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    Home Recipes Easy Snacks

    Best Bliss Balls (3 Ways!)

    Modified: Jan 26, 2022 · Published: Aug 2, 2020 by Kristi Ruth RD · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    5-Minute Bliss balls (aka energy bites) made with peanut butter and oats make a perfect bite-sized snack for school, sports, and travel!

    All you need to do is mix 5 simple ingredients together, roll them into balls and you're set! Plus, I'll show you how easy it is to turn these into chocolate bliss balls and protein bliss balls!

    One white bowl filled with energy bites. A few energy bites are to the right of the bowl.

    First, I've got to say that I never know what to call these, lol. I refer to them as peanut butter balls with my youngest and as energy bites with my teenagers. Still, they are often called energy balls or energy bites.

    Whatever you decide to call them, they make a great snack! This recipe is no doubt one of my favorites that I've made a gazillion times. We eat them at home, while traveling, and pack them in lunches.

    They pair very well with coffee or milk and even make an excellent travel snack! And have no doubt that I enjoy them just as much as my kids do!

    And just like my PB&J smoothie recipe, these peanut butter bliss balls are not only delicious, but they are nutrient dense, too!

    Jump to:
    • 🤩Why I Love This Recipe
    • 🙋‍♀️Dietitian Tips
    • 🍫Recipe Variations
    • 🥜Ingredient Notes
    • 👩‍🍳How to Make Peanut Butter Bliss Balls
    • 📲Helpful Tips
    • ❓Questions You May Have
    • More Easy Snack Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Best Bliss Balls Recipe

    🤩Why I Love This Recipe

    • 5 Ingredients Peanut butter, oats, flax meal, honey, and chocolate chips. They are all simple, shelf stable ingredients that you can find in your pantry.
    • 5-minute recipe Can it get any better?!
    • Meal Prep Make a bunch and store them in the freezer. When your stash of bliss balls in the fridge start to run low, move some from the freezer to the fridge. This is what I do 🙂
    • Easy recipe You don't even need to separate the wet and dry ingredients. Just mix it all together!
    • Plant-Based Snack Oats, peanut butter, and flax are plant based ingredients.
    • No-bake You just mix everything up, roll them into balls, and store them in the fridge or freezer. No baking, no cooking!
    • Quick and easy snack Perfect afternoon snack to give you an energy boost and a great addition to breakfast on busy mornings.
    • Dairy-Free As long as you use dairy-free chocolate chips

    🙋‍♀️Dietitian Tips

    Tip #1 Bliss balls are a great food to use to expose your kids to new tastes and textures. For instance, I made them with chia seeds to see if they noticed. It turns out my daughter liked it until the chia seeds were stuck in her teeth 🤷‍♀️

    I've also made these using crunchy and smooth almond butter. My kids really like the taste of peanut butter though, so I learned that if I'm going to include almond butter and I want them to eat some, I've got to use half peanut butter and half almond butter.

    Tip #2 Please use caution if you have a child under the age of one in the house due to the risk of infant botulism associated with honey. I've seen too many cases of infant botulism in the hospital not to help raise awareness.

    🍫Recipe Variations

    Here are two delicious ways to change up this recipe. They both have the same main ingredients, but they have a little bit of a different flavor. Check out the 'helpful tips' section at the bottom for a few more ideas on what you can add for more texture.

    Chocolate bliss balls and protein bliss balls on a white dish.

    Chocolate Bliss Balls

    Mix in two tablespoons of cocoa powder, two teaspoons of cinnamon, and two additional tablespoons of both peanut butter and honey. This version will make a few more balls and tastes chocolatey even without chocolate chips!

    Protein Bliss Balls

    Stir in one-quarter cup of protein powder, two additional tablespoons of peanut butter, and one-and-a-half additional tablespoons of honey. I used Superfood Protein by Choice Juicery to create this recipe.

    🥜Ingredient Notes

    Ingredients for bliss balls recipe, labeled.
    • Oats Rolled oats work best for this recipe. Whole oats are a whole grain. They provide a source of soluble fiber, which is good for the heart and will help your kids feel full longer. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends that at least half of your grains come from whole grains.
    • Peanut Butter Use all-natural peanut butter at room temperature. Peanut butter contains protein, minerals, and healthy fats. Use smooth natural peanut butter (the kind that is made with just peanuts and salt, no added sugar) for this recipe because the consistency really works best for mixing. In my opinion, the Classic Peanut Butter by Nutty Novelties is the easiest to stir and tastes so good!
    • Honey Adds just enough sweetness to these energy bites. It also adds moisture, which is needed to soften the oats. I use raw local honey because of its many potential health benefits. But that's just me. Use what you have!
    • Flax Meal Flax meal is made by grinding up flaxseeds. They are high in fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and phytochemicals.
    • Chocolate Chips Because kids love them! Use standard or mini-sized, semi-sweet or dark chocolate.

    👩‍🍳How to Make Peanut Butter Bliss Balls

    Two numbered images showing how to make bliss balls.

    Here’s a quick overview of the steps to make these bliss balls. For the full list of ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe.

    1. Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients together using a spoon or fork. Mix well, to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Use the back side of the fork or spoon to smooth out the mixture so that it mixes together well.
    2. Use your hands or fingers to roll them into bite-sized balls.
    3. Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate or store in the freezer.

