These energy balls are a convenient snack that provide a good balance of complex carbs, healthy fats, and filling protein! They’re low sugar and super easy to make: no food processor or baking required!
why these energy balls are a smart choice
Most of the energy ball recipes I’ve seen and tasted have been UBER sweet. There’s energy balls, and then there’s sugar balls. You might as well snack on candy!
So I set out to create a tasty treat that with just enough sweetness… an energy ball that gets its energy from more than just sugar.
It was a huge success! Each one of these energy balls contains less than 2.25g of added sugar! This translates to about 8-10 calories of added sugar. If you ate 3 energy balls it would be about 25 calories from added sugar.
The World Health Organization recommends consuming less than 10% of your day’s total energy as added sugar. If you consume 2000 calories a day, a satisfying snack of three energy balls would only equal 12% of your recommended added sugar intake for the day!
The “energy” from these bites is found in the complex carbohydrates in the oats, the protein in the whey, and the healthy fat in the ___ (peanut/nut/seed)butter. As an added bonus, the oats and flax provide some fibre to help with regularity, gut health, and healthy cholesterol levels!
learn to make these no-bake energy balls (60 seconds):
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations!
chocolate mint energy balls (low sugar)
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- ⅓ cup cashew butter link to recipe
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp whey isolate optional
- 2 tsp water
- ¼ tsp mint extract
Instructions
By hand:
- Add all ingredients (except the water) to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out and form into a ball. Don't try to squish the dough too hard with your hands. The recipe is light on the sticky syrup so you need to gently coax them into a ball shape. Now is not the time to be a perfectionist in making the spheres!
- Add water, 1 tsp at a time, if the mixture is too crumbly to stick together at all.
- Allow to firm up in the fridge.
With food processor:
- Measure the oats into the food processor and turn on high. Process until oats are nearly a flour consistency.
- Add the rest of ingredients to a bowl (except the water) and stir to combine.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out and form into a ball. Don't try to squish the dough too hard with your hands. The recipe is light on the sticky syrup so you need to gently coax them into a ball shape. Now is not the time to be a perfectionist in making the spheres!
- Add water, 1 tsp at a time, if the mixture is too crumbly to stick together at all.
- Allow to firm up in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, check out these other energy ball flavours!
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can this be done without seeds or nuts? my boyfriend has dentures; seeds and nuts don’t work for him
Yup! Just skip the crunchy add ins.