These easy Almond Butter Energy Balls are soft, naturally sweetened, high plant-based protein snacks to fuel before a workout or fix a craving in the afternoon. Bonus, these almond butter protein balls are vegan and gluten-free.
These no-bake energy balls are so easy to make at home that you won’t buy any store-bought version after trying this easy healthy snack recipe! It’s similar to my Nut-Free Energy Balls, Banana Protein Balls, or Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls. I’m a huge fan of such high-protein snacks because that’s easy to make and easy to eat after a workout.
What Are Almond Butter Energy Balls?
An almond butter energy ball is a raw, no-bake snack made with plant-based ingredients high in fiber, protein, and usually no refined sugar. There are plenty of different energy ball recipes, but most use oats as a source of fiber and protein.
Also, they are always sweetened with unrefined sugar like Medjool dates, rice syrup, or maple syrup. Finally, energy balls often contain healthy fats and extra protein from nut butter, seeds, or nuts.
How To Make Almond Butter Energy Balls
These oatmeal energy balls are made with almond butter. Almond butter is a great source of healthy fat, and it’s lower in carbs than peanut butter which stabilizes your blood sugar for longer.
All you need to make almond butter balls are:
Ingredients
- Natural Drippy Almond Butter – it’s highly recommended to use a fresh jar. Stir it well to combine the oil from the nuts and the nut butter. If your almond butter is too dry, the batter is dry and hard to stir.
- Brown Rice Syrup – or liquid sweetener of choice including agave syrup, coconut nectar, or maple syrup.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats or quick oats – feel free to use a gluten-free certified oat brand or replace it with quinoa flakes for a gluten-free cereal swap to oats.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – you can use sugar-free chocolate chips to decrease the added sugar in the recipe.
- Ground Flaxseed – This brings a ton of healthy fiber, protein, and nutrients.
Combining Ingredients
The great thing about this energy ball recipe is that you don’t need a food processor! All you need is a mixing bowl, a spoon, and your hands.
- Stir almond butter, syrup, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. The mixture should be thick and well combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients: old-fashioned oats and ground flaxseed.
- Stir with a spatula or spoon at first, then grease your with coconut oil and knead. Squeeze the dough to bring the ingredients together.
- Fold in the chocolate chips at the end and stir, knead to incorporate.
Adjusting The Batter
Depending on how runny your almond butter is, your dough can end up perfect or a little dry and crumbly. That’s ok. You can always adjust the energy balls recipe:
- If too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help the ingredients come together.
- If too wet, add 1-2 teaspoons of flaxseed meal or oats.
Refrigerating
Refrigerate the batter for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to form energy balls later. This extra step allows the fiber in flaxseed meal and oat to absorb the moisture and makes the batter easier to roll.
Rolling Into Balls
Remove the bowl from the fridge. Grease your hands with coconut oil to prevent the batter from sticking to your hands. Scoop out 1-2 tablespoons of batter, roll it between your hands, and place it on a plate covered with parchment paper. Repeat the rolling steps until there is no more batter left.
Storage Instructions
Homemade energy balls can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container. They harden slightly in the fridge, and you can bring the balls to room temperature 30 minutes before eating to soften.
You can also freeze the energy balls. This allows you to double or triple this recipe to meal prep healthy high-protein snacks for later in the month. Store the energy bites in zip lock bags in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature the day before.
Allergy Swaps
If you have any food allergies, I listed some swap options below for you to try.
- Nut-allergy – You can swap the almond butter with any seed butter like hemp seed butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini.
- Seed allergy – You can replace the flaxseed meal with almond flour or oat flour. To achieve a similar texture, you may need a little bit of almond flour – up to an extra 1/4 cup.
- Oat allergy – Quinoa flakes or millet flakes works well as a swap to rolled oats.
- Sweetener – Any liquid sweetener, including sugar-free maple syrup, works well in this recipe. You can’t use a crystal sweetener.
- Chocolate allergy – You can replace the chocolate chips with dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, or pumpkin seeds.
More Energy Balls Recipes
I love to create energy balls recipes to eat as a pre-workout energy booster or snack in the afternoon when a sweet craving hits! Below are my most popular energy bites recipes for you to try.
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Almond Butter Energy Balls
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Almond Butter - drippy, fresh from the jar
- 6 tablespoons Brown Rice Syrup - or maple syrup
- 1 cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- ½ cup Flaxseed Meal
- ½ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
Optional
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tablespoons Water - use if needed, dough is too dry
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine fresh drippy almond butter, brown rice syrup, and vanilla extract if used, until thick and creamy.
- Stir in oats, ground flaxseed, and salt if used. The batter is difficult to stir, so grease your hands with coconut oil to knead and squeeze the batter. If too dry, add 1-2 extra tablespoons of water.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate.
- Refrigerate the bowl for 10-15 minutes – this makes the batter easier to roll into energy balls as it gives the fiber time to absorb the liquid.
- Meanwhile, line a plate with parchment paper. Set it aside.
- Remove the bowl from the fridge. Lightly oil your hands with coconut oil and roll about 1-2 tablespoons of batter between your hands.
- Place each energy bite onto the prepared plate and repeat these steps until all the batter has been turned into bliss balls.
Storage
- Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 6 days or freeze and thaw at room temperature the day before.
The measurements are “spot on”. The best texture and flavor. Thank you.
Thank you!!
These are delicious! Easy to make. I had to substitute 100% Maple syrup for the brown rice syrup because that’s what I had on hand. I also added chocolate collagen peptides to boost the protein. My husband loves them too, and he thinks he hates almond butter.
Thank you!!
OK, here’s some critical advice for you Carine. You should make it 3 times bigger by default, because these balls disappear faster than I make them. What did I do wrong?
This made my day
These almond butter protein balls are my default snack for when I work out. I don’t think there’s been a week where I didn’t have a full jar in the fridge.
Thank you!!
The whole family loved these energy balls- thank you!
My absolute favorite
Absolutely delicious