Date Energy Balls are a healthy snack that you can whip up in minutes, and they taste like cookie dough! All you need is 5 simple ingredients to get started.
Why You’ll Love Them
They’re quick to make. Just add the ingredients to a food processor, and process until the dough sticks together when pressed between your fingers. The whole process takes about 10 minutes!
They taste amazing. The combination of sweet dates, crunchy nuts, and a touch of salt makes these energy bites irresistible. They develop a chewy texture you’ll love!
They are easy to customize. If you don’t have walnuts on hand, you can use almonds, pecans, or you can even make them nut-free by using sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. If you’re not a fan of shredded coconut, you can replace it with extra nuts, or try adding in a little ground flax seeds for extra fiber.
They’re a nourishing snack. These bite-sized balls are loaded with vitamins and minerals, so they will keep you feeling satisfied! This was my go-to snack while breastfeeding, when I needed something easy to grab with one hand.
They are great for special diets. These date balls are gluten-free and vegan friendly, without using dairy or refined sugar. They’re also oil-free, for those following a whole food plant based diet.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Date balls are easy to customize, so this recipe is just a general suggestion for the ratios. If you don’t love coconut, you can leave it out and simply use a few more nuts.
Look for Medjool dates in the produce section of your grocery store, as they tend to be soft and squishy, and a little larger than other types of dates. If you can only find dates in the bulk section, you might want to soak them in hot water for at least 10 minutes, to help them soften up before processing.
Looking for more ideas? Try Chocolate Date Balls or Peanut Butter Date Balls, if you don’t want to guess on the ratio of ingredients.
How to Make Date Energy Balls
1. Process.
Add the dates, walnuts, coconut, vanilla extract, and sea salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an “S” blade. (I use a 12-cup food processor for this.)
Process the ingredients together until they break down and look crumbly, about 60 seconds. You’ll know the mixture is done when it sticks together easily when pressed between your fingers.
Note: You can over-process the date mixture into a greasy mess, so it’s better to stop and check when it looks crumbly. As soon as the mixture can be squeezed together into a ball, stop processing!
2. Roll into balls.
Use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop the date mixture, then squeeze or roll it into balls between your hands.
Line a baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper, and place the balls on the prepared pan as you go. You should get roughly 18 balls from this recipe, but you can double it if you’d like to make more for the week ahead.
3. Enjoy!
You can enjoy one of these date balls right away, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. They will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
A high-speed blender is almost too powerful to blend the sticky dates, so it will require a LOT of patience, and stopping to scrape down the sides to keep everything moving. A food processor is wider, and therefore moves the ingredients around more easily without burning-out the motor.
If you want to use honey or maple syrup instead of dates, try my Peanut Butter Protein Balls recipe, which is made without a food processor.
Feel free to add a teaspoon of cinnamon for some spice, some chocolate chips for a cookie dough ball, or cocoa powder for chocolate date ball that tastes like a brownie bite.
Looking for more healthy snacks? Try Banana Snack Cake, Homemade Granola Bars, or Chocolate Hummus for more ideas.
Date Energy Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates , pitted
- 1 cup walnuts (or other nuts/seeds)
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, add the pitted dates, walnuts, coconut, vanilla extract, and salt. Process briefly, until the mixture looks crumbly.
- As soon as the mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers, it's ready to roll into balls. Be careful not to over-process the mixture, as it can become quite greasy when blended for too long.
- Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the mixture, then roll it between your hands to form balls. (Sometimes you'll need to squeeze it first to stick together, then roll into balls.) Repeat the process with the remaining mixture, until you've made roughly 18 date balls.
- You can enjoy these date balls right away at room temperature, or store them in an airtight container with a lid. They will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this easy date ball recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
Thanks for the recipe! I made these today, following the recipe exactly except I used cashews. OMG. To die for. So creamy and tasty. And soooo easy!
SO delicious!! I made these with a mixture of walnuts, almonds and sliced almonds because I was low on nuts. Still turned out amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing what worked for you. 🙂
Thanks for this recipe! Love these–they’ve kept me going at work all week.
I don’t know why (maybe because my house is 77* right now?), but when I was rolling the balls, coconut oil was literally squeezing out of the balls and dripping down. I’m sure they’ll firm up in the freezer thanks to the oil, but it does make them a little less portable if they warm up again. I think next time I’ll omit the coconut oil…I’ve made other date balls that haven’t included oil and they’ve been much less messy.
Also, if you know the weight of your dates that would be really helpful! I don’t know if you really packed in the dates or if they were in the measuring cup loosely.
