Energy Balls Recipe (Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 6, 2025 
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls – These delicious, nutritious, no-bake energy bites are easy to make with nut butter, oats, raisins, and chocolate chips. They taste like a decadent oatmeal raisin cookie, but this customizable recipe is dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free!
Why We Love This Easy Energy Balls Recipe
Need some pep – and fast? Pop one or two protein-rich and totally plant-based energy balls for a tasty snack to jumpstart your morning or afternoon!
We’ve loaded these No-Bake Energy Balls with all of the best oatmeal cookie must-haves, like raisins and chocolate chips, so you get a ‘lil sweet indulgence in your treat. But while they taste nearly identical to your favorite classic cookies, this energy balls recipe is completely gluten-free, dairy free, and easy to make vegan.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
To balance the sweetness of the chocolate, we also include heart-healthy extra add-ins like flaxseed, shredded coconut, and nut butter. However, you can easily customize our peanut butter oatmeal balls recipe by swapping or adding all kinds of different mix-ins.
Whatever ingredients you choose, these raw energy balls take barely any energy to make! Simply add most ingredients to a food processor, give it a whirl, stir in some goodies, and shape the balls. (Kids especially love to help with rolling the dough!)
They are ready to enjoy in as little as 20 minutes, and are great to prep in a large batch to keep on hand for quick morning snacks, post-workout boosts, healthier lunchbox treats, or as an anytime pick-me-up!
Ingredients You Need
- Oats – quick rolled are best, but old-fashioned oats will also work well
- Flax seeds – use whole seeds to grind by hand, or purchase ground flaxseed to skip a step
- Shredded coconut – raw and unsweetened
- Nut butter – your choice of peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or even sunflower butter for a nut-free energy balls recipe
- Vanilla extract – use a good quality extract for the best taste
- Spices – ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and salt
- Maple syrup – use real pure maple syrup, not a pancake syrup blend
- Raisins – optional
- Chocolate chips – vegan, your choice of semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate chips
Protein Pointer: If you want to include extra protein in this recipe, you can add 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder to the food processor. You may need to add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter as well to reach the right consistency.
How to Make No-Bake Energy Balls
Get the full Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Recipe Variations
There are SO many easy and fun ways to customize this basic no-bake energy balls recipe! Here are a few ideas for swaps or extra add-ins:
- Shredded coconut – feel free to leave out, and add 3 extra tablespoons of oats
- Spices – mix in a pinch or two of pumpkin pie or apple pie spice, ground cloves, or allspice for a gingerbread taste
- Sweetener – swap maple syrup for agave or honey (not vegan)
- Dried fruit – substitute raisins or do a 50/50 blend with other fruits like dried cranberries, dates or cherries
- Chocolate chips – use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate chips (your choice of dairy-free or not)
- Extra goodies – include a few tablespoons of chopped walnuts or pecans, mini M&M candies, or colorful sprinkles (obviously not quite so healthy)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! For the best consistency, use ready-ground flaxseed or grind your own flaxseed in a coffee or spice grinder. Then combine all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
There is a lot of protein, fiber, and fat in each of these tasty energy balls. So you only need to snack on two or three per day.
Store the balls in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Absolutely! I suggest first flash-freezing them for 1 hour on a baking sheet. Then transfer the energy balls to a freezer-safe zipper bag or other container. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 20-30 minutes.
Looking for More Heathy(ish) Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Balls Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups quick rolled oats
- 1/3 cup flax seeds
- 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place the flax seeds in a food processor. Grind the flax seeds until they start to break up. (They do not have to be fully ground into powder.)
- Add the oats, coconut, nut butter, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and maple syrup. Turn the processor on high and mix until the ingredients form a thick consistent crumble.
- Add in the raisins and chocolate chips. Mix these ingredients in by hand.
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out even balls of dough. Roll the dough into tight balls.
- Place the energy balls into an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
These are so delicious and easy! A great little healthy snack.