Brownie Energy Balls
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Published Sep 04, 2020, Updated Jun 12, 2023
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These no bake brownie energy balls are the perfect snack bites to have on hand when a chocolate craving hits. Only 7 ingredients needed!
I have to admit, I have a little bit of a sweet tooth. I love having a little dessert after dinner each night – it completes the meal! Can you relate? My top tip for sweet cravings is to have healthier, naturally sweetened options on hand. Which is where these brownie energy balls came about. They honestly taste like a brownie but take a fraction of the time (and ingredients!) to make! Ever since I came up with this recipe a few weeks ago, Isaac and I have been hooked. We can’t stop eating them!
These brownie energy balls are inspired by my 5-ingredient no bake brownies. This recipe requires a couple more ingredients but they’re still pantry staples in our household. I can’t wait for you to give these a try!
Types of Energy Balls
As you may have guessed, there are so many different types of energy balls and they go by a variety of names too. Some names I’ve heard: energy bites, energy balls, bliss bites, oat balls and fat bombs. In my mind, there is one thing they all have in common: they’re no bake and rolled into balls. Here are some ways they can be different:
- Protein – Some energy balls will have added protein powder to obviously amp up the protein, but also round out the snack and make it more filling and satisfying. I personally love making these protein balls.
- Date-based – Some energy balls are made with a base of dates and nuts (like these ones!). They are usually grain-free and have no sugar added because the dates add a good amount of sweetness and help hold the balls together. For the date-based balls, you usually need a food processor or blender to pulse the nuts and dates together.
- Oat-based – Many energy ball recipes have a base of oats. They are packed with fiber and healthy fats and the perfect on-the-go snack. My peanut butter no bake energy balls are oat-based and so yummy.
Ingredients Needed for Brownie Energy Balls
- walnuts and cashews – look for raw, unsalted walnuts and cashews.
- Medjool dates – You can buy medjool dates that are already pitted or pit them yourself (it’s super easy). Two brands that I like are Natural Delights and Joolies. You can find Natural Delights in the produce section of most grocery stores (near the bananas) and Joolies are offered on Amazon and Thrive Market.
- cacao or cocoa powder – raw cacao powder are minimally processed and are high in minerals and antioxidants. Cocoa powder processing depends on the brand but typically it’s roasted at high temperatures which can change some of the nutrition stats. Both are still great options for these balls!
- vanilla extract
- sea salt
- chocolate chips – I like using dark chocolate chips from Enjoy Life or Lily’s. Both of these options are dairy-free.
How to Make Brownie Energy Balls
It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe. Add the walnuts, cashews, dates, cacao powder, vanilla and salt into a food processor fitted with the S-shape blade. Process until mixture is well combined and sticking together. Add the chocolate chips and pulse once more to combine.
Use your hands to form 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. Enjoy right away or store for later!
How to Store Energy Balls
You can store your energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. They’ll last up to 1-2 weeks in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. I like using glass storage containers or Stasher bags for storing energy balls.
More Energy Balls and Bites
- No Bake Protein Balls
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Lemon Energy Balls
- Coconut Protein Balls
- Cranberry Energy Bites
- Cherry Energy Balls
- Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls
- Bird Food Energy Bites
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Protein Bites
Be sure to check out all of the popular no bake dessert recipes here on EBF!
Brownie Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw walnuts
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates, (about 10)
- 2 Tablespoons cacao powder, or cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon dark chocolate chips, dairy-free if needed
Instructions
- Add walnuts, cashews, dates, cacao powder, vanilla, and salt in a food processor fitted with the S-shaped blade. Process until mixture is well combined and sticking together. Add chocolate chips and pulse once more to disperse.
- Once mixture is combined, use your hands to form the dough into balls, using about 1 Tablespoon of dough for each ball. Enjoy right away or store for later.
- Place balls into a sealed storage container and store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Hard/dry dates: If your dates are hard and dry, you can soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften. Just drain them well before using.
- Crumbly dough: If your dough seems too crumbly to stick together after processing even when squeezing it together with your hands, you can try adding a couple more dates or adding 1 teaspoon of water at a time until the mixture starts to hold together well enough to form into balls. See note above.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks yummy! Plus perfect timing. I was planning on making chocolate date truffles this weekend, but will try this recipe instead.
Ahh yay!! Can’t wait to hear what you think of them. 🙂
FINALLY made them! I ended up omitting the chocolate chips as I had dropped in about 1 tsp. of homemade nut butter to help the ingredients to hold together. Very yummy!
I’m glad you enjoyed these brownie energy balls, Sara Anne!! Thanks for making them. 🙂
Great option when one is craving sweet..
Sounds delicious! I’m out of cashews, can I sub in peanuts?
Yes, definitely!
Thank you!!
These look like the perfect healthy treat when I’m craving something sweet!
Great
These are so perfect for a snack or dessert!! The sweetness, texture and taste are fabulous and I love anything that satisfies a sweet craving and is nutritious at the same time!
Yay! So glad you’re loving these energy balls, Erica. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
I have been following you for a while and have been experimenting with overnight oats and now energy/ protein balls…and OMG.. thank you so so much for putting the the peanut butter overnight oats and these brownie energy balls…they have become my favorite go go thing to have after my long runs (the oats) and as a snack anytime during the day (the protein/ energy balls). And I totally get you when you say that they can last 1-2 week in thr fridge… but they usually do not! I made the latest batch of energy balls at 4pm…and it is not even 6hrs and have already eaten 3 of them!!
5 star all the way!!
Ahhh yay! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m so glad you’re loving these and the pb overnight oats. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
These look so good. I tried them out yesterday and was absolutely floored by its taste. Thank you for sharing this, these are now part of my post-workout routine.
Ahh yay!! So glad you’re loving these energy balls. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
I’ve made almost all of Brittany’s energy balls and THIS one is my favorite. It has just the right amount of sweetness and crunch & tastes so yummy!
P.S. I must roll the balls to a bigger size because my batches usually only make 9-10, so just consider possibly doubling the batch if needed. You can’t go wrong by making too many. 😉
So glad you loved this recipe, Stephanie! Thanks for trying my recipes and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
wow chocolate, that’s my favorite s thank you for sharing the recipe now I can try to make it
These are really tasty. I used pecans because that’s what we keep in our pantry, and they worked really well. Even without choc chips, these definitely have a very “brownie like” flavor. Can you suggest any ways to amp up the protein factor in these without weird/high sugar protein powders? Thanks so much!
Hey Nicole – So glad you enjoyed these brownie energy balls! Thanks for making them. I tested adding protein powder to these date-based energy balls and found that you can reduce the nuts to 1/3 cup and add 2 Tablespoons (about 10 grams) of protein powder to the recipe to amp up the protein a bit! I also have these protein energy balls you could try.
I was making these and my kids and husband were all skeptical because of the dates. I told them they had to just try a bite. They did and then proceeded to eat the whole batch! We all loved them. I’ll be making these regularly (in a double batch!). I used pecans instead of walnuts because I prefer them and I thought they worked great. Thanks for the recipe!
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! I’m pumped to hear these energy balls were a hit with your family. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Delicious! Will definitely be making again!
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved these energy balls. 🙂
These were tasty! My 8 & 10 year old children said they tasted like Larabars, but better!
Woo! That’s awesome. So glad the kiddos liked them too! And thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating on the post. I really appreciate it!
This looks so good! If I don’t have a food processor, would a blender or an immersion blender work? I have both but unsure if they would work here. Thanks!
Hey Amanda – Using a blender to make energy balls can be done, but it’s kind of a pain and results in a sticky mess. You might have to make these in batches and not put all the ingredients in your blender at once. Let me know if you try it!!
I made a half-batch with a blender because I don’t own a food processor. Short answer: it’s doable! Here are the tweaks I made:
-I halved every ingredient except the vanilla, to encourage the blender to blend.
-I soaked the dates, even though they weren’t really hard and dry, again to encourage blending.
-I blended the nuts and vanilla first, before adding the rest of the ingredients.
-I used short pulses and shook up the mixture in between pulses so everything would blend together.
And it tastes amazing!! It was worth the extra work, but I’ll go buy a food processor now. (;
Thanks for sharing, Joyce! And I’m glad you enjoyed these bites. Thanks for the review!
