Wholesome rolled oats and ground flaxseed mixed with delicious almond butter, maple syrup, and ripe banana and chocolate chips to create the most scrumptious banana chocolate no bake energy balls!
You guys!! These banana chocolate chip energy bites are sooooo good! If you need a no-bake make-ahead snack recipe then this needs to go on your meal plan, stat!
The inspiration for this new energy ball recipe came from my insanely popular banana chocolate chip baked oatmeal cup recipe. That recipe is wholesome, super tasty, and sweetened only with pure maple syrup and ripe bananas. I wanted to take these same ingredients and turn it into a no-bake energy bite recipe.
I started making energy balls a couple months ago and have become a fan of this simple healthy snack. Actually, I enjoy these for breakfast when I’m running to the gym in the morning. I also find it quite handy to have a container of energy bites in the fridge or freezer for when I need a quick snack in between meals.
So far, I’ve create these energy bite recipes:
These new banana chocolate energy balls will make a great addition to the collection.
Okay let’s go over this simple energy bite recipe.
All I did was mix together rolled oats, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, pure maple syrup, almond butter, 1 ripe banana, and cinnamon.
I know it seems natural to use peanut butter when creating a banana recipe but please give almond butter a try. I’m so in love with almond butter, it’s delicious and goes perfectly with this recipe. The almond butter has a great flavor but doesn’t overpower the recipe.
When you stir these ingredients together the “batter” is going to be wet. You won’t be able to form balls right away. Put the batter in the refrigerator for a couple hours or overnight for it to firm up. It will firm up. The oats and chia seeds will soak up most of the liquid and will help the bites or balls hold their shape.
I knew these banana chocolate chip bites would be good but I wasn’t expecting them to be as good as they were. It’s almost like a delicious cookie dough ball that’s good for you. The ripe banana and pure maple syrup is all the sweetness this recipe needs and wholesome oats turn soft but still have a chew to them. The hint of cinnamon and vanilla add a layer of flavor that sends these energy bites over the top. And really how can we go wrong with chocolate chips.
These banana chocolate chip energy bites get better with time so they are the perfect make-ahead snack. I suggest making the batter on a Saturday and then roll the balls on Sunday for a healthy snack all week. You can also stick the bites in the freezer so you don’t need to worry about eating all 20 during the week, or in one day 🙂
Seriously, this recipe is good. If you decide to make it please share it on Instagram with the tag #OYSrecipes or share it in the OYS Facebook Group.
Check out my energy balls tutorial for more tips on preparing energy bites and list of my favorite energy ball recipes.
- 1¼ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- In a medium to large bowl mix together all of the ingredients. Cover the bowl and let the batter sit in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight. The batter will be wet but will firm as it sits.
- Form into 20 balls. It will be helpful to have your hands wet as you roll the balls. Also, you press the oats into a ball more than actually rolling it.
- Let the balls sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours or overnight. The balls will firm as they sit. Enjoy for breakfast or snacks.
Make-ahead tips
These banana chocolate chip energy balls can (and should) be made ahead of time. They can be in the refrigerator up to 5-6 days or in the freezer up to 3 months. Let the bites thaw on the counter for 20 minutes or so.
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dawn bostic says
January 1, 2017 at 3:39 pmIs the maple syrup supposed to be 1/3 Cup?
Tammy Kresge says
January 3, 2017 at 5:32 amyes
dawn bostic says
January 3, 2017 at 7:18 pmThank you, these are YUMMY!
I also made the the Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Shredded Pork and the Cuban Pita Pizza this week so far. These were both excellent as well and will be on my meal planning rotation. I am so glad I came across your blog. So many recipes I am looking forward to trying on my road to healthier eating this year.
Tammy Kresge says
January 4, 2017 at 7:41 amThank you!
Trish Turner says
January 17, 2017 at 9:43 amThese are delicious! Do you know how many sp they are in WW?
Janice Mottau says
March 21, 2018 at 12:24 amThey come out to 3 Freestyle points on the recipe builder
Sherri says
January 19, 2017 at 7:06 pmCan you substitute honey for the maple syrup? I’m not really a fan of syrup…
Tammy Kresge says
January 20, 2017 at 6:46 pmyes honey would work great!
Elaine SS says
February 24, 2017 at 8:04 amCan I use PB2? Need the calorie savings.
Tammy Kresge says
February 24, 2017 at 12:42 pmI never used PB2 in an energy bite recipe so I’m not sure.
Lynn says
February 27, 2017 at 1:16 pmDo you know how many WW points each ball is?
Vivian says
May 23, 2017 at 12:42 pmThis looks so delicious, I will make it for my son and substitute honey for the maple syrup. I believe that he will love it.
Jade says
June 2, 2017 at 4:34 pmThanks for your recipe. But I will substitute honey for the maple syrup. I really love honey maple syrup, maybe because honey has the sweeter natural taste.
Sam says
July 19, 2017 at 1:26 pmIs the flaxseed 100% necessary? Can I substitute something else?
Tammy Kresge says
July 22, 2017 at 10:35 amYou can substitute brain or some extra oats.
Susan Spreadborough says
July 30, 2017 at 2:05 pmZOMBIE BITES!
Andrea says
June 24, 2018 at 9:17 pmYou are too funny!
Susan Spreadborough says
July 30, 2017 at 2:07 pmI made these really just for myself but then discovered that my 9 year old son LOVES them! I like to eat them straight from the freezer. I nibble on them a bit at a time. He likes to microwave them for just a moment so that they are soft and chewy.
Karen Brown says
August 2, 2017 at 3:33 pmThis recipe was super easy to make and my athletic son loved them! I wish I knew how many weight watcher points they were haven’t tried them yet because not sure. The ingredients are healthy.
Megan says
September 27, 2017 at 4:54 pmYummy but do NOT travel well unfortunately have to be eaten straight from fridge or freezer.
FYI 3 Tblsp of Flax SEED = 1/4 cup GROUND Flax
Tammy Kresge says
September 28, 2017 at 10:39 amI find these travel great! I just brought 2 with me as I drove my kids to school and they were perfect. Sorry you had that experience.
Amy says
November 18, 2017 at 6:48 pmIs there a way that you could increase the protein in these by putting in protein powder…?
Tammy Kresge says
November 28, 2017 at 5:50 amYes many people use protein powder in energy bites. I never have so i can speak on the taste or consistency.