Coconut Peanut Butter Energy Balls [GF + Vegan]

Quick + easy energy balls sweetened with dates and loaded with peanut butter and coconut! The perfect grab-and-go snack made entirely in a food processor!

Today we’re making a super simple snack out of:

• Peanut Butter
• Coconut
• Oats
• Dates
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• + Sea Salt

I don’t know about you, but I pretty much have all of those ingredients in my pantry at all times, making this a snack that can truly be made any time a craving strikes; it’s particularly appreciated when we’re low on groceries and need a healthy homemade snack option made from what we already have on hand.

If you’ve been around these parts for a while now, you already know my love for energy balls runs deep– they’re just such a perfect snack option. We’ve taken them on road trips and airplane rides, tossed them into our backpacks for long hikes or afternoons exploring the city, and I’ve even been known to eat 3 or 4 for breakfast with coffee on busy mornings.

By now my friends and family pretty much expect me to show up with some form of peanut butter balls to all of our gatherings, and my two little nieces are notorious for double-fisting these perfectly toddler-hand-sized snacks.

This recipe deviates from the original in one major way: DATES are the only sweetener used, making them more subtly sweet and allowing the peanut butter and coconut to really shine here. The addition of a little salt tips the flavor profile into salty-sweet territory, which just means I can eat more of them before feeling overwhelmed by sweetness.

If you’re a fan of the combination of peanut butter and coconut (you are, right? omg it’s so so good!) you are going to FLIP over these energy balls. They’re made in a food processor (or high-powered blender) in literally 5 minutes flat, and have the most beautifully tender texture. You’re gonna love it.

If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Balls and share it with me on Instagram…I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen!

Coconut Peanut Butter Energy Balls [GF + Vegan]

Yields: 24 balls

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats (old-fashioned, quick, or instant all work here)
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter (the kind that’s just peanuts and salt)
• 10 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• optional: 1-3 Tablespoons water (to help dough stick together)
• optional: 1/3 cup more coconut, to roll the balls in

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients, except water, into the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender. Pulse to combine, then blend until no date chunks remain, and dough sticks together when pinched with your fingers. If needed, drizzle in water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, to help the dough stick together better- depending on how soft your dates are, you may not need any water, or you may need up to 3 Tablespoons!
2. Scoop out the dough using a small cookie scoop (or into roughly 2 Tablespoon sized balls), then roll between the palms of your hands to form balls. If desired, roll in more shredded coconut (I blitzed mine in the blender to break it down into a finer coconut meal consistency before rolling).
3. Store balls in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. (These don’t need to be kept refrigerated, just stay fresher that way. If taking on a hike, airplane ride, or just throwing in your bag to bring to work/school, don’t worry about keeping these cold! They’ll last at room temp for 4-5 days).

Notes: 

Make them NUT-FREE: Use a seed butter (sunflower, tahini, etc) in place of the peanut butter if serving these to people with allergies!

Make them GLUTEN-FREE: technically they already are, but if serving these to someone with a severe gluten allergy, be sure to buy certified GF oats to ensure they were processed in a dedicated GF facility and there isn’t any cross-contamination.

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