Name: Energy Bites at Home
Yield: 23

Energy Bites are your grab and go answer to busy mornings or afternoon slumps. Just roll them up and chill.

I have a few different flavor variations! Try these Chocolate Energy Bites, Oatmeal Energy Balls, or these Protein Breakfast Cookies next.

Energy Bites

Energy Bites are reliable for an on-the-go breakfast, quick snack, pre- or post-workout fuel, road trip treat, hiking fuel, or late-night snack. Or….all of the above! You might find these pretty addicting and crave them all the time.

This is definitely not a bad thing since these are made with great nutritious ingredients! And because of the natural sweeteners, healthy fats, and overall protein content, Energy Bites can keep you satiated and quell some sugar cravings.

Ingredients

Oat Flour: Simply blend some oats up until they’re fine like flour. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free oats.
Creamy Peanut Butter:Feel free to use your favorite creamy peanut butter. If you go for natural peanut butter and it seems too runny, just mix in a little extra oat flour to ensure the energy balls hold together nicely.
Honey: The best natural sweetener. If you feel like your mix is too dry add in a little more honey.
Vanilla Extract: Makes everything taste better.
Salt: Adjust the amount based on whether your peanut butter is salted.
Old-Fashioned Oats: Use for a great chewy texture. You can use extra old-fashioned oats to make the oat flour!
Coconut Flakes & Chocolate Chips: Totally skippable but you can toast the coconut for added flavor. Feel free to swap or skip them. Try using mini M&Ms instead of chocolate chips for a fun twist like in these Energy Bars.

How to make these treats

One of the great things about this recipe is its simplicity. No baking or stove-top required!

Combine peanut butter, honey, salt, and vanilla (see” quick tip” below).
Mix until smooth.
Add oat flour (blended regular oats), coconut, chocolate chips, and old-fashioned oats.
Mix until combined, and then roll into balls and enjoy these tasty Energy Bites!

Quick Tip

Different brands of peanut butter can vary quite a bit. This especially happens when you’re using natural peanut butter that requires stirring versus conventional peanut butter with a few additives the difference. I personally use Skippy® creamy peanut butter in these Energy Bites (not sponsored). Skippy is salted, a little sweetened, and it uses roasted peanuts (which adds loads of flavor without any additional effort on your part). So, depending on the peanut butter you use, you may want to adjust how much salt is added. If you’re using salty peanut butter or are sensitive to salt, cut back this addition.

Process shots: Combine peanut butter, honey, salt and vanilla; mix until smooth. add oat flour, coconut, oat flour and chocolate chips; mix well again.

Variation Ideas

Energy Bites are very adaptable. As long as you can get a consistency that holds together as a granola ball, you’ll be golden.

Swap out peanut butter for different nut butter if you have allergies. Other nut butters can be drier than peanut butter — you’ll know you need more if the mixture is crumbly and not coming together nicely. Add additional nut butter slowly; use 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
Switch sweeteners. Instead of honey, try maple syrup or agave nectar instead. To make these Energy Bites vegan, you’ll want to use agave or maple syrup.
Change up the chocolate. Use coarsely chopped dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips for more nutritious energy bites.
Alternatively, replace the chocolate chips with a different mix-in (think finely nuts, chopped craisins, toffee chips, or extra coconut).
Replace the oat flour with flaxseed or wheat germ.

Quick Tip

For gluten-free no-bake Energy Bites: While the ingredients in these bars are naturally gluten-free, make sure to check all the ingredient labels to verify they weren’t processed in a facility with gluten.

Energy Bite Tips

Since there can be great variations in specific ingredients (especially peanut butter), you may need to add a bit more oats or a bit more peanut butter/honey to the mixture.
- If the mixture is too wet and sticky (and not rolling nicely into a ball), add a few more oats and re-mix everything. If the mixture is too dry (and crumbling), add more peanut butter and/or honey and re-mix everything until you can easily roll the balls.
Allow time for the oats to absorb the liquid. If these Energy Bites seem too moist, let them sit for a few minutes; they will continue to firm up as the oats and oat flour absorb the honey and peanut butter.