Vegan Energy Balls recipe with Tahini and Za’atar

Vegan No Bake Vegan Energy Balls Recipe with tahini, za’atar, and dates are very easy to make.  They are packed with protein making them a healthy snack on the go.

Version 1 of this post was originally posted on March 2nd, 2019 at 11:21 AM. Post has been revised on July 26, 2019

Have you had one of those weeks where you were too sick to even have enough energy to walk to the kitchen?

I had one of those weeks and I kicked myself for not having some healthy energy bites or even granola bars handy.

So, I made a quick energy bites recipe today that didn’t take too much effort or ingredients.  It gave me the energy to get some work done

Recipe Tips

• If possible, use dates that have been kept in the refrigerator. I find that they blend well with the other ingredients in the food processor
• If you have time, refrigerate the bites after you make them. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to 2 hours before eating them
• They are great for snack prep or even back-to-school lunches. So, make a big batch on Sunday and use it all week
• Coat the matcha only when you are ready to eat. It turns the bites a dark color if they are kept too long.

What are energy bites?

Energy bites are small balls packed with nutritious ingredients designed to provide, well, energy.

Energy bites AKA Energy Balls are supposed to be quick to put together and are mostly centered around getting protein.  I am one of those people who could use these bites daily, but, I am always too lazy to make them myself

In this recipe, the tahini and the dates provide quite a bit of protein.  I always have homemade tahini because I love using it on salads or as dips.  Recently, I made a basil pesto tahini sauce for my roasted cauliflower salad and it was beyond delicious.

If you don’t want to make tahini at home, the store-bought one is also very good.  I recommend this one by (affiliate link) Joyva Sesame Tahini

Want even more protein snack ideas? These peanut butter protein balls are super easy to make using simple ingredients and it’s the perfect way to get an energy burst while you are out and about.

No Bake Energy Bites Recipe

I think all energy bites should be no-bake because I am too lazy to turn on the oven! Baking is my least favorite method of cooking.

All I had to do was blend them in my tiny food processor and that was it. Ideally, I should have refrigerated them for about 2 hours before eating them, but, they were perfect right out of the blender.

If you like protein-packed desserts, then you will definitely love this two-bites protein brownies recipe by Fit As A Mama Bear.

What to coat these bites

The best part about these energy bites is that you can coat them with so many different ingredients. The problem was that I had so many ideas and I just couldn’t narrow down my focus

So, I tried 4 different coating ingredients and they all tasted good.  I am going to let you pick your favorite and let me know what you think

P/S: You don’t need to coat them because they taste perfect just by themselves.  But, coating these vegan energy balls made them look pretty for the camera 🙂

Coating with hemp seeds

Ok, if I had to pick a favorite, I think hemp seeds were the perfect coating.  They are light and they stick easily. Plus, the hemp seeds don’t fall off once they have been refrigerated.

Hemp seeds not only add nutrition to a recipe, they also make the dish look delicious.  I used them on top of my pineapple smoothie and sprinkled them over oven-roasted Brussels sprouts.

If you aren’t a fan of hemp seeds, try it with chia seeds. The taste will be altered slightly, but, still tastes good.

Coating these bites with Coconut

I took a shredded sweet coconut and blended it up a little.  Then, I coated the energy bites in them and refrigerated them.  That’s it!

Shredded sweet coconut flakes can be found in any grocery or box store (baking aisle).  They are cheaper there than in any online store. They even have non-GMO and vegan-friendly sweet coconut.

You can also use toasted coconut to coat these protein balls. It will add an exotic flavor to them.

Also, you can make 5-ingredient Coconut Bliss Balls by The Buttered Home. They are delicious and mouthwatering.

Coating Energy Bites in Chocolate

I used my favorite new Dutch chocolate powder.  It’s Juice Plus+ Complete’s Dutch+.  I put it in my chocolate smoothie bowl and it’s my favorite smoothie recipe of all time

You can use any Dutch chocolate powder to coat the energy bites

Coating with Matcha Powder

Ok, I am going to be honest here.  Coating with (affiliate link) Matcha may not be for everyone

There is a little bitterness to the bites which I liked, but, I don’t know if everyone else will like it.  So, try it and let me know if you liked that slightly bitter taste

Also, the Matcha makes the bites darker by the minute.  I recommend refrigerating without coating the Matcha and then coating it when you are ready to eat

If you like to try more Matcha recipes, I have pancakes, hazelnut butter, tzatziki, and sparkling water

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Answering your questions

So, make these no-bake energy bites with dates today and come back to tell me what you think.  Be sure to rate the recipe below when you make it

What are your favorite energy bite ingredients?

Version 1 of this recipe

From time to time, I will go through old recipes to update the content. Sometimes, I update just the images and sometimes, I give the recipe a complete makeover

Version 1 of this recipe was perfect in every way, so, I didn’t change the images or recipe. Updated the text of this recipe and made it easier to read.

Update on 9-20-19 – Some of the text in this post was edited for grammar and ingredients. Images and recipe remain the same

See version 1 of this recipe by clicking here