No Bake Energy Balls

Name: No Bake Energy Balls
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats; ½ cup natural peanut butter; ¼ cup honey; ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut; ¼ cup chocolate chips; 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; pinch of sea salt

By Brittany Mullins

4.4

178

Published Aug 30, 2020, Updated Jun 12, 2023

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These peanut butter no bake energy balls require only one bowl, eight ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep time. You’ll love having them as a portable snack option!

I’ve been a fan of energy balls for years and they still top the list of meal prep recipes for me. I usually make some sort of energy ball every week and these peanut butter no bake balls are a household favorite.

White bowl full of peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls.

The flavor of the balls is awesome, especially if you’re a peanut butter lover like me. The texture is great too! It’s like homemade granola formed into a ball. The balls hold together well so you can easily toss a few in your bag for school/work or as a travel snack during road trips.

Mama and Kid-Friendly

I will say that as a nursing mama, I LOVE having these energy balls on hand for snacking. These don’t have brewer’s yeast like my lactation balls, but they still have oats and flaxseed… two foods that are great for boosting milk supply.

And for mamas with older kiddos, these balls are super kid-friendly! They will goggle them right up, trust me! Plus, they can totally help you with the process of making these too.

No Processor or Protein Powder Needed

The best part about this recipe? All you need is one bowl and there’s no need for a food processor. And these balls have a decent amount of protein (3 grams) without having to add protein powder. I know a lot of people ask about making my protein balls without protein powder, especially if they’re making them for kiddos, and this is the recipe I direct them to!

Ingredients Needed

The cool part about this recipe is that it only requires 8 simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have sitting in your pantry.

old fashioned rolled oats – my fave brand is Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats.
natural peanut butter – I love the flavor that peanut butter adds to these balls but feel free to use your favorite nut butter.
honey – honey is the glue that binds these no bake energy balls together.
unsweetened shredded coconut – be sure to get unsweetened shredded coconut, not the sweetened coconut.
chocolate chips – I like using dark chocolate chips from Enjoy Life or Lily’s. Both of these options are dairy-free.
ground flaxseed – I add flax in to boost the nutrition, but this is an optional ingredient. Add it if you have it in your pantry and skip it if you don’t!
vanilla – this adds a hint of vanilla flavor.
sea salt – a little sea salt enhances the flavors in these energy balls.

Square food storage container packed with peanut butter energy balls.

No Food Processor Needed!

Most energy balls need a food processor to mix up… not these! The idea for these energy balls came to me because I wanted to share a simple recipe that you could make if you don’t have a food processor. It just requires one bowl and about 10 minutes of prep time.

To make these energy balls simply place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Place the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill. Once the dough has chilled, bring the dough out of the fridge and roll into balls. It’s that easy!

Added bonus, this recipe is super kid-friendly. Kids can help by mixing all the ingredients together in a big bowl and assist with the rolling as well. They’ll love snacking on the balls once they’re made too!

Substitutions and Notes

This recipe is really forgiving and works well with a lot of different substitutions. Here are some common subs I get asked about often:

I haven’t tried it, but I’m pretty sure quick oats would work as a sub for rolled oats.
Peanut butter can be swapped for another nut butter like almond or cashew butter. Sunflower seed butter also works. Just be sure your nut butter is fresh (kind of drippy) and not super thick/dry. Thick or dry nut butters will make the energy balls dry and they won’t hold together very well.
Honey can be swapped for maple syrup, coconut nectar or agave nectar to make these vegan.
You can sub 2-3 Tablespoons more rolled oats for the shredded coconut.
You can sub chia seeds for the flaxseed or omit the flaxseed all together.
Chocolate chips can be left out or subbed for another add-in like raisins, dried cranberries or blueberries.

How to Store Energy Balls

You can store your energy balls in an airtight container. I like using glass storage containers or Stasher bags for storing energy balls. Store them in refrigerator or freezer. They’ll last up to 1-2 weeks in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. That said, they never last more than a week at our house!

Hand holding two peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls.

More Energy Ball Recipes

And be sure to check out all of the healthy snack recipes here on EBF.

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4.40 from 190 votes