Cinnamon Energy Balls
These nut-free and low-fat cinnamon energy balls are easy to make with 4 ingredients for a sweet and satisfying cinnamon snack.
These easy no-bake balls are nut-free, which can be hard to come across in energy ball recipes! All you need to make these sweet bites is dates, oats, cinnamon and maple syrup.
These balls are perfectly portable so work well for kids lunch boxes, road trips, hiking, long runs and any snacking on-the-go. They can also be frozen so you always have a little treat on hand!
If you love cinnamon, you’ll love these sweet, soft and chewy energy balls!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- They’re vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and nut-free. Perfect for those with allergies or other dietary restrictions.
- Low in added sugar or can be made sugar-free.
- They’re naturally sweetened with dates and are low-fat making them easily digestible. Try them pre-workout or during a long run or bike ride!
- Just 80 calories per energy ball!
- Easy to make in 10 minutes with just 4 ingredients. No baking needed.
- They travel well so they’re great for hiking, camping and busy days on-the-go.
- They can be customized with different add-ins and swaps.
- They’re bursting with cinnamon flavour!
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.
- Oats: You can use rolled oats, quick oats, minute oats or large flake oats. The oats can be substituted with nuts such as cashews or almonds.
- Dates: Any variety of date works as long as they’re soft and moist. I like medjool and sayer dates the best. If you have dates that are quite dry, you can soak them in hot water before making the recipe.
- Maple Syrup: Adds just a touch of extra sweetness and helps mind everything together. You can substitute agave syrup or honey.
- Cinnamon: You can use anywhere from 1-2 tbsp of cinnamon. Start with 1 tbsp and taste the batter, if you love a strong bite of cinnamon, add a little more.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Add the oats to a food processor and blend into a grainy flour. You don’t need to blend them as far as oat flour but break them down a bit.
Step 2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can easily press between your fingers.
Quick Tip: If your dates were too dry, the dough may be too crumbly to roll into balls. In this case, add 1 tsp warm water and process again. That should do the trick but if no, repeat 1-2 times.
Step 3. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls.
Quick Tip: Don’t want to roll the dough? You can also press it into bars in a baking pan or just leave it crumbled as a “raw granola”. This is yummy to sprinkle over oats, smoothie bowls and yogurt!
Sprinkle the balls with cinnamon or roll in a mixture of cinnamon and coconut sugar or shredded coconut for an extra treat!
Notes and Tips
- Dates: It’s essential to use soft, moist dates such as medjool or sayer dates. If your dates are overly dry, soak them (pitted) in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe.
- Sea Salt: Optional but I love the way it enhances the sweetness and cinnamon flavour.
- Raw Granola: Instead of rolling the blended dough into balls, leave as a crumbly, raw granola. Store in the fridge and enjoy with yogurt or a splash dairy-free milk or crumbled over smoothies bowls and ice cream.
- Coating: Try shredded coconut, cinnamon, cinnamon sugar, cocoa powder or a drizzle of melted chocolate. You can also completely coat them in melted chocolate or dunk half of them in melted chocolate and place in the fridge or freezer until set.
Variations & Add-Ins
- Add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips.
- Add up to 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries.
- Swap up to 1/2 of the oats for shredded coconut.
- Add up to 1 tsp vanilla extract to enhance the flavour.
- Add 2-3 tbsp ground flax or chia seeds for extra nutrition.
- Try swapping the cinnamon for apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
FAQ
Yes. You can substitute the oats with cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans or a mix of nuts. The instructions are the same. Add the nuts to the food processor and break them down into a grainy flour then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free though make sure to use gluten-free certified oats if gluten cross-contamination is a concern
Yes. To make these sugar-free (no added sugar), omit the maple syrup and blend in 1-2 tbsp of warm water if the dough is too dry to roll.
You might also like these sugar-free Cinnamon Sugar Balls made with monk fruit, these lime coconut bites, pecan pie bites or chocolate bites.
Storing
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
- Freezer: Store in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
- Room Temperature: If taking to-go, they’ll keep for a few days at room temperature, they’ll get soft though so keep cool for best results.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
PrintLow-Fat Cinnamon Energy Balls
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Prep Time: 15 mins
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Total Time: 15 minutes
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Yield: 20 1x
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Category: Snack
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Method: Food Processor
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Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
These yummy cinnamon energy balls are just 80 calories a pop so you can go ahead and enjoy a couple anytime for a healthy sweet treat. Try them straight from the freezer, yum!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) oats
- 1.5 cups (283 g) packed, pitted soft dates
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, optional but enhances flavour
Instructions
- Blend Oats: Add the oats to a food processor and pulse a few times to break down into a grainy flour.
- Add Remaining Ingredients & Blend: Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until it forms a thick, sticky dough you can easily press between your fingers. If your dates were on the dry side and the mixture seems too crumbly, you may need to add 1 tsp warm water and process again
- Roll into Balls: Use your hands to roll the dough into about 20 balls.
- Coat if Desired: Option to sprinkle with or roll balls in shredded coconut, cinnamon, cocoa powder or a mixture of cinnamon and coconut sugar.
