- No-Bake Easy Energy Ball Recipe: Healthy Snacking Made Simple
- Beginner-Friendly Easy Energy Ball Recipe Guide
- Energize Your Day with These Healthy Energy Balls
- Easy-to-Make Healthy Energy Balls for Quick Snacking
- Wholesome Ingredients for Healthy Energy Balls
- Healthy Energy Balls: Your Go-To Snack Recipe
- Make These Little Energy Bites at Home with Just a Few Ingredients
- Take the Kids Holiday Baking Challenge and BOGO Free to Give to a Friend!
- Ultimate Holiday Skills Bundle
Last year I taught a health and nutrition class for 5-8 year-olds at our homeschool co-op. Hands down the activities they were most excited about were our kitchen projects. Kids love to cook!
I only got a handful of days with them in the kitchen because it was used by another class. But when we did get to cook, it had to be easy, quick, and allergy-friendly. Cooking with 18 kids with only about 35 minutes to work is quite a challenge. Everyone is eager to participate.
So I opted for mostly no-bake projects that everyone could help with. Being able to taste it right away was a bonus too.
No-Bake Easy Energy Ball Recipe: Healthy Snacking Made Simple
Our favorite kitchen project was energy balls. They come together in minutes. And everyone gets to measure, pour, and roll the mixture into balls. Best of all the kids could taste their creation immediately.
I did have one child in my class that was allergic to nuts. I have a child that can’t have nuts too. So that was no problem. We used sunflower butter. I actually prefer the taste!
To my amazement, my student had never tasted sunflower butter. She acted like it was the best thing she had ever put in her mouth and said her mom HAD to get some.
Your kids can learn to cook, even if you don’t know where to start
My 4 kids and I created the online Kids Cook Real Food lessons to help bring real food and independence to families all over. Over 10,000 kids have joined us and we’d love to invite you along for the adventure!
I’m so pleased to offer a little gift from our family to yours, a knife skills lesson as a free preview of the full cooking eCourse!
Beginner-Friendly Easy Energy Ball Recipe Guide
Energy balls are so easy, that even a group of five-year-olds can make them. You simply heat the seed/nut butter with coconut oil or butter, cocoa powder, and honey (a parent may need to help with the stove work). When it’s all combined, remove the mixture from the heat. It will only be warm, not hot. Stir in oats, mix, and form into balls. No big appliances are required, and no big mess is generated.
This is a great way to get young kids in the kitchen. They can make the balls as big or as small as they like (or any shape really). Picky eaters will appreciate the smaller balls so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming, especially if they are hesitant to try new things.
There was a wide variety of shapes and sizes in my class. Some made one big ball, some made many tiny ones.
It was quite comical watching my high school class make energy balls. A group of teenage boys was in charge of the project. Those were the biggest energy balls I’ve ever seen! Almost as big as a baseball. I made them go back and split each one into three.
Energize Your Day with These Healthy Energy Balls
Energy balls not only taste great, but they also have some awesome health benefits.
The balance of protein, complex carbohydrates (fiber), and healthy fat make them a good source of nutrition for both blood sugar regulation and energy.
Sunflower butter is one of the best food sources of Vitamin E, an essential anti-oxidant. And if you use freshly flaked oats you’ll get even more Vitamin E! Magnesium, selenium, manganese, and folate are also key nutrients found in sunflower butter.
Collagen (use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!) adds an easy-to-digest protein source that won’t change the flavor of the energy balls (if it’s plain collagen). My family loves to use chocolate collagen in place of cocoa powder. You can substitute your favorite protein powder for the collagen.
RELATED: What’s the best clean and healthy protein powder?
Easy-to-Make Healthy Energy Balls for Quick Snacking
Energy balls have become such a staple in our house that I make them as part of breakfast once a week – usually on our busiest morning! It is something all four of my kids can eat (even with food allergies) and will eat. So that’s always a win.
Print
Easy Healthy Energy Ball Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Refrigerate
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These healthy energy balls are a great nut-free snack or breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 c. unsweetened sunflower butter (or any nut or seed butter)
- 2 Tbs. butter or coconut oil
- 1/4 – 1/2 c. honey (or maple syrup)
- 2 scoops collagen (use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!)
- 1 Tbs. cocoa powder (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!)
- pinch salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase)
- 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 c. quick oats
Instructions
- In a small saucepan add all ingredients except the oats. Mix to combine.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the fat is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in oats, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Using 1-2 Tbsp. of mixture at a time, roll into balls and place on a plate.
- Place plate in the refrigerator until chilled/solid.
- Enjoy immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- Two scoops Perfect Supplements (use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!) chocolate collagen can replace the collagen + cocoa (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) powder.
- When adding oats, check if mixture is workable/doesn’t stick to your hand before adding the full amount.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 energy balls
- Calories: 568
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 255mg
- Fat: 42g
- Saturated Fat: 23g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 9g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 86mg
Wholesome Ingredients for Healthy Energy Balls
As a Nutritional Therapist and mom of four, I’m a huge fan of simple recipes with a short ingredient list that includes whole foods. This energy ball recipe meets my criteria.
While my family uses sunflower butter, you can definitely swap it out for peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. You’ll get a slightly different flavor with each variety of nut and seed butter.
I typically stick with butter for the fat. However, coconut oil works just as well to make energy balls dairy-free; as long as it’s a saturated fat that will harden when cold you’re good to go.
Quick oats tend to mix in the best. But rolled oats work too. Sometimes I use a combination of the two just for texture. Rolled barley would be a great swap as well. If you happen to have an oat flaker, freshly flaked oats will really bump up the nutrition content.
Healthy Energy Balls: Your Go-To Snack Recipe
While my family typically keeps the energy bites simple, you can get creative and make them your own. Change up the flavor or try some additional mix-ins such as:
- chia seeds
- mini chocolate chips
- raisins
- dried fruit
- pumpkin seeds
- cinnamon (leave out the cocoa powder if adding cinnamon)
- dye-free sprinkles (for a birthday cake flavor, leaving out the cocoa powder)
Make These Little Energy Bites at Home with Just a Few Ingredients
Energy balls make a great breakfast component or healthy snack to pack in school lunches. What kid doesn’t love finger food with a little bit of sweetness?
Serve energy bites alongside eggs, sausage, bacon, or yogurt and some fruit for a power-packed breakfast. Our favorite combination is a butterscotch milkshake (loaded with protein) and energy balls. This is our go-to breakfast to get out the door quickly. Plus the energy bites are very portable for my slower eaters that need to take them on the road.
Energy balls taste great whether they are eaten straight from the fridge or at room temperature. You can even make a big batch and keep them in the freezer for quick grab-and-go snacks. They thaw in seconds.
If you don’t have time to make balls or your kids don’t like the shape, simply spread the warm mixture into an 8×8-inch pan and chill. Then cut into bars. Or flatten the balls to resemble cookies.
I do have to give a warning to parents. Energy bites do taste really good. You may not want to share with your kids. I often hide the breakfast leftovers from my kids so I can eat them for snacks. Maybe I need to start making a double or triple batch every time.
Are you looking for a go-to easy snack to put in lunches or add to breakfast? These healthy energy balls are the perfect solution!
