Enjoy these no-bake banana bread bites balls for a quick, healthy and yummy snack that tastes like dessert!

A few raw banana bread energy balls in a small dish. More balls in background.

Features

Craving banana bread but don’t feel like baking? These sweet little banana bites are your answer!

  • make them in 10 minutes with 6 ingredients!
  • vegan and gluten-free
  • kids love them and they’re great for adults too
  • freeze and take for a healthy snack on-the-go

Ingredients & Substitutions

Visual of all ingredients needed for making no-bake banana bread balls. Each ingredient is labelled with text.
  • nuts – I recommend walnuts or pecans but almonds also work, feel free to mix and match as needed for 1 cup total
  • oats – rolled oats or quick oats both work, use gluten-free certified if needed
  • dates – any variety works as long as they’re fairly soft and moist and not overly dry. If you only have dry dates, you’ll have to soak them before use.
  • banana – just ripe or slightly overripe is best, do not use an under-ripe banana
  • chocolate chips – I like Camino or Enjoy Life for a dairy-free and vegan option, if that’s not a concern, any chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate works, the chocolate chips are optional but obviously recommended!

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Add the nuts and oats to a food processor and process until broken down into a grainy consistency. A few larger bites of pecan left behind are ok but they should be mostly broken down.

Blended pecans and oats in a food processor.

Step 2. Add everything but the chocolate chips and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can press between your fingers. Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix them throughout.

Quick Tip: If the mixture seems too crumbly (this can happen if the dates were too dry), add 1-2 tbsp warm water and process again.

Blended raw chocolate chip banana bread energy ball dough in a food processor.

Step 3. Use your hands to roll the dough into about 20 balls. You can enjoy right away or firm up in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Quick Tip: To smooth out the bites after you’ve rolled them all, wet your hands and give each one another quick roll to smooth.

Hands rolling energy ball dough into balls.
Two hands rolling energy ball dough into balls.

FAQs

Can I make these without oats?

Yes! To make these without oats, replace them with an additional 1 cup of nuts (2 cups nuts total).

Can I make these nut-free?

I haven’t tested it but I think you could use 2.5 cups rolled oats instead of 1 cup oats and 1 cup nuts, or try using sunflower seeds instead of nuts.

If you have a specific nut allergy, almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans all work for the 1 cup of nuts, so choose whichever one works for you.

Can I make these sugar-free?

To make these sugar-free, use sugar-free chocolate chips such as stevia-sweetened Lily’s chocolate chips or omit the chocolate chips entirely. To reduce the sugar content, use a high-cocoa content dark chocolate.

Hand picking an energy ball out of a bowl full of them.

Storing Instructions

  • Fridge: Store in a sealed container for up to 1 weeks.
  • Freezer: Store in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
  • Room Temperature: Okay at room temperature if taking to-go but they’ll get soft it’s warm. Keep cool if possible!
Raw banana bread balls in a bowl.

More Energy Balls

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Raw banana bread balls in a bowl.

Banana Bread Bites

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 20 1x
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Craving chocolate chip banana bread but don’t feel like baking? Banana bread bites to the rescue! Whip up these yummy energy balls in 10 minutes for a healthy snack that tastes like dessert!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup walnut pieces or pecans (150 g)
  • 1 cup rolled oats (100 g)
  • 1 cup packed, soft pitted dates (220 g)
  • 1 medium ripe banana (1/2 cup, 120 g)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
  • 1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips (90 g)

Instructions

  1. Add the nuts and oats to a food processor and blend until broken down and grainy.
  2. Add everything but the chocolate chips and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can press together between your fingers.
  3. Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix throghout.
  4. Use your hands to roll the dough into 20 balls.
  5. To smooth out the balls after rolling, wet hands and roll each ball a few times to smooth.
  6. It’s okay to enjoy them right away, they’ll just be a little soft, otherwise, firm in the fridge for 30 minutes then enjoy!

Notes

Storing: Sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months. Okay at room temperature if taking to-go but will get soft it it’s warm. Store in the freezer beforehand and keep cool if possible.

Nuts: Use 1 cup of walnuts, pecans or almonds or mix and match and needed. 

Sugar-Free Option: Use sugar-free chocolate chips such as Lily’s or to reduce sugar content, use high-cacao content dark chocolate.

Oat-Free Option: Replace oats with and additional 1 cup of nuts (2 cups nuts total).

Dates: It’s important to use soft dates in this recipe. If your dates are very dry, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 117
  • Sugar: 11 g
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 17 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 2 g

Keywords: banana bread bites, banana balls

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Originally published February 9, 2015.