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.
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!