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 @christy.faber. 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 tbsp 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 tbsp to 1 ½ tbsp in size. Store in the fridge or freezer.

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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls Recipe