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GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free V Vegan

Dirty Chai Energy Balls

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Rate Recipe
Posted:9/7/16
Updated:9/23/20
dirty chai energy balls sitting inside coffee mug on top of countertop
Two photos of dirty chai energy balls. Sitting inside of coffee mug placed on table

Get in a boost of caffeine with these Dirty Chai Energy Balls.  Rolled oats and your favorite nut butter are the primary ingredients, so no food processor needed! Gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

Dirty Chai Energy Balls sitting inside a coffee mug that says "Rise and Shine!"

Yes, we are going there… chai + espresso= DIRTY CHAI.

And we are putting this traditional coffee drink in BALL FORM. Because everything is better in (snack) balls…

.

.

.

Right???

I don’t know. But I do love coffee… I also have a love for all things chai. And with energy balls being one of the best snacks around, I thought why not marry the two? Okay I guess technically we’re marrying three things but you get the point.

Hopefully you love your coffee and spices as much as I do because these dirty chai energy balls have been my favorite these past couple weeks!

Dirty Chai Energy Balls

rise and shine mug with dirty chai energy balls

I’ve been using these guys as a little pre-workout snack for my morning classes at FLEXcity Fitness

While we’re on the topic of workouts… any AM exercisers out there? I’ve noticed no matter what I’ve got going on the rest of the day, when I start my morning with a workout, I am in such a better mood! I just feel so good after sweating within a couple hours of waking up. The classes I’ve been heading to are at 8am, so really not bad for waking up. However I am contemplating switching to the 6am class… Call me crazy, but I did about 8 weeks of 6am classes a couple winters ago.  Even though I was up at 5am because of the commute (and yes, it kind of sucked in the moment), on those days I would still walk into the office with a positive attitude, ready to take on the day. The endorphins are REAL, my friends. If you have the ability and/or flexibility in your schedule to start making morning workouts a routine, I truly suggest you give it a shot. It might be hard at first, but I think you’d be surprised at the positive effect it can on the rest of your day.

energy ball with dirty chai flavor in mug

Okay, back to other topic we must talk about today. BALLS.

Dirty Chai Energy Balls, that is.

Ingredients Needed for Dirty Chai Energy Balls

  • rolled oats
  • nut butter (chai spiced, for extra points)
  • sticky sweetener (honey, brown rice syrup or similar consistency)
  • espresso powder
  • chai spices – made up of cinnamon, cardamom (that’s the key one), nutmeg, ginger, cloves and all-spice. Or buy a blend here.
  • cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips
  • vanilla extract (not entirely necessary but recommended for more flavor)

All you need is one bowl, a spatula or large spoon to stir, and some muscle power.

dirty chai energy ball ingredients

How to Make Dirty Chai Energy Balls

Then it’s just mixing all of those ingredients in a bowl, adding in the honey or brown rice syrup plus nut or seed butter, then working everything together until all of the ingredients are combined. I pop the mixture in the freezer for about 10 minutes which makes for easier ball rolling.

Dirty Chai Oat Energy Balls on tray

chai + espresso + balls = Dirty Chai Energy Balls!
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Notes about the recipe

ESPRESSO – I’ve made these a couple times now and played around with the amount of espresso powder used. The first time I did 2 TBS, which I thought was a little heavy. But if you LOVE espresso or black coffee, you may want that much. The second time around I did about 1 TBS plus 1 teaspoon and thought that was a good amount.

OR guess what? If you don’t like coffee but really love chai, just leave it out.

CHAI FLAVOR – Same goes for the chai-haters. If you’re not a fan of cardamom and all that jazz, you can leave out a majority of the spices but I would recommend leaving some cinnamon to balance out the bold espresso taste. 🙂

PROTEIN BOOST – I opted not to add protein powder to these chai energy balls. If you think you want to add a scoop or two, you will likely need to compensate by adding a couple tablespoons (or possibly more) of liquid. I haven’t tested this myself yet, but I would love to hear from you if you do!

energy ball in mug

★★★★★

4.8 from 4 reviews

How to Make…

Dirty Chai Energy Balls

Get in a boost of caffeine with these Dirty Chai Energy Balls.  Rolled oats and your favorite nut butter are the primary ingredients, so no food processor needed! Gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 18–20 1x
  • Scale:
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Ingredients

Energy Balls

  • 1 1/4 cups gluten-free rolled oats
  • 1 TBS espresso powder (use 1/2 TBS for less flavor, or up to 1.5 TBS for stronger taste)
  • 1 TBS chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup creamy natural nut or seed butter (I used homemade)
  • 1/3 cup honey or brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 TBS cacao nibs (or mini chocolate chips)

homemade chai spice blend

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp all spice
  • 1/8 ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl combine oats, chai spice blend, espresso powder, chia seeds and cacao nibs/ mini chocolate chips..
  2. Add in nut butter, honey or brown rice syrup, and vanilla extract. Use sturdy spatula or spoon to combine.
  3. Once ingredients have come together, place bowl in freezer for about 10 minutes (or fridge for 20 minutes). The cold mixture will make forming the energy balls a lot easier.
  4. Using a tablespoon, scoop mixture into rounded balls and roll between palms to shape. You should get roughly 18-20 balls. Enjoy with your morning chai or coffee!

Recipes Notes:

Store balls in container in fridge for about 2-3 weeks. Balls also keep well in freezer in airtight container for about 3-4 months. Nutrition approx, based on 18 servings using cacao nibs.

Nutrition Information:

  • Serving Size: 1 ball
  • Calories: 86
  • Sugar: 3
  • Sodium: 31
  • Fat: 5
  • Saturated Fat: 1
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 9
  • Fiber: 2
  • Protein: 2
  • Cholesterol: 0
Category: Snacks Method: no-bake Cuisine: American
Keywords: dirty chai recipes, unique energy balls, coffee snacks
Author: Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen

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NOTE: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. With any purchase made through the link, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your continued support!

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Reader Interactions

Rate this Recipe Cancel reply

  1. Ashley @ The Small Town Foodie says

    9/8/2016 at 1:48 pm

    These look heavenly. I seriously need to try them ASAP. My boyfriend leaves for work at 5am, so I keep getting myself up at that time and doing my workout in the morning! I totally agree.. it makes such a difference in how I feel the rest of the day.

    Reply
  2. Jenn - a traveling Wife says

    9/8/2016 at 6:36 pm

    Yes, please! Chai lattes are my absolute favorite. I used to make my own homemade chai spice and add it to my vanilla protein powder. I haven’t done that in a while and now I’m wondering why?! 🙂

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      9/10/2016 at 9:07 am

      Oh I think I need to make a container of homemade chai spices too because I’ve been using it in everything! And I keep having to get out al of my spices and keep putting them back :-p

      Reply
  3. Macy @ Paleo Crumbs says

    9/8/2016 at 9:45 pm

    These look delicious! and that mug is supper cute!

    Reply
    • Macy @ Paleo Crumbs says

      9/8/2016 at 9:46 pm

      * super not supper! haha

      Reply
  4. Ana says

    9/9/2016 at 9:08 am

    I did this recipe and was amazing! energy balls are my fav thing ever.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      9/9/2016 at 9:37 am

      Aw thank you so much for letting me know Ana!! So glad you enjoyed them <3

      Reply
  5. Pal says

    10/2/2016 at 8:19 pm

    You definitely need to like a pretty spicy chai… I may leave out the cloves and allspice next round. I’m glad I used some dark chocolate chips to balance out the flavor! Should I try peanut butter next time instead of almond butter…. would that be weird?! LOVE YOU.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      10/3/2016 at 10:15 am

      Hahaha yes they are kind of spicy… oops! I’ll have to add that to the notes 😉

      PB would probably just as amazing…. LY thanks for the feedback! <3

      Reply
  6. Whittney says

    2/19/2017 at 10:30 pm

    Could I use fresh fine ground coffee?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      2/20/2017 at 10:43 am

      Hmmm you know I have never tried that. I suppose you could? It might be a touch more bitter though since you’d be eating the actual ground bean. Where espresso powder is actually concentrated coffee crystals that would dissolve in liquid. I’m not sure if that helps you make sure your decision or not. Let me know! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Elyssa says

    6/29/2017 at 1:17 pm

    so excited to make these! it says nutritional info is listed but I don’t see it. mind passing it on?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      6/30/2017 at 11:24 am

      Hi Elyssa! Sorry about the mix up there – I am now using a new recipe card and that data didn’t transfer over. Approximately the info is as follows: 1 muffin Calories: 170. Fat: 9. Carbohydrates: 16. Sugar: 8. Fiber: 2. Protein: 7

      Let me know if you make them! 🙂

      Reply
      • Elyssa says

        7/7/2017 at 6:46 pm

        I made them and love them! They are perfect for morning gym sessions! thanks so much!

        Reply
        • Ashley says

          7/10/2017 at 9:31 am

          Awesome! I love them as a workout snack as well. Thank you for your comment and letting me know, Elyssa!

          Reply
  8. Carmen says

    11/10/2019 at 7:59 pm

    Delicious, thanks so much! I added 1 tablespoon of soy protein powder and I didn’t find it too dry at all – in fact I skipped the refrigeration step.

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      11/10/2019 at 9:07 pm

      Awesome! Thanks so much for your comment and feedback!

      Reply
  9. Sara Swan says

    7/7/2020 at 6:17 pm

    This recipe is amazing! I absolutely love it. I doubled up on it and it worked out great. I also cut the cardamom in half in the chai spice mix because I find cardamom quite strong. My husband ate 5 right away and really liked them. I have a feeling I’ll be making them monthly.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      7/8/2020 at 12:06 pm

      Yay! So glad to hear it 😀 Thanks for sharing, Sara!

      Reply
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