Cranberry Oatmeal Energy Balls (nut-free)

Cranberry oatmeal energy balls, with dates and hemp seed, are chewy bites of deliciousness. They will satisfy your snack cravings plus you’ll enjoy a nutritious energy boost.

At a glance

What stands out: Energy bites are straightforward to mix and reliable for lunchboxes.

How long it takes: 20 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: food processor
Servings: makes 36 balls

Cranberry oatmeal energy bites are perfection rolled into bite-sized balls. Packed with all kinds of good-for-you ingredients, these energy balls are sweet without added sugar. They contain fiber, minerals, and vitamins, and taste like dessert. Nut-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, most everyone can safely enjoy these.

Having a snack attack? You won’t experience a sugar crash after indulging in a couple of these lighter energy balls. The complex carbohydrates will leave you feeling energized and satisfied. At less than 60 calories each, you won’t have to worry about your waistline either.

True story: we couldn’t write about these without wanting to have one. We just set aside our keyboard, went upstairs and ate a couple energy bites for a mid-morning snack with a cup of tea. Honestly we like these way better than a cookie.

They’re reliable for kids and school lunch boxes, too. Because they’re made without peanut butter, they’re safe to bring to schools with peanut restrictions. They keep well in the fridge (or freezer!) and are a fun finger food. So much better than high sugar granola bars!

P.S. Be sure to try monster cookie energy balls. Kids love them! Another popular gluten-free option is black bean brownies. You’d never guess that they are made with lighter black beans and no flour.

About this recipe

You would think something this good would be difficult to make. Nope, not true! Oatmeal energy balls are straightforward, and your kids will enjoy helping you roll the balls.

You’ll need a food processor with the S-blade. Other than measuring utensils, that’s the only dish that will have to be washed. You won’t have to turn the oven on or even the stove. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

What You’ll Need

• Oatmeal: Choose rolled oats or speedy oats. Since they are going in the food processor, either one is fine. Steel cut oats or instant oats will NOT work.
• Dates: Look for dried dates in the produce section of your grocery store. Some dates are pitted; some are not. Make sure you remove any pits before adding the dates to this recipe. Medjool dates are sweeter and usually come with a pit.
• Honey: The dates provide most of the sweetener needed but a couple tablespoons of honey do a good job of sticking everything together. Other sweeteners can be substituted, such as agave or corn syrup.
• Sunflower Seed Butter: Sometimes called “sun butter”, sunflower seed butter is an alternative to peanut butter. If you prefer, you can substitute peanut butter.
• Dried Cranberries: Look for unsweetened dried cranberries, if you can find them. A popular brand (Craisins) have a lot of added sugar.
• Vanilla Extract: A bit of vanilla makes these balls seem even more like a sweet treat.
• Flax Or Hemp Seeds: Most seeds are packed with nutrition and these are no exception. For even more benefit (and for visual appeal), roll the energy balls in seeds.

How it comes together

Let’s get started! Set up your food processor with the standard blade. Add oats, dates (make sure they’re pitted!), sunflower seed butter, honey, a dash of salt and pure vanilla extract. Process until well-combined. Add dried cranberries and hemp seeds (flax seeds are fine, too), and pulse briefly. The mixture should be in clumps.

Straightforward so far, right? That only takes about 5 minutes. Next up, making the balls. Here’s where your kids could help.

Scoop out a tablespoon of the mixture and, using your fingers, form a ball. Press it firmly together. It doesn’t have to be evenly round. Roll each ball in additional seeds if you like. Keep going until the mixture is gone. You should get around three dozen balls.

There, that’s it! No cooking, no baking. Straightforward as pie! Where did that phrase come from anyways? Making pie is anything but straightforward! Energy balls are way, way easier to make than pie and taste so good.

Before you start

Make It Your Own

There are lots of substitutions you could possibly make. Here’s a few suggestions:

• Instead of dried cranberries, try a different dried fruit like raisins, currants, dried cherries, chopped dried apricots, or dried apple. Or replace the dried fruit with mini chocolate chips or coconut.
• To make these energy bites vegan, replace the honey with a different sweetener, such as agave or corn syrup.
• Replace the sunflower seed butter with peanut butter or another nut butter of your choice.
• Add ¼ cup of protein powder to the mixture. Reduce oats by ¼ cup.
• Check out more energy ball recipes below!

Keeping leftovers

Store cranberry oatmeal energy bites in a resealable container in the fridge for up to two weeks. Make a double batch and freeze some to enjoy later.

• Yield: 18 servings
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¾ cup dried dates, pits removed
• ½ cup sunflower seed butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• ¾ cup dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons flax seeds, or hemp seeds, plus more for rolling

Method

1. Add oats, dates, sunflower seed butter, honey, vanilla, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture is well combined.
2. Add cranberries and flax or hemp seeds and pulse briefly until combined.
3. Scoop out approximately one tablespoon of the mixture and, using your fingers, form into a ball. Repeat until all the balls are made (makes 36). If desired, roll balls in additional flax or hemp seeds.
4. Refrigerate in a tightly covered container for up to 2 weeks. Energy balls can also be frozen.

Notes

Instead of dried cranberries, try a different dried fruit like raisins, currants, dried cherries, chopped dried apricots, or dried apple. Or replace the dried fruit with mini chocolate chips.

To make these energy bites vegan, replace the honey with a different sweetener, such as agave or corn syrup.

Replace the sunflower seed butter with peanut butter or another nut butter of your choice.

Add ¼ cup of protein powder to the mixture. Reduce oats by ¼ cup.