Oat-Free Coconut Date Energy Balls are simple to make, have no added sugar and guarantee a little energy boost whenever you need one. Spend less on packaged bars by adding some homemade balls, bars and bites to the mix.
If you can tolerate oats my favs are homemade granola bars and Chocolate Coconut Oat Bars. If not, these no-bake Eatmore bars are a chocolaty, chewy treat.
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Ingredients
The secret for making homemade bars and balls is having a good supply of dried fruit, nuts and seeds in your pantry. They all keep well so you just need to make a habit of using them in different ways to keep them fresh. These all add fibre and variety to your diet and the current recommendation for a healthy gut is to eat 30 Plants a Week.
- Dates & dried apricots - I buy baking dates and dried apricots in the baking aisle. These are often less expensive than what you'll find in the snack section.
- Coconut - Unsweetened is my preferred but it can be hard to find. Use any coconut you have.
- Walnuts - Fresh walnuts are delicious and healthy, especially for the vegetarians in your life. Use the same strategy as above for the dried fruit. Buy it, use it up, go back to pecans or almonds and eventually, buy walnuts again.
See recipe card for complete ingredient list and exact amounts.
Substitutions
These energy balls are held together from the moisture of the dried fruits so substitutions will affect the outcome. Try what you like and find what works.
Dates and apricots - Add or substitute any dried fruit. Keep in mind that smaller fruits, like raisins and cranberries, won't stick together the way these do.
Coconut - I always use coconut but feel free to experiment.
Walnuts - Try any nuts, toasted or not.
Get The Tools
This is when I pull out my food processor but a good sharp knife will work too. A small portion scoop isn't necessary but they make jobs like this fast and easy. From meatballs to muffins, I recommend you buy a set of three sizes, you'll never regret it!
Storage
Stored in airtight containers these energy balls will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I like to store these in small Mason jars so I can see them when I open the fridge. It's also the perfect size to grab-and-go when I'm rushing out the door or going on a road trip.
Top Tip for Organization
Here's my pitch for being organized using Mason jars! Clear containers decrease food waste. I use 2-cup and 4-cup Mason jars to store dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Labels from my Dymo label maker make it easy to grab what I want. If you want to know how I use seven different jar sizes with only two lids, check out this post, Organize For Success with Labeling.
Coconut Date Energy Balls (no oats)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 dates whole or broken from a block of baking dates (60 g)
- 12 dried apricots (120 g)
- ⅓ cup shredded coconut , toasted (30 g)
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts , toasted(30 g)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until mixture starts to come together. Scrape down sides and pulse again until finely chopped. It's okay to have some larger pieces as long as the mixture is soft enough to hold together.
- Fill a metal portion scoop with the mixture pressing firmly to fill the scoop. Roll between your hands to form a ball.
- Store in a Mason jar and refrigerate. Will keep for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
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Steve
I experimented as I found the recipe rather too sweet.
I cut back on dates and cranberries, increased coconut and added a little almond flour. But too dry. So I added a little ginger cordial. Perfect! Good consistency, less sweet and an interesting little kick from the ginger.
Cinde Little
Thanks Steve, I love hearing how people experiment with recipes. The ginger cordial sounds intriguing to me. This version sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing!