No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Energy Balls
on Sep 20, 2017, Updated Oct 22, 2024
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Quick & healthy no-bake pumpkin oatmeal energy balls that taste like cookies but are good for you! These energy bites are going to be your go-to healthy snack all season.
Oatmeal balls are one of my all time favorite snacks and we make them all the time. I always have a container of some variation of these on hand for quick snacks, easy additions to lunch boxes, and for on-the-go car snacking. Once you start making these you’ll never stop because they are healthy, easy, quick to put together, and store very well.
The bones of this recipe is oats, pumpkin, a nut butter, and honey – everything else you can add to your liking. I love to throw in chia seeds because they help the oat balls stick together well and have some great fats in them. I also add things like coconut flakes or nuts (pecans are delicious) in place of the chocolate chips sometimes. You can really tailor these to suit your taste. I have loads of energy balls you can try like my Extra Protein Oatmeal Bites, 8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls and Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- You can’t go wrong with healthy fats, whole grains, and good carbs.
- They are packaged in easy-to-grab little bites of fall time heaven.
- I love that they have pumpkin in them, hooray for more veggies in life! The pumpkin also makes the color of the oatmeal bites so bright and pretty.
- Customizable with whatever you have on hand or prefer.
Recipe Ingredients
- Oats – Uncooked
- All-natural peanut butter – Or other nut or sun butter
- Pumpkin puree
- Chia seeds
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon – Or pumpkin pie spice
- Chocolate chips – I like to use mini dark chips but any will do
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Energy Balls
Step #1. Combine oats, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, chia seeds, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Step #2. Add Chocolate Chips: Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Step #3. Scoop out a spoonful of mixture, roll it into balls, and repeat with the remaining dough.
Step #4. Place the energy balls in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage.
Recipe FAQs
Chances are, you have everything on hand to make these. Always a win. Don’t have chia seeds on hand? Leave them out or sub them for something else like hemp seed hearts, chopped nuts, or some coconut flakes (and you can go up to a 1/2 cup of those things if you like).
You can use old-fashioned or quick oats or a combo of the two, depending on the texture you are going for. Quick oats will yield a softer energy bite and the old-fashioned oats will make them chewier. I used half and half and was really pleased with how they turned out.
If you find your oat balls aren’t sticking together well when rolled, let them chill in the fridge for 20 minutes and try again. If they are too sticky, try adding a few more tablespoons of oats.
Expert Tips
- Use old-fashioned oats for a chewy texture or quick oats for a softer bite. A combination of both works well too.
- If the mixture is too sticky, refrigerate it for 20 minutes before rolling.
- Swap chia seeds for hemp hearts, chopped nuts, or coconut flakes for extra texture and flavor.
- You can adjust the sweetness by using more or less honey or adding other sweeteners like maple syrup.
How to Serve and Store No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Energy Balls
These are a great addition to a lunch box! Try them in my Easy Make-Ahead Lunch Ideas for Kids or 6 Easy Pinwheel Recipes for Lunch Boxes. You can also try my 9 Energy Bites Recipes, Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites, No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls, Healthy Cherry Energy Balls, or Extra Protein Oatmeal Bites.
Keep the energy balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a container for up to 3 months. Just thaw for a few minutes before eating.
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!
No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups dry, uncooked oatmeal
- 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter or other nut or sun butter
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup quality honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl,a add 1 and 1/2 cups oats, peanut butter, pumpkin, chia seeds, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir to combine well. You want the mixture to be soft but not too sticky. If you pick up a generous spoonful, you should be able to roll it into a ball and only make a minimal mess (it should stick together when rolled but still feel tacky on your hands). Depending on the type of oats you used (old-fashioned or quick oats), you made need to add up to a half cup more oats and stir until you reach the desired consistency. Again, it’s ok if it’s a little sticky because the oats will absorb some of the moisture after a little time passes, but unworkable sticky isn’t the goal.
- When the mixture is workable, add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. Scoop a large spoonful into your hand and roll into balls. Repeat with remaining dough. Keep these in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for much longer.
Video
Notes
- Chances are, you have everything on hand to make these. Always a win. Don’t have chia seeds on hand? Leave them out or sub them for something else like hemp seed hearts, chopped nuts, or some coconut flakes (and you can go up to a 1/2 cup of those things if you like).
- You can use old-fashioned or quick oats or a combo of the two, depending on the texture you are going for. Quick oats will yield a softer energy bite and the old-fashioned oats will make them chewier. I used half and half and was really pleased with how they turned out.
- They are no-bake and store super well. They have been great in lunch boxes, for after-school snacks, as a pre-workout snack at 5 am before weight lifting, and at bedtime when I’m ready for the kids to be in bed but they are suddenly starving. I love having little healthy snacks on hand. These are the perfect boxes to keep these in the fridge, just FYI.
- If you find your oat balls aren’t sticking together well when rolled, let them chill in the fridge for 20 minutes and try again. If they are too sticky, try adding a few more tablespoons of oats.
- Looking for other variations of the oatmeal energy bite? I have a huge post with 8 (yes 8!) different combos right here for you.
Do you think these could be pressed into a 9×9 pan then cut into 1″ squares? Shaping into balls just takes so much time, lol, and it’s messier than I’d prefer my hands to get.
Yes! line the pan with a little something so that it comes out easy, but I make them into bars often!
These are great. In my house, the life expectancy is short
How long should you take them out of the freezer before eating?
Just a few minutes before you can bite them and maybe a half hour before they are room temperature (they are good cold though!), so you can eat them almost right away.
Used almond butter and extra pumpkin puree and it was ok. Nothing special. Don’t think I will make again.
This recipe looks great! My son goes to a nut free school, could I leave out the peanut butter? I know can sub a non nut butter, but what if I leave it out completely?
Sub sunbutter!
Look yummy?Approximate calorie count and grams of sugar, fat, and cholesterol?
Made these today for some thing sugar free for hubby. Usually he doesn’t like pumpkin, but these didn’t have a strong taste of it and he loved them. thank you!
What could I used as a substitute for a nut butter for someone who is allergic to nuts?
We have nut allergies in our family too and we use either Sunbutter or Wow Butter.
These are fabulous!! I omitted the chia seeds due to not having any on hand. I used Almond Butter as the nut butter. I had semi sweet mini chocolate chips (not dark) on hand so used those. Loved them. I also took some of the left over and baked a few cookies as someone else posted above. I have your recipe pinned. Thanks so much.
I had someone stop me at school pickup yesterday to tell me how good these looked after I shared them! I can’t wait to try these!