8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
on Mar 23, 2017, Updated Aug 21, 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
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).
Do you think these could be frozen? I’m due with my first child in a few weeks and am thinking these would be great to have on hand once he/she arrives.
Yes! I actually like to eat them a bit frozen or cold. They freeze great. I normally make a double or triple batch and keep the bulk of them in the freezer!
Could you add a protein powder to these?
Yes, you might need a little more peanut butter or honey to get them to stick together though!
Any idea on calorie count for these bites?
I was wondering the same thing.
Hi,
These look amazing! I was wondering if you know the calories?
I made your basic peanut butter cookies.
I’m a cyclist looking for an energy bar to take along for a mid-ride snack.
I used Natural Grocers in -store ground p-nut butter. Added ground flax seed, diced almonds.
After the 30 minute rest in the fridge I used an ice cream scoop and rolled into a ball. Definitely need to wet hands to keep from sticking to my hands.
I found the end product to be really sticky so I rolled the balls in wheat germ and that took care of the stickiness.Then wrapped the golf ball sized cookies in plastic wrap..like popcorn balls and frozen. They should travel okay on my bike rides.
These are fantastic…better than expensive energy bars !!! I am looking forward to trying the other balls.Next time I might trying rolling the balls in almond flour before packaging.
These recipes are a keeper and a great substitute to expensive energy bars.
Thanks Mellissa.
Thank you so much for the review! You can also up your oats a little if things feel sticky 🙂 But it sounds like you have it figured out. I’m so excited you made them and and they turned out well for you!
These would be perfect for a snack for my kids to bring to school! Do you know if they fall apart easily if they start to warm up? They leave the house at 7:00 a.m. and snack time isn’t until later in the day. They all look so good! Thanks!
They are fine! I like them cold but they will hold together at room temperature just fine. I took some to preschool this week and they were a huge hit!
Peanut butter is your spirit animal…bahahahaha….you are killing me over here!!!
Truer words were never written. 🙂
Making them tonight thanks!
mmmmmm these look fantastic!, off to the kitchen I go! but which one to make first?
I have a bunch of oats to use up. I was going to make oatmeal cookies, but these look so enticing…
PERFECT use for some extra oats 🙂
Thank you Melissa for this yummy no bake energy balls.
It will save me money and for sure more delish and fresh than the one I buy in the supermarket.
Could you substitute maple syrup for honey? Are there any other recommended substitutes?
The maple isn’t quite stick enough in my experience, by maybe if you added some chia seeds or something you could help it out. That being said, I know people have used brown rice syrup with success. I’ll work on a maple syrup version for you!