This vegan chocolate almond energy ball recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes, with just 5 simple ingredients. Great on-the-go snack!
After an unexpected trip to the doctor on Saturday night and another trip yesterday to get my pinky popped back into place, I wasn't in the best of moods. In addition to that super-fun experience, I came down with a pesky headcold that Clark was kind enough to pass along to me. Needless to say, cooking was the last thing I wanted to do.
But we had ingredients and ideas and time, and no recipes ready to post [!!!], so into the kitchen we went. At no point did I turn on the oven, heat a skillet, or boil water. And yet I got these "heavenly nut brownie balls" – my dad's thoughts on them – out of the deal. I think a happy dance is in order.
Since my pinky was taped to my ring finger and happily starting to heal, Clark got the honor of rolling these into bite-sized nuggets. Can we give the guy a round of applause? They're so cute! For me, they're a two-bite snack and for him, they're a one-and-done kind of thing.
Either way, I love having snacks like these energy balls stocked at all times. They take care of cravings for things like brownies and cookies and entire chocolate bars because they're basically all of those things combined. And all you need to create them is a food processor! I'm a big fan of minimizing dirty dishes.
They remind me of sticky brownie dough balls with crunchy cashews tucked inside and a salty almond coating to top it all off. Sweet, salty, chocolatey, and healthy - what more could you ask for?
Make this chocolate almond energy balls recipe ASAP and tag us on Instagram – I love sharing your creations on our stories!
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5-Ingredient Chocolate Almond Energy Balls
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews
- 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla coconut milk (carton, not canned)
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
- ¼ cup almond flour or almond meal (for coating)
Instructions
- Add cashews to food processor and pulse quickly. They should be broken up into smaller bits and pieces, but not pulverized. Empty into a small bowl and set aside.
- Add dates to the food processor and blend until they become smooth and stick together in a large mass. Empty the date paste into a large bowl.
- Add cocoa powder to the date paste and use your hands to work it in. Add coconut milk and continue mixing. Lastly, add cashews, almond flour and sea salt and continue kneading until combined.
- Roll the cocoa-date-nut mixture into small balls about 1-inch in diameter. Then roll each in the almond meal and set aside. Enjoy immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 87
- Sugar: 11 grams
- Fat: 3 grams
- Carbohydrates: 14 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
I loved the look of the protein balls
I wanted to make these but I didn’t want to go back to the store so I improvised using raisins in place of dates and walnuts instead of cashews. Also I used some lecuma powder (what the heck) and coconut flour instead of almond, and flax seed meal instead of almond meal but they were still very delicious! Thank you very much!
That's a ton of substitutions! I'm glad they still turned out good! :)
Simply THEBEST!!!! But I used hazelnuts, cacao powder and coconut creamer instead of the cashews, cocoa powder and coconut milk with van flavor
★★★★★
Yum! I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Theses are great! Can I freeze them? ( I have a few in freezer now)
I think you should be able to freeze them no problem!
In the recipe I can see on your website, I don't see cashews listed in the ingredients list or in the recipe instructions!! Can you give the amount to use, how fine or coarse to chop them and how to incorporate them into the mixture?
Also I don't see the nutritional information!! Thanks so much, Brenda
Hi Brenda – I'm so sorry for the confusion! I edited this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it apparently did not save. I've fixed the quantities and instructions. You should now be able to see nutritional info too.
Thanks!!! That was a big help. :0)
Where in the recipe does it say to add cashews?????? Because the comments ask about cashews and I don't see it anywhere in the recipe.... Thanks!!
oh yummy, these would make excellent wedding favours too!
★★★★★
That's a good idea! Guests would love these!
Where is the recipe???? (I scrolled through the whole thing and couldn't see anything.
Sorry for the inconvenience! Something went awry with my recipe program but it is functioning now.
Hi
I can't seem to see the recipe for these chocolate balls that look amazing....
I tried this recipe yesterday. It was really good! Only used 10 dates as I don't like it too sweet and add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds! Thank you!
Thank you!
Hello there
So is the nutritional info for 12 energry balls or for a single energy ball?
Hi there! The info is for 1 ball. They are pretty big and quite filling. :)
Ma'am,
What can I substitute for coconut if I'm allergic to it?
Hi Megan –
You can substitute any other kind of milk for coconut milk. Almond, soy, hemp, oat, cashew, flax, or even dairy milk will work fine!
I can’t find the nutritional information for these. Do you have it?
Hi, would the dates have to be soaked if they aren't soft? And could I substitute regular milk for the coconut milk? Thanks
Hi Carmen – Soaking the dates would be perfectly fine. Just don't forget to remove the pits! Yes, regular milk can be subbed. :)
Hi! Can you substitute raw cashews with roasted ones? I can't seem to find the raw ones from where I'm from. Thanks in advance! :)
Hi Jemm –
That shouldn't be a problem in this recipe! Thanks for the question.
Instead of cashews, could one possibly use raw walnuts instead?? My little sister is allergic to cashews and I can't imagine teasing her with these delicious looking morsels!!! :))
Hi Rebecca –
You could absolutely sub walnuts for cashews! Your sister will love them. :)
I'm allergic to cashews (I know, sad day, right?), any suggestions on a substitute?
Hi Cat –
That's so sad! You could definitely sub in another nut like almonds, pecans, or walnuts. The flavor won't be quite the same, but it'll get you close!
If using almond meal instead of almonds, still 1/4 cup? I would imagine less then?
Hi Karen –
Either way, you'll just need about 1/4 cup of almond meal to roll the balls in. I clarified the ingredients a bit because I think it was unclear. If using whole almonds, they would be crushed to make meal. If using meal, you would need about 1/4 cup to coat the energy balls. Hope that makes sense – sorry for any confusion!
Nutrition information (to the right of recipe) says 12 servings.
Hi guys! How many energy balls per serving?
Hi Holly –
Thanks for the question! Each serving is 1 energy ball. The recipe itself makes about 12.