Lactation Bites
49
Published Nov 11, 2019, Updated Jun 12, 2023
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
These healthy no bake lactation bites are energy-boosting and include ingredients known to help with milk supply including brewer’s yeast and oats.
If you’re looking for easy-to-make snacks that help with your milk supply? Look no further!! These no bake lactation bites are quick to make (they only take 10 minutes) and they taste delish.
Even before my daughter was born I started prepping for my breastfeeding journey. I ordered my breast pump and read articles/books to get all the tips and tricks I could before the she arrived. I also researched which foods are best to keep your milk supply up and help with milk production. I shared these in my lactation cookies post as well, but here’s an overview:
Foods Known to Increase Milk Supply
- Oats – One of the reasons for decreased milk supply is low iron levels. Oats are high in iron so some studies have shown that oats help with milk production. Adding a small amount of oats to a smoothie is great but I love having some sort of oat-based breakfast almost daily. I’m a big fan of overnight oats (these chocolate chip overnight oats are my go-to right now) and baked oatmeal (I love my strawberry banana baked oatmeal). I gravitate towards these options because I can prep them in advance.
- Barley – Whole barely is the richest dietary source of beta-glucan, a polysaccharide that has been shown to increase prolactin (aka the breastfeeding hormone). This barley salad is so delicious!
- Brewer’s yeast – It is packed with vitamin B, iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium. It has a lot of benefits, but you should check with your doctor before adding brewer’s yeast to your diet. It can interact with a variety of medications and can cause some unwanted side effects. You can learn more about brewer’s yeast in my lactation bites post.
- Flaxseed – Flaxseed is high in omega-3 fatty acids (which are great for baby) and it also contains phytoestrogens that can influence breast milk production.
- Fennel – Like flaxseed, fennel and its seeds contain phytoestrogens, which are known to help with milk production. If you’re looking for ways to include whole fennel in your diet, I love these recipes: crackling cauliflower, fennel salad and orange tofu with fennel.
- Fenugreek seeds – Both fenugreek seeds and fennel can be found in Mother’s Milk tea.
What is Brewer’s Yeast?
Of all the ingredients known to help with a woman’s milk supply, the most interesting to me is brewer’s yeast. I had to do a little research to figure out exactly what it is, but brewer’s yeast is a fungus and gets its name because it is used in the production of beer and bread.
It is packed with vitamins and minerals – most notably, vitamin B, iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium. It’s also a good source of protein. One 1/4 cup serving offers 8 grams of protein. Because of this, brewer’s yeast has been touted as a plant-based superfood.
While it has a lot of really great benefits, it’s important to note that you should talk to your doctor before adding brewer’s yeast to your diet as it can interact with a variety of medications.
Ingredients Needed for Lactation Bites
Breastfeeding (and/or pumping) makes moms ravenous so having healthy snacks on hand is key! Luckily these bites are really easy to make and require minimal ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- rolled oats – oats are the perfect base of these bites because they’re rich in nutrients and are known to help with breast milk supply.
- Medjool dates – I ate so many dates in my third trimester to prep for labor you’d think I’d be over them by now, but I still love them and they are perfect for adding sweetness to these bites and helping them stick together.
- brewer’s yeast – brewer’s yeast is a key ingredient for making these lactation bites. I don’t recommend skipping it!
- natural peanut butter – peanut butter adds an amazing flavor to these bites, but you are welcome to use another nut butter if desired. They would be great with cashew butter or almond butter.
- almond milk – you can use whatever milk you have in your fridge. We only need a small amount to help the bites stick together.
- honey – the honey adds sweetness and helps as a binder. You can use maple syrup if you need these bites to be vegan.
- dark chocolate chips – I’m a huge fan of adding chocolate chips to my lactation bites. They make them taste amazing!
How to Make Quick and Easy Lactation Bites
The first step to making these lactation energy bites is to add the dates to a food processor and pulse until a thick paste is formed.
Then you’ll add in the rolled oats and pulse a few more times until just combined.
Place the date and oat mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the brewer’s yeast and peanut butter.
Add the almond milk and honey and stir well to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add another splash of almond milk. Stir in the chocolate chips and form the energy bites using your hands.
