If you're looking for a great way to satisfy your chocolate cravings without the guilt, these No Bake Black Forest Energy Bites are your new best friend. Combining the rich flavor of cocoa with the tart sweetness of dried cherries, these bites taste like a decadent dessert but are packed with healthy fats and fiber. They are my go-to afternoon 'emergency chocolate' for work because they are filling, gluten-free, and require zero time in the oven. It's 'The Lazy Way' to get a spectacular energy boost that actually tastes like a treat!
These gluten-free chocolate energy balls have a lot of almond butter, which contains a lot of fat. However, it is mostly good fat. The almond butter I use has 18 grams of fat, but only 1.5 of that is saturated. So, if you can deal with that, then these are the perfect little boosts of energy. You could even have them for a healthy morning snack. They pair perfectly with my Homemade Masala Chai Tea and make a great breakfast dessert!
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- Recipe Overview: Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites
- Summarize and Save this Content on:
- 🥘 Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 🌡️Storing
- 👪 Serving Size
- ❔Recipe FAQs
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- 🍰More Healthy No Bake Desserts!
- 📋 Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls Recipe
These no bake oatmeal balls are made without peanut butter and satisfy the sweet tooth to the point that if I pack them for work, I am finding that I don't even need to fret about whether I have emergency chocolate in my desk drawer. And I feel less guilty about eating chocolate, which is always a good thing. