No-Bake Cinnamon Energy Balls
on Oct 10, 2020, Updated Mar 04, 2025
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These nut-free and low-fat cinnamon energy balls are easy to make in 10 minutes with just 4 ingredients for a sweet and satisfying cinnamon snack. All you need to make these sweet bites is dates, oats, cinnamon and maple syrup.
About the Recipe
These easy no-bake balls are nut-free, which can be hard to come across in energy ball recipes though I also have these Nut-Free Sunflower Seed Energy Balls. If nuts are ok for you, these Lime Coconut Energy Bites and Chocolate Energy Balls are delicious.
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! Here are all the details:
- Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and nut-free.
- 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 each.
- 10 minute recipe made with 4 ingredients.
- 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!
Ingredients
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
- 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. 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.
- 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.
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.
How to Make Cinnamon Energy Balls
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.
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.
If you 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!
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.
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.
More Recipes to Try!
Energy Balls
No-Bake Cashew Coconut Balls
Energy Balls
No-Bake Pecan Pie Balls
Energy Balls
No-Bake Banana Bread Balls
Cinnamon Energy Balls
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add the oats to a food processor and pulse a few times to break down into a grainy flour.
- 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
- Use your hands to roll the dough into about 20 balls. Option to sprinkle with or roll balls in shredded coconut, cinnamon, cocoa powder or a mixture of cinnamon and coconut sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
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!