3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

You will love this date peanut butter balls recipe because:

• This fast and easy snack can be made in less than 10 minutes
• It is a budget-friendly recipe made with three simple ingredients.
• This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, and nut-free.
• These nut-free energy balls are free from refined sugar and have no honey or maple syrup.
• These energy balls are naturally sweetened because of the dates.
• These are easy to meal prep for snacks and can be frozen.

Ingredients In This Recipe

You can download a printable version of this recipe below. It lists all the ingredients you need and gives clear, step-by-step instructions to help you make it.

Here is what you need to make no-bake peanut butter balls:

Peanut butter - We used smooth, natural peanut butter, but crunchy will also work well. You can also use other kinds of nut butter, like almond butter.

Rolled oats - Old-fashioned rolled oats are best for this recipe.

Dates - We used dried dates for this recipe, but you could also use fresh dates, be sure to remove the seeds before use.

Equipment

You will need a blender to process the ingredients together into a paste.

If you don't have a blender, you could use a kitchen knife to chop the dates into a fine mince before combining it with the other ingredients.

It's a little time-consuming this way, but it works.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1 - Place the pitted dates into the bowl of a food processor and process until the dates are minced.

Depending on the strength of the food processor, you may have to stop the machine from time to time and move the dates around because they tend to clump together and can stain the machine.

Step 2 - Add the peanut butter and oats, and process until the mixture combines. 

Step 3 - Check the mixture for the correct consistency - it should be slightly sticky, and you should be able to shape it into a ball that holds its shape.  

Shape into balls

Step 4 - Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and knead it lightly to form a firm dough.

Step 5 - The above picture shows you what the mixture should look like.

If the mixture is not holding together, mix in extra peanut butter or water, mixing in 1 teaspoon at a time.

Step 6 - Evenly dividing the mixture into balls, we made 25 pop-in-the-mouth-size peanut butter oatmeal balls. 

Recipe Tips

• To get even-sized oat and peanut butter balls, weigh the mixture first, then divide the mixture by 25 for small balls or 12 for larger-sized balls.
• If it is a hot day, the heat can make the mixture too soft and difficult to shape because it softens the nut butter. If this is the case, place the mixture in the fridge for 15 - 30 minutes so it can chill and set to make shaping easier.

Serving Suggestions

• One or two of these are great as a pre or post-workout snack.
• Great for packing in lunch boxes for a healthy sweet treat.
• Enjoy these easy healthy snacks with your afternoon tea or coffee instead of cakes or cookies. 

Variations

Mix it up by adding other flavors

Use this recipe as a base and mix in other flavors for variety. You could add any of the ingredients listed below or a combination to suit your tastes. Some ideas for you to try:

• Mini chocolate chips or chunks
• Dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots
• Chopped nuts, such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts
• Coconut flakes
• Miniature candy pieces, such as M&M's or Reese's Pieces
• Cocoa powder or instant coffee granules, for a chocolate or mocha flavor
• Seeds such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, or hemp seeds
• Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices

Add protein

Replace a portion of the oats with an equal amount of protein powder to make peanut butter energy bites. 

After adding the protein powder, you may have to adjust the consistency by adding more oats if it is too wet or adding more peanut butter or a splash of water to make it come together if it is too dry.

Storage

Refrigeration – Store these 3 ingredient energy balls in a sealed container in the fridge. 

They will keep for up to two weeks, but they tend dry out the longer they are stored and are still good to eat.

Freezing – These can be frozen. To freeze them, place the oatmeal balls in a single layer spaced apart on a tray and freeze until solid. 

Once frozen solid, transfer the balls to an air-tight container or zip-lock bag.

When you want them, remove the required amount from the freezer, and allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge or for about an hour on the benchtop.

FAQ

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