
Peanut Butter Energy Balls
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These classic peanut butter energy balls will help you roll through your week. Filled with oats, nuts, and seeds, and naturally sweetened with honey and dates. It’s a quick and easy-to-make recipe that kids will love, too!

There’s nothing fancy about these classic energy balls, just real, feel-good ingredients that come together fast. I make them with oats, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, dates, and a handful of chocolate chips, and they’re just sweet enough to satisfy an afternoon craving or keep me going on busy days and outdoor adventures.
There’s no baking involved, and they take only minutes to make. I almost always double the batch because they disappear quickly and freeze beautifully, making them perfect for road trips, hikes, workdays, or anytime I want something easy to grab. To me, they taste a lot like oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough—comforting, familiar, and impossible not to love.
What I love most about this recipe is how flexible it is. Rolled oats give them structure, creamy natural peanut butter holds everything together, honey and dates add sweetness and stickiness, and chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, chia seeds, and chocolate chips bring texture and flavor. If you’re missing something, it’s easy to swap—use almond or cashew butter instead of peanut butter, or flax or hemp seeds in place of chia. Once you make them, they tend to become a household staple.


Peanut Butter Energy Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts (I like peanuts)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds (toasted)
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 pitted dates (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.¾ cup natural peanut butter, 3 pitted dates, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 cup rolled oats, ⅓ cup chopped nuts, ¼ cup sunflower seeds, ¼ cup unsweetened coconut, ¼ cup mini chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon chia seeds

- Use a wooden spoon to stir until everything is mixed together well. Put the bowl into the fridge for 15 minutes – this helps make the balls easier to roll.

- Use a medium-sized cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon to portion the balls and then roll them into 20 energy balls. Enjoy!

Video
Nutrition
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Do you have a suggestion for making these without a food processor?
Hi Ashley,
You could finely chop the nuts and dates by hand and then mix in the rest of the ingredients. You’ll probably need to use your hands, rather than a spoon, to mix them together well. Hope that helps!
Thanks, Evi! They’re one of my favs too. 🙂
Made them for my hubby. Needs energy for an “energetic” (read on his feet all day) job. I had the dregs of some chocolate almond butter in the fridge, so I used that instead and didn’t put the chic chips in because of that. He said “You can make those again!” Seal of approval. 🙂
Ha ha I love it! It’s the best when you get your man’s seal of approval, right?!! 🙂
hi there! this looks delish! could i use almond butter instead of peanut butter? do you think it would still taste the same?
Hi Josie! Absolutely you could use almond butter. It will taste a tiny bit different, but it will be just as delicious. 🙂
Thanks, Anna! They really are delicious little treats!!
It’s so tough sometimes when the afternoon sleepiness hits. Sometimes I wish I lived in Mexico so I could siesta the afternoons away!
Ha ha love it! So happy to hear I have I have someone to laugh like a kid with!!
Thanks, Kelly! They really are my fav. 🙂
Did someone say peanut butter? And chocolate? Umm…..I’ll take more than what I need for an energy boost. I eat these like popcorn!
Heck ya I did! PEANUT BUTTER! CHOCOLATE! They are pretty hard to resist, aren’t they? 🙂
I’m with you 100% on peanut butter! I eat a largely paleo diet most of the time but could never give up peanut butter. Or campari. Those two are staples lol.
Isn’t it the best when things that taste like dessert are actually good for you? It’s always my fav!
I love salt … I add it to everything!!
Happy to know I’m not the only one who gets effected by the magical energy giving powers of these!!
It’s seriously crazy how perfect of a snack they are! 🙂
Ha ha they scream, “eat me, eat me, eat me!” at me all day long too. 😉
I love love love peanut butter and could seriously eat it in just about everything. What do you put in yours?
They’re so good, right?! The dates give them a little extra sweetness, which I love. 🙂