5 Ingredients Date Energy Balls (without Peanut Butter and No-Bake)

5 from 2 votes

A simple and healthy snack solution with the 5-ingredient date energy balls recipe – no peanut butter required.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, French, Mediterranean, Plant-Based

Servings: energy balls

Calories: 69kcal

Place the pitted dates in a food processor and blend them until they form a sticky paste. Try pulsing several times until you get it all into a paste.
Add the walnuts, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to the date paste in the food processor. Blend everything until the mixture is well combined. Some people add walnuts that are not chopped in this step. I found it easier if I chopped the walnuts previously and added chopped in this step.
The mixture should be sticky and should clump together. If it’s too dry, add a little warm water (a teaspoon at a time) and blend until you achieve the desired consistency.
Once the mixture is ready, mix it one more time with a rubber or wooden spatula, and using your hands, take small pieces and roll them into small balls, usually about 1 inch in diameter.
You can coat the date balls in cocoa powder (or even shredded coconut) if you like. This is optional and adds extra flavor and texture. I usually don't coat mine.
Place the date balls on parchment paper on a tray or plate and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes to firm up. The more they stay in the fridge, the better the taste!
Once they have set, you can keep the date balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for longer storage.

If you want to increase your energy balls’ protein content and make them creamy, but avoid using peanut butter. You can use almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seeds butter, or tahini. You can also add some protein powder.
Experiment with different flavorings to suit your taste. For extra flavor, you can add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom.
You can customize your energy balls with various add-ins for texture and nutrition, such as rolled oats, quick oats, or oat flour for more fiber, flaxseed or flax meal or chia seeds for more nutrition, or dark chocolate chips for flavor and texture.
If your dates are very dry (which can happen if they sit for too long in your pantry), you can soak them in warm water for about 10-15 minutes to soften them before blending. Drain them thoroughly before using.
A food processor works best for blending the ingredients as it can handle the sticky and thick consistency of date energy ball mixtures.
Test out your mix. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add some water while blending until it reaches the right consistency for rolling into balls.
You can make your energy balls in different sizes to suit your preferences. Smaller balls are great for portion control (and can also be a great school snack or for road trips when kids are hungry), while a large energy ball can be a more substantial quick snack.