Healthy Recipes Mealtimes Healthy Snack Recipes 15 Healthy Energy Balls Made Without Dates By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 14, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Jamie Vespa Dates are delicious natural sweeteners, but they’re not the only food that can bind together an energy ball. Make a batch of these energy balls that are sweetened with other dried fruits like apricots, currants and raisins. They also feature satisfying nut and seed butters to help keep these tasty bites intact, while adding some staying power. Recipes like our Peanut Butter Energy Balls and Caramel Delight Energy Balls can help you feel nourished and energized between meals. 01 of 15 Peanut Butter Energy Balls Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco These healthy peanut butter and chocolate energy balls deliver a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates to help fuel you up whenever you need a little boost. View Recipe 02 of 15 Caramel Delight Energy Balls Think of these easy no-bake cookies as a healthy makeover of one of our favorite Girl Scout Cookies--chewy caramel, dark chocolate and toasted coconut come together with fiber-boosting oats instead of sugar and flour. And the best part? They take only 15 minutes from start to finish. View Recipe 03 of 15 Peanut Butter Blueberry Energy Balls Jamie Vespa These healthy energy balls made with peanut butter, chocolate and dehydrated blueberries deliver a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates to help fuel you up whenever you need a little boost. They're no-bake and easy to make with ingredients you probably have on hand, like oats and nut butter. Feel free to experiment with different mix-ins—for example, other dried fruit or chopped nuts—in place of the chocolate chips and blueberries. View Recipe 04 of 15 Sticky Bun-Inspired Energy Balls This energy ball is packed with just the right amount of sugar and spice. To really emulate a sticky bun, we added a caramel pecan topping for a nice extra crunch. You can substitute any nut butter for the cashew butter if you prefer. View Recipe 05 of 15 Blueberry-Pecan Energy Balls Dried blueberries and pecans team up with cacao nibs for a chocolaty treat any time of day. The cacao is a bit more bitter than chocolate, but the maple syrup helps tame it. Almond butter and chia seeds provide protein to make these bites substantial snacks to fuel your body. View Recipe 06 of 15 Crispy Peanut Butter Balls All you need are four simple ingredients to make healthier crispy peanut butter balls that kids and grownups will love. Make this easy recipe for a bite-size treat, on-the-go snack or easy homemade gift. You can swap the peanut butter for almond butter or even sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free snack for school. View Recipe 07 of 15 Apricot-Ginger Energy Balls This easy energy ball uses natural ingredients to give you a quick bite of energy when you need it. Dried apricots and honey hold together the coconut and oats, while ginger and tahini deepen the sweet flavors. Ready in just 25 minutes, you can have these as a grab-and-go breakfast, afternoon snack or sweet treat after dinner. View Recipe 08 of 15 S'mores Energy Balls These two-bite, protein-packed snacks have all the flavors of a campfire favorite rolled right in. Mini chocolate chips and graham cracker pieces are blended into the base mixture, while a mini marshmallow is tucked into the center. Even better, they're no-bake and you can make a big batch in about 30 minutes. View Recipe 09 of 15 Banana Energy Bites Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or snack, these energy bites will keep you fueled. View Recipe 10 of 15 Cherry-Cocoa-Pistachio Energy Balls Minced dried cherries and pistachios make these energy balls a salty-sweet snack to satisfy all your cravings. Almond butter and cocoa add substance and chocolaty appeal. Serve any time of day as a snack or dessert, or pack them for a hike. View Recipe 11 of 15 Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Energy Balls Finding a snack that satisfies your craving for something sweet and salty while providing the best fuel for your body and brain isn't always easy. But luckily, these energy bites check every box! They're simple to make: double the batch and freeze some to have an energizing snack at the ready. Feel free to swap in other nuts and nut or seed butters. View Recipe 12 of 15 Muddy Buddy Energy Balls Jacob Fox This fun take on Muddy Buddies wraps cereal, nut butter, chocolate chips and the signature powdered-sugar coating into an energy ball with just the right amount of sweetness. You can mix and match the cereal, butter and sweetener for a different flavor each time you make them. View Recipe 13 of 15 Cranberry-Oat Energy Balls Craisins and dried figs do double duty as sweeteners and binders to make these easy energy balls both tasty and practical. These portable snacks mix in sunflower butter for plenty of protein. They're ready in just 25 minutes and can be stored in your freezer for easy snacking. View Recipe 14 of 15 Seneca White Corn No-Bake Energy Balls Nate Lemuel Kaylena Bray shared this recipe, which was passed down to her by her parents, David and Wendy Bray. They're both Seneca White Corn educators in New York State who share their knowledge at hands-on workshops hosted by universities, Native community centers and farms across the country. These no-bake energy balls get lots of staying power from a mix of oats and corn flour, peanut butter, coconut, dried fruit and mixed nuts. They're easily customizable by changing up the dried fruit and nuts. This recipe is part of our spotlight, There's a Movement to Revitalize Indigenous Cuisines and Knowledge—Here's Why That Matters. View Recipe 15 of 15 Fruit Energy Balls Make a big batch of these no-bake energy balls to keep on hand when hunger strikes or you need a healthy pick-me-up. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit