No Bake Granola Energy Bites (+ Lots of Variations)
These no bake granola energy bites are quick to make with simple pantry ingredients and lots of variations for afternoon snacks, picnics, and road trips.
Servings: 30 bites
Calories: 103kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup nut butter: almond, peanut, cashew, sunflower seed, etc.
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (TIP: I only use 2 TB of honey now - if I need more moisture I add a bit more nut butter)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup granola* preferably easy homemade granola - large chunks broken up
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed or almond flour, optional but helps to hold the balls together and adds more nutrition
- 1/4 cup add-ins of choice: mini chocolate chips, chopped dried fruit, or chopped nuts
- Choice of toppings: sesame seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, ground nuts or dried coconut
Instructions
- Mix nut butter, honey, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add granola, flaxseed meal, and add-ins. Mix well until everything is coated evenly.
- Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, then shape into balls with a small cookie scoop (about a tablespoon in size). (TIP: I often shape right away without refrigerating and just deal with the slightly sticky balls when shaping.)
- After shaping each ball, roll it in the coating of your choice.**
- Store the bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
*You can use rolled oats if you don't have granola, but the texture and flavor will be slightly different.
**While you could leave the balls plain, the coating adds a bit more nutrition and, more importantly, makes them less sticky when eating and transporting.
Flavor Variations:
- Chocolate Chip Almond: Use the 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips pictured here with almond butter.
- Almond Maple: substitute pure maple syrup for the honey and add 1/3 cup of dried cranberries or chopped cherries or chopped nuts.
- Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter: Use peanut butter with 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and roll them in finely chopped peanuts.
- Cranberry-Sunbutter: Use sunflower seed butter (I've heard Trader Joe's is the best) and cranberries. Roll them in whole or chopped sunflower seeds.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bite | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
