Easy 6-ingredients (almost) paleo energy bites made with dates, banana, peanut butter, coconut flour and desiccated coconut. Ready in 20 minutes! You can use another nut butter to make them 100% paleo. They are vegan, too.
I think we can all agree that this title can a be a little bit confusing, right? Almost paleo energy bites?! What is that?!
Here's the thing. Every ingredient in these energy balls makes them paleo, except one. Peanut butter. Because, sadly, modern cavemen and women don't eat PB (poor them).
But other than that, they're grain-free + gluten-free + dairy-free + sugar-free and overall just healthy and good for you!
If you follow a strict paleo diet, you can easily replace the peanut butter with another nut butter like almond butter - here's the recipe -, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter if you can't have nuts.
But if you're just looking for a healthy snack then by all means, stick with peanut butter! The combo banana + peanut butter + dates is SO delicious!
Enough with the paleo/non paleo talk now – let me show you how to make these easy snacks!
How to make (almost) paleo energy bites – Step by step
To make these bites, all you need is a food processor (this is the one I use and LOVE)
Start by pulsing the pitted dates a few seconds to break them down (step 1)
Then add the banana cut into big pieces (step 2)
Pulse just a couple of times – they won't be fully combined, it's fine (step 3)
Add the coconut flour and again, pulse just a couple of times (step 4)
Add the peanut butter (or any nut butter you're using) (step 5)
Pulse a few times until well combined and there are no dates' chunks left (step 6).
Do not over-process though! Your batter might become too runny, especially if you're using very "moist" dates and a ripe banana.
This is how it should look like when you start pressing some of the mixture and form it into a ball (step 7)
Form balls with the mixture and roll them into shredded coconut (step 8)
Et voila, you're done!
If you've scrolled down straight to the bottom, here's a quick recap for you 😉
Tips to make the best paleo energy bites:
- To make these paleo energy bites 100% paleo, use another nut butter like almond butter or a seed butter like sunflower seed butter.
- If the shredded coconut doesn't stick to the balls, dip them very quickly in a glass of water before rolling them in coconut.
- Be sure to follow the steps and don't overmix the mixture, especially if you're using very fresh and "moist" Medjool dates.
- Store them in the fridge so they last longer – but they're also perfect for school or work snacks!
Enjoy! 🙂
If you tried these energy bites, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
(Almost) Paleo Energy Bites
Easy 6-ingredients (almost) paleo energy bites made with dates, banana, peanut butter, coconut flour and desiccated coconut.Ready in 20 minutes! You can use another nut butter to make them 100% paleo. They are vegan, too.
Ingredients
- 10 Medjool dates pitted
- 1 banana not too ripe
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup natural peanut butter or your favorite nut butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
- ¾ cup fine desiccated coconut
Instructions
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Place dates in the bowl of your food processor and process just until they turn into small chunks (not paste).
-
Add banana and pulse just once or twice to combine.
-
Add coconut flour and pulse just once or twice to combine.
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Add peanut butter and vanilla and pulse again. The key here is to avoid processing too much. You want to avoid the mixture to be runny. Finish combining with your hands if necessary.
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Form balls the size of one tablespoon. You should get around 25. Roll them into desiccated coconut.
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Store in the fridge and consume within 5 days (if they last this long!)
Recipe Notes
- To make these paleo energy bites 100% paleo, use another nut butter like almond butter or a seed butter like sunflower seed butter.
- If the shredded coconut doesn't stick to the balls, dip them very quickly in a glass of water before rolling them in coconut.
- Be sure to follow the steps and don't overmix the mixture, especially if you're using very fresh and "moist" Medjool dates.
- Store them in the fridge so they last longer – but they're also perfect for school or work snacks!
This post was originally published on March 6, 2014 and republished in September 2018 with an updated recipe, new photos and more tips.
Joe adamz
Yummy! The "not enough cinnamon' looks great. Thanks for sharing your paleo diet recipes.
Lauren
Yum! These look delicious Marie! I really enjoy the 'cakey-ness' coconut flour adds to desserts, so I am pinning these to try! 🙂
marie
Yay! Let me know how they turn out if you do try them. Thanks for stopping by Lauren 🙂
Nicole
You could totes suggest using almond butter and making your own coconut flour using shredded coconuts for a completely pale treat! Sounds great. 😀
marie
Yep, that's actually what I did in the post 😉 Thanks for stopping by Nicole!
Mike
Haha "carb bombs"
This is exactly what I need to stock up on for my early morning workouts. Thanks for sharing! I'm going to make a bunch of these little guys and toss them in my freezer tonight!
marie
I'm glad to help a fellow caveman 😉 good luck for your early morning workouts! I love going to the gym and exercice but certainly not in the morning haha
Ashlea Walter
these are great - used almond butter instead of peanut butter. Delicious! They stopped me from a Girl Scout cookie bender. Ha!
marie
Thanks Ashlea! Good job resisting the temptation of the GS cookies! 😉 I'm glad to know they work well with almond butter too.
Stephanie
Ohhhh man, these turned out delicious! I whipped up a batch this morning and they're half gone!
I made a few subs due to what I had on hand, but I am so glad I tried these out today. I'll be putting them into my rotation for packed lunches starting this week. Can't wait to experiment with more combos using this recipe as a base
P.S. I subbed almond extract because I was out of vanilla and my kitchen smells like Christmas cookies! And these taste like cookie dough. SO GOOD. Thanks!!!
marie
I'm so glad to hear that Stephanie! mmmm cookie dough... yum!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
My family loves these little bites -- but the problem is, they never stop at one or two -- one batch might last one evening -- and there's only three of us... Ah well... love the peanut butter and banana combo here.
Marie
Hahaha this sounds familiar!
camila
these energy bites look absolutely phenomenal!!! very delicious!
Marie
Thank you Camila! 🙂
sue | the view from great island
Wow, these look like little truffles, love them! What a great thing to tuck into a lunchbox 🙂
Marie
They do! Thanks Sue 🙂
Jamie Young
Not only does this recipe sound amazing, they turn out so pretty too! We have been on a big energy bite kick in my house lately. Definitely going to make these! thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Marie
Thanks so much Jamie! 🙂
Sally Humeniuk
I have all the ingredients to make these today(Love my desiccated coconut) and my son and husband will definitely love these. Great prep photos, too. Thanks for a great recipe that's going to show up in my kitchen this week! I'm thinking of adding some pumpkin pie spice to it.
Marie
Yay I hope you love them! Let me know how they turn out 🙂 Love the idea of adding pumpkin spice too!
Elaine Benoit
I'm all for 'almost' paleo energy bites!! I love peanut butter and these look so delicious and easy to make. Great step by step instructions!
Pinnky
Looks so yummy. Is it because coconut flour was used that made it a non bake bite ball? will definitely try it out.
Marie
Yes, you don't need to bake them, they're perfect raw 🙂