The popular duo of peanut butter and chocolate come together with whole grain oats, flax, and chia seeds to make these no-bake, gluten-free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls. Perfect for meal prepping, lunch packing, easy snacking, and pre-workout fuel. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly.
This post was originally published as Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites on July 31, 2019. Updated on February 13th, 2021.
A weekend meal prep staple.
Energy bites and balls make for the perfect addition to weekend meal prep sessions. They’re quick and easy to make, made with wholesome ingredients, and come with endless possibilities.
Below we share a variety of different mix-ins and swaps that you can use to change up these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls using what you have on hand. These energy-packed bites make for a great grab-and-go snack, a tasty lunch box addition, or really whenever you need just a little something to fill the gap between meals. Both kids and adults will enjoy these tasty peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls.
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Ingredients you’ll need to make Peanut Butter Energy Balls
- Natural Creamy Peanut Butter – may sub any seed or nut butter of choice. When making energy bites with peanut butter, we like to use one that has a nice drizzly and runny consistency such as the Trader Joe’s, Target’s Good & Gather peanut butter, Whole Foods 365 peanut butter, or Old Home Peanut Butter, a refrigerated peanut butter.
- Virgin coconut oil or butter – for vegan and dairy-free, use coconut oil.
- Honey or maple syrup – for vegan, use maple syrup
- Pure vanilla extract
- Old-fashioned oats – certified gluten-free if needed
- Ground flaxseed – may sub hemp hearts or flour of choice
- Chia seeds
- Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Fine salt
- Mini chocolate chips – use dairy-free for vegan and dairy-free, such as Enjoy Life Foods.
- Protein powder of choice – optional for a boost of protein. For vegan, use a plant-based protein powder such as Sun Warrior. If you choose to add protein powder you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
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How to make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
The recipe directions have been updated. While the ingredients are the same, the process of making the peanut butter energy balls has been updated to include fewer steps thus making the recipe easier to make. For the original Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites recipe, see the notes section below.Â
- In a small saucepan over low heat combine coconut oil, peanut butter, honey (if using maple syrup – no need to heat), and vanilla. Stir until just melted then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- If you prefer to make the energy bites with a chunkier texture, skip to Step 3. This optional step helps to achieve a smoother texture in the energy bites. Add the oats to a food processor or blender. Pulse 10–15 times or until some of the oats are broken into very small pieces and others remain relatively intact.Â
- In a medium bowl, combine oats, coconut flakes, ground flaxseed (or flour), and chia seeds.
- Add cooled peanut butter mixture, (maple syrup if using), and stir with a wooden spoon or with clean hands. Mix in chocolate chips. Make sure the dough is not warm otherwise chocolate chips may melt. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Roll dough into 26-28 small round bites. If the dough doesn’t come together add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it starts sticking together. You may or may not need to add water. It will depend on the consistency of the peanut butter used.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips to make smooth oatmeal balls.
If you prefer your energy balls to have a smoother texture (more like healthy cookie dough!), this is the trick for you!
Pulse the rolled oats in a food processor about 10-15 times before making the energy bites. This helps to break down the oats into very small pieces while leaving some relatively intact. While this step is absolutely optional, it’s our best tip if you’re wanting to make the most perfectly textured oatmeal balls.
How to store Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
You can store the oatmeal balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you choose to double or triple the recipe, you can also freeze them for longer storage.
How to freeze energy balls
We are all about stocking our freezers with ready-to-eat foods. Feel free to double or triple this recipe and enjoy some in the present moment then stash some away for the weeks or months to come. We like to store them in reusable zip-top bags. They will keep well in the fridge for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Are oats gluten-free?
This is a question we get asked often. There is some confusion around oats on whether they are gluten-free or not, so we want to clear the confusion up.
Rolled oats are naturally gluten-free however, they may come in contact with gluten-containing grains, such as wheat, barley, or rye thus becoming contaminated with gluten.
This can happen at the farm, in storage, in transportation, or if processed in the same facilities and/or on the same equipment as gluten-containing grains. Though the amount of gluten these “exposed” oats you contain is minimal, if you have celiac disease and want to be sure the oats you are consuming have no trace gluten, we suggest purchasing Certified Gluten-free Oats.
Tasty mix-ins and swaps for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
You can make this recipe your own with what you have on hand or what sounds best to you.
