Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
on Jan 18, 2017, Updated Aug 22, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites are no-bake healthy snacks disguised as dessert. Homemade oatmeal energy balls can be whipped up in just 5 minutes!
These Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy 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. Make a batch today to enjoy all week!
While you’re in prep mode, I recommend making a couple of these Salad in a Jar recipes, a few Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt Cups, and some of these Snacks in a Jar so you are extra prepared for the week.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy snack that tastes like a no-bake cookie.
- Can be made in 5 minutes.
- Easy recipe to double so you can enjoy them all week.
- Simple ingredients.
- Gluten-free.
Recipe Ingredients
- Dried oat
- 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: You can use any nut butter – almond or cashew would be good alternatives (but would change the flavor though).
- 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).
You may have added too many dry ingredients. The fix is easy – add something sticky like a little more peanut 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 other ingredients accurately. If you use heaping measuring cups, it will throw off the ratios and the energy bites won’t stick together well.
- Don’t skip the rest time because this is when the oats absorb some of the moisture, which helps everything stick together properly.
More Healthy Snack Recipes to Consider
Breakfast Recipes
Protein Shakes
Snacks
Breakfast Bars
Breakfast Recipes
Chia Seed Pudding
From Scratch Recipes
Celery Juice
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry oatmeal (I like old fashioned)
- 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!