These cranberry energy balls are the perfect easy snack. Made with just 7 simple ingredients including almonds, cashews, dates and dried cranberries.
It’s been a minute since I shared a recipe for energy bites! Energy balls are one of my favorite healthy snacks. They’re similar to granola bars but a little more fun to eat in my opinion. I like to keep them in the fridge or freezer and grab a couple any time I need an afternoon snack or a healthy breakfast.
So what’s the deal with energy balls? Why are they such popular snacks? For one, they are typically gluten free and dairy free. They are protein packed and loaded with healthy fats thanks to the nuts so they actually satisfy your hunger and keep you full for longer than a half hour.
I kept this recipe fairly straight forward, using my blueberry muffin energy balls for inspiration. That said, if you feel like adding in some additional flavors and/or ingredients, have at it! I think these would be delicious with shredded coconut, chia seeds and chocolate chips! You can never go wrong with berry + chocolate.
You need one kitchen appliance to make these energy bites: a food processor. If you don’t have one yet, get one. I use mine all the time.
Place your almonds and cashews into a food processor and pulse until they are chopped into small pieces. Add in the pitted dates, dried cranberries, vanilla, lemon juice and sea salt. Pulse until everything is combined and the dough is sticking together. Use your hands to form the mixture into small balls and enjoy.
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.
Fresh medjool dates are usually soft and give easily when squished. If your dates are older or just seem dry and hard, you may want to soak them before using. Simply place a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften and rehydrate them. Drain well and pat dry before using.
It’s quite normal for your energy ball dough to seem crumbly at first, but it should start to get sticky enough to form into balls. Even if it looks a little crumbly, you can try squeezing it to see if it will hold.
If it seems way too crumbly, your dates might have been too dry. If you don’t feel like your dates were dry/hard, you can always add a couple more dates to the mixture and see if that helps bind everything together.
If your dates did seem a dry/hard, you can try adding a little water to the dough until the mixture is sticky enough to form into balls. Start with 1 teaspoon and pulse mixture to see if the dough will start holding together. Be careful with this as too much water will make the dough too wet.
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Just made it! It’s delicious! I made one portion with lemon juice and second one with orange juice. Both flavors are great. Thank you for sharing.
Oh yay! So happy to hear these cranberry energy balls were a success, Lu! Thanks for the review :).
I loved this receipe but I found the rolling of dough difficult. I didn’t use either fruit juice in the recipe. I used water to stick them together near the end with a tea spoon.
You shouldn’t need to roll the dough out! Are you using a food processor to combine all the ingredients?
I’ve been making date balls for a while now, but always just plain date and nut combo because my family enjoys it! This is the first deep ball recipe I did that had a new flavor, and it is absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try the other flavor recipes from EBF!
Woo!! So glad you loved this recipe, Emma. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
These were so yummy! I had a bunch of random nuts and seeds hanging around so instead of almonds I used a combo of pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and pecans – yum! I kept the cashews and everything else the same. These proportions are perfect no matter what nuts/seeds you use.
So glad these turned out for you, Mimi! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
great and easy! Proportions were perfect, not too dry or sticky. Love the sea salt addition. Thank you!
Yay!! So glad these energy balls turned out for you. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