Vegan Energy Balls That Pack a Punch
It's almost always the same story: I decide I'm heading out to work out at 5 p.m. today. No excuses!
I run my day like clockwork: eat a proper lunch so I'll have energy for my workout, plan the session in my head, and promise myself that today I'll finish every set. No creative counting. And then 5 p.m. rolls around.
I'm tired.
And a little hungry.
And I kind of want something sweet.
And honestly, I'm not sure I have it in me.
Sound familiar?
That's when I put on some upbeat music, get changed fast, pop 2–3 vegan energy balls from the fridge into my mouth, and head out before I can talk myself out of it.
These energy balls are packed with coffee, cocoa, and naturally occurring sugars from dates. They give me a boost of energy (can we retire the word “boost” already?), like a strong cup of coffee without having to boil any water.
The sugar in the dates, fiber in the oats, fatty acids in the tahini, and caffeine in the coffee and cocoa come together in a little energy bomb that'll take your workout to superhero levels. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little. But they can give you a nice push to get moving.
A Few Notes on These Vegan Energy Balls
The base is date paste, the kind sold in vacuum-sealed packages. You can substitute the same weight of pitted dates, processed into a fine paste in a food processor. But why give yourself the extra work? The packaged paste gets you to the same place faster.
You can swap the oats for puffed rice or even whole-wheat pretzels.
Peanut butter or almond butter can take the place of tahini. Just don't leave it out altogether, unless dry, hard-to-swallow energy balls are your thing.
About the coffee – yes, 3 tablespoons of instant coffee sounds like a lot. But that's the equivalent of 9 cups of coffee *in the entire recipe*, which works out to 0.225 cup of coffee per energy ball.
Nutrition Information from Noam Becher (an Israeli clinical dietitian and fitness trainer):
One vegan energy ball, weighing 10 g (0.35 oz), from a batch of 40 contains:
- 33 calories
- 1 g protein
- 7 g carbohydrates
- 1 g fat
Want another recipe for energy snacks? Click here.
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Vegan Energy Balls
Vegan energy balls that pack a punch.
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) vacuum-packed date paste half a package
- 100 g (3.5 oz) oats 3/4 cup
- 30 g (1 oz) whole-sesame tahini, undiluted (2 tablespoons)
- 5 ml vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
- 7 g cocoa powder (1 tablespoon)
- 9 g instant coffee granules (3 level tablespoons)
- cocoa powder, for coating the balls
Instructions
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Cut the block of date paste in half. If it's too firm to work with, microwave the portion you need for a few seconds to soften it.
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Combine all the ingredients, except the cocoa for coating, and mix thoroughly until you have a uniform, sticky dough.
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Use your hands to roll the mixture into evenly sized balls.
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Roll each ball in cocoa powder to coat.
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Place the balls in a jar.
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Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Recipe Video
