Peanut Butter Oat Energy Balls with dried berries for a fun take on the classic PB & J flavor. Made with just 6 ingredients, ready in less than 20 minutes and the perfect snack. Vegan and gluten free friendly.
What’s kid friendly, adult-approved and makes the best healthy snack?
NO BAKE ENERGY BALLS, of course.
We’re making peanut butter & jelly energy balls with just a handful of ingredients – they’re super quick, gluten free and vegan friendly too.
Easy PB & J Energy Balls
I don’t know about you, but there are never enough energy ball recipes in my book. There are so many flavor combinations and something for everyone.
If you like peanut butter and jelly, then you’ll love these.
Just 6 Ingredients Needed!
- creamy peanut butter – I used an all-natural, no added sugar or oil with a drippier consistency. Almond butter, cashew butter or a nut butter mix will also work. Note: if you use something like JIF, you may need to add a couple tablespoons of oil.
- maple syrup – You can also use honey, agave, or a mix.
- rolled oats – I prefer the consistency of rolled oats in energy bites. If all you have on hand are quick oats, you can probably get away with just 1 cup.
- mixed dried berries – blueberries, cherries, cranberries, etc.
- chia seeds – adds an additional boost of healthy fats.
- hemp hearts – you can easily omit these if you don’t have them on hand.
Ready in Minutes
I love all kinds of energy ball recipes but the ones with nut butter and oats are super easy because you don’t need a food processor – just a bowl for the ingredients, a spoon/spatula for stirring and hands for ball rolling.
Energy Ball Making Tips
- I find it’s helpful to combine the peanut butter and maple syrup together first, then add the dry ingredients.
- Use a large wooden spoon or sturdy spatula for stirring, using your hands at the end if necessary.
- Pop the mixture in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to chill for easier ball rolling.
- Using a rounded tablespoon will help you get even energy balls, or you can just eyeball it.
Storing Energy Balls
As you’re rolling the energy balls, place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Once you’ve got all of your energy balls 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.
Chilling the energy balls before storing helps them not stick together so much.
These PB & J energy balls will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, but in the freezer for months!
They make the best snack for both kids and adults and you can never have enough energy balls stashed in the fridge or freezer. Perfect for lunch boxes, boat rides, road trips, picnics, hikes and so much more.
Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too.
How to Make…
Easy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oat Energy Balls
Peanut Butter Energy Balls with dried berries for a fun take on the classic PB & J flavor. Made with just 6 ingredients, ready in less than 30 minutes and the perfect snack. Vegan and gluten free friendly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
- Yield: About 20 energy balls 1x
- Scale:
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup mixed dried berries (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, etc.)
- 2 TBSP chia seeds
- 2 TBSP hemp hearts (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine peanut butter and maple syrup until smooth. Note; if peanut butter is really thick, you may find that warming up the mixture helps. Or add a tablespoon of oil.
- Add rolled oats, dried berries, chia seeds and hemp hearts. Use sturdy spatula or spoon to combine. You may need to work the mixture together with your hands to fully combine at the end.
- 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 (I like to use my small cookie scoop), scoop mixture into rounded balls and roll between palms to shape. You should get roughly 20 rounded tablespoon size balls.
- Store energy balls in airtight container in fridge about 2 weeks. Or freezer about 2-3 months.
Recipes Notes:
Place energy balls in single layer on lined baking sheet and transfer to freezer for about 15 minutes prior to storing.
You can use a mix of nut butters like cashew or almond if you have a peanut allergy.
Lauren says
Made this before baby #1 to have in the freezer for quick snacking. Amazing for middle of the night feedings. My mom tried them and now she makes them all the time! So easy and fun to play around with the ingredients!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Energy balls are the best! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review!