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Your favorite seasonal latte just got a makeover! These Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Energy Balls made with pureed pumpkin, oatmeal and pumpkin spice will keep you satisfied all season long.
I couldn’t possibly do a whole weak of energy ball flavors and NOT include a pumpkin version. Especially not in October when god forbid I should post a recipe without pumpkin. Energy ball week put a bit of a kink in that plan.
More importantly than including a pumpkin energy ball recipe is including a recipe that does not require you to whip out your food processor. By now you know I’m a big fan of date-based energy balls and if not, please read yesterday’s post. The one downside to my preference for dates is that the do indeed require a food processor.
Now if you own a food processor you probably don’t think this is a big deal. You take the food processor out, press go and let it do it’s work, but if I travel back in time to me pre-food processor days (BFD if you will) I remember thinking “ughhhhh why does everyone have to use a food processor in their recipes?”
My only piece of advice to you is that you will 100% get it once you own one.
…but that’s completely unhelpful advice if you don’t have the space or budget to buy one.
So to ensure those of you without a food processor don’t get left out of energy ball week, I included a recipe for you!
In place of dates, I used brown rice syrup which we’ve discussed in the past is a great substitute for dates in energy ball recipes. It’s sticky as heck (seriously, trying to wipe this stuff off the counter is a workout) and packs a lot of sweetness for such a little amount. Just taking about it makes me wonder why I don’t use it more often.
Another thing that I love about this recipe is how customizable it can be. Substitute applesauce (try my slow cooker applesauce) or banana for pumpkin and pumpkin spice for any other spice and you’ve got yourself a custom-made energy ball.
But please for goodness sake do NOT try to substitute the brown rice syrup. Literally anytime I make a recipe using brown rice syrup I can at least one comment/text/email from someone who tried to substitute it with honey/agave/maple syrup and the recipe failed. My friends, instructions exist for a reason. On occasion it may actually be in your benefit to follow them!
Unless you’re like me and never follow directions in which case…start a blog.
PrintPumpkin Spice Oatmeal Energy Balls
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 balls 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice (I used my DIY version)
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until they come together in a sticky ball.
- Wet hands under water and then roll dough into 16 balls.
- Place in freezer for 15 minutes before storing in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Where can I find the protein content for all your energy balls ?
Where can I find the protein content for all of your energy balls?
Oh, I get so annoyed when someone changes an element of a recipe and then comments negatively about the outcome! I promise I won’t do that, since I’m asking whether something like maple syrup or honey could be substituted for the rice syrup. Acknowledging that the flavor will be different, can you give other comparisons between rice syrup and maple syrup and honey? Do they have a similar viscosity, intensity of flavor, etc?
Thank you so much!
It can really grind my gears sometimes haha. But I always appreciate when people ask rather than sub on their own and report negative feedback!
As for the brown rice sub, it’s for consistency rather than flavour. The closest thing would be date paste which you can make by soaking dates and then draining and blending them into a paste consistency. It isn’t quite as sticky as brown rice syrup but I find it’s the closest sub. Maple syrup definitely won’t hold them and it’s totally dependent on your honey but sometimes you can have luck with it.
Let’s hope I still have that brown rice syrup in my pantry from when we moved! I REALLY want to make these today!
I hope you find it too! That stuff lasts forever so it should still be good too 🙂
i shared something similar on my blog couple weeks ago..and its one of my favorite!!!!! i have never tried brown rice syrup but used honey instead.
That’s awesome you were able to find success with honey! Maybe it’s my honey but I can rarely get them to keep shape with it. Fortunately brown rice syrup has been a winner here 🙂
OMG I’m SO making these balls this weekend! (WE’ll go to a board games party on Sunday, I’ll bring these -> I’ll just have to make enough for everyone 🙂 Brilliant, thanks for the combo!
ps. Oh yes, I’m a food processer/blender fan all the way! As for following recipes. Hm, depends. Sometimes I tweak it (mostly I use less sweetener than prescribed, otherwise I usually find the recipe too sweet for my taste).
I hear ya! Especially with baked goods I’m all about decreasing the sugar. Funny thing is that I rarely use more than a 1/2 cup of sweetener and there will ALWAYS be someone who complains they aren’t sweet enough haha. I just cant win!
Bahaha, your last line. ON POINT. <3
I must get some brown rice syrup for these then 😉
(And totes understand the non-food processor days. I thought "PEOPLE STOP IT. JUST STOP" But then I got one and I said "HOLLA. Balls be up in here for dayyys". << Literally.
Lovely way to end ball week. Have a great weekend!
You just don’t get it till you experience it! Life.changing.
Yes the food processor, I maybe didn’t miss it so much before I owned one, but when I got one I’ve put it to good use. Unfortunatelly it broke down and now I do miss it, like a lot. I’m planning to buy it as soon as possible, because I am now relying on a mini one I got with my hand mixer. I have to find a way to find brown rice syrup then because these look yummy.
Ah I can relate to the food processor! Unfortunately I was gifted a less than stellar processor and well for lack of better terms it sucked haha so yea I am that person always saying why does everyone use one!
I loooove my food processor! I actually had to explain to someone the other day what one was and what its purpose was, and I was mind blown to say the least haha! My kitchen has the weirdest set up and its stuffed into this tiny cabinet, so getting it out is a hassle, but it’s so worth it. I am a total hardcore recipe follower, always have been!
Right?! The hilarious part is that my stand mixer sits on my counter and I never use it but my food processor is tucked away in a hard-to-reach cabinet. If only it was prettier….#firstworldproblems