Coconut Chocolate Chip Energy Balls
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Last updated on Jun 12, 2023
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These healthy coconut chocolate chip energy balls are made with only 5 simple ingredients. They’re super easy to prep and taste like a decadent treat.
If you like coconut and chocolate, you’re going to love these healthy coconut chocolate chip energy balls. The recipe is inspired by my homemade coconut chocolate chip Larabars, but in ball form. They kind of remind me of my samoa energy balls, but they’re a bit different and more similar to actual Larabars you’d buy at the store.
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. 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 in Coconut Chocolate Chip Energy Balls
- almonds and cashews – raw and no salt added
- 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.
- unsweetened shredded coconut flakes – be sure to get unsweetened shredded coconut, not the sweetened stuff.
- chocolate chips – I like using dark chocolate chips from Enjoy Life or Lily’s. Both of these options are dairy-free and vegan.
How to Make Coconut Chocolate Chip Energy Balls
Start by processing the coconut, almonds and cashews in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Pulse until everything is chopped into small pieces. Place the nut mixture in a bowl and set aside.
Add your dates to the empty processor and pulse until a paste forms. The dates will probably mix into a sticky ball – if this happens, carefully break up the ball a little with your hands.
Add the nuts and coconut back to the processor with the dates and pulse until well combined. Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times until they’re incorporated into the dough.
Use your hands to roll about 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 Ball Recipes
- No Bake Energy Balls
- No Bake Protein Balls
- Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls
- Lemon Energy Balls
- Apple Pie Energy Balls
- Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls
- Cherry Energy Balls
If you make these coconut chocolate chip energy balls please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers who are thinking about making the recipe.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups medjool dates, pitted
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Process nuts: Place coconut, almonds and cashews into food processor fitted with the S-blade and pulse until everything is chopped into small pieces. Place nut mixture in a bowl and set aside.
- Process dates: Put dates into the food processor and pulse until a paste forms. The dates will probably form into a sticky ball. If they do, break about the ball a bit with your hands.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add nuts and coconut back into the processor with the dates and pulse until well combined. Add chocolate chips and pulse a few more times, until they’re just incorporated.
- Form balls: Once mixture is combined, use your hands (or a cookie scoop) to scoop and form the dough into balls, using about 1 Tablespoon of dough for each ball. Enjoy right away or store for later.
- To store: Store any leftovers in the fridge with parchment paper between them for 1-2 weeks or in 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
these are AMAZING! i followed the amount but used walnut instead of the other nuts listed in recipe(due to allergies at home) and they were gooooood! thank you!!
Delicious! I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and they came out great for you, Tas. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I appreciate it!
Hi! This recipe looks delicious! Do you think that I could substitute in raw peanuts instead of almonds? Thank you!
Hi Cassie – That should work, I have also had followers sub walnuts instead of almonds. Let me know if you give these a try and enjoy!
This recipe is easy to make. I substituted chocolate chips with 1tbs raw cacao powder and walnuts for almonds, added a pinch of salt and 15mls of water and they were delicious. Thanks for a great base recipe.
So glad you enjoyed these energy balls. Thanks for the review, Tamara!
Made these a few days ago and they have been a hit with myself and my 2yr old. Such a good snack for the afternoon sweet tooth. I can’t wait to make more!
Woo!! Glad you are enjoying this energy balls, Andrea! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
I just made these and they’re delicious. I made the brownie ones last week. They don’t last long at my house. Thanks for the easy recipes.
So glad you’ve been enjoying these energy balls, Mary! Thanks for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me!
Made two kinds of these for a new mama for quick energy boost! So easy to make and delicious!
Thanks
Tried a few ball recipes and this one is fantastic. Mixture is a good consistency. And delicious. A keeper.
Ahh yay!! So glad you loved this recipe, Tessa. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
These taste just like an almond joy. So delish! I used mini chocolate chips and they were perfect. Can’t wait to try more of your energy ball recipes.
Yum! I saw this pop up today, and then saw that you said it was the same as the Larabar recipe. So I made them into bars… However, maybe I didn’t press them down hard enough, but they were so crumbly when I cut them! So I just scratched that and squished them into balls haha. This worked so much better!
Oh no! Sorry to hear that they didn’t work as bars, but glad they turned out when you rolled them into balls! Did you let the bars sit in the fridge before trying to cut them?
Yes, I did follow the directions and had them sit in the fridge first. So not sure what the problem was. But again, the balls were great!
Mmm the only thing I could think of is maybe the dates were dry, but I’m glad they turned out for you when you rolled them into balls!!