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While I seriously considered posting pictures of my toddler and preschooler to demonstrate what I mean by energy balls, I resisted.
I discovered this recipe not long ago and have been wanting to make it ever since. Our ten-year-old asked for some energy bars to eat before soccer practices and games and I promised I would whip him up some. He didn’t think they would be any good.
Until he tasted them.
They are SO good!
And good for you, too.
And as a busy mom, nearing the third trimester of pregnancy, I definitely need the energy boost that these cute little treats can offer. They’re much healthier than some of the store bought versions of granola bars, and so easy to make and keep in the fridge.
I love the chocolate granola bars we make, and the peanut butter kind, too. But these little bites are even easier than those! No melting of anything on the stove. Simply mix, roll into balls, and eat!
Did I mention there’s chocolate in these?
Granola Energy Balls
Ingredients:
- 2 cups oats
- 2 cups coconut flakes
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup honey (I use raw, unfiltered.)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Steps:
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
- Roll into bite-size balls. (The size you roll them will determine how many the recipe yields. I rolled mine a little bigger and the recipe made about 18 balls.)
- Store in fridge.
Yummy! I had to email this to a friend and Pin it!
Oh good! Thanks so much!!
Hey! Thank you!!!
These look so yummy!! I think my pregnant belly might be able to eat these, I’m excited! Do you think they would be just as good without coconut?
Hey there. I’m not sure how much it might change the whole recipe if you leave out that much of an ingredient. You could try substituting something else?? Congrats on your pregnancy! When are you due?
Thanks! I think I’m due around July 5th, but we’re not sure.
I just made these yesterday. I used 3 cups of oats and 1 cup of coconut. I don’t like a lot of coconut and it was just right. They are sooooo good! I will definitely be making them again.
It is just as good w/out coconut. I don’t like it so I took it out. It was a little stickier but other than that, just as good!
Yummy! And I already have these ingredients!
A friend of mine posted a link to this recipe on Facebook. It looked intriguing, and easy to convert into a gluten-free recipe for the 4 young celiacs in my house. I made it today after school, and my boys (even my picky youngest son) are really enjoying them! My 2 daughters are busy and haven’t tried them yet, but we’ll see…
I substituted dried cranberries for the chocolate chips, and I really like the taste. I especially like that it uses honey as the main sweetener, not sugar!
Yum!!! Glad you enjoyed!
Yum, cranberries would be really good in this, maybe some almond slices as well. I’ll have to experiement.
I thought about almonds, too! Let me know!
what did you have to do to make it gluten free? Aren’t oats gluten free naturally? Just curious as i just made some for taking up to a thanksgiving gathering and i was thinking they would be good for mom, who needs gluten free stuff!
Yes, I believe they are, but it’s tricky. Oats can be labeled as gluten free depending on how/where they’re processed.
did a little research…i’m sure “Tara” already knew this, but i guess oats are very commonly cross-contaminated, so it depends on how sensitive you are. i’ll have to find out from my mom if she specifically uses gluten-free oats. i’m still curious what Tara substituted, so let me know if you don’t mind!
How long can you store them in the Fridge??
That’s a funny question….only because we never have them around longer than two or three days.
Up to a week, though, I think they’d be just fine. 
These look great! Any idea about the nutritional information per ball?
Not sure, Beth, but I love the fact that they’re loaded with ground flax seed!
WISH I LIKED CHOCOLATE. !!!!!
Sue, you could alway use peanut butter chips or even butterscotch chips.
These are delicious! But what do I do if the ingredients aren’t sticking very well together for rolling them into balls?
Mine were like that today, because I added a bit too much coconut and maybe a tiny bit too much oats….I was going to add a little more peanut butter, but I pressed them into balls with a little more grip than normal and then lightly rolled them, too. They worked. So yeah…I would say if rolling them tighter doesn’t work, add a bit more peanut butter.
I make something very similar that I eat all. the. time.
2 cups peanut butter
2 cups oats
2/3 – 1 cup honey
1 cup powdered nonfat milk
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup semi-sweet (or special dark) chocolate chips
I roll them in balls, put them on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour, then transfer them to a freezer bag. When I eat them, I just let them thaw for a couple minutes. They taste SO good! And quite high in protein too
just made these OHHHH my gosh so delicious! thanks!
I did crushed cheerios(honey nut or regular) instead of coconut flakes from another recipe and THEY WERE AWESOME: )
OOHHH! I like that! I’m going to try it now!
I made this tonight, but changed it a bit (I don’t like coconut stuff and I only had so much flaxseed).
I used
3 cups oats
1 cup plain cheerios (a little crunched-this was my kindergartener’s job)
2 tbs wheat germ (what the heck…I have a bunch so I threw it in since I used it for the granola bars)
3/4 cup ground flaxseed (it was ALL I had)
everything else was the same. I let my kids roll some balls, but the majority I put in a glass pie plate and cut into squares after it “set” in the fridge. YUMMY! Thanks!
oh these look delicious and appear to be gluten free! YUm!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am going to try it today, My hubby (who is a triathlete) buys the power bites which are super spendy.
I am hoping that these would work, provide the same nutrition and be cheaper!
You rock!
