PB&J No-Bake Energy Bites are the perfect treat when you need a boost to get you through the day! You just need 5 ingredients and 10 minutes for energy bites filled with protein, healthy fats and natural sweetness.
And you’ll be amazed at how they really do taste like peanut butter and jelly!
Plus they’re Paleo, vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and can easily be made nut-free!
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Why this recipe works
Sometimes you need a little pick-me-up and it can’t always be coffee, soda or maybe any caffeine at all. And a lot of “healthy” energy bars have a ton of ingredients I can’t even pronounce.
So I wanted to create something that’s simple to make, uses just a few ingredients and tastes delicious.
No need to turn on the oven or spend a ton of money on fancy ingredients. These cuties are ready to go!
What you need
You just need 5 ingredients for these easy energy bites:
- Dates – I like Medjool but use whatever you have. Dates are full of fiber, potassium and iron.
- Dried cherries – To keep this unrefined sugar-free, I like to use the kind that are sweetened only with fruit juice or unsweetened, but use any kind you like. Dried cherries are full of copper, vitamin C and vitamin A.
- Nut butter – These energy bites are good with peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.; use sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) to make them nut-free. These nut butters are full of protein, healthy fat and fiber.
- Sunflower seeds – These are full of antioxidants, protein and healthy fats.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut – Unsweetened coconut is full of fiber, healthy fats and minerals.
The cherries, dates and nut butter are what make everything stick together.
The sunflower seeds add texture and give them a bit of crunch.
The coconut adds flavor but doesn’t make them too coconutty. With the cherries and nut butter they really do taste like PB&J. The coconut also makes them easier to handle since the nut butters have a lot of natural oil in them – no greasy fingers here!
The equipment you need for these vegan energy bites:
- a food processor or powerful blender
- a small ice cream scoop or tablespoons – you don’t need a small ice cream scoop to form them into balls but I find using a 1 tablespoon scoop with a trigger to be the easiest way to make them; you can also just regular tablespoons
- a small plate or bowl to roll the balls around in the coconut
- measuring cups
How to Make These No-Bake Energy Bites with Dates
You’ll love how easy this is:
Step 1: Add the dates, dried cherries and nut butter to a food processor or powerful blender. Blend until they form a paste and begin to clump up into a ball (stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary).
Step 2: Add the sunflower seeds and pulse a few more times until they’re broken down to your preferred size, about 5-15 pulses.
Step 3: Add the coconut to a small bowl or plate. Scoop one tightly packed tablespoon of the mixture, roll into a ball between your palms and then roll it in the coconut until it’s evenly coated.
Eat! (<– Does that need to be a step? Probably not, right? It’s not like without it you’d be all, “But what do I do now? Just throw them in the trash?”)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Instead of dried cherries, you can use dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots.
You can use any kind of nut butter you like: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc. If you want to make them nut-free, use sunbutter (sunflower seed butter).
Instead of sunflower seeds you can try pumpkin seeds. Or you can use a nut that matches your choice of nut butter (peanuts with peanut butter, etc.).
You can skip the coconut; due to the natural oils in the nut butters the bites will feel a little oily without the coconut coating.
Add any spices you like for more flavor! Try cinnamon, turmeric, ginger or a combination of all 3.
You can refrigerate them or leave them at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yep: place them on a small, parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least one hour. Place in a freezer safe baggie or container. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
If you’d like to take these on a walk or hike, freeze them and then stick them in your pack straight from the freezer. They’ll be thawed (but not too soft) by the time you’re ready for a snack!
Other snacks and treats
- Want an easy, no-bake snack with more protein? Try these Paleo Chocolate Protein Balls.
- For another quick and easy treat (that’s also nut-free), try my Paleo “Peanut” Butter Cookies.
- For another peanut buttery kids’ snack, try this Yogurt Peanut Butter Dip. Great with fruit, graham crackers and more.
- These Paleo chocolate chip zucchini muffins make even non-Paleo people happy.
- Crunchy, Chewy No-Bake Breakfast Bars are another nut-free treat
PB&J No-Bake Energy Bites
Ingredients
- ½ cup (3 oz.) pitted dates, tightly packed
- ⅓ cup (2.2 oz) dried cherries (preferably fruit-sweetened)
- ¼ cup (2.5 oz) nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, sunbutter, etc.)
- ¼ cup (1.25 oz) roasted sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Add the dates, dried cherries and nut butter to a food processor or powerful blender. Blend until they form a paste and begin to clump up into a ball (stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary).
- Add the sunflower seeds and pulse a few more times until they're broken down to your preferred size, about 5-15 pulses.
- Add the coconut to a small bowl or plate. Scoop one tightly packed tablespoon of the mixture, roll into a ball between your palms and then roll it in the coconut until it's evenly coated.
Notes
- Instead of dried cherries, you can use dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots.
- You can use any kind of nut butter you like: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc. If you want to make them nut-free, use sunbutter (sunflower seed butter).
- Instead of sunflower seeds you can try pumpkin seeds. Or you can use a nut that matches your choice of nut butter (peanuts with peanut butter, etc.).
- You can skip the coconut; due to the natural oils in the nut butters the bites will feel a little oily without the coconut coating.
- Add any spices you like for more flavor! Try cinnamon, turmeric, ginger or a combination of all 3.
Chef Mimi says
These sound wonderful – love the ingredients. They’d be fun to make with my grand kids!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Thanks! And yes, they’d be great to make with kids.
jennifer says
I love how easy these are to make . . .plus dates are soooo good and a fantastic fuel for my runs!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
I love dates! One of my faves 🙂
Yang says
My kids will love these… pinned to make later for sure!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Yay! Enjoy 🙂
Sunrita | Spiceitupp says
Perfect after school energy boosting snack for kids and adults alike!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Exactly! 🙂
Megan Stevens says
Such a versatile recipe! We loved the cherries in these and used walnuts. And I love that I can freeze them!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Walnuts are a great idea!
Stacey Crawford says
I can’t resist anything PB&J! Love these tasty bites even more than the kids do 🙂
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
It’s a good way to teach kids how to share 😉
ChihYu says
So fun and delicious! Each one is like a little PB&J sandwich! Love that they are portable and can be enjoyed anywhere!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Yeah, they’re so convenient 🙂
Raia says
Definitely a winner here! My kids are all about snack bites and I love that these have so much nutrition packed into them. 🙂
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Snack bites are the best! So fun and convenient.
Jean Choi says
The BEST flavor combo. It’s the perfect bite-sized dessert!
Paleo Gluten Free Guy says
Definitely! 🙂