These No-Bake Almond Joy Energy Balls are inspired by the ever popular Almond Joy chocolate bar but without all the gunk! They pack a serious nutrition punch and are also gluten-free, vegan AND paleo.
Last weekend I was up at a friend of a friend’s boyfriend’s farmhouse. I’ll give you a second to sort that one out…
I’m calling it a farmhouse, but it more like a majestic winter resort house with a rustic flair. I spent a good amount of time sitting by the fire trying to come up with that one.
I also spent a descent number of hours trying to figure out how I got invited because I honestly didn’t feel worthy being surrounded by such awesome, cool people in such a spectacular place.
I often try to compensate for my lack of worthiness with my ball talent. I was taught to never show up empty-handed to a party (or weekend getaway) but I’m pretty sure my mother was suggesting wine or a loaf, and not healthy energy balls.
I was never very good at listening to my Mom though…Sorry Mom!
So I packed my sweats and toothbrush and whipped up a batch of my Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls to feed a crowd. I used to get nervous showing up places with healthy food and would usually blurt out “IT’S HEALTHY!” as though to warn people in case they think it sucks but I’ve come to learn that balls will never fail me.
And naturally, they didn’t. As always they were a huge hit and reminded me that it’s been far too long since I posted a new ball recipe. 3 months to be exact.
I love hearing people’s reactions when they try their first energy ball. Most people can’t believe they’re healthy, a lot of people think they’re donut holes and only 5% of people are completely freaked out by the concept.
I’m not friends with those people.
In my wildest dreams I’d create healthy energy balls for everyone’s tastebuds! Mine love the blueberry muffin goodness, C is a sucker for the key lime pistachio and I’m willing to bet there’s quite a few of you who are craving these No-Bake Almond Joy Energy Balls and don’t even know it yet.
If you’re feeling generous, you can bring them as a hostess gift but my guess is that with just one bite of these, the whole concept of sharing will go right out the window. Welcome to the crazy world of energy balls!
PrintNo-Bake Almond Joy Energy Balls
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups dates*
- 2 cups almonds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (reserve 1/2 cup for rolling)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 T unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Put 1/2 cup of coconut flakes into the food processor and process to break up flakes slightly (about 1 minute). Do not over-process or it will become coconut butter.
- Remove flakes and set aside
- Place dates in the food processor and process until they have broken up and come together into a ball.
- Break up date ball with hands and add in almonds, cocoa powder, 1/4 cup of coconut flakes and sea salt.
- Process for several minutes, scrapping down the sides as needed.
- Add in vanilla extract and 1 T of almond milk.
- Process until mixture comes back together into a ball. If it doesn’t do this, add in 1 more tablespoon of almond milk. It should look like the photo above.
- Remove mixture from the food processor and roll into 2 dozen balls.
- Roll each ball in the coconut flakes you processed earlier.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for several weeks.
Notes
My dates were very sticky but older dates can dry out so if yours are not sticky, soak them in hot water for 20 minutes and then drain before using.
Want more ball recipes? Check out my
Healthy Energy Ball Recipe Round-Up!
What’s your go-to hostess gift? Have you jumped on the energy ball train yet?
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62 Comments
Cat
March 8, 2015 at 6:15 amI’m finding more and more people around me don’t freak out when I tell them I’m eating/have made something healthy – the fact that I have my mum eating kale chips is still kind of frightening to me. I’m now thinking a BYOB (bring your own balls) themed party would go down a TREAT. A healthy treat.
Cat recently posted…4 Hotel Room Workouts That I Took On Holiday
Pip {Cherries & Chisme}
March 8, 2015 at 6:28 amI’ve got lazy with my ball making lately, my current flat is pretty small and it’s such a faff to get the food processor out… Must up my game!
Not going to lie, usually I resort to bringing wine… Never goes down badly 😉 #balance
Pip {Cherries & Chisme} recently posted…International Women’s Day 2015
Kelsey @ Ramblings of Change
March 8, 2015 at 8:12 amI think my momma would love these – she’s the biggest fan of Almond Joys I know! Hard part – how to get them from MN to FL. Hm… She IS coming home for a week in April, so maybe these can be my “welcome to Duluth!” snack. =)
Kelsey @ Ramblings of Change recently posted…2015 Budget — 2 Months Late.
Georgie
March 8, 2015 at 1:22 pmI love when I realize I have all the ingredients to make one of your recipes! This is on the meal prep list today <3
Also "I'm not friends with those people" made me laugh out loud
Georgie recently posted…Garlic Roasted Peppers and Butternut Squash
She Rocks Fitness
March 8, 2015 at 4:35 pmI always bring wine and flowers! 🙂 I don’t make energy balls, but I have a client whom makes them for me…I actually just sent her this recipe, crossing fingers she’ll give it a try!
She Rocks Fitness recently posted…Friday Thoughts + KIND GIVEAWAY
Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen
March 8, 2015 at 6:52 pmHaha I always get nervous about giving people healthy food, so I tend to bake something totally unhealthy for hostess gifts. Either that or wine – you can never go wrong with wine.
These look super!
Chelsea @ Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen recently posted…Broccoli and Radicchio Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Amanda @ fridaylovesong.net
March 8, 2015 at 7:08 pmYum yum! I made some Almond Joy inspired goodies recently as well! Such a classic yummy combo.
Amanda @ fridaylovesong.net recently posted…Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits & Milk Sandwiches
Cassie
March 8, 2015 at 10:53 pmIn my dreams, everyone in my family would love going out to vegan restaurants. A girl can dream <3
Meghan
March 9, 2015 at 2:23 amI love simple, classy treats like this. I’d much rather have a handful of these than an Almond Joy candy bar! I was also wondering where on earth you found those mugs? They’re absolutely adorable!
Arman @ thebigmansworld
March 9, 2015 at 4:54 amI love no bake stuff and realised probably 50% of my recipes are that…oops.
I remember you whipping up a batch for your friends before the charity game. Legend.
Arman @ thebigmansworld recently posted…Man Sass Mondays #4
Laurie Dillman
March 9, 2015 at 1:44 pmOMG- I love your blog and your recipes! Your sense of humor is fantastic and your recipes delish! Thank you!
Dianna
March 11, 2015 at 11:31 amJust found you! Have a healthy-person-who-loves-to-eat-good stuff girl crush on you!
So I made the Chocolate Almond balls for my 14 yo son who needs a lot of healthy energy for baseball. I hate those store bought energy bars that have a gillion ingredients, are $$$ & usually taste weird.
He LOVES your recipe & so do I Sadly I had to make a 2nd batch cos ahem I only had ahem a few left cos I ate a few as strictly a taste/quality test mind you! His buddies had a few also & now I’m planning on making several different ones for variety & quantity. Not sure I want to be the “balls mom” but hey, whatever works! Thank you for sharing all your inspirational thoughts & recipes.
Brownie Batter Energy Bites
March 27, 2015 at 7:01 am[…] of cocoa powder and chocolate protein powder because I loved the chocolate flavor from making Davida’s Almond Joy Balls. But I think the real game changer, the thing that makes these little brownie babies so […]
Michele
March 2, 2016 at 4:12 pmThese are fabulous! My food processor didn’t seem overjoyed with the dates, so I did half at a time. I also needed to remove the dates completely to get the almonds started. My kids loved rolling them out, even if they couldn’t keep up to me eating them!
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March 29, 2015 at 7:24 pm[…] Recette inspirée de The Healthy Maven […]
Mira
May 18, 2015 at 8:19 amMade my 2nd batch of Protein Balls yesterday, unfortunately I didn’t have the ingredients to double the recipe as they’ve disappeared within 24hrs! My 12yr old daughter, whom has an insatiable appetite for sugary foods, exclaimed that they’re just as good, if not better than chocolate, and my 14yr old sports mad son also downs them like there’s no tomorrow. These are now a staple in our household….thanks so much for sharing. Western Australia!
Davida Kugelmass
May 19, 2015 at 5:44 pmtotally just made my day 🙂 So happy you and the fam are enjoying them!!
Employed. | Miles of Molly
May 26, 2015 at 9:56 pm[…] few days ago I pinned an almond joy ball recipe from The Healthy Maven and I have been day dreaming about them ever since, so when the urge to bake hit, my mind was […]
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May 27, 2015 at 12:20 pm[…] Almond Joy Energy Balls […]
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May 29, 2015 at 9:38 am[…] SmoothieNo-Bake Almond Joy Energy Balls […]
Viktoriya
January 3, 2016 at 1:58 pmAwesome and delish recipe! I don’t think I processed these long enough because the texture was kinda gooey, but they were still extremely tasty. Just like almond joy. Yummmmz. Thank you!
Randiah
January 6, 2016 at 12:58 pmMade these last night. They came out pretty tadty. I used prunes instead of dates and they were perfectly sweet. I did let a friend try them, and he was sort of freaked out… I guess healthy sweets aren’t for everyone
The Healthy Maven
January 6, 2016 at 4:05 pmhaha yes, a lesson I’ve learned the hard way! I’m so happy you enjoyed them 🙂 One of my favorite treats on the blog!
Penny
January 6, 2016 at 9:08 pmMade these tonight – fantastic! The mixture was a little too sticky at first, so I put it in the fridge to harden for a bit – then they rolled perfect!!
★★
The Healthy Maven
January 6, 2016 at 11:38 pmGlad they worked out in the end! Yes, they can be easy to over-process but you totally problem solved by placing them in the fridge 🙂 Enjoy!
Kim
January 7, 2016 at 9:47 pmThese were delicious – kids approved too! Soaked our aged dates & subbed almond flour for the ground, and they still worked perfectly. Rolled a few in cinnamon – yum! Looking forward to trying your other recipes. Thank you!
The Healthy Maven
January 9, 2016 at 7:13 pmAwesome!!! Made my day 🙂 And rolling them in cinnamon is a fab idea too!
Chantal
February 17, 2016 at 3:43 amReally liked this recipe. Used a mix of glazed and dried fruits and hazelnuts instead of almonds and didn’t put the milk in. They are so yum!! I think I’m going to be making a lot of variations using this recipe as the base.
Davida Kugelmass
February 17, 2016 at 9:39 amfabulous! Enjoy 🙂
Kristina
March 6, 2016 at 5:14 pmWhat kind of food processor do you use? Mine gets overheated fairly quickly, and I have to wait long periods of time in between blending these ingredients together.
KJ
March 22, 2016 at 1:47 amI entered ingredients into USDA “supertracker” and got 63 calories per ball (4g fat, 4g sugar, 2g fiber, 26mg sodium, 22mg calcium, 106 mg potassium)
Micah Frey
April 5, 2016 at 8:04 amIs there a substitue for dates?
Davida Kugelmass
April 5, 2016 at 9:28 amRaisins or figs!
Sara
April 8, 2016 at 5:44 pmDo you put whole almonds into this recipe? Some comments seem to imply that the almonds are ground into a flour – but the recipe just says add almonds.
Davida Kugelmass
April 8, 2016 at 7:08 pmyou add whole almonds that get ground as they are added to the food processor.
Alex
April 29, 2016 at 2:35 pmOMG, I made these last night, DELISH! My 4 and 6 year old loved them too! I rolled them into fairly small balls and one really takes care of the sweet tooth. I can normally take down a large quantity of sweets, this is my paleo downfall, but these really do the trick to not over do it!
Davida Kugelmass
April 29, 2016 at 4:41 pmWonderful! I’m so happy you and the kiddos loved them 🙂
Rachel | Finding the Wardrobe
May 9, 2016 at 4:08 pmThese look delicious! Have you tried using brown rice malt syrup instead of the dates to cut back on the fructose? I’m going to try this out tonight!
Rachel | Finding the Wardrobe recently posted…What’s in a Name: Why You Should Avoid Nutritionists
Davida Kugelmass
May 10, 2016 at 9:49 amNo I haven’t unfortunately. I don’t know that they would stick together if you did but you could certainly give it a try!
Sam
June 15, 2016 at 4:27 pmI made this with cocao instead of cocoa powder. Not sure if that caused taste to be off? What are your takes on this?
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
June 17, 2016 at 1:38 pmIt could very well have been the cacao but also check the expiration on your almonds as sometimes rancid almonds can really affect the taste. Do you store them in the fridge?
Sarah
September 7, 2016 at 9:37 pmCould you use anything in place of a food processor? A nutri bullet or something like that?
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 9, 2016 at 10:35 amI wouldn’t recommend it with a nutri bullet. Unless you have a high-speed blender like a vitamix, I wouldn’t risk breaking your equipment!
Elinore
September 28, 2016 at 11:25 amWow! Just made these and they are AMAZING!!!!! I have a new favorite sweet treat. Husband and kid agree. Thank you!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
October 1, 2016 at 5:58 pmSo happy to hear you enjoyed!
Katie
January 14, 2017 at 4:31 pmI am not a cook, nor a baker….so these no bake balls are right up my alley. I have made them twice and both times they are gone within a day! My 18 month old keeps BEGGING for more…before he has even had a chance to swallow. My 8 year old and 6 year old think its pretty cool that there are dates in them and that it still doesnt taste disguisting. This is one of the few recipes that actually tastes EXACTLY as described…..just like almond joys! Thank you for sharing this gem and not keeping it a family secret. I will have to check out more of your stuff!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
January 16, 2017 at 11:04 pmSo happy to hear you enjoyed! One of my favorite recipes on the blog!
Albert Trotter
March 16, 2017 at 1:39 pmnice one…looks delicious
Jamie Liverseidge
May 18, 2017 at 5:20 pmWow, I just made these and they barely made it on the pan to go into the fridge!! So delicious!! Trying my best to eat healthy, but my sweet cravings are out of this world and this hits the spot without the guilt! 🙂 I attempted to use my blender instead of a food processor and I do regret it, figured the 3hp would be enough but the blades totally gummed up and stopped moving! Next time I’m going to try to add some flax seed and hemp seed to add to t the health factor. Thanks so much for the recipe!!:)
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
May 23, 2017 at 6:07 pmOf course! So happy you enjoyed!
Coco
June 14, 2017 at 5:53 pmThese sound absolutely amazing. Would love to make them for a post breakfast/lunch snack. What is the calorie breakdown for these though? How many calories would one be? #CalorieCounter
Rebecca
June 23, 2017 at 6:13 amHi there i’m gonna be doing these later but i need to ask a couple of questions. Is it ok to use regular milk instead of almond? is it ok to use dessicated coconut instead of coconut flakes? And about the almonds should they be blanched,roasted or raw? and should they be ground or crushed? Thanks =)
Julie
December 23, 2017 at 12:19 pmFinally had a chance to make these last night. Absolutely wonderful! Thing is, I think I burned out the motor on my food processor. I kept smelling smoke and then finally I noticed a few little wisps coming up. I have a Cuisinart pro classic, which, despite its name, clearly can’t handle a recipe like this. So, I’m wondering if anyone can recommend reasonably priced food processors that can handle chopping sticky dates and lots of nuts etc. Thanks so much.
Anaya
January 21, 2018 at 10:02 amI just made these and they are fantastic. All I had were roasted salted almonds so I dropped the salt and they taste great. For those who had issues with grinding the whole almonds, what I did was grind them in my coffee grinder and then added tot the date mixture in the food processor. I hope that tip helps.
Heidi
January 22, 2018 at 11:22 amAmazing!! Really these give me the chocolate coconut fix i need as well as nutrition. I made this just as instructed but also made it with adding about 1/2 cup ground flaxseed and another tbsp of unsweetened vanilla just for a lil more nutritional benefit. Thank you for the recipe!
H
Cheers to Health & Happiness
February 4, 2018 at 4:32 pmThese are so good! Very simple to make & exactly what I hoped for; absolutely decadent. All of the energy, none of the regret. Making Blueberry Muffin Balls next. Thank you for posting this recipe & excellent job on the precise how-to video!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sharon
February 11, 2018 at 5:37 pmThese are delicious. Can they be frozen?
Tammy
February 12, 2018 at 3:08 pmThese turned out great! Loved them and can’t wait to try out other variations.
Kate
May 17, 2018 at 5:56 pmThese energy balls look soooooo delicious! I love this recipe! I’m going to make them this weekend!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
May 20, 2018 at 4:34 pmEnjoy!!
Heather VanSnick
June 4, 2018 at 10:32 pmThese are delicious but so addicting. do you know the nutritional value of each ball?
Jennifer
June 11, 2018 at 11:19 amWould love to try these as my Daughter needs more protein in her diet. But, alas she can’t have dried fruits as she has a fructose malabsorption.