You might try here to check nutrition info: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
wow, so good! I subbed almond butter for peanut butter since I had a bunch noone was eating and the PB flies out of the house, subbed puffed rice (no sugar or anything JUST puffed brown rice) for the coconut because I don’t like shredded coconut, and I ran out of dark chocolate chips so I did a half cup of those with half cup of dried cranberries, and then did everything else as recipe calls for and it was DELISH. So this recipe is the best kind you can play with ingredients if you are out of something or dislike something but still holds up! Thanks!
These bars sound like a winner. I will be getting some flaxseed soon, but in the meantime… Someone mentioned wheat germ. Would that be an acceptable subsitute? Came across your blog at moneysavingmom. I am enjoying the advise & encouragement that I’ve already come across. Thanks!
My sons and I made these the other day, and I think we lost about 15 balls since they kept eating them instead of making balls, they are so easy and yummy, we did add wheat germ since I had it on hand. Very good, I had a similar recipe but you had to melt some of the stuff, this was way easier, they boys dumped the stuff into my Kitchenaid and then we rolled into balls and stuck them into the fridge. Thanks for the good (healthy) recipe.
It took me so long to make. The mixture is still dry and crumbly even though I added extra honey, tahini, molasses – I tried everything! They do taste good, I will use far less oats next time. I only used 1C of coconut. The taste is worth it – and next time I will have more of an idea to use less of the dry ingredients, personally. Thank you for the recipe though : )
I have been looking for a recipe like this. I need something for my kids to have for a “treat” that I still approve of! Thank you!
I just made these and they are great! I don’t think they will last long in our house with hungry 3 and 5 year old boys, plus pregnant me!
What kind of oats did you use? I only had regular rolled oats and so far they great!
I am going to try these, bet the kids will love them. Any suggestions for me for a husband who does not like peanut butter.
Yes, almond butter.
I am making these for the 2nd time! My swimmer son is 14 loves them! What is the nutritional break down? Calories, fat, sodiummetc?
You can check that here, I believe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Yum! Seriously yummy. I made these tonight I made a few changes gluten free whole oats. I wasn’t sure what kind of coconut you used so I used 1 cup of Angel coconut and 1 cup of unsweetened flakes, carob chips and 1/2c honey and 1/2c agave. Super yummy, from reading the comments and knowing what I did it looks like it handles substitutions. I thought about adding some lightly toasted pecans, maybe next time.
This week we also made the Winter Granola…OMG, that is the best! It didn’t last long at all.
I love these, and so does my husband! My last batch, I put the dry ingredients into 1/2-Quart Ziploc bags, times two. I added the honey, PB, and vanilla to one bag and kneed it like bread dough to save on some of the clean-up, and I have another bag of dry ingredients ready to go for next time. The whole batch lasts about a week. My 18-month old begs me for a bite, but she’s one of the reasons I need it, so no extra energy for her! My two-month-old gets hers a few hours later
Oops, half-gallon. There’s about 7 cups of ingredients, and a half gallon is 8 cups. (I can also fit two balls into a snack size Ziploc to send to work in my husband’s lunch box.)
what kind of peanut butter do you use for these? i can’t keep them from falling apart.
I use different kinds, depending on what I have, but all natural, no sugar added, and organic when possible.
Are you storing in fridge? 
Just made these tonight with almond butter (peanut allergy) and agave nectar (didn’t have enough honey) and they are awesome. I probably rolled 35-40 balls (some large and some small for my 23 month olds). I am going to try to freeze a batch as it has yielded so many.
Thanks for the recipe!
Oh, I love when I put almond butter in them!! YUM!
These sound great! My son can’t have flax or wheatgerm… what would you suggest for a substitute (no gluten or dairy)?
You can just leave out the wheat germ without subbing anything….And for the flax….do you think you could use a brown rice (crisp) cereal? I think someone said they did that and it worked….Sorry I am not more help.
Do you know the caloric intake for this receipe?
I made these last week and they didn’t last very long. But I was wondering why they needed to be stored in the fridge. When I put them in the fridge they were so hard they hurt my teeth to eat them.
Suzy, it’s a preference thing….Sometimes they tend to be a little soft, but it’s up to you how to store them.
Hi. These look yummy! What kind of oats did you use?
I just made these. They are delish!
What does the flax seed do for you in your diet? And does it have much flavor? I’m going to make these this weekend…they look yummy.
Flax seed is rich in omega 3′s. It does have some flavor, but subtle, depending on what you are adding it to. I love these energy balls.
This recipe is delicious! Thanks for your recipes and your blog. It is so inspiring. I changed the recipe a little because I have celiac.
I used GF oats from Trader Joe’s, coconut, peanut butter, almond meal from Trader Joe’s instead of the flax meal and omitted the cinnamon. I also pulsed the oats and coconut in the food processor to make the bits smaller so my little one can chew them more easily. And I also used mini chocolate chips. They turned out great!
I just made a batch of these and they are so tasty!! I am trying to loose weight so I figured the calorie content of the entire batch with the ingredients that I used for a total of 5264 calories. I rolled mine into 22 balls so that equals 240 calories per serving. Think next time I will roll mine out into 35 balls so I get about 150 calories per serving.