Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls are made with 7 ingredients and come together in 10 minutes! They are the perfect easy & healthy snack recipe. Also, these Almond Butter Energy Balls are paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, date-sweetened & vegan.
These little balls of chocolatey bliss are crazy delicious and healthy! They're paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and are only sweetened with date. Simply almonds, dates and a few other ingredients come together beautifully to make the snack of your dreams.
Everyone in my family LOVES these Chocolate Almond Butter Energy Bites. My husband, who usually doesn't care for my "healthy" treat options (because he'd rather eat jelly beans or snickers bars) raves about these. However, My kids think I'm feeding them cookies for a snack. And, I like to enjoy them in the silence that follows all three of my babesĀ settling in to their nap/quiet time in the afternoon.
Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls: Substitutions
AsĀ always I recommend making this recipe exactly as it's written. But here are a few notes on substitutions:
- Almonds:Ā To keep these balls raw choose raw almonds. 1 cup of any nut variety will work in this recipe. To keep it paleo make sure you choose almonds, cashews, pecans or walnuts (i.e. no peanuts)!
- Almond Butter:Ā Any variety of nut or seed butter will work in this recipe. My two favorites are almond butter and cashew butter. Just be sure to choose a variety that meets your dietary needs.
- Almond milk:Ā Any variety of non-dairy milk can be used with delicious results. Also, I've used coconut milk and cashew milk in this recipe.
How to make Almond Butter Protein Balls
Process Nuts & Dates Together
First when making paleo energy balls,Ā always start by processing the dates and nuts together. These are the two most difficult ingredients to process, so it's important to be sure that they're finely ground and mixed well before adding the rest.
Add the Rest of the Ingredients.
After the nuts and dates are processed well, add the rest of the ingredients and process for about 60 seconds.
Make the Almond Butter Energy Balls
Next is processing all the ingredients for 30-60 seconds the mixture will begin to clump together. At this point, it's time to stop processing because the mixture is ready to be formed into balls.Ā Also, I like to keep these Chocolate Almond Butter Energy BitesĀ small (about 1 TBS of mixture per ball), but you can make them any size you like.
Be careful becauseĀ you do not want to over-process this mixture or the energy bites will turn out greasy. The picture below shows how the optimal "clumpiness" you are looking to achieve for energy bite perfection.
Add a Drizzle or Coating
Finally, you can leave your Chocolate Almond Butter Energy Bites bare, or you can drizzle them with extra almond butter.
Storage
Lastly, I think these chocolate energy balls taste best cold, so I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Energy balls are full of healthy fats, fiber, and protein.
It's better for them to be refrigerated. If not, they will dry out faster. However, they taste better cold.
If your protein balls aren't sticking together well then add some more moisture.
More Delicious Recipies
- Try these delicious energy ballsĀ Chocolate Date Energy Balls,Ā Cashew Coconut Energy Balls, or theseĀ Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls.
- Also, Check out these easyĀ No-Bake Coconut Almond Bars.
- Lastly, we love making these No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.
If you make something from JoyFoodSunshine I would love to see your creations. Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Tag me in your photos #joyfoodsunshine @joyfoodsunshine Don't forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below.
Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups pitted dates
- 1 cup almonds
- 2 TBS almond butter
- 1 TBS unsweetened almond milk
- 2 TBS cocoa powder
- Ā½ tsp vanilla
- Ā¼ tsp sea salt
- More almond butter for drizzling optional
Instructions
- Line a baking pan with wax paper, set aside. (These will not be baked! This is where the bites will be placed after they are rolled into balls).
- Put dates and almonds in the container of a food processor fitted with the āSā blade. Process until mixture is resembles a coarse meal and is uniform throughout.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (almond butter, almond milk, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt) to the food processor and process until the mixture just starts to clump together. (Do not over process here or the bites will become oily).
- Roll 1 TBS portions of the mixture into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet lined with energy bites into the refrigerator or freezer for 30-60 minutes or until they are firm.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Storage
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 2 months.Ingredient Substitution
- Almonds:Ā To keep these balls raw choose raw almonds. 1 cup of any nut variety will work in this recipe. To keep it paleo make sure you choose almonds, cashews, pecans or walnuts (i.e. no peanuts)!
- Almond Butter:Ā Any variety of nut or seed butter will work in this recipe. My two favorites are almond butter and cashew butter. Just be sure to choose a variety that meets your dietary needs.
- Almond milk:Ā Any variety of non-dairy milk can be used with delicious results. I've used coconut milk and cashew milk in this recipe.
Nutrition
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Wy @ The Healthy Patron
These were great! I even used Costco almond butter to make mine! Looking forward to trying more stuff from your site.