These are delicious and so easy to make. I reduced the walnuts to 1/2 cup and added in a scoop ( 1/2 serving) of chocolate vegan protein powder along with 1 Tbsp of water and they turned out perfectly!
Yay!! So glad you love these brownie balls, Jill. Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
I have given this recipe to so many of my friends because it is so fast to make. My husband loves them so I’ve been making them to have for him to have a healthy alternative snack and I’ve had to make them every few days LOL
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Ellen. I’m glad this recipe has been a hit! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
Yum! These were so good. A great healthy snack when I’m craving something sweet. Will definitely be making again.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for the review, Suzy. I so appreciate it!
OMG these are good!!!! When I decided to bo plant based and swear off cane sugar, I thought I would never taste such delights like this again! And these are good for you!!!! yipee!
Woo! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit, Elizabeth! Makes me so happy to hear. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
I love these for when I’m craving chocolate! They are a tasty and healthy alternative to an actual brownie.
Yay!! This makes me so happy to hear, Molly! Thanks so much for the review and star rating. I really appreciate it!
These are so good. They taste just like brownies, but a whole lot better for you. They didn’t last long in my house!
Woo!! So glad these brownie energy balls were a hit, Susannah! Thanks for the review and star rating. I really appreciate it!
Very good! Nearing the end of my pregnancy and my doctor recommended eating dates. These energy balls are a delicious way to get them in! Thank you for the recipe!
Woo!! So glad to hear these energy balls have been a hit, Mary! Thanks for the review. It means so much to me!!
I have only made the peanut butter ones and since I didn’t have chocolate protein powder made them with vanilla and definitely chocolate chips they are delicious thanks for sharing your knowledge
So pumped these energy balls were a hit, Donna! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Holy moly, these are my new favorites. They are SO good! Thank you 😍😍😍
Woo!! So glad you enjoyed these energy balls, Julie! Thanks for the review :).
Any chance of the recipe with metric quantities?
I unfortunately don’t have a conversion on my site to go to metric quantities. There’s a ton of conversion sites that you can use though! 🙂
Just made these for snacking on our trip. Loved these. Missed out on chocolate chips. And used Ajwa dates. ☺️
So glad you loved this recipe, Ayesha! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
Made these date and walnut energy with some some doubt but OMG. They are delicious and a great little snack and pick me up. I love that I can give my family a healthy but so good snack that they don’t even know they are eating a healthy snack. Thanks Brittany for another great receipt. Linda
So happy to hear these energy balls were a hit, Linda. Thanks for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Can I use any kind of nuts for this recipe? My son is allergic to cashews as well as peanuts & pistachios.
Hi, Anna. You could try replacing the cashews with more walnuts, using 1 cup of walnuts total. I haven’t tried that but I think it should work! Let me know how they turn out if you do!
I used a mix of nuts including almonds, Walnuts, and cashews and this turned out great. The only problem is wanting to eat them all at once!
Ah! Yes! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for coming back and leaving a review and star rating, I really appreciate it!
I must admit, with my tiny mini processor I did not think this was going to come together! But I am amazed! SOOO yummy, and got the seal of approval from the other half too. 😀
YAY! I am so happy that you both enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for coming back and leaving your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
These are truly addictive!!! I make sure to whip a new batch before I run out!
Ah yay! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Brigitte. Thank you for your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
I ended up adding our favourite protein powder, powdered peanut butter, and an extra tablespoon of mini chocolate chips and my god .. I don’t think I’ll want to share these with the rest of the fam! A perfect sweet treat with a tea after dinner!! Thank you for this!! I think these will be a staple!
YUM! This is great, Sonja. I am happy you are loving these and they turned out great for you. Thanks so much for sharing your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it!
I bought dates and was looking for good recipes and these are good and I don’t taste the dates like in other recipes! Win!!
YAY! Happy to hear you gave these a try and they turned out amazing for you, Joyce. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
I love making these! They are so forgiving. I started out making one of your recipes and and then couldn’t decide. I had added too many nuts so it was a little oily so I added oatmeal. My husband thought they were delish! They ended up having cocoa powder, white chocolate chips and oatmeal!
Yay! I am so glad you are both loving these energy balls and they turned out great for you, Nanette. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!