These easy, vegan no-bake chocolate superfood energy balls are packed with nutrients thanks healthy ingredients like hemp, chia, flax and walnuts.

Chocolate energy ball with a bite taken out of it on a plate. More balls on plate in backgorund.

Features

  • vegan, gluten-free, no added sugar, oil-free
  • easy to make in 15 minutes or less, no baking required!
  • enjoy for a wholesome, healthy dessert or snack you can feel good about
  • travel well for healthy snacking on-the-go

Ingredient Notes

Dates, walnuts and various seeds in small glass bowls, labelled with text overlay.
  • dates – any variety works as long as they’re soft and moist, my favourite are medjool and sayer dates
  • walnuts – use plain, raw walnuts with no added oil or salt
  • hemp seeds – may be labelled as hemp hearts or shelled hemp seeds
  • chia seeds – any variety works here, if you don’t have any on hand, they can be replaced with additional hemp seeds
  • hemp protein – I used plain, unflavoured, raw hemp protein powder but you can use any protein powder you like
  • cacao powder – I used raw cacao powder for extra nutrients but regular cocoa powder works just find too

Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Add the walnuts to a food processor and blend into a coarse, grainy flour.

Blended walnuts in a food processor.

Step 2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can pinch together between your fingers.

Help, my dough is too crumbly! If your dough is too dry and crumbly to roll into balls (this can happen if your dates were too dry), add 2 tsp extra water and process again. That should do the trick!

Chocolate energy ball dough in a food processor.

Step 3. Use your hands to roll the dough in about 16 bite-sized balls.

Spoonful of raw energy ball dough over a cutting board with 2 rolled balls sitting on it.
Chocolate energy balls on a cutting board lined with parchment paper.

For an extra treat, roll the balls in coconut sugar, hemp seeds, coconut or cocoa. Enjoy!

Chocolate energy balls rolled in coconut sugar and hemp seeds on a cutting board lined with parchment paper.

Notes and Tips

  • Dates: It’s important to use soft, moist dates in this recipe. If your dates are overly dry or you’re not sure, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using. If using soaked dates, you can omit the 2 tbsp of water.
  • Hemp and Chia Seeds: If you’re missing hemp seeds, use 3 tbsp chia seeds. If you’re missing chia seeds, use a full 4 tbsp of hemp seeds.
  • Walnuts: Can be substituted with pecans, almonds or any combination of the 3.
  • Protein Powder: Hemp protein powder can be substituted with any other protein powder or powdered peanut butter, or replaced with an additional 1 tablespoon of cacao powder.
Stack of chocolate covered energy balls on plate against a brick background.

Storing

  • Fridge: Up to 2 weeks in a sealed container.
  • Freezer (Recommended): Up to 3 months in a sealed container or freezer-safe bag.
  • Room Temperature: If taking to-go they’re ok up to a few days, or longer if kept cool.
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Chocolate energy balls rolled in coconut sugar and hemp seeds on a cutting board lined with parchment paper.

Chocolate Superfood Energy Balls

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

These superfood energy balls are loaded up with all the good stuff such as chia, hemp and flax seeds so you can snack smart and know you’re giving your body plenty of nutrition. Bonus: they also taste amazing!

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Blend the walnuts for a minute or so until they’re broken down into a coarse, grainy flour.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can pinch together between your fingers.
  3. Use your hands to roll the balls into approximately 16 bite-sized balls. 
  4. Roll the balls in your choice of coating, if desired. Try coconut sugar, cacao powder, cinnamon, hemp seeds or coconut.
  5. Enjoy right away or store in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

Dates: It’s important to use soft, moist dates in this recipe. If your dates are overly dry or you’re not sure, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using. If using soaked dates, you can omit the 2 tbsp of water.

Protein: Hemp protein powder can be substituted with any other protein powder or powdered peanut butter, or replaced with an additional 1 tablespoon of cacao powder.

Coating: I rolled mine in a mixture of coconut sugar and cinnamon for an extra treat, totally optional. You could also roll them in hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut or cacao powder.

Storing: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freezer (recommended) for up to 3 months. If taking to-go they’re ok up for 1-2 days at room temperature, or longer if kept cool.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ball
  • Calories: 132
  • Sugar: 10 g
  • Fat: 8.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 3.5 g

Keywords: superfood balls, chocolate energy balls

Originally published on March 21, 2013. Updated with new photos and text on November 3, 2020.