No Bake Energy Bites

For a quick snack, I love these no bake energy bites. They have simple and easy-to-find ingredients, require no cooking, and the flavor options are endless.

This recipe for no bake energy bites is also vegan. Just a handful of oats, some peanut butter, and a few more healthy ingredients make a satisfying snack perfect for when you need a quick boost of energy.

Keep reading to find out how easy these no bake bites are as well as some fun flavor ideas!

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• ½ cup peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips
• ¼ cup dried cherries, chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Always Chill No Bake Energy Bites Before Rolling

This recipe is a snap to put together. It will take you barely five minutes to pull all of the ingredients out and mix them up in a bowl. With how quick it comes together, you may be tempted to start rolling right away, but I promise you that is a bad idea.

You will need to chill the ingredients after mixing for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. An hour is best. Chilling the ingredients will help the oats soften and the peanut butter hardens slightly so you can easily roll them into bite-size balls.

If you don’t chill the ingredients before rolling them, you’ll have a mixture that falls apart in your hands and doesn’t come together.

Instructions

Here are all the steps to make these delicious oatmeal energy balls. 

Step 1 – Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the oats, cherries, pecans, ground flax, and vegan chocolate chips to a bowl.

If you’re using dried fruit, always add it during this first step. By mixing it with the oats and the flax, the cherries become coated and won’t stick together and will better incorporate into your mixture.

Step 2 – Stir in Wet Ingredients and Chill

To the bowl of dry ingredients, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.

I like to use the back of a wooden spoon to gently press all of the ingredients into the peanut butter until it’s all incorporated. 

Once combined, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. I prefer always chilling for an hour.

Step 3 – Roll and Enjoy!

Using your hands or a heaping cookie dough scoop, roll the ingredients into 1-inch balls. Place them on a flat surface as you roll all of the mixture into bites.

If you’re having a hard time rolling the mixture into balls, try chilling it for another 30 minutes in the refrigerator. You could also try wetting your hands to help the mixture stick together and not to you.

If the mixture seems too crumbly, try adding another tablespoon of peanut butter. If it’s too wet, try another tablespoon of oats.

Cookware Used

These are the tools to help you make these oatmeal energy balls.

Small Scoop: Using a small cookie dough scoop will help you get perfectly even energy bites that are all the same size. Use a slightly heaping scoop for each ball, which is about 2 tablespoons.

Baking Sheet: I like to put all of the energy bites on a baking sheet after I’ve rolled them and pop them into the fridge for another 15 minutes before I stack them into a storage container. This ensures they don’t stick together.

How Long Do No Bake Energy Bites Last?

These oatmeal energy balls will last up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also make a large batch and freeze them for up to 3 months.

You can freeze them in an airtight container or after they’ve chilled for at least 3 hours in the fridge, you can put them in a zip-top bag. If you’re making a large batch and freezing more than one layer, placing a piece of parchment paper between layers helps them from sticking, especially when they thaw.

If frozen, just remove them from the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before enjoying.

No Bake Energy Bites Variations

Here are a few variations to shake up these no bake energy bites.

Flavor Combinations

I love the chocolate cherry combination in the recipe above, but there are so many other options. Here are just a few ideas.

• Instead of the cherries and chocolate, add dried pineapple or mango with ¼ cup shredded coconut flakes
• Omit the chocolate and use walnuts instead of pecans for a tasty cherry walnut flavor
• Swap out the vanilla extract for ¼ teaspoon of amaretto flavoring and use chopped almonds in place of the pecans
• Swap the cherries for raisins and add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon for an oatmeal raisin flavor
• Omit the cherries and walnuts and add in ¼ cup mini marshmallows and 1 crumbled graham cracker for s’mores energy bites
• Swap the cherries for dried cranberries and use white chocolate chips in place of the regular chocolate

Protein Balls

To up the protein factor in these oatmeal energy balls, you can add your favorite protein powder. Chocolate or vanilla work perfectly with the flavors in the recipe, but you could also use unflavored protein powder as well.

Add 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder to the above recipe. To keep them vegan, just be sure you’re using a plant-based protein powder rather than one made with whey. 

Now, It’s Your Turn!

These vegan no bake energy bites could not be any easier. Just a few easy ingredients, a bowl, a spoon, and a hungry stomach are all you’ll need.

Try a few different flavor variations, or stick to my favorite and make a triple batch for your freezer. These simple bites are the perfect little snack for busy days (or nights) when you need a quick and easy pick-me-up.

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