Oatmeal Energy Balls require only 4 ingredients! Quick oats, peanut butter, honey, and mini chocolate chips for snack-sized energy oatmeal balls which make the perfect after school snack or healthier treat.
ENERGY OATMEAL BALLS
These energy oatmeal ball snacks have saved me during this "no-school-quarantined-at-home-with-4-kids" part of my life. You would think my kids are ravenous animals who have not eaten in weeks because they just snack and snack all day long.
But thanks to these energy balls, which I have been making at least 2x per week lately, my kids have a grab & go snack that they can get themselves, and they are somewhat nutritious for them and will keep them full...... for like 10 minutes.
I also have these steel cut oatmeal energy balls and monster cookie energy balls on my site. But today's recipe is my favorite because it's only 4 ingredients, and the ingredients are mostly pantry staples that hopefully you already have.
HOW TO MAKE ENERGY BALLS
Quick Oats - I love quick oats for these energy balls because they have a finer, smaller texture which is more appealing to kids. Yes you can use whole, old-fashioned oats but I find that the balls tend to not hold together as well when you use the old fashioned oats. So for best results, stick with the quick oats.
Creamy Peanut Butter - Creamy peanut butter is best. Crunchy peanut butter can be used but it's a lot thicker and drier, and therefore will end up drying out the energy balls. It's also best to use the regular old peanut butter with all the oil. Natural peanut butter tends to be drier because it has less oil, which will effect the end result of the energy ball.
Honey
Mini Chocolate Chips - I like using the mini chocolate chips because of the small size. But go ahead and use regular chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips, or even peanut butter chips if that's what you have in your pantry.
MY TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE
- If there are peanut allergies in your house then feel free to substitute the peanut butter with some other alternative. I don't know much about them, but I do know they sell SunButter in the stores which is a great alternative, and I have heard from readers that they use that in my no flour monster cookie bars with great success.
- The refrigeration time before rolling into balls is necessary and important! It helps the dough to not be sticky so you can easily roll into balls. It's only about 20 minutes or so of refrigeration time.
- This recipe makes 30 energy balls. They store well in the fridge for several days. I put mine in a quart-sized Ziploc bag (or use a Tupperware type container) and put it inside the snack drawer of the fridge. It's an easy grab & go snack that the kids can get themselves.
TRY THESE OTHER KID FRIENDLY SNACK RECIPES
- mini chocolate chip muffins
- cinnamon & sugar banana muffins
- one bowl applesauce muffins
- chocolate chip banana snack bars
- s'mores energy bites
Oatmeal Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 3 cups quick oats
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir together until well combined. You can either stir by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula OR use a handmixer and beat on LOW speed until combined. Increasing speed as needed.The mixture is thick so it will take a few minutes to fully mix it all together.
- Roll into balls. I use a small cookie scoop to get even sized energy balls, which holds about 1 tablespoon of the energy ball dough. TIP : If you are having difficulty getting the mixture to roll into a ball, try pressing the energy ball dough between your fingers (to loosen it up/warm it up) and then roll into a ball. TIP : If the energy ball dough is too sticky, which it will be naturally as there is honey in it, try refrigerting for about 20 minutes to see if that helps.
- Eat right away or you can refrigerate for a couple of hours if you want to serve them cold. I think they're best tasting when they are cold so I always make them before I need them (like for after school) so they have time to refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
- Store leftovers in the fridge, in a covered container, for several days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Love this recipe. Curious on the nutrition is it that for 1 energy ball or what is the serving size?
The nutrition recipe is per oatmeal ball.
This can’t be correct . There is 16 g of fat in just 2 TBSP so peanut butter.
I will double check it. Nutrition facts are for informational purposes only. I am not a dietitian or anything. The recipe makes quite a bit of energy balls, so it's not like each ball has 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
What if they are crumbly and don’t form well?
They should not be so crumbly that they don't form well. Did you by chance use a natural peanut butter? Those peanut butters are drier and don't have the oil that's needed to bind. Or maybe just try refrigerating it for longer before rolling into balls. Hopefully that helps.
Looking forward to making these. I am just getting back to work and I can keep these there in the freezer and put 2 in the fridge for the day.
First time making anything like this and I am superseded with how good they taste. Perfect way to food prep my weekly snacks for work.
Is there any sugar-free substitution for the honey that would work in this receipe? Thanks
I am not familiar with sugar-free substitutes so I can't say for sure. I've only ever used the honey. Sorry I can't help more!
I used sugar free maple syrup because I don’t care for honey that much. They came out great.
How much maple syrup did you use in place of the honey?
I used maple syrup but agave might work also.