How to Store Lactation Bites
One batch of this recipe makes about 21 bites, which is plenty for 1 week if you’re enjoying 1-2 a day! I recommend storing the bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Healthy Recipes for New Moms
- Lactation Cookies
- Lactation Smoothie
- Easy Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Banana Bread Oatmeal
- Lactation Baked Oatmeal
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Overnight Oats
- Lactation Brownies
More Energy Bites
- Protein Balls
- Date Energy Balls
- Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls
- Apple Pie Energy Balls
- Brownie Energy Balls
Be sure to check out my full list of breasting snacks for new mamas and all my healthy snack recipes!
No Bake Lactation Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 8-10 pitted Medjool dates
- ⅓ cup brewer’s yeast
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup honey
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add dates to a food processor and pulse until they form a thick paste. Add in rolled oats and pulse a few more times until just combined.
- Place date and oat mixture into a bowl. Stir in brewer’s yeast and peanut butter. Then add almond milk and honey and stir well to combine. If the mixture seems dry, add an extra splash of almond milk. Stir in chocolate chips and form mixture into bite-size balls using your hands. Balls should be about one tablespoon in size.
- Store in a covered airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Adapted from my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Balls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can’t wait to try! We just had our second baby a few weeks ago and she had to stay in the NICU for a week and I’ve had to exclusively pump. Seeing even small drops is such a victory!!
Congrats mama!! Definitely let me know what you think if you try these. 🙂
Currently nursing an allergic baby. He can’t do PB. You think tahini would taste good with this?
I think tahini or any other nut butter would work well! 🙂
Thanks! And congrats! <3
Just had my baby last Wednesday and knew I wanted to try these. Super easy to make and really tasty! Love them. How many do you eat a day?
Congrats Eliza!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I’m so glad you’re enjoying these bites. It just depends on the day, but I’ve been snacking on 1-2 per day normally. And thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me!! <3
And congrats on your beautiful baby girl!!
Thanks babe! <3
I made these a few weeks before I delivered because I knew I wanted to breastfeed and was worried I’d have supply issues. I stuck them in the deep freeze until I came home from the hospital, and had 1-2 almost every day for the first 2 weeks.
They were SO good! And so easy to just pop as a snack when I had zero time to eat a real meal. I was worried about the taste of the brewer’s yeast when I first made them, but by the time I started eating them it has mellowed out.
I’ve had zero supply issues, and I attribute that partially to these bites. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ll be trying the lactation cookies next 😊
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Alexis! I’m so glad you’ve been loving these lactation bites and haven’t had any issues with your supply. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
These are so tasty, easy to make, and they freeze well (made a batch about a month before my due date and have been defrosting them a few at a time). I can’t say for sure that they’ve helped keep my supply up because my girl is a good eater, but they certainly couldn’t hurt! They also have a ton of fiber and keep things moving smoothly, which is so clutch in these early postpartum days.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Skye!! So glad you’re enjoying these cookies and congrats on your baby girl!! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
O.M.G! I ate ONE of these bites and by the next morning I pumped double of what I normally do. These lactation bites are really tasty and a quick little snack for when you’re on the go. Thanks Brittany!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Janice. I’m so glad you’re enjoying these lactation bites. Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
This recipe seems amazing! Can’t wait to whip these up; Can I use Unsweetened oat milk instead of almond milk?
Hi Katie! Totally, any milk will work! Let me know how they turn out if you try them.
These are amazingly delicious! You can’t even taste the brewer’s yeast- just tastes like PB chocolate deliciousness. I really do think they have boosted my milk supply, and are perfect BF energy first thing in the morning!
Ahh yay! That makes me so happy to hear, Olivia. So glad you’re loving these lactation bites. 🙂 Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it!
Absolutely love these energy bites! They are soooo delicious and filled with so many goods to help with my supply. Been making them on repeat while nursing, along with the lactation cookies, which are also amazing!
So glad you’ve been loving these lactation bites, Maria! Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I omitted the chocolate chips and rolled them in flaxseed meal for added nutrition and lactation benefits! Delicious!