    📲Helpful Tips

    • There is no need to buy gluten-free oats unless you are guided to do so by a credentialed health care professional.
    • If you store peanut butter in the fridge, let it come to room temperature before making this recipe. It will make mixing a whole lot easier!
    • To make mixing easier or for a smoother consistency, use a food processor or high-speed blender to mix the ingredients together.
    • Use flax meal as opposed to flax seeds to improve its digestibility and for optimal texture. Flax meal blends right in with the rest of the ingredients.
    • If you are feeling adventurous, use chunky peanut butter or toss in a handful of unsalted sunflower seeds for a little crunch.
    • Having your hands slightly wet will help make rolling these into balls easier.
    • Make them on the smaller side because kids always want more than one!
    • Just enough chocolate chips are added so that each energy bite contains at least one chocolate chip. It doesn't sound like much but, trust me, it's enough, even for my sweet tooth 😉
    • This recipe is easily doubled and tripled. In fact, I almost always triple this recipe because it makes measuring easier and they store so well in the freezer.
    • Feel free to play around with ingredients. Example: chia seeds can be used in place of flax meal. Also, shredded coconut can be mixed in for a taste of coconut.
    • If you find yourself doubling or tripling this recipe like I often do, remember that converting tablespoons to cups can make measuring a little easier.
    1
    One package of Bob's Red Mill Golden Flaxseed Meal.
    My Flax Meal Pick
    This is the flaxseed meal that I use at home. Bob's Red Mill is a U.S. based company that makes quality products.
    Check out this recipe

    ❓Questions You May Have

    What Can I Use Instead of Peanut Butter?

    Any other nut or seed butter will work in place of peanut butter. I have made these using crunchy and smooth almond butter as well as a mixture of nut butters. They are always a hit!

    What Can I Substitute for Flax Meal?

    You can easily substitute wheat germ, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, or chia seeds in place of flax meal. Or, you can just add an additional tablespoon of rolled oats.

    Just a note on chia seeds - my kids do not like chia seeds in energy bites because the seeds end up getting stuck in their teeth. If that won't bother your kids, then sprinkle some in!

    Can I freeze energy bites?

    Yes! These freeze very well. They can be enjoyed from frozen or placed in the refrigerator to soften.

    Can Maple Syrup be used in Place of Honey?

    I don't think so. While I haven't tried it yet, maple syrup is not as thick or sticky as honey, so I think the ingredients would need to be adjusted.

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    Did you make these bliss balls and love them? Please give this recipe a 5-star rating or comment below. It's the best compliment!

    Don't forget to snap a pic of these easy and delicious bliss balls and tag @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram. Enjoy!

    📖 Recipe

    Top view of one white bowl filled with bliss balls. A few bliss balls are to the right of the bowl.

    Best Bliss Balls Recipe

    Kristi
    With just five ingredients and no baking required, these nutrient dense peanut butter balls made with oats are easy to make and are a hit with kids!
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Additional Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Recipes
    Cuisine American
    Servings 7 2 energy bites
    Calories 77 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Mixing bowl

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup rolled oats
    • ⅓ cup natural peanut butter At room temperature. I love to use the Classic Peanut Butter by Nutty Novelties.
    • 3 tablespoon honey raw local honey, if possible
    • 1 teaspoon honey in addition to the 3 tablespoons of honey
    • 1 tablespoon flax meal
    • 1 tablespoon chocolate chips semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

    Instructions
     

    • Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
    • Mix well. Stir the mixture until the peanut butter and honey are evenly distributed and all ingredients are blended together.
    • Using your hands, roll the mixture into balls about one inch in diameter.
    • Place in the refrigerator to set.

    Notes

    *Nutrition information is estimated using a database. Actual nutritional information is dependent on the exact ingredients and amounts used.
    • I find that it's easiest to roll these when my hands are damp with water before rolling.
    • Also, the consistency of these will depend on the consistency of the peanut butter used. Feel free to adjust the amount of peanut butter or honey to get the desired consistency. This recipe is very flexible!
    • By natural peanut butter, I mean the kind that is only made with just peanuts or peanuts and salt.
    • This recipe is easily doubled or tripled. They freeze well!
    • Chia seeds, coconut flakes, or hemp hearts can be used in place of flax meal. 
    ** See the 'recipe variations' section of the post for how to easily turn this recipe into a chocolate bliss ball recipe or protein bliss ball recipe.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2energy bitesCalories: 77kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 27mgPotassium: 69mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Comments

    1. Melissa says

      October 19, 2023 at 2:33 am

      Made this today with my toddler and it was such a treat! I added shredded coconut 👌. thanks Kristi!!

      Reply
      • Kristi says

        October 19, 2023 at 1:07 pm

        So great! Thanks for letting me know, Melissa!

        Reply
    2. Jackie says

      September 15, 2022 at 2:29 pm

      5 stars
      Great breakfast for my 1st grader as we are running out the door!

      Reply
      • Kristi says

        September 16, 2022 at 2:22 pm

        Yay! These are the best for that!

        Reply
    3. Laura says

      May 03, 2022 at 1:32 pm

      What a great “go to” snack for hungry kiddos and growing teenage athletes!

      Reply
      • Kristi says

        May 04, 2022 at 2:01 am

        I couldn't agree more!

        Reply
    5 from 11 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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    Kristi Ruth RD wearing a green top with jeans and holding a white platter with tri-colored carrots.

    Welcome to Carrots & Cookies! I'm a busy working mom of three and can now say that I've been a dietitian for 20 years!! I'm on a mission to show you that eating well doesn't have to be complicated by providing you with easy recipes and practical nutrition tips! More about me...

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