Key Lime Energy Balls

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These key lime energy balls are made with almonds, cashews, coconut, lime juice and dates. They’re a breeze to whip up and a great snack to meal prep for the week.

I don’t know about you, but energy balls are one of my favorite snacks to meal prep for the week. They’re easy to make, the prep doesn’t take very long and they taste good… which means I actually look forward to having them as a snack! Added bonus: they’re made with whole, real foods so I can feel good about having them for snack.

These little zesty energy balls are a remake of my homemade key lime Larabars, but in ball form. They’re packed with limey coconut flavor and kind of remind me of key lime pie or my lime tart recipe. Except they’re exponentially easier to make! They’re sweet, zesty and surprisingly refreshing for an energy ball.

Key lime energy balls in a bowl garnished with lime zest. On the table is almonds, cashews, lime slices and a striped dish cloth.

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 â€“ 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). 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 for Key Lime Pie Larabars on a white, wooden board.

Ingredients in Key Lime Energy Balls

These key lime energy balls are the same base recipe as my homemade key lime pie Larabars, but you just roll the mixture into balls instead of pressing it into bars. Here’s what you need to make them:

  • almonds â€“ raw or roasted, but look for almonds without salt added.
  • cashews – raw or roasted, but look for cashews without 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 â€“ be sure to get unsweetened shredded coconut, not the sweetened stuff.
  • coconut oil
  • fresh lime juice
  • lime zest
  • sea salt
Ingredients for key lime pie Larabars in a food processor.

How to Make Lime Energy Balls

Start by adding the almonds, cashews and coconut into your food processor fitted with the S-blade and pulse until everything is chopped into small pieces. Place the nut mixture in a bowl and set aside.

Add your dates into the empty processor and pulse until a paste forms. The dates will probably mix into a sticky ball. If they do, break a part the ball a bit with your hands.

Add the nuts and coconut mixture back into the processor with the dates and pulse until well combined. Add the coconut oil, lime juice, lime zest and salt and pulse a few more times until just incorporated.

Once the 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!

Key lime energy balls in a bowl garnished with lime zest.

How to Store These 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 You Might Like

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4.80 from 20 votes

Key Lime Energy Balls

These key lime energy balls are made with almonds, cashews, coconut, lime juice and dates. They’re a breeze to whip up and a great snack to meal prep for the week.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 15

Ingredients  

  • 1/3 cup almonds
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 cup about 10 medjool dates, pitted
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • zest from one lime
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice
  • pinch of sea salt

Instructions 

  • Process nuts: Place almonds, cashews and coconut 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 nuts and coconut back into the processor with the dates and pulse until well combined.
  • Add coconut oil, lime juice, lime zest and salt. Pulse a few more times, until they’re just incorporated.
  • Form balls: 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.
  • 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ball | Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 11mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Key Lime Energy Balls
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

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Recipe Rating




32 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Just made a batch of these and they’re awesome!!! While I had a hard time scraping the sides of my mixer as I don’t have a food processor, it was totally worth it. Reallydoes taste like key lime pie in small bites.

    1. So pumped these key lime energy balls were a hit, Jadziah! Thanks for the review. It means so much to me!

  2. 5 stars
    These energy balls are so light and refreshing! I love the taste of the lime flavor. Super soft and chewy. Highly recommend!!

  3. 5 stars
    So good! I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve only had dates once before but these were so delish! Will definitely make again.

    1. Ah yay!! So excited to hear these key lime energy balls were a success, Meg! Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!

  4. Wondering if I could sub GF oats for the nuts in this recipe due to an anaphylactic allergy to ALL nuts (& most seeds) in our house… do you think that would work?

    1. Aw perfect! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Jill. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!

  5. 4 stars
    I made these to take somewhere and I trippled the recipe so I could have some at home too. I’m so glad I did; they are ridiculous good! One interesting thing though, since I jumped straight to the trippled recipe I didn’t notice that the cup amount changed for the dates but the number of dates didn’t change so I ended up using 10 dates in the trippled recipe and I think it worked out perfectly. Even though it was a “mistake” I’m going to keep it that way. Thanks for the delicious snack!

    1. WOO! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Allison, they are seriously the most perfect snack! Thank you for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!

  6. 5 stars
    Just made these. I love a Lara bar and these tasted like a better version. I didn’t have coconut oil, so I just omitted it. Didn’t even need it

    1. YUM! I am so glad you found this recipe and it turned out amazing for you, David. Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!

  7. 5 stars
    These are amazing! I halved the coconut & replaced with pea protein powder to make them protein balls and they were delicious!

    1. YUM! Love these so much, Carmen. I am so glad you gave them a try and they turned out amazing for you. Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!

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