Yes, I’ve actually started omitting the coconut oil myself for this reason– I actually think that happens from over-mixing the batter, as it can get greasy even when you omit the coconut oil, but in my second cookbook I left out the coconut oil from the recipe because I now prefer it that way. (Many readers still prefer the “buttery-ness” that the coconut oil adds, though, so I’ve left it in this version.) In regards to measuring dates, I’ve put mine on the scale and one packed cup usually = 8 ounces by weight.
Thanks for the reply! Next time I’ll weigh my dates – maybe I had fewer dates than you and that also contributed to the amount of oil released during shaping – who knows 🙂 I know I let the mixture process for quite a while (the 4 year old was in charge of the buttons haha!)
I’ve gotten pretty addicted to my scale these days – I’m love to cook but I’m not one of those cooks who has a natural intuition for how things should look/feel/taste so using a scale assures me I’m getting similar results to the author of the recipe. Plus there’s the bonus of not having to wash all the measuring cups afterward 😉
insanely good.. they keep,me full for hours..
Passed this on to my family.. we fight over them..💞
thanks so much for this recipe I have an old-time recipe called Date to like cookies it called for sugar and butter and the dates and an egg and cook it on the stove and then mix it with Rice Krispies and nuts but this is so much better thank you so much
Hi
Can’t wait to try… Just wanted to know re calorific intake.
Are they 130 cals each? Or for the whole lot?
Thanks
If you make 24 balls from this recipe, they are 133 calories each. We often make them a little smaller, so we end up with more and then then each ball is lower in calories.
Ohhh my goodness! I love these! If they weren’t so caloric I would snack on them all day long! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have nor can I afford a food processor yet but I have a vita mix blender … could that possibly work ?! Please say yes ! LOl
Wow! Made this with raw cashews and is my new favourite snack. Thank you!
OMG! Thank you! So much better than store bought. Used almonds instead of walnuts. Keep on posting awesome stuff like this please.
I never got a “sticky uniform batter.” Mine went from kinda crumbly to dripping oil. For lack of time, I put it in the fridge for now but I think tomorrow I’ll mess with it some more. Since I probably processed it too long and it started on the path toward nut butter, I may just try to finish the job and see if I can get some kind of date-nut butter from it.
Followed recipe exactly as instructed. Awesome recipe! Loved it!
I’ve made mine without the oil as they are sticky enough to roll without it if you up the dates by about half a cup.
Love these!
Thank you so much Megan.
These are wonderful! Super delicious, easy and healthy!!! Thank you for sharing.
Do you know how long the freezer shelf life is ? And how do you determine shelf life to begin with ? Thank you
I would guess at least two weeks in the fridge– it’s all learning through experience, but I go by smell and taste to check if something has gone bad. Usually these don’t last that long in our house before we eat them all.
Tried this recipe today. Didn’t have any walnuts at home so I switched them for a mix of almonds, cashews and pistachios. I also added some roasted sesame seeds to the mix and they turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you!
These are SO good! Not too sweet and really delicious. I added 2Tbs of flax meal for more protein and used pecans.
Can you use fresh coconut instead of dried?
These are delicious. I made with pecans!
These are delicious!
Made these today, couldn’t wait to try them! They are delish! I just started Whole30 and love that I came across this as a quick grab snack. Although I could eat more than a snack’s worth. Thank you!
Your Date Energy Balls sound wonderful, and friends of mine really love them. My question, however, is how they fit into a diabetic-friendly diet. Do you have any other nutrition information, such as total carbs and sugars?
Hi,
I just made your date and walnut balls and followed the recipe as written but they are quite oily and not crumbly like yours. 😕
I don’t know what happened. Do you have any suggestions as what I can do to salvage them?
Thanks.
Over-processing them in the food processor can cause the walnuts to release their oil, and then it’s not easily incorporated back into the mixture. Maybe try adding something dry to them, like a little cocoa powder or coconut flour?
Made these the other night, and added Enjoy Life’s semi sweet chocolate chips (technically not Paleo, but dairy/soy free), and it tasted like cookie dough! YUM! Just what my tastebuds want, without all the flour, dairy, sugar etc.
I made them again a day or two later for some very health conscious friends who just had a new baby, and the mom was really appreciative of having them as a quick and easy snack when she was hungry, but still resting from the birth.
Neither time did I have Medjool dates, but some another brand (whatever Walmart had), but it worked fine.
Thank you for the tasty recipie! I’ll be making them again in the near future, Lord willing!
I just made these and they are AMAZING! They taste better than cookie dough. Thanks for the recipe!
I love your ideas and recipes! Thank you for sharing!
I had to soak mine in hot water 1/4-1/2 per cup of fruits (I send dates, prunes, and figs) because I had to use a blender instead of a processor. They’re good, but my roommate used ton make things make them and were a litttttle firmer. ANY suggestions?