Made these without the honey, milk, and chocolate chips because they were delicious peanut butter balls as is.
making these on repeat!
it’s like a better version of the larabar
Ohh good to know these still turned out for you, Esther! Thanks for sharing and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate. 🙂
These are SO GOOD! I gotta stop myself from eating too many of them. Perfect, quick way to increase milk supply!
Yay! So glad you’re loving these bites, Alaina. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it. 🙂
PRO – big increase in milk supply, tasted ok.
CON – made me gassy, not terribly though.
Made little guy inconsolable for two days. You could hear the gas rolling around in his belly across a room. At one point during his hysterics, I had his shirt off and could see the ball of gas rolling around in his belly.
He is doing better now (day 3). Brewers yeast is not something that was in my diet previously, and there is a lot in this recipe compared to some others. I suggest dipping a toe first.
Bummer to hear that this recipe caused gassiness with your babe. Did you change anything about the recipe? Did you use chocolate chips with dairy in them?
If I wanted to make these less sweet, could I omit the dates? Or do the dates help them stick together?
Thanks!
Hey Jennifer, Yes – the dates help the balls hold together, so I’m not sure how they’d turn out without them. I also do have these lactation cookies and you could try using less sugar if you want.
I can’t wait to try this recipe but I have a few questions. I’m trying to make this recipe with what I have at home since it’s hard to get out to the supermarket right now due to the pandemic. Unfortunately I’m missing the brewers yeast and dates. Is there anything I can replace these with? Also I see there’s chocolate chips in the recipe but I’ve read that chocolate should be avoided in breastfeeding due to it possibly being a stimulant for the baby just as caffeine would be, do you know if this is the case? Thanks
Hey Danielle – The brewers yeast is one of the main ingredients in this recipe to help with milk supply. You can always order it online if you need, but I’m sure it would be just fine if you wanted to swap the brewers yeast for more flaxseed. I ate chocolate while breastfeeding, but you can leave the chocolate chips out if you prefer!
How many do you recommend eating a day? Great and easy recipe.
I usually do 1-2 a day!
My oldest has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy. Can I use oat milk and sunflower butter in place of the almond milk and peanut butter? I am due with baby #3 in 3 weeks and trying to get lactation stuff prepped before she gets here. TIA
Yes, that will work as a substitution 🙂
Made these as a quick snack to have handy and increase milk supply. I didn’t have chocolate chips on hand, so added some cocoa powder and they are delicious and perfect for a grab and go!
Loved these while BF! They were my go to snack that I would prep every week! Great if you’re a full time working mom and need to keep your supply up!
So glad these lactation bites were a hit for you, Allie! Thanks so much for the review :).
So tasty! Thanks for the great recipe. I used ground flax in place of the brewer’s yeast (brewer’s yeast hasn’t arrived yet, and I was impatient to try these!). I needed a smidge more almond milk due to the flax, but they are delightful, and I don’t feel guilty feeding them to my kids as snacks, either. 🙂
Yay!! So happy to hear these lactation bites have been a hit, Yvonne. Thanks so much for the review and star rating. It means so much to me!
Thanks for this recipe. Do you need to cook the rolled oats before adding to the thick date paste?
Hi Tina – No need to cook the rolled oats before making these bites!
curious if you have something that doesn’t have nuts in it. I’m making your lactation cookies today, but I want a variety to switch between. I’m deathly allergic to Peanuts and tree nuts (coconut is safe)
Hi Carrie – I bet you could use SunButter in this recipe, I haven’t tested it, but I am sure it would turn out just as delicious. You could also use regular milk. If you give these a try, let me know how they turn out for you. Enjoy!
Unedible. Followed recipe exactly. Very very bitter….never used brewers yeast…maybe recipe measurements are off.
Hi Brenda – The measurements definitely aren’t wrong. Brewers yeast is specifically for breastfeed women and many are sensitive to the taste, you could try to decrease the amount of brewers yeast or omit it, I can bet that was what threw the flavor off for you. Hope you give these another try.
This recipe was too sweet for me (dates are already a sweet base and the honey pushed it over the edge), but I like the consistency and ingredients. I’ll experiment with leaving the honey out next time. Good base recipe to play with!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Mary Beth. Glad you enjoyed these and I can’t wait to hear how they turn out without the honey.