Chocolate Coconut Vegan Energy Balls

What could be better than these super easy, no-bake Chocolate Coconut Vegan Energy Balls? These chocolatey pieces of heaven are so easy to make in just 20 minutes using only your food processor.

The perfect snack, breakfast, or even dessert.

I love energy balls in general because there are really no “rules” to when you can have them. Anything goes!

If you are not a big breakfast person, just looking for a quick snack, or craving something sweet, these vegan energy balls could be your perfect solution.

With energy balls, there are SO many different options and combinations you can come up with.

And I especially love these Chocolate Coconut Balls. They are:

• sweetened by dates with no added sugars,
• filled with the addicting flavors of chocolate and coconut,
• easy to make,
• only 8 ingredients,
• filled with flax seed so you can get your daily Omega 3’s,
• convenient as an on-the-go treat,
• and fun to make…and share!

Tips/Suggestions:

• For the flax seeds, I recommend using whole flax seeds to start and grind them using a small coffee grinder. Pre-packaged ground flaxseed can also work, but once ground, they have a short shelf life and are also not as healthy. I always keep a jar of whole flax seeds in my fridge that I can grind at any time. 
• Make sure you are using a food processor for this recipe, and not a blender. A blender will not have enough surface area and you’ll need that space for the ingredients to move around.

How to make these vegan energy balls:

To get started, add the almond slices to a food processor and process for 20- 30 seconds until finely chopped.

Next add the unsweetened cocoa, flaxseed, ground sea salt, and old fashioned oats. Process another 20 seconds or so, until blended.

Add the Medjool dates and unrefined coconut oil to your food processor. Process for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is well blended.

Note: depending on how sharp your blade is, you may need to stop, stir, and blend again every 30 seconds or so, so everything gets mixed equally.

The mixture should now be sticky enough to form into balls. You can test this by squeezing it between your fingers. It should stay together, but not stick to your hands, or fall apart.

If it’s not staying together very well, add a little more coconut oil and process again (see notes in recipe card for additional information). If it’s too sticky, you can add a bit of oatmeal or even unsweetened coconut and re-blend.

Once ready, form into 1 1/2 inch balls.

I’ve found that you can’t really “roll” these between your hands to form into balls. Instead, you need to shape them, pressing with your hands until they are in ball form.

As you form them together, place each ball onto a plate, or a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Any flat surface will do.

Then, on a separate plate, cutting board or other flat surface, add the shredded coconut. Press each ball, one at a time, into the coconut with a little pressure until it sticks to all sides. Note: it’s best to use finely shredded coconut as it will stick better.

Transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge up to a week. This recipe makes 22 balls.

Don’t forget to share these bite-sized snacks!! =)

Helpful Tools:

• Food Processor– This piece of equipment is crucial for this recipe to work correctly. A blender won’t work, as it doesn’t have the surface area that a food processor does.
• Measuring Cups- I have a variety of different measuring cups. These liquid measuring cups from Pyrex are great, but I also like these dry measuring cups from OXO.

If you love easy energy bites/balls, be sure to try my other recipes for Cinnamon Almond Date Bites and Carrot Cake Bites. Both are oil-free!

And if you try this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #veggie__chick on Instagram. I just love to see my recipes being made in YOUR kitchen!

Chocolate Coconut Vegan Energy Balls (Vegan, Gluten Free)

5 from 18 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 22 balls

Author: Christin McKamey

What could be better than these super easy, no-bake Chocolate Coconut Vegan Energy Balls? These chocolatey pieces of heaven are so easy to make in just 20 minutes using only your food processor.

Print

Ingredients

• ▢ 3/4 cup almonds - sliced or slivered
• ▢ 1/2 cup  unsweetened cocoa
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ground flax seed - I recommend using whole flax seeds and grinding them yourself using a coffee grinder*
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon  ground sea salt
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups organic old fashioned rolled oats - gluten free if desired
• ▢ 1 pound 16-ounces medjool dates, pits removed (if dates are not soft, soak them in water for 20 minutes first)
• ▢ 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil - melted
• ▢ 1/4 cup  finely shredded unsweetened coconut

Instructions

• Add the almond slices to a food processor and process 20- 30 seconds, until finely chopped.
• Add the cocoa, flax seed, sea salt and oats. Process another 20 seconds or so, until blended.
• Add dates and coconut oil. Process for 2-3 minutes or until mixture is well blended. Note: depending on how sharp your blade is, you may need to stop, stir, and blend again every 30 seconds or so, so everything gets mixed equally.
• The mixture should now be sticky enough to form into balls. You can test this by squeezing between your fingers. It should stay together, but not stick to your hands, or fall apart. If it’s not staying together very well, add a little more coconut oil and process again. If it’s too sticky, you can add a bit of oatmeal or even unsweetened coconut and re-blend. (**see tip in notes below). Once ready, form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Note: I’ve found that you can’t really “roll” these between your hands to form the balls; you need to shape them, pressing with your hands until they are in ball form. As you form them together, place each ball onto a plate, or a baking sheet covered in parchment paper (or you can use a silicone baking mat). Any flat surface will do.
• Then, on a separate plate, cutting board or other flat surface, add the finely shredded coconut. Note: finely shredded works best as it sticks well. Press each ball, one at a time, into the coconut with a little pressure until it sticks to all sides. Transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge up to a week. This recipe makes 22 balls. 

Video

Notes

• *For the flax seeds, I recommend using whole flax seeds to start, and grind them using a small coffee grinder. Pre-packaged ground flax seed can also work, but once ground, they have a short shelf life and are also not as healthy. I always keep a jar of whole flax seeds in my fridge that I can grind at any time. 
• If you don’t have flax seed on hand, you can also use chia seeds.
• Make sure you are using a food processor for this recipe, and not a blender. A blender will not have enough surface area for the ingredients to move around.
• **There’s definitely a sweet spot with getting the texture right. Since the size of dates varies for each kitchen, it’s hard to give an exact amount of coconut oil in this recipe. So it’s best to start with 1/4 cup coconut oil and add a little more (in 1 tablespoon increments) if necessary. If you add a little too much, you can add a little more oats (or shredded coconut) to balance it out. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1ball | Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3.6g | Sodium: 27.3mg | Sugar: 1.2g

Did you make this recipe?Mention @veggie__chick or tag #veggiechick

Update Notes: This post was originally published in May 2016, but was republished in December of 2019 with tips and FAQs.