Can these be frozen? If so how long will they keep in the freezer?
Yes they could. And they could probably keep well in the freezer for forever 🙂 It's just oats, peanut butter, chocolate, and honey so I would say they would keep well in the freezer for several months.
Can these be made with Gluten Free Oats as I am celiac?
Yes it can. Enjoy!
Delicious, very filling, and so easy to make. I store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer and take one out at a time.
I made these with cocoa instead of coconut and they are devine,,Can be rolled in icing sugar too..great for potluck or any ivites Going to try half coconut half cocoa..should be tasty..
Made these with cocoa instead of coconut and rolled in icing sugar. very tasty.. will try half and half next time
These are so good and the perfect little snack! I switched the Quick Oats for the Old Fashioned Oats just because I like the texture better.
Ok, I do not like the idea of protein balls ( they just don't look appetizing) but I am nursing and Momma needs a hearty healthy easy snack. I try not to change recipes but I had to use syrup because I didn't have enough honey. The underwhelming ingredient list is misleading because these are stupid good. Just a good mix of good simple ingredients- my favorite. Thank you so much.
Made these for meal prep. They are good. I used Lilly’s dark chocolate baking chips and added a packet of Splenda. I am going to freeze them. Thanks for the recipe
how many calories and macros per ball?
The nutrition information is at the bottom of the recipe. That will tell you all that stuff.
Me & my kids love these! We make them all the time!
I've made these multiple times and I love them. I also tried them a couple times with half crunchy peanut butter and they were awesome and added another element to them. They are great if you want something sweet and don't have anything in the house. Lol
These little guys are so yummy! I will make them again and again! Even thinking of different sub iIngredients just to have different options!!
Yay! yes there are so many add-ins you can sub with which makes them fun to make. Thanks for your comment.
Could I sub the peanut butter for sunflower butter? My son is allergic .
Yes you can. I have had some people email and let me know that it works great in this recipe. I have never used it but others have with success. Hope that helps!
Can I use steal cut oats
Sure you can. The quick oats are softer which is ideal in this recipe. But if you do choose to use them just make sure they are the quick cook steel cut oats. Steel cut oats have a heartier, thicker texture to them so as long as you don't mind that then go ahead and use those instead of quick oats.
I have made this 3 times now. Great for a pre workout boost. Usually eat a couple about mid afternoon to give me a boost. I have used the whole oats and crunchy peanut butter also. Easy to prepare.
I make a batch of these every week. Usually have one or two for lunch with a protein shake. That will hold me till supper plus gives me that extra boost of energy that I sometimes need.
Is the honey, or sugar substitutes necessary? Has anyone tried with the recipe without additional sweetener?
You would need something to hold it together like the same consistency as the honey. I have heard of agave (I have never used it) but I believe it's the same consistency as honey. Or if you're familiar with sugar substitutes, cause I am not, try using one that resembles honey in texture and thickness.
Can you add chia seeds for additional nutrients? If so about how much? Thanks!
Yes that would work fine. I would just start with a little bit (like 1 tablespoon or less) and see from there. You just want to make sure that you don't have too many dry ingredients or else the energy balls will be crumbly and not hold together well. But you should be just fine adding a little bit of chia seeds. Enjoy!
Just to add to earlier comment. I have started using the extra crunchy peanut butter. Gives it a little more crunch and added protein. Still loving them!!
Just threw this together and I have to say a little disappointed. They are definitely filling and provide some sweetness, but it's a little too much. This ends up tasting of predominately honey, and it's a very sweet recipe. If you're able to I'd try and find some way of lessening the honey, but I'm concerned it may not hold as well. I'll follow up after they sit in the fridge for a few hours or a day, I think that it may help the flavors develop.
Obviously individual taste will vary but I think this recipe gives a good base. Work with it once and doctor it for different mix-ins and flavors. I think it would have been helped with a little vanilla and salt.
You could definitely add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract if that's what you prefer. Personally, when I was testing the recipe I tried adding vanilla extract and I thought it was way too sweet and over powering in the recipe. Sorry they did not turn out for you. Thanks for your comment.
I threw these in the freezer and with time the sweetness became much more agreeable, however the flavor of honey is still a little much for me. No one else seems to have this issue so I think it's just a personal preference, but all in all the recipe works well! I'll be using this base again in the future, I think I'll just reduce the amount of honey and I'll play with flavors and mix-ins. Thank you for the recipe and for the reply!
I mash the whole thing in a plastic storage container and cut into bars any size. It’s much easier and faster to me. Then I keep it in refrigerator but it’s not necessary to do so. I love these bars!❤️
What a great idea! And much easier too 🙂 Thanks for leaving your feedback and comment.