These no-bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls are the perfect yummy treat. Nourishing and energizing, they provide fuel for a busy person. Oats, unsweetened shredded coconut and ground flaxseed are held together with sticky natural peanut butter and coconut oil. Peanut Butter Energy Balls are sweetened with just maple syrup and mini chocolate chips.
This recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free which makes it a perfect addition to your recipe collection for you or anyone in your circle of friends who has dietary restrictions. (Another recipe idea to check out if you have various dietary restrictions are my Peanut Butter Swirl Black Bean Brownies.) Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls are a favourite for satisfying cravings for chocolate and sugar and you feel great after eating them.
They freeze well and are such a handy quick snack to grab when you’re hungry and running out the door. I try to never leave the house without a nutritious snack!
This recipe has been a staple for me for at least the last 10 years. I often triple or quadruple the recipe and put several batches in the freezer because they make a great "grab and go" snack for the whole family. I have relied heavily on these snacks after each of my three pregnancies when I’m breastfeeding and never know when hunger will strike.
I will always remember the time when hunger struck at the most inopportune time. In 2017, Geoff and I hopped on a plane to see Vancouver for the first time when our oldest son was just 3 and a half months old. We did SO much hiking and walking and I was exclusively breastfeeding so the amount of calories I was burning was insane. I was not prepared.
I seriously wish I had taken a batch of these powerballs with me. We did some mountain hikes and lots of walking around the city but our longest walk was actually around the seawall.
Walking around the seawall takes hours. It’s about a 10 km walk. I was already hungry when we started out but my friend who was travelling with us insisted that it was only a 5 km walk and I thought I could push through. My son was in the midst of a major growth spurt and I had stopped to breastfeed him twice before we were even halfway around the sea wall and shortly after setting him back into his stroller and starting off again, I started to feel very hungry and shaky and dizzy. Not a good sign!
I joked around a bit that I wasn’t going to make it but then I seriously started to feel light headed. In desperation, my friend actually chased down a family walking by who had a bag of sliced apples. She asked them to give us some and they passed her the whole bag. No doubt they were a bit intimidated to be chased down for food! I still feel a bit bad for that family but I am certainly glad they had the foresight to pack a snack! I started to feel SO much better after eating a few apple slices. We made it the rest of the way around the sea wall, found the first burger place we could and ordered a huge dinner.
As a new mom, I didn’t realize how suddenly my blood sugar could drop! Needless to say, I learned a big lesson from that scenario. Postpartum is a time when I absolutely can’t leave the house without a snack. I need nourishing food options to fuel my busy life and these peanut butter oatmeal energy balls are the easiest way to be prepared.
When I am running out the door with no time for breakfast, I have also been known to grab 3-4 of these snacks. Geoff works from home and has commented that when these are in the fridge, he has a way more productive afternoon of work. Peanut Butter Energy Balls get him through that midday lull. If you make this recipe, please take a picture and tag me on Instagram @lifearoundthetable.ca. I would love to see them! Enjoy!
Why You Have to Try Energy Balls!
- Naturally sweetened with delicious maple syrup.
- Easily store several batches in the fridge or freezer.
- An easy grab-and-go snack for any time of day.
- The perfect treat to drop off to a postpartum mom or a friend who is extra busy.
- Provides a boost of energy for your day.
- Gluten-free and dairy-free.
- No-bake! You can make them so quickly.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls Notes
It’s best to store ground flaxseed in the fridge in a bag or a container that protects it from light. The cool temperatures help to preserve the delicate fats in the ground flax and prolong its shelf life.
You can use regular-sized chocolate chips if that’s all you have in your cupboard. I do that all the time! The mini chocolate chips are my preference because the balls stay together with a little better with them and I find it’s nicer to get smaller bites of chocolate throughout.
Your hands will definitely get messy when you’re rolling these balls together. Don’t worry!
