Oatmeal Energy Balls - made with whole ingredients like oats, nut butter, chia seeds, walnuts and honey for a bit of sweetness, this simple snack is energy dense and can easily be customized to your liking!
Mountain Life
Living in the Rocky Mountains certainly has its advantages. Being close the slopes, naturally we find ourselves skiing the day away! For those long days of riding, we pack a bag (or three) of our homemade oatmeal energy balls! They’re the perfect way to keep up our energy on a tiring day.
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Oatmeal balls provide long-lasting energy AND they’re packed to the brim with delicious ingredients! Each one provides protein and healthy fats that keep you feeling full—check out our lowdown on fats. They’re great for skiing, hiking, backpacking, you name it. Keep a stash of these bite size energy balls handy for all your outdoor adventures.
I adapted this recipe from the blog Gimme Some Oven, who adapted it from another wonderful blogger Smashed Peas & Carrots. However you make these bite-size balls, they’re scrumptious!
Ready to make them? Let’s go!
1 - Combine wet ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients and spices: peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice), sweetener of choice, vanilla and cinnamon. This is when you would add in any other desired spices (i.e. nutmeg, pumpkin spice, cloves, etc.).
2 - Add dry ingredients: Once the wet ingredients are combined, add in the remaining ingredients: oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, chopped walnuts and any other mixings of your choice.
Personally I like to add in craisins and chocolate chips, but feel free to change it up! (note: if you find the mixture is too dry, try adding in a bit more nut butter; if it’s too sticky, add in more oats.)
3 - Chill the mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This will make it easier to roll into balls. You can also put in the freezer if you’re in a time-crunch.
4 - Then remove the mixture from the fridge and roll them into 1-inch balls. Store them in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can store them in the freezer for longer. They will soften up a bit once they reach room temperature.
That’s it, super easy!
Oatmeal Balls: Tips, Tricks, and Tools
You don’t need any unusual tools to make these Oatmeal Energy Balls, but a set of mixing bowls is a necessity.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup or agave instead of honey, and make sure your chocolate chips are vegan.
Use ground flax: Your body is able to access the nutrients better from ground flaxseed than from the whole seed. I recommend grinding it fresh (our grinder makes it very easy) and make sure to store it in the fridge or freezer to keep it from going rancid. I like to store mine in a mason jar in the freezer.
Storage: I recommend storing them in a glass container, but if you’re skiing or hiking, try these reusable silicone bags instead to pack these delicious bites.
Variations: Although my favorite combination almost always includes chocolate chips, try mixing it up with dried apricots, raisins, almonds, cashews. You can also use your nut butter of choice, like almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter. The sky’s the limit!
We hope you love this easy Oatmeal Energy Balls!
Oatmeal Energy Balls are packed with filling and nutrient-dense ingredients—keeping you satisfied during your activity of choice! Oatmeal, peanut butter, chia seeds, ground flax, walnuts and chocolate chips! It’s a delicious combination, and the perfect snack to take on the go, especially for activities like skiing and hiking and backpacking - enjoy friends!
Love this simple on-the-go snack recipe? Check out our other delicious Snack recipes like these Seeded Vegan Bliss Balls or this Mango Ginger Trail Mix.
Did you enjoy these Oatmeal Energy Balls as much as we do?
Comment below! And rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out! Not cooking today? Save Oatmeal Energy Balls for later by pinning it to your Snack Board and make sure to tag us at The Crooked Carrot Instagram to show us your Oatmeal Energy Ball creations!
"Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be." - Rick Warren
Oatmeal Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey/agave
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup ground flax
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/4 cup craisins
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine: In a large bowl, stir to combine peanut butter, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Once combined, add oats, ground flax, chia seeds, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.
- Chill: Let sit in fridge for about 30 minutes (this makes it easier to roll into balls).
- Roll: Remove from fridge and roll into about 1" balls. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. (If they'll even last that long, ours always disappear in a day or two...) Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Will these last 3 days at room temperature?
Yes! I would recommend storing them in the freezer beforehand, but they should be fine at room temp for 3 days. I've taken them on multi-day backpacking trips (no refrigeration available) and they held up great!