Easy No-Bake Lactation Energy Bites for a quick pop-able snack to enjoy whether you’re nursing or pumping to help increase breast milk supply. Vegan friendly and gluten free. Ready in 15 minutes, easy to throw together and perfect meal prep.
This recipe is a reader request from my expecting and nursing mamas.
My older sister had her baby six months before me, so I was already thinking about lactation recipes and easy ways to increase milk supply for our breastfeeding journeys before Finn arrived.
I’m thankful we’ve been able to breastfeed and I haven’t had too much trouble with my milk supply, but there are days I worry some.
I already eat a ton of oats but on the days I am feeling concerned or like I could use a boost, I pop some of these bites.
I’ve been working on cookies too but first, these super easy energy bites!
Why I Love These Bites
- Just eight ingredients (almost all of which you likely have on hand)
- No baking required
- One bowl mixing (no food processor needed!)
- Quick and easy
- Tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough
How Lactation Bites Help
Whether you’re nursing or pumping, or doing a combination of the two, enjoying these lactation energy bites can help support breast milk supply thanks to these three ingredients:
Key Ingredients to Help Boost Milk Supply
- oats – Whole grain oats are thought to have properties that support the hormones responsible for making breast milk. They’re a source of iron, which can be beneficial in encouraging milk supply. (Low iron levels can inhibit supply.)
- flax seeds – we’re using flaxseed meal versus the whole seed because it’s believed when flaxseeds are milled down, they’re easier to digest. Flax seeds are a good source of essential fatty acids and also contain phytoestrogens that can influence breast milk production.
- brewer’s yeast – a nutritional supplement rich in B vitamins, iron, protein, chromium, selenium, and other minerals that can help with milk production and also boost energy levels.
And then we’ve got other ingredients used in traditional energy bites like honey or brown rice syrup to help hold the bites together and chocolate chips because they’re everyone’s favorite add-in.
And they make these bites taste like chocolate chip cookie dough!
How to Make the Best Lactation Bites
Step 1 – pick your nut butter
I like cashew butter because I think it makes these bites taste like cookie dough. But almond butter, peanut butter or a combination or these all work. If you like tahini or sunbutter and want something that is nut free, that works too!
Step 2 – add sweetener
A liquid sweetener here is best. Raw honey is great and has some nutritional benefits. But brown rice syrup or maple syrup is a great vegan friendly alternative.
Step 3 – add dry ingredients
Once you’ve mixed together the nut butter and sweetener, start adding in dry ingredients.
TIP: place the mixed dough in the freezer for 10 minutes to help make ball rolling easier.
Step 4 – roll
Use a medium cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon to get the perfect sized energy balls.
Step 5 – eat
Dig into these delectable little bites!
How to Store Energy Bites
As you’re rolling the energy bites, place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Once you’ve got all of the bites rolled, transfer the tray to the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Then after the balls have chilled, you can store them stacked in a container and store in the fridge, or in a container (or something like a Stasher bag) in the freezer.
I hope you enjoy these bites as much as we do!
Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
How to Make…
Lactation Energy Bites
Healthy No-Bake Lactation Energy Bites made with oats, flaxseed and brewer’s yeast make for the best nursing snack.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Diet: Gluten Free
- Yield: 24 balls 1x
- Scale:
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy natural nut or seed butter (I used homemade)
- 1/3 cup raw honey or brown rice syrup (or maple syrup)
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 3 TBSP brewer’s yeast
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1–2 TBSP melted coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (dairy-free if needed)
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine cashew butter (or nut/seed butter of choice) and sweetener; use sturdy spatula or spoon to combine.
- Add in oats, flaxseed meal, brewers yeast and cinnamon; stir until almost combined, adding 1-2 TBSP of melted oil as needed. Then add in mini chocolate chips, stirring until evenly mixed in.
- 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.
- Using a 1/2 round tablespoon or small cookie scoop, scoop mixture into rounded balls and roll between palms to shape. You should get roughly 24 rounded tablespoon size balls.
- Store balls in fridge, up to two weeks or keep in freezer.
Recipes Notes:
If you’re looking for support on ways to build milk supply, highly recommend this webinar (and the course!) from certified board lactation consultant, Lindsey Shipley. (affiliate)
P.S. Something I wish I would have done before Finn was born was take this breastfeeding course. I’ve been going through it and there is SO much amazing info that would have made our breastfeeding journey much less stressful. Highly recommend!! (affiliate)
Source on breastfeeding foods here.
Beth H says
Delicious!
★★★★★
Aunt M Kitchen says
I have not made this, but am planning to. But am a chemist, and have two comments. 1. doctors advise nursing moms to not eat raw honey nor feed it to newborns. It can carry a form of botulism that adults will not catch but infants can. Infants are not to be given honey until they are over 1 year old, to prevent this potentially deadly infection, and IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER IT GOES INTO BREAST MILK OR NOT. So, just to be safe, please use agave nectar or maple syrup or even simple syrup made from white sugar, and do not risk this disease in your infant. 2. Raw oats give some folks digestive troubles. They contain a form of starch that many cannot easily digest so pass into the large intestine undigested where bacteria do digest them, but make lots of gas at the same time as a byproduct. This gas is even more likely to be formed in the baby’s gut. Just like eating broccoli can give the baby gas pains, so can eating raw oats. So, to avoid this effect, spread the raw oats on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5-10 minutes or until they turn brown and smell nutty. The nutty smell assures you they have cooked enough to not make your child ill. Cool them and use them in the recipe as normal.
I’m looking forward to making these, not because I’m nursing, but because they are high protein and I must eat high protein foods due to a medical condition.
Lisa says
Is there a brewers yeast you recommend?
Ashley says
Now Foods or Anthony’s are my go-to!
Annie says
I don’t have flaxseed, should I wait to make these?
Ashley says
Hi Annie – If you’re making these with lactacion in mind, you might want to wait. But if you don’t have them on hand you can omit or sub in chia seeds.If you don’t have either of those, the recipe will still yield similar results. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Natalie says
Super tasty! However, I put the mixture in the fridge as instructed and it became incredibly crumbly and impossible to work with (so I’m just eating it by the spoonful). I’m going to attempt adding a smidge more coconut oil and rolling them immediately and forgoing the chilling process all together next time.
★★★★★
Amy says
What is the recommended daily serving of these?
Ashley says
Everyone is different so I can’t say a “daily” serving necessarily. I personally enjoy 2-3 in one sitting.
Deb says
We added 2 TBSP cacao to the recipe. Tastes great!! They also helped increase milk supply (though we did also need to use homeopathy as well).
★★★★★
Ashley says
Awesome! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback 😀