Notes
It’s important to use soft, moist dates in this recipe. If your dates are dry, or hard soak them in “just boiled” water for 15 minutes and then drain well before using in the recipe.
Store balls in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months. If taking to-go, they’re okay at room temperature for a few days if kept cool.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fat: 0.7 grams
- Carbohydrates: 18 grams
- Protein: 1.7 grams
Keywords: cinnamon energy balls, low-fat energy balls
Originally published on July 22, 2017.
Hey, can I replace the oats with a different kind of gluten free flour?
I’m not sure they would work well with flour but you could use quinoa flakes, almonds or cashews. Thanks!
These balls were a hit with the whole family. I rolled them in coconut.
★★★★★
So glad everyone enjoyed them!
Just made this and I’m impressed how good they taste! I added an extra tbsp of pure cacao powder and 2 tbsp of water since the cacao is usually quite thirsty. I’m going on a bike packing trip tomorrow, any suggestions on how to carry them around? Thanks a lot!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed them. I’d freeze them before you go so they stay cool as long as possible, then pack them in any sealable container. Have fun!
So yummy! I ended up using 1 cup dates, 1/2 cup peanut butter and 4 tablespoons water. Love love love the strong cinnamon flavor! Thanks for the delicious inspo 🙂
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them, Alex! Thanks for the review!
Hi Deryn, Cinnamon energy balls are my favorites. My daddy loves it soooo much. Please share more recipes like this. Much love and Regards.
Mine are so dry I couldn’t roll them into balls. The mixture is crumbs. I’ve added more syrup then 1/2 cup water. Very disappointed.
★★★
Were your dates soft and moist? Did you follow the recipe exactly? I can’t imagine needing to add 1/2 cup of water. I’ve made these dozens of times and they always come out great, and they have many happy reviews, so I’m not sure what went wrong for you. Sorry!
Easy Peasy Sweet Treat (and healthy). Great Taste. Great Texture. Will definitely make this often. Looks like a tempting treat: stored in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a lid. Hungry snackers think they’re cheating. Thank you.
★★★★
Hi,do you think I can omit maple syrup please as dates look enough for me for sweetness?
Yes, you can omit it. You may need a few extra dates or a splash of water to roll the balls though. Just make as is first, then add a bit if it’s too dry.
Hi,
I just made these and they are delicious. I did add chia seeds, and an extra tsp of maple syrup. My question in how did you get 80 calories per serving. I just entered the recipe into myfitnesspal and it shows 224 calories, the chia seeds, and extra maple syrup only add 90 calories to the entire recipe, so according to the calculations here, making mine about 85 or so. I appreciate the info! I working on cutting calories and was surprised at the difference.
Hi Trish, I’m glad you enjoyed them. How many balls did you make? I made 20 balls, which worked about to about 80 calories per ball. I would check the entry you’re using for dates as well. With my calculations, the dates add 720 calories.
Do you know how much sugar each bite has?
★★★★★
Hi Emily, it should be just under 10 grams per serving. Enjoy!
What did you use to dust the outside of the energy balls in the photos?
I believe it’s just some coconut mixed with cinnamon. 🙂
Woooh… These balls my god… I loved the recipe completely. The picture of this dates ball looks so delicious! I will surely gonna try this Cinnamon energy balls asap for my hubby.In so love with the healthy food. Thanks for sharing this awesome and Healthy recipe with all of us. Best wishes and Regards.
Hi, could these be made in advance and frozen??
Yes, definitely.
Hello Deryn,
Can you substitute the dates with something else? Just wondering if you have and with what. Thank you!
You could try it with raisins, dried figs, dried apricot or dried cherries but I haven’t tried it so I can’t guarantee how they’ll turn out. Depending on how dry the fruit you use, you may need to soak it in hot water before using. They should be nice and soft. Hope that helps.
Now this easy peasy recipes.The picture of this dates ball look delicious! I am surely gonna try this.I love healthy food.Is it okay if apply some chocolate syrup on top?
Haha, sure, if you want to! Hope you enjoy them.
Did you mean for the cinnamon to be two tablespoons instead of two teaspoons? We made a batch of these last night and followed the recipe but it was way too much cinnamon for us. Anyway, thanks for the healthy idea! It was nice too see a date ball without nuts. 🙂
I actually did use 2 tablespoons in this recipe and that was good for me. I’ll make a note to start with 1 tablespoon and add more if you want. Thanks for your feedback!
These look so good! I like the ingredients you used, too. So much lighter and still delicious!
These are genius! I also favor macro-counting and it really is excellent to have some recipes that are heavy on a particular macro to fill in the gaps. I am definitely going to check out your other snack balls, but I JUST bought some dates and was trying to figure out what to do with them! Fantastic photos!
Thanks, girl! If only we always had loads of carbs left over…lol. Oh ya..if you have some dates, make all the energy balls! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Something like those Cinnamon balls would be good to have on a full-marathon morning on an empty stomach if you must have something in your gut at the running start line right before they fire the marathon gun to start the race.
Totally, they’d be perfect for that.
These look so good! It’s hard to go wrong with cinnamon.