Tasty No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls make a fabulous gluten-free lunchbox treat or post-workout snack! We love snacking on these PB date bites all week long.
Let’s see if I can make it through this entire post without cracking a single ball joke.
I think I can. I think I can. I probably can’t.
Get ready to roll because we’re making no-bake peanut butter energy balls today, folks!
They’re quick, easy, and totally customizable if you want to get creative with your balls. Anything goes!
I have an obsession with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
If I have a fresh loaf of bread in the house, I’ll eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until we finally run out of bread.
Well, at least until we get to the bread heel, because as much as I love a good PB+J… there’s no way I’m eating bread butts.
Not happening. Though I will turn bread butts into croutons – YUM!
Of course my peanut butter and jelly craving always seems to strike hardest when there isn’t a crumb of bread in sight; so I improvised.
Peanut butter energy balls to the rescue!
These peanut butter packed energy bites taste biting into a fresh PB+J sandwich! I absolutely love them!
Since the peanut butter and cherry bits remain separate in the recipe, you can taste them both with similar intensity. It was love at first bite!
No peanut butter? No problem! We also make the most scrumptious Key Lime Pie Energy Bites and Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites too.
I may be biased but our balls are the best! lol
No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls
These bite-sized balls are perfect for snacking! Even better, they’re gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and, above all else, crazy delicious.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 16 juicy dried dates
- ½ cup dried cherries
- 1 cup almonds (I used blanched + toasted almond slivers)
- 1/4-1/2 cup unsalted walnuts
- 1/2-1 TBSP juice (cranberry, cherry, or simply use water)
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup all-natural peanut butter chips (chopped)
- 1-2 TBSP slightly warm peanut butter for drizzling
Instructions
- Toss your almonds and walnuts into a food processor and pulse until they appear finely chopped.
- Next add dates, dried cherries, juice and salt.
- Pulse your heart out with the food processor until the mixture is well-incorporated and a bit sticky.
- Remove the mixture from the processor and spread onto a piece of wax/parchment paper or cutting board.
- Next you’ll want to add the luscious peanut butter chips. Since they’re sized a bit awkwardly for folding into the energy bite mixture, use your food processor or a sharp knife to give the PB chips a rough chop so they resemble peanut butter chunks.
- Incorporate the two and then roll into bite-sized balls.
- Scarf some as a snack right away, and store extras in an air-tight container.
Notes
Nutrition
I’ve been positively cuckoo for peanut butter lately and having this bread-free alternative to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my arsenal makes me giddy!
If you get a chance to try these easy no-bake peanut butter energy balls, let me know! Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation!
It tells you to put almonds and walnuts in food processor. I don’t see walnuts in the ingredients so I’m a little confused. Can you clear this up for me? Thank you
Hi Michele! Ohmygosh thank you for pointing that out! I transferred all my recipes to a new recipe card last month and there have been a few missing lines of ingredients along the way – super appreciative! You’ll use 1/4-1/2 cup of unsalted walnuts here. xoxo
It happens : ) Thanks Jenn, I love your site!
wow, dates cherries and almonds too, great texture and natural sweetness and love the peanut butter drizzle too!
Thanks Sabrina! We’re in love with the combo!