No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls
on Mar 01, 2017, Updated Aug 21, 2024
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No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Balls are tasty, easy-to-make bites that are perfect for snacks, kids’ lunches, and post-workout recovery.
If you have a sweet tooth or a busy life, or both, these no-bake energy balls are for YOU. They’re packed with all sorts of nutritious whole-foods goodness, but they also satisfy sweet cravings with a little kick of mini chocolate chips. For fans of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or anything with peanut butter and chocolate, you’ll want to give these guys a try!
These are great to make on your meal prep day along with some Snacks in a Jar and a Veggie box to keep in the fridge. Add an Oatmeal Energy Ball to any of these 12 Healthy Lunch Box Ideas for Kids and Adults or 8 Wholesome Lunch-Box Ideas for Adults and Kids.
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 and vegetarian.
Recipe Ingredients
- Oats: I used old fashioned oats because they make a chewier, more “toothsome” energy bite.
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes: Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes are perfect because they’re larger flakes that toast up well.
- Peanut Butter: I used the organic natural peanut butter from Costco. You can use any natural peanut butter for this recipe.
- Ground Flaxseed: 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 (I use a little coffee grinder).
- Honey
- Mini Chocolate Chips
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- Oats: You could use quick cooking oats (still a whole grain, they are just cut smaller) or half and half to change the texture. The flavor will stay the same with either, but the texture will change as the quick cooking oats will make the balls softer. You can also use a combination of the two if you’d like. It all works, it just changes the texture a bit.
- Vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Dairy-free: For a dairy-free chocolate peanut butter energy ball, use dairy-free mini chocolate chips – the semi-sweet mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life are the best that I’ve tried.
- Gluten-free: Make sure to get rolled oats that are labeled gluten-free. While oats are naturally gluten-free, not all containers of them are.
- Chocolate chips: You can use normal chocolate chips, but the mini ones distribute the chocolate more evenly through each bite.
How to Make No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls
- 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 (that’s the type I used). If you use a more traditional peanut butter, you might need to increase the amount by a few tablespoons or add a bit more honey so that they stick together.
It is perfectly fine to eat uncooked oatmeal! But some people do experience bloating from raw oats, so if you notice this happens to you, you can always soak your oats in water for 30 minutes before mixing up a batch of energy balls.
Energy balls practically have it all in terms of nutrition! They’re packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats, which makes them an incredible snack when you’re on-the-go.
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 and stick about half of them in the freezer for snack when you need them. You can eat them frozen or let them sit out for 20 minutes to thaw for a softer taste.
- 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
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No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls
Equipment
- airtight container The size is big enough to fit a batch of anything, and the glass doesn't stain or absorb grease.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry oatmeal (I like old fashioned)
- ⅔ cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup ground flaxseed
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- 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. And the moisture in the peanut butter will depend on the brand/type that you use.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer much longer.
Notes
- If you’d like to add chia seeds, add 1-3 tablespoons depending on your preference.
- 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.
- Old-fashioned, quick-cooking, or a combination of the two all work well in this recipe – the oats you use will change the texture but all taste good and depend on your preference.
- 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.
- 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.
- Oatmeal energy balls should be stored in an airtight container and last in the fridge up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Love!! Whole family loves these!
I love this recipe. I rolled the finished balls in sprinkles and my toddler niece ate them all. Flax seed has too much cyanide so you can replace the flax seed with almond meal.
Love this! Took some to work today and they were a big hit!! Made enough to put in the freezer so I can have them next week.
These are over the top fabulous!
I dip one side in melted chocolate.
Everyone loves them. Thank you.
These are the best. I make these for my hiking group all the time
Bravo! Encore!
My husband and I love these! I make 3x batches routinely to ensure protein snack available, and it satisfies sweet cravings. I use Ghirardelli mini semisweet chips; sometimes sub maple syrup for honey, or almond butter for PB. I’ve added chia seed. Most recently I included 1/4 cup sweetened coconut for addl texture. Instead of balls, I lazily (or efficiently) press into 13×9 dish, chill, then cut into small squares. Today I shared the recipe/link w three friends who are eager to try it.
I used quick oats, as that is what I had on hand. I only had a dark chocolate bar, so I chopped it in small pieces.. It made it more chocolaty.
This recipe is amazing. I use maple syrup in place of honey and steel cut oats in place of regular oatmeal. Turns out fantastic every time.
Ohhh great subs, thank you for sharing what worked!
I love this recipe! I add 1/2 cup of rice krispie cereal and leave out the coconut. It is very crunchy and yummy!