Here are some of our favorite mix-ins and swaps:
- Chopped nuts or seeds of any kind or variety
- Almond butter, cashew butter, or pecan butter
- Sunflower seed butter, tahini, or pumpkin seed butter
- Raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries
- Chopped dates
- Diced dried apple or mango
- Protein powder of choice
- Cacao nibs
- Hemp seeds
And probably so many more. Would love to hear what some of your favorite energy bite mix-ins are!
Other no-bake healthy snacks to try:
- Birthday Cake Energy Bites (No-Bake)
- Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Bites
- Paleo Almond Joy Protein Bites
- Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites (No-Bake)
- No-Bake 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Bites
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls with Chocolate Chips
The popular duo of peanut butter and chocolate come together with whole grain oats, flax, and chia seeds to make these no-bake, gluten-free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls. Perfect for meal prepping, lunch packing, easy snacking, and pre-workout fuel. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter (drizzly consistency)
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (may sub butter – not dairy-free/vegan)
- 3 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups old-fashioned oats (certified gluten-free if needed)
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed (or flour of choice)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (use dairy-free for vegan and dairy-free, such as Enjoy Life Foods)
- Optional: 1/4 cup protein powder or collagen (may need to add 1-2 Tbsp. water)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat combine coconut oil, peanut butter, honey (if using maple syrup – no need to heat), and vanilla. Stir until just melted then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- If you prefer to make the energy bites with a chunkier texture, skip to Step 3. This optional step helps to achieve a smoother texture in the energy bites. Add the oats to a food processor or blender. Pulse 10–15 times or until some of the oats are broken into very small pieces and others remain relatively intact.Â
- In a medium bowl, combine oats, coconut flakes, ground flaxseed (or flour), chia seeds, pinch of salt and optional protein powder.
- Add cooled peanut butter mixture, (maple syrup if using) and stir with wooden spoon or with clean hands. Mix in chocolate chips. Make sure dough is not warm otherwise chocolate chips will melt. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Roll dough into 26-28 small round bites. If the dough doesn’t come together add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it starts sticking together. You may or may not need to add water. It will depend on the consistency of the peanut butter used.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
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Notes
Recipe update (1/14/21) –Â the recipe directions have been update to make the recipe even easier. If you are looking for the original directions, you can find them here:
- Mix 1 Tbsp. of chia seeds with 3 Tbsp. of water and set aside to form a gel. (Recipe update – see below in notes)
- In a small saucepan over low heat combine coconut oil, peanut butter, honey (if using maple syrup – no need to heat), and vanilla. Stir until just melted then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- If you prefer to make the energy bites with a chunkier texture, skip to Step 4. This optional step helps to achieve a smoother texture in the energy bites. Add the oats to a food processor or blender. Pulse 10–15 times or until some of the oats are broken into very small pieces and others remain relatively intact.Â
- In a medium bowl, combine oats, flaxseed meal (or flour), coconut flakes, and remaining 1/2 Tbsp. chia seeds.
- Add cooled peanut butter mixture, (maple syrup if using), and chia gel to oat mixture and stir with wooden spoon, in a mixer or with hands (hands work best). Note: the dough needs to be mixed very well before to come together.
- Mix in chocolate chips. Make sure dough is not warm otherwise chocolate chips will melt.
- Roll dough into 26-28 small round bites. If the dough doesn’t come together add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it starts sticking together. You may or may not need to add water. It will depend on the consistency of the peanut butter used.
- Store in covered container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 Bite (without protein)
- Calories: 125
- Fat: 8g
- Sodium: 55mg
- Carbohydrate: 11g
- (Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 3g)
- Protein: 4g
Dietary
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Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.Â
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Are these ok for toddlers age 1? Thank you!
Unless your child has a food allergy or they pose a choking risk for your child, they should be fine. I would break them up into smaller bites and supervise while she/he is eating just to be sure though.
This recipe is so easy and customizable. It’s a sweet treat, yes, but it’s better than the cookies I was going to eat.
★★★★★
I’ve tried other recipes similar to this before, but these are my new favorite. Pulsing the oats in a blender makes a HUGE difference in the consistency. I had to add quite a few splashes of water and they came out perfectly.
★★★★★
The recipe instructions don’t include when to put in the salt and collagen! Can’t wait to eat mine though!
Added!