Lemon Energy Balls
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Published May 31, 2016, Updated Mar 10, 2023
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Snack healthy with these lemon energy balls! Made with almonds, dates, lemon and coconut, these little bites are tasty, portable and take only 10 minutes to make!
I have to be honest with you… I’ve never really been a huge fan of lemon-flavored baked goods or treats. I’m more of a chocolate and peanut butter lady, but lemony flavored desserts are growing on me. Hello, lemon poppyseed muffins.
When you combine lemon with sweet ingredients (like dates!) the tangy lemon flavor adds a pop of brightness without being too sour. The end result is quite refreshing!
So basically, whether you’re a lemon-lover or just on the fence, I think you’ll adore these balls! They take about 10 minutes to whip up and are perfect for snacking on throughout the week. I love having a couple before or after a workout or as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
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 are the perfect on-the-go snack. My peanut butter no bake energy balls are oat-based and so yummy.
Ingredients in Lemon Energy Balls
These lemon energy balls are date-based and have a flavor similar to lemon Larabars. Here’s what you need to make them:
- almonds – raw or roasted, but look for almonds 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 – be sure to get unsweetened shredded coconut, not the sweetened stuff.
- fresh lemon juice
- lemon zest
- vanilla extract
- sea salt
How to Make Lemon Energy Balls
It doesn’t get much simpler than this recipe! Add the almonds, dates, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and sea salt into a food processor. Pulse until the almonds are chopped and a soft dough-like consistency forms. You may need to stop and scrape the sides of the processor a few times.
Put the shredded coconut into a small bowl. Use your hands to roll the nut mixture dough into balls and then roll each ball in the coconut until evenly coated.
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 Peanut Butter Energy Balls
- No Bake Protein Balls – 4 Ways
- Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls
- Cranberry Energy Balls
- Apple Pie Energy Balls
- Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls
- Cherry Energy Balls
Lemon Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds, raw or roasted (no salt added)
- 1 cup 10-12 pitted Medjool dates*
- juice from 1 lemon, about 2-3 tablespoons
- zest from 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Process: Add almonds, dates, lemon juice, zest, vanilla and sea salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-shaped blade. Pulse until almonds are chopped and a soft “dough” forms, you may need to scrape the sides of the processor a couple times between pulses.
- Form balls: Once mixture is combined, use your hands to form the dough into balls, using about 1 Tablespoon of dough for each ball.
- Roll in coconut: Put shredded coconut into a small bowl and roll each ball into the coconut until evenly coated. Enjoy right away or store for later.
- To store: 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.
Can you substitute almond flour for almonds?
Hi Saroj. I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure how they’d turn out. It might change the consistency of the balls. If you experiement and try it let me know how they turn out!
Very delicious! I used raw cashews in place of almonds, because that’s what I had available. I also added a scoop of unflavored protein powder. This recipe is satisfying and tasty.
Perfect! This sounds delicious, I am so glad this recipe turned out great for you and you are enjoying it. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Insanely delicious! I am addicted now 😉 I used pecans because I didn’t have any almonds. Also I used 3 tbsp lemon juice. It worked really well processing the nuts first then processing the dates other ingredients separately and bringing it all back together to make the dough
Hi Monique – I am so glad you’re loving these energy balls and they turned out great for you. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me!