Here are just a handful of breakfast recipes that I make over and over again for my family: Stovetop popcorn, Snack mixand bite those energy. Besides being so easy and adaptable to whip up whatever ingredients I have in the pantry, these energy balls are a little sweet, a little chewy, and so good that I find myself eating them like my own kids.
These energy balls take just one bowl and about 10 minutes to make — and if you choose to weigh your ingredients, you don’t even need a measuring cup. i love Oxo Good Grips 1.5 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop To make them, but you can use a spoon to make eyeball ping pong ball sized portions and then roll them into balls. They take about an hour to firm up in the fridge.
These energy bites last about 2 weeks in the fridge (if they’re not eaten first!), but they can also be frozen for up to 2 months, so you can make them in bulk.
They’re filling enough for that awkward meal time between school pickup and soccer practice. I make a batch almost every week, mixing up ingredients and flavors to keep things interesting.
5-Ingredient Substitution for Energy Balls
The basic formula for these energy balls is just oats, peanut butter, almond flour, and maple syrup for sweetener. Here’s how you can play up the basic ingredients to your preference or still make do with what you have.
- oats: I usually make these energy balls with classic rolled oats, but you can use quick-cooking oats.
- Nut butter: Although peanut butter is my go-to for making these regularly, almost any nut butter can be used. Almond butter makes a base that tastes like cake and is perfect for adding sprinkles. Chunky or natural peanut butter will give you a rougher, nuttier ball texture but will work.
- Binding Ingredients: While nut butters and a sweetener make these balls sticky, you need one more ingredient to hold things together! Almond flour is my ingredient of choice, but ground flaxseed (in equal measure) works great too. You can also use vanilla protein powder in the same volume.
- Sweetener: These energy bites don’t require a ton of sweetener. If you decide to use sweetened protein powder or nut butter, cut the maple syrup or honey in half.
- Fun flavor enhancers: Mini chocolate chips are standard in our house — the mini size is the perfect texture for these bite-sized balls — but you can really add anything here. Try mini chocolate-coated candies or sprinkles for some fun color, or go more classic with dried fruit or coconut. Dried cherries and candied ginger is one of my favorite combinations.
How to Make My 5-Ingredient Energy Balls
For 12 balls, you will need:
- 1 cup (4 ounces) rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (7 ounces) creamy peanut or almond butter
- 1/2 cup (2.4 ounces) almond flour or ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup small mix-ins such as mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, or sprinkles
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, nut butter, almond flour or flakes, maple syrup or honey, mix-in of your choice, and salt. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix well. You can switch to clean hands and knead the mixture together if it becomes too difficult to mix.
Use a spoon or cookie scoop to divide the dough into 12 balls about the size of a ping-pong ball. Roll to form a firm ball. You can serve them directly in a flat storage container with a lid or on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Refrigerate for 1 hour and then transfer to an airtight container for long-term storage. These energy balls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze solid on a baking sheet and then transfer to a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Serve frozen or thawed first in the refrigerator.
Flavor Ideas
Playing around with the ingredients in the energy balls means you really can make these energy balls every week and never make the same flavor twice. Here are a few ideas to try:
- Almond butter + sprinkles = cake batter bites
- Add cocoa powder and dark chocolate for brownie-flavored balls.
- Add coconut and dried cherries for fruity flavor.
- Almonds Use almond butter, coconut and chocolate for energy bites.
- Swap peanut butter for cashew butter and add candied ginger and cinnamon for a gingerbread-flavored energy ball.