Satisfy your sweet tooth in just 15 minutes with these simple and delicious 6-ingredient Chocolate Cherry Date Balls. The flavors of the sweet dates with cherries and chocolate make this grab-and-go snack absolutely delicious!
To make these delish date balls, you’ll need 6 tasty ingredients plus water and sea salt.
Date Ball Ingredients
- medjool dates
- dried cherries
- walnuts
- cashews
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- mini chocolate chips
- water
- sea salt
If your dates are a little on the drier side you’ll use water (or tart cherry juice!) to help the mixture get perfectly sticky. Start with 1 TBSP and increase as needed. I typically add 2-3 TBSP.
A little honey can be added to sweeten the mixture as desired. I typically skip the sweet stuff (the dates, dried cherries, and chocolate chips are enough for me) but totally adjust to taste!
Other optional mix-ins include chia seeds, hemp seeds, and pure vanilla extract. You can even roll the balls in chopped shredded coconut for a tropical twist!
What kind of dates should I use?
This recipe works best with Medjool Dates. I always keep them on hand these days since they’re so fantastic for snacking! I like to stuff them with peanut butter or blend them into energy balls for an easy grab-and go snack. They’re sweet and chewy and my favorite variety of dates.
Medjool dates are typically found boxed up like fresh berries in a plastic container at room temperature, or in the grocery store’s bulk dried fruit area.
Deglet Noor Dates are another common variety of dates. You’ll often find these in sealed bags near the dried fruit. They’re much drier than medjool dates so you’ll want to soak them for 5-10 minutes in warm water before blending for best tesults.
You can also use 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of chopped sweetened dates here (typically found near the raisins) as well but may need to add a little extra liquid as needed. They will yield a sweeter more dessert-like date ball. Same thing goes with sweetened dry cherries vs unsweetened varieties.
substitutions and such
If you only have dates handy, you can make these date balls without the dried cherries. Simply add some extra dates to the mix and you’re good to go. You could also add dried cranberries or raisins in place of the cherries.
The nuts can be mixed and matched as well. You can try unsalted raw almonds in place of the cashews or walnuts.
Easy Peasy Instructions
Process the cashews and in a food processor until it resembles small crumbs.
Add dates, dried cherries, unsweetened cocoa powder, sea salt and one tablespoon of water. Pulse/blend until the mixture is coarse-fine and somewhat crumbly. This will take about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl of the processor as needed. An extra few tablespoons of water can be added as needed (pulsing between each spoonful) to make the mixture sticky enough to roll into balls. Once ready, the mixture will sort of stick together in a large lump.
Fold in chocolate chips and scoop mixture into 1.5-2 TBSP portions. Squeeze each portion and roll into a ball. Feel free to dust your hands with a little extra cocoa powder first to prevent the mixture from sticking.
Do I need a food processor to make these energy balls?
You’ll for sure want to use a food processor with an S-blade for this recipe. A food processor works best because we have to break down the nuts into teeny crumbles as well as process the dried fruit so the mixture is sticky enough to roll into little balls or bars. The processor doing the leg-work is keeps this recipe quick and easy to make.
Can you freeze date balls?
YES! These chocolate cherry date balls are totally freezer friendly! After rolling the mixture into balls, place spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes before transferring to a lidded airtight container or bag. They can be enjoyed frozen or defrosted in the fridge. (I like mine defrosted)
More Tasty Energy Balls and Energy Bites
- NEW! Peanut Butter Energy Bites
- Key Lime Pie Energy Bites – try these next!
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls
- Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls
Chocolate Cherry Date Balls
Recipe yields approx. 15 delish date balls. Feel free to double the recipe if needed – it’s so easy to do! Ready to get your energy ball on? Snag the printable recipe card below and let’s get snacky!
They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for approx. 1-2 weeks and because they’re freezer friendly, you can absolutely freeze some for later!
Chocolate Cherry Date Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- ½ cup raw unsalted walnuts
- ¾ cup dried cherries
- 9 large medjool dates, pitted (approx. 4 oz)
- 2-3 TBSP water or tart cherry juice
- 1-2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pulse cashews and walnuts in a food processor with an S-blade until finely chopped.
- Next add dates, dried and fresh cherries, cocoa powder, and salt. Add 1 TBSP of water and blend.
- An extra few tablespoons of water can be added as needed (pulsing between each spoonful) to make the mixture sticky enough to roll into balls. Once ready, the mixture will be sticky enough to sort of stick together in a large lump.
- Remove the mixture from the processor, spread onto a piece of wax/parchment paper or cutting board and fold/knead in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop into 1.5-2 TBSP portions, gently squeeze, then roll into balls. Feel free to dust your hands with a little extra cocoa powder first to prevent the mixture from sticking.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator!) for a week or two. They taste great chilled and the flavors are even more pronounced when thawed to room temperature. Grab a few to go or munch on one or two as a sweet treat after dinner. Either way, you won't be able to keep your hands off these balls!
Notes
Nutrition
More Scrumptious Snack Recipes
- READER FAVORITE: Spicy Ranch Fire Crackers Recipe
- Vegetable Cream Cheese Tortilla Roll Ups ★★★★★
- Chewy No-Bake Rainbow Chip Granola Bars
- DIY Trail Mix via Bless This Mess Please
- Healthy Hummus Stuffed Peppers
- Maple Pecan Granola – love it so!
If you get a chance to try these tasty chocolate cherry date balls, let me know!
You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
I wasn’t expecting to like dates this much. These were an easy treat for my whole family.