These No-Bake Coconut Covered Energy Balls are easily one of my favorite vegan snacks.
They are healthy, superfood, nutrient-packed, pop-in-your-mouth perfection, and are perfect for on-the-go energy. But above all of that, they’re honestly just downright delicious.
I LOVE coconut, and I’m always trying to sneak it into things. And as it turns out, it’s the perfect coating for these energy bites!
This recipe is great because you can use the base and add in your own little favorites, but this particular combination is my go-to.
These no-bake coconut-covered energy balls will keep you full and satisfy your sweet tooth without any processed sugars!
Coconut Covered Energy Balls Tips and Tricks
Make A Pit Stop
Make sure your dates are pitted before you begin. If not, you can easily pit them yourself.
I just use a knife to slice the date and reveal my pit, and then use clean hands to pick it out.
Use Your Tools
You’ll need a food processor or heavy-duty blender to get the ingredients to come together. Check the consistency as you go, and add more water if necessary until everything blends down into a smooth mixture.
Green tip: Dates are considered a sustainable crop as they have relatively low associated carbon emissions and destruction costs. Look for non-GMO, organic dates to support harvesters that do not use toxic chemical pesticides.
Wet Your Hands
Your mixture will be super sticky from the dates, but if you wet your hands, you should easily be able to shape your Coconut Covered Energy Balls into perfect spheres.
Roll ‘Em to Coat ‘Em
Coating your energy balls in coconut gives them a delicious tropical and sweet crunchy exterior, and also makes that sticky date mixture easier to handle and pop in your mouth.
Spread your coconut flakes out on a flat surface, and roll each energy ball over your coconut. It will stick right away. Roll back and forth until all sides are covered.
Why You Should Make These Coconut Covered Energy Balls
- They’re packed with nutrients. Coconuts, hemp seeds, and chia seeds are all considered superfoods as they infuse important copper, iron, selenium, and manganese. Not to mention the nutrients provided by the dates, hemp, and chia seeds.
- They’re packed with fiber. Every main ingredient is a great source of fiber.
- They’re naturally sweet. No artificial sugars or sweeteners needed with this sweet date base.
- They keep you energized. Packed with protein, these are meant to give you a kickstart when you need a boost.
Looking for more healthy snacks? Try this Simple Crunchy Coconut Granola and these Rustic Broccoli Cheddar Bites.
Coconut Covered Energy Balls
PRINT PIN RATEEquipment
- Reusable Baking Mat (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 cups pitted dates
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut flakes
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Combine dates, chia seeds, hemp seeds, almond butter, water, and half of the coconut in a food processor.
- Blend until smooth and sticky. If the mixture seems way too thick and chunky, add a little bit more water—1 teaspoon at a time. In a separate bowl, add remaining coconut flakes.
- Using wet hands, roll about a tablespoon of mixture into a perfect ball, and coat with coconut flakes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat.
- Put your energy balls in the refrigerator to set for about 20 minutes. You can enjoy them cold or at room temperature, but store them in the fridge.
Pro Tips
- You can buy dates that are already pitted, but if you have dates that have pits, they’re super easy to remove. All you have to do is cut into the date lengthwise until you hit the pit to split it open and then remove the pit with your hands.
- You can use any kind of nut butter for this recipe. I like almond because its really mild and allows the date and coconut flavors to shine, but I’ve also had these with peanut butter and cashew butter and they were great, too. I actually added chocolate chips to the peanut butter ones and they were sooooo good, but felt more indulgent.