Love this recipe. Made it a few Ike’s and it was perfect. However, the last couple of times I’ve made it, a sugary water separates from the dough and no matter how long I blend in the food processor, it doesn’t blend in. The result is that the balls are not as sweet as they should be. I havent changed anything that I can tell. Gs this happened to anyone else? I’m just wondering what I’m doing wrong.
It could be that you’re overblending it in the food process. Oils are released if you blend them too long, and once that happens it can’t really be re-incorporated. So, next time just try processing for a shorter time!
These are AWESOME! I actually roll mine in unsweetened cocoa after they are made into a ball.
Please can we see the food processor that you use or can I just use my Vitamix blender? Thank you
My favorite food processor is the Breville sous chef! You can check out my favorite tools here: https://detoxinista.com/shop/
I love date balls, but they’re so darn expensive to buy pre-made in stores! I’ll be following this recipe from now on! I used half hazelnuts and half cashews. And I put a wee handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips right at the end – couldn’t resist! Lol
I used a package of premium Iranian dates because it was all that I had on hand. The recipe still worked well, but I had to add a couple tablespoons of water because it was so dry (maybe these dates aren’t as moist as the California ones?)
Thank you and all the best! 🙂
I just made these this past weekend and I LOVE them!! I just went on a ‘No Added Sugar’ diet for the next 30 days and these are going to save me! Instead of walnuts, I used cashews. And I did half rolled in cacao powder and half not and I DEFINITELY love the ones rolled in cacao powder more than the others. But they are all really delicious. Will be making more of these soon.
I made these and they tasted absolutely amazing! I’m always a bit sceptical when making ‘healthy’ Foods , but these knockedmy socks off
Just tried your Cherry, Almond energy bar. And LOVED IT! Can’t wait to try this one. Can I use fresh shredded coconut or it has to be dried?
Thanks!
I think fresh coconut would make the texture a little softer, and they’d possibly go bad faster thanks to the added moisture, so definitely store them in the fridge in that case!
These came out extremely oily. I am going to try making them again but omit the coconut oil, and also process the walnuts less. The flavor is wonderful though, I think these will be a winner once I get the right processing technique figured out.
This was great—thank you! I’m looking for a clean energy snack for a week-long hiking meditation retreat. Not sure if this will last a week, but it’s a contender. My partner found it salty, but to me it tasted like cookie dough ❤️.
This recipe is delicious – thank you for sharing it! I substituted the coconut oil with peanut butter, as suggested in one of the other comments, and omitted the salt – it was perfect!
Any suggestions on how to make this without a food processor? I tried using my immersion blender and it kinda worked but the mix did not become a dough and wasn’t sticky enough to roll into balls. Still tasted good!
You might be able to finely chop the dates and walnuts with a knife on a cutting board, then mix together?
Been missing the RX Bars. Going to attempt to go off your recipe as a starting point. At 69 yrs young, lost 160 lbs eating clean, now going vegan, Feel like I’m 22 again.
I made these with pecans, because that’s what I had on hand, but they came out rather tasteless. I love all three ingredients but put together, there’s no taste!
Made these exactly as stated. Oh my. I could eat them all in one sitting.
I made these with almonds (my daughter has a Walnut allergy) they are delicious but so crumbly – can’t make a ball at all, even added coconut oil to help form and still didn’t work. I think that if I do this again the almonds should be almost like a flour consistency? Mine was more just super chopped.
These date energy balls are perfection! I make them every week so I have a healthy snack on hand, and sometimes my husband and kids finish them off before I do. I love how they taste like cookie dough! Sometimes I actually add a few mini chocolate chips to the batter so they are like healthy cookie dough bites.
I made the Date Energy Balls…..really liked the taste, but the balls were very crumbly. So I made them again, and added the TBL of coconut oil, thinking that would help hold them together. I had the same problem, very crumbly hard to form into balls (more like blobs). What could I be doing wrong? Processing too long, or not long enough? Should I melt the coconut oil, or leave it as a solid (like shortning). Maybe something to do with my hands? I want mine to look like your picture!! Great taste!
I would try processing them longer, until the batter is sticky. It should stick together easily when pressed between your fingers.
Love, love, love this recipe. Just the right amount of sweetness. Full of unique flavors. The texture is wonderful as well. I add chia seeds to mine for a boost of nutrition and crunch. Thanks for sharing.
do i need to include coconut? i dont like the flavor of coconut.
You could probably just use any other nut or seed that you like in its place.
Walnuts are protein dates are carbs food combining really?
Dried fruits and nuts are in the same category for food combining because they have roughly the same digestion time. I don’t think of it in terms of protein and carbs, typically.
Delicious and easy to make.