My peanut butter energy balls contain just 3 ingredients plus spices and you can make them in 10 minutes! This easy no bake recipe is keto, dairy free and does not contain dates.
I have added these no-bake energy bites into my regular rotation of quick and satisfying treats. Because, goodness me, they are outstandingly delicious.
The texture is soft and fudgy with crunchy bits from plenty of toasted seeds. The flavor? Peanutt-y, gently sweet and deliciously spiced with warming cinnamon and cardamom.
Last but not least, these are power balls WITHOUT DATES! Yay!
Also try my chocolate protein balls and keto protein balls.
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What's To Love About This Recipe
Works all day long - Peanut butter energy bites are a great pre-workout mini breakfast if you don't like to go out on an empty stomach. You can also enjoy them as a pick-me-up snack during the day or as a dessert.
Healthy! Peanut butter is high in protein while the seeds add healthy fats and fiber. (I was actually going to call these "super seed power balls" - which also sums up the recipe pretty well.)
No sugar rush. The recipe is low carb and diabetic friendly. We are using a sugar alternative called allulose to sweeten the balls. One serving is only 2.3g net carbs.
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but I wanted to give you a bit of extra info right here:
- Seeds - I used a seed mix containing hemp seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Many supermarkets sell seed mixes like this. The secret is to toast them. This makes them taste AMAZING. Don't miss this step!
- Peanut Butter - Choose a smooth peanut butter that is 100% peanuts. It should be nice and soft. Stir it before using. It's our sticky ingredient that holds the energy balls together.
- Sweetener - I use liquid allulose by Wholesome. In the US this is available via Amazon, I buy it from iherb.
- Spices - Cinnamon and cardamom. Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and grind them with a pestle and mortar. Or, use ground cardamom.
- Sea Salt - A pinch really lifts the flavor. Omit the salt if your peanut butter is salted already.
Optional: water or any type of milk to loosen the mixture.
Instructions
It is simple to make peanut butter energy balls. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
STEP 1
Dry-roast the seeds in a large frying pan over medium heat until golden.
STEP 2
Blend the toasted seeds briefly in a food processor or blender. You want some larger and some smaller pieces.
STEP 3
Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Add milk or water as needed.
STEP 4
Roll the mixture into 10 small balls. Option to roll the balls in toasted sesame seeds.
Katrin's Top Tips
#1 A liquid such as milk or water makes the balls fudgier. How much you need depends on how finely you blended the seeds and how soft your peanut butter is. Add any liquid in small increments.
#2 If your peanut butter is NOT runny, option to add ½ teaspoon of olive oil as well.
Substitutions
Here is how you can customize your keto energy balls:
- Dry ingredients: Any seed combination works. Or, add in desiccated coconut or nuts - think almonds, walnuts, pecans!
- Wet ingredients: Swap the peanut butter for almond butter or another nut or seed butter. As for the liquid to loosen, this could be water, soy milk, oat milk, almond milk... you get the picture.
- Spices: Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or a pinch of ginger and nutmeg.
- Sweetener: If carbs are not a concern, use honey or maple syrup instead of the liquid allulose.
- Add-ins: ½ tablespoon cocoa powder, chocolate chips or chopped sugar free dried cranberries. With the cocoa, you may also need to increase the amount of liquid.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but you will have to increase the amount of liquid to loosen the batter.
This happens when your seed mixture is too coarse and/or you used too much liquid. Simply add a little almond flour, coconut flour or protein powder to firm it up.
Storage
Store the energy balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
More Keto No-Bake Bites
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Ingredients
- ½ cup mixed seeds I used a blend of pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed, hemp seeds, 70g (measured before blending, don't overfill cup)
- ¼ cup peanut butter smooth and runny, 65g
- 1 tablespoon liquid allulose 13g
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
- seeds of 2 cardamom pods crushed, or a pinch of powdered cardamom
Add as needed
- water or milk of choice I used 1 tablespoon water
- olive oil ½ teaspoon if peanut butter is not runny
Instructions
- Toast the mixed seeds in a large frying pan over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir with a spatula and turn down the heat to low once they are starting to pop so they don't over-brown. Let cool.
- Pulse the seeds briefly in a food processor until you have a mixture of seed flour and larger pieces. (Don't over-blend!)
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients with a fork until combined. Add water or a milk of your choice as needed to form a uniform dough. ***see notes
- Roll into bite-sized balls. My mixture made 10 balls of 15 grams each.
- Option to roll the balls in toasted sesame seeds.
Zelie Hilton
Katrin, in your first paragraph you say this recipe is nut free. Clearly this is an error as the main ingredient is peanut butter!
Katrin Nürnberger
Peanuts are legumes and not nuts. They are part of the same family as beans, lentils and peas.
Maria
I immediately made these energy balls when I saw the new recipe and they are absolutely delicious - a new staple in our house I am sure. I used almond butter, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, and also added some cacao powder to make them chocolatey. Also kid approved! It’s SO nice to see an energy ball recipe online that doesn’t contain dates! I look forward to carrying on making more of your recipes 🙂