If you find the balls are not staying together very well and the mixture seems a tad too dry, try adding a bit more peanut butter. If the mixture seems a bit too sticky, you can add another tablespoon of shredded coconut. Sometimes the recipe has to be adjusted slightly depending on how dry your preferred brand of peanut butter is.
If peanut butter isn’t your favourite flavour, you could try substituting any nut or seed butter such as almond butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini or cashew butter.
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls
In a large bowl, combine the oats, unsweetened shredded coconut, ground flaxseed, cinnamon and cocoa powder, mixing well.
In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil on low heat until just melted. To the large bowl add the peanut butter, maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Stir together all ingredients.
Add in the mini chocolate chips and stir again.
Form dough into small balls approx 1 tablespoon to 1 ½ tablespoon in size. Store in the fridge or freezer.
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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls Recipe
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups rolled oats gluten-free
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup natural peanut butter or any nut butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips dairy-free if desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the oats, unsweetened shredded coconut, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, salt and cocoa powder, mixing well.
- In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil on low heat until just melted.
- To the large bowl, add the peanut butter, maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Stir together all ingredients.
- Add in the mini chocolate chips and stir again.
- Form dough into small balls approx 1 tablespoon to 1 ½ tablespoon in size.
- Store in the fridge or freezer.
- Makes about 20-22 small balls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you make these peanut butter energy balls please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I aim to respond to every single comment. I am so grateful when you trust me and try one of my recipe creations in your own kitchen. I love to hear how it went! Let’s connect on Instagram and tag me in your food pics!
'Till next time,
Aya says
These look so delicious, and the recipe is great! I love the use of flaxseed in energy balls; it provides fuel and helps with the skin (fun fact)!
I'm so happy that the family had snacks with them, lifesavers. When breastfeeding, snacks are essential to have even at home. My mum always made protein bars and balls to give her energy... or maybe we were a handful
Thank you so much for the recipe! ☺️
Christy Faber says
That is a great fact! Thank you for your kind comment!
Valery Brown says
I absolutely love these . I love to keep them in the freezer in a 4x batch. My husband and children love them too.
They make an amazing healthy post partum nursing snack, a quick "I gotta get in the car right now without breakfast!" Snack,
And they even feel like desert with your coffee or to curb your hunger for something sweet.
Thanks for this recipe! It's a keeper for sure !
What I love about these is that they're so easy to modify to add in anything you're feeling ! Bravo.
Sadie says
This looks like such an awesome snack!! I can’t wait to try it.
Christy Faber says
Thank you! It's been one of my top survival hacks having these in the fridge for when life gets hectic!
Renee Rendall says
I'm a lifelong peanut butter addict, and a few chocolate chips make everything better. Also, Vancouver is one of my favorite cities. Haven't been there since I was a teenager. Glad you survived your trip. 😉
Christy Faber says
I would really like to go back to Vancouver and conquer some more of those hikes one day!
Jeannie says
I love energy balls they are my quick to go snack before and after running
Christy Faber says
I totally agree!
Kristy says
Sounds like a great healthy snack, adding it to my to make list.
Christy Faber says
Thank you! Hope you enjoy
Emma says
Just finished making these! SO good!
Christy Faber says
SO great to hear! Thanks for sharing!
Meg says
MMMmmmmm.....yep!!!
Christy Faber says
Kimberlie says
I’m excited to try these since they’re full of some of my favorite ingredients. I love that the recipe is simple, too.
Christy Faber says
I hope you love them!
ashley says
made mine with almond butter and love em! will be making these on repeat as i live on constant snacks 🙂 haha
Christy Faber says
That sounds delicious! Thanks for trying them!
Bekah says
Just made these for the weekend and we gobbled them up! They were soo good! I love that they're easy to grab for my toddler and he loves thwm so much! Definitely doubling the recipe to stock up the freezer!
I didn't have enough flaxseed, so I topped up with hemp hearts and it worked great!
Christy Faber says
Great to hear that hemp hearts made a great substitution! So heart warming to hear that your toddler loved them too!