3-Ingredient Chocolate Date Balls
These quick and easy chocolate date balls are made with just 3 ingredients – tahini, cocoa powder and dates!
About the Recipe
These simple chocolate date balls are perfect for a quick homemade snack or dessert. They’re as easy as can be, easy to customize and though healthy, taste like a rich and decadent brownie!
These are great for stashing in the freezer for whenever you need a little sweet treat.
Never used tahini in desserts before? It’s so yummy! Try it in these salted caramel tahini cups, tahini hemp seed bars and tahini date cookies as well.
Ingredient Notes
- Tahini : Use any store-bought or homemade tahini. Good quality tahini should be smooth, easy to drizzle (not too thick) and have an earthy flavour that’s not overly bitter.
- Cocao: Raw cacao powder or regular cocoa powder both work great here.
- Dates: Use any variety as long as they’re soft and moist. If you only have dry dates, we’ll go over soaking below so you can use them in this recipe, though for best results, I’d recommend using gooey dates rather than soaked dates.
- Extras: To enhance the flavour, try a pinch of good salt and dash of vanilla. Cinnamon would be yummy too!
Variations & Additions
- Coat in Chocolate: To make these into fancy chocolate truffles, try coat them in or drizzle them with melted chocolate
- Chocolate Orange Bites: Add up to 1 tbsp orange zest for a citrus twist.
- Add Nuts: You can add up to 3/4 cup crushed walnuts, pecans, almonds, pecans or cashews. Add them to the food processor first to break them down into small bits.
- Add Seeds: For extra nutrition and texture, try adding up to 1/2 cup hemp seeds.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate: For peanut butter chocolate dates balls, use peanut butter instead of tahini. Almond butter works too or you could use sunflower seed butter for another nut-free option.
- Chocolate Mint Bites: Add a few drops of peppermint extract for chocolate peppermint bites. These would be perfect for the holidays or an edible gift.
- Spices: Try up to 1 tsp cinnamon and/or a pinch of ginger or nutmeg. You can also add a pinch of cayenne to add a subtle kick!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Before you start, asses your dates. You’ll need dates that are soft and moist to add the stickiness that holds the balls together. Medjool dates or sayer dates usually work well without the need for soaking.
If you feel your dates are overly dry, soak them (pitted) in hot water for 10 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe. I prefer to use soft dates rather than soaked dates for making energy balls as soaked dates sometimes add too much moisture.
Step 1: Blend Dough
Add the dates, cocoa powder and tahini to a food processor and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can press together between your fingers. If you’re adding any extras, mix those in now as well.
If the mixture forms into one big ball in the food processor, that’s perfect!
Quick Tip: You shouldn’t have a problem rolling the dough into balls but if it seems too crumbly to roll, add 1 tsp of warm water and process again. Check to see if you can press it together and if not, repeat. You shouldn’t need more than 1 tbsp of water.
Step 2: Roll into Balls
Use your hands to roll the dough into balls. Any size works but used about 1 heaping tablespoon per ball and got 15 balls out of the recipe.
If you like, you can roll each ball in cocoa powder, shredded coconut, cookie crumbs or crushed nuts for an extra touch.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can double the recipe, however, I’d suggest making it in two batches or it may be too much for your food processor to handle.
You can use any other seed butter or nut butter such as sunflower seed butter, peanut butter, cashew butter or almond butter just note it will change the flavour of the balls.
Expert Tips
- Dough too Dry: You shouldn’t have a problem rolling the dough into balls but if it seems too crumbly to roll, add 1 tbsp of warm water and process again. Check to see if you can press it together and if not, repeat. You shouldn’t need more than 1 tbsp of water.
- Dough too Wet: If you soaked the dates before use, you may need extra cocoa powder to balance the added moisture.
- Chill the Dough: If the mixture feels to sticky to shape into balls, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling to make it easier to work with.
How to Store
- It’s recommended to store these in the fridge or freezer though they can be stored at room temperature for a few days if needed. Try to keep them cool if stored at room temperature.
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 3 months.
Did you try this recipe?
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I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review and be sure to tag me @runningonrealfood if you post it on social media.
Chocolate Date Balls Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 15 balls
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rich, decadent and fudgy chocolate date balls made with just 3 simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 cups packed (350 g), pitted dates
- 1/2 cup (125 g) tahini
- 1/2 cup (45 g) raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until it forms a thick dough.
- Roll into about 15 balls and place in the fridge for a couple hours to set. Roll the balls in cacao powder, if desired.
- Store in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
For best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 119
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 4 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
Keywords: chocolate date balls
Originally published on October 17, 2017.
OOMMGGG!!! I cannot even explain how ridiculously delicious and easy these are!!!!! I LOVE chocolate but I’m trying to be good… and I ALWAYS wish for some small sweet treat!!! These are decadent! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
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Haha, you’re very welcome! I’m so glad you loved them.
So easy and delicious! Thank you for such an easy delicious recipe. I was short for school snacks tomorrow and was at the end of a long day, these were so easy to make. I got my son to try some for dessert and he loved them. So much better than the biscuit based recipes I’ve used in the past, and much more decadent and rich.
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These are amazing! So rich and they handle my sweet tooth. The salt is a great addition with the chocolate and “caramel” of the dates. Thank you for another awesome (and so easy) recipe!
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Yay! I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks for letting me know.
Ok so these are ridiculously addictive! I keep mine in the freezer and take one whenever I have a sweet craving. So easy to make. Love this recipe.
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Haha, agreed! So addictive! So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks!
Thank you, conquered my sweet tooth without the sugar.
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You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed them.
These are INCREDIBLE! I could not believe how much they ACTUALLY tasted like brownies. WOW. I will be making a stash of these to keep in my freezer, like, always! I also sprinkled on some flaky sea salt on top, for extra saltiness.
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Amazing, Daina! So glad you enjoyed them. They really are so yummy, aren’t they??
YUM!!! So good. This is the best nut-free energy ball recipe I’ve tried!
My kids don’t have allergies but you can’t have any nuts at daycare or school. Please keep adding more nut-free recipes!
Love your site!
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So glad you liked them! I will try adding more for sure…in the meantime, I do have a few others. Check out the cinnamon energy balls, sesame energy bars and nut-free gingerbread balls. Thanks!
These were delicious….I’m already looking forward to make them again! They’re so fudgy, can’t believe it’s just 3 ingredients! Thank you!
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Second time making in 3 days. Too good!
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So happy you enjoy them!! Thanks for trying them and leaving a review!
These are amazing and addictive! They totally satisfy a sweet craving and the addition of sea salt is perfect. I’ve made these with both tahini and peanut butter now and both are excellent! The trick is not eating them all at once!
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hi! these look great
is the cacao 1/2 a cup or 45g?
cheers!
It’s both…1/2 cup or 45 grams worth. Enjoy!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I’m trying to eat a low-glycemic load diet and these seem like a perfect sweet treat. I’m not opposed to using tahini, but could I use almond or peanut butter for a different flavor profile?
Yep, as long as it’s nice and drippy you can use any nut or seed butter. Enjoy!
I wanted to use up the rest of my tahini. Have made date energy balls before but these are so good! I’m blown away at how fudgy they taste! Keep mine in the freezer.
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Yes, aren’t they amazing!! So good! I love them straight from freezer too. So glad you liked them!
Just made these & can’t stop eating them! Sooo good! Easy, quick, cheap & delish! It makes quite a lot so I only made half. Will be making some more for Christmas.
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Haha, I know, right? So good! Glad you enjoyed them!
I definitely never would have thought to use tahini. But I bet that’s what make these so delicious!
These look soooo fudgy! I feel like I need to use more tahini in various recipes now! I don’t use it that often but these look so good