or substitute dried nuts and fruit

Directions

    1Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl. The mixture will be a bit tricky to stir at first, but with pressing the nut butter and honey around and into the other ingredients, it will eventually turn into a more cohesive mixture.

    2If the mixture seems too dry and crumbly, add a bit more nut butter or honey. If the mixture seems too wet, sprinkle in some more oats. Form into 1-inch balls or for a slightly easier time forming the balls, place the mixture into the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes and then roll into balls.

    3When forming the balls, a medium cookie scoop is useful and helps to keep each ball the same size — we try to make the balls about 1-inch in diameter, but this is up to you.

    4Store energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze (wrapped well) for up to 3 months.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • For gluten-free version, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats and ingredients.
  • Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. Chocolate chips were included in the calculation.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 ball (1 of 12) / Calories 149 / Total Fat 7.1g / Saturated Fat 1.4g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 49.6mg / Carbohydrate 17.4g / Dietary Fiber 2.7g / Total Sugars 10.9g / Protein 3.8g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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6 comments… Leave a Review
  • pam February 21, 2024, 3:58 pm

    Made these using homemade walnut butter, (just grind in food processer till they become creamy, dont rush it takes a bit of time)
    As for the raisins I heat in micro with a bit of water and then pulse in mini processor to make a jam then proceed with recipe. They turn out really well and are a hit at the office.

    Reply
    • Joanne February 21, 2024, 6:42 pm

      That sounds incredible!

      Reply
  • Evelyn Reynolds June 13, 2023, 11:56 am

    Made these to eat at work and I was i.pressed at how yummy they was I changed the recipe to 1 1/2 tbs flax seed meal and 1 1/2 chia seeds that are amazing will keep making these from now on

    Reply
  • Philip February 18, 2023, 6:18 pm

    Easy to make, taste great. Used a little molasses with the honey.

    Reply
  • Sarah and Asher February 16, 2022, 4:07 pm

    We love these!

    Reply
  • Via October 14, 2020, 8:22 pm

    OMG LOVE these bites 😉 so easy and quick to make and they taste awesome. Would definitely recommend, great for a quick snack or breakfast.

    Reply

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