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.
I haven’t talked much about my pregnancy here on the blog (or elsewhere for that matter) but with just 6-8 weeks out we’re definitely in full-blown baby mode around here. We’ve got ALL.THE.CLASSES and appointments and I’ve been warned that baby will be here before we know it. Our journey to pregnancy wasn’t easy and definitely taught me that you cannot prepare for everything, but if there’s one thing I know I can prepare for it is food.
I’m well aware that once baby is here sleep goes out the window (TBH I’ve barely slept this pregnancy!) and you just have to learn to function on little sleep. While I’m not my best self when I’m sleep-deprived, I’m far worse when I’m sleep-deprived AND hungry. And so I’ve spent the last few weeks food prepping and filling a chest freezer I ordered from Costco with healthy meals and snacks. These almond joy energy balls are one of those recipes!
I’ve actually made a couple energy ball recipes because they’re a) super easy to make and b) an awesome snack at all hours of the day. So for those middle of the night feeds I can count on C to grab me a few of these to prevent hangry spells. Whether you’re pregnant, postpartum or just a busy human, I hope these almond joy energy balls bring you all the joy and nourishment you need.
Here’s What You Need
- Dates – the base of this recipe! The dates add a delicious natural sweetness to the recipe and the stickiness holds the bars together.
- Almonds – can you have almond joy without almond? No! If you don’t love almonds you can swap for a different nut though.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – adds a delicious chocolate flavor without adding sugar.
- Coconut flakes – I recommend using unsweetened coconut flakes so you don’t have a ton of added sugar. Shredded coconut works as well.
- Sea salt – to bring the flavors together
- Vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer. You can also sub with almond extract if you prefer.
- Almond milk – I recommend using unsweetened almond milk!
How to Make Almond Joy Energy Balls
STEP 1: Process the coconut flakes in a food processor for about one minute – you just want to break them up a bit. Make sure you don’t over-process or it will become coconut butter. Remove the flakes and set aside in a bowl.
STEP 2: Place the dates in the food processor and process until they have broken up and come together in a big, sticky ball.
STEP 3: Break up the date ball a bit with your hands and then add in the almonds, cocoa powder, the coconut flakes you didn’t process and salt. Process for several minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Add in the vanilla extract and almond milk and process until the mixture comes together in a ball. If it doesn’t do this, add in another tablespoon of almond milk.
STEP 5: Remove the mixture from the food processor and roll into roughly 2 dozen balls. Roll each ball in the coconut flakes you processed earlier.
STEP 6 (Optional): place balls on a baking sheet and flash freeze in freezer for 15-20 minutes. This ensures the balls won’t stick together when you place them in your container.
What if my energy ball isn’t sticking together?
This likely means that your dates weren’t sticky enough! If you notice this before you start the recipe, you can soak the dates in hot water for 20 minutes to rehydrate them. If you notice this while mixing the energy balls, don’t stress! Add in 1 tablespoon of almond milk at a time during processing until the mixture comes together.
How to Store Energy Balls
Store your energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks. You can also freeze for longer storage if you’d like! Just take them out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before eating.
PrintAlmond Joy Energy Balls
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.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen balls 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Blend
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (reserve 1/2 cup for rolling)
- 2 cups dates*
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (you can also use almond extract if you prefer)
- 1–2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Put 1/2 cup of coconut flakes into the food processor and process to break up flakes slightly. Do not over-process or it will become coconut butter.
- Remove flakes and set aside in a bowl.
- Place dates in the food processor and process until they have broken up and then 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 tbsp 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 roughly 2 dozen balls.
- Roll each ball in the coconut flakes you processed earlier.
- Optional: place balls on a baking sheet and flash freeze in freezer for 15-20 minutes. This ensures the balls won’t stick together when you place them in your container.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for several weeks or the freezer for several months.
*If your dates aren’t sticky soak them in hot water for 20 minutes and then drain before using.
Keywords: almond joy, almond joy balls, energy balls, almond joy energy balls
More energy ball recipes to try:
- Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls
- Chocolate Matcha Energy Balls
- Lemon Coconut Energy Balls
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Balls
- Mango Almond Energy Balls
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62 Comments
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.
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!
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.
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!
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
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.
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!
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!
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
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. =)
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
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.