Energy Date Balls
These energy date balls are naturally sweetened thanks to dates and made flavorful with nuts and coconut. You’ll love the nutrition (like fiber, omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals), but these old-fashioned date balls don’t skimp on the flavor. Better yet? These treats are made with 6 ingredients and take only minutes to make.
If you love date-sweetened treats, try these Vegan Chocolate Truffles.
This old fashioned date balls recipe creates treats that taste so good you’ll want to make a double batch. Why? Because they’re a perfect snack for when you need lots of energy. This treat is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and paleo.
These coconut date balls are sweet, but they’re free of processed sugar, and they scratch that itch for sweet snacks during the day. Like any sweets, it’s hard to eat only one, so make plenty.
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Medjool dates
- Raw almonds
- Walnuts
- Ground flaxseed
- Coconut flakes
- Sesame seeds
Note: I buy most of these products at Costco because it’s more economical.
Which Dates are Best?
Medjool dates are soft and chewy with a rich, caramel-like flavor. Compared to regular dates that are firmer, Medjool dates are perfect for using raw in these energy date balls. Native to Morocco, Medjool dates may appear like a dried fruit like raisins, but they are a fruit. Removing the pit is crucial as it is hard and can cause damage to your food processor blades. You can find Medjool dates at many stores like Sprouts, health food stores, and even Costco.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Adding both almonds and walnuts gives a nutty flavor and firmer texture
- Coconut flakes add delicious flavor
- Rolling the balls in sesame seeds adds texture and makes these little treats so delightful
Marly’s Tips
If your dates are cold or firm, it helps to heat them up in the microwave to soften them up. Remove the pits first and then chop them into little pieces and put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Then heat in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds and put a plate over the bowl. This will make the dates tender.
Transform these into peanut butter date balls by substituting 1/4 cup peanut butter for the walnuts.
You might want to check out my Peanut Butter Energy Balls too. Lots of great flavors!
Paleo Energy Bites with Dates
So, these healthy no-bake date balls are energy balls made with Medjool dates instead of a syrup sweetener like my other energy bite recipes. Take, for example, my Red Velvet Energy Bites where I used agave as the sweetener.
The good news is that Medjool dates are OK on a raw diet, a Whole30 diet, and a Paleo diet.
Once processed in the food processor, dates become sticky just like syrup. That means dates create a great binder to hold these paleo power balls together. In addition, they add a nice caramel flavor.
What are the benefits of eating dates?
Dates are a great way of reducing refined sugars in your diet. Besides, dates are rich in plant-based nutrients like fiber, iron, potassium, and protein.
Each date ball has around 112 calories, making them a nutrient-dense treat. We love date energy balls made with almonds and walnuts! I recently made a Sugar Cookie Energy Bites recipe that made its way into Costco Magazine. How fun!
More Energy Balls
That’s it for these energy date balls. Enjoy!
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Energy Date Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups medjool dates chopped
- ½ cup raw almonds
- ½ cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- ½ cup coconut flakes , unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds for rolling optional
Instructions
- Add dates, almonds, walnuts, ground flaxseed, and coconut flakes in a food processor. Pulse for several seconds, then remove the lid and use a spatula to push ingredients down the side of the bowl. Continue this process until a fairly consistent texture is achieved.
- Roll the batter into balls and roll balls with sesame seeds.
- Keep date balls stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recommended Equipment
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy!
I made these almost exactly to the recipe’s instructions. The only thing I did differently was to add a touch of orange blossom water and I used coconut for rolling. They are delicious. Easy too…!
Yours looked so lovely too and I loved using the name bon bons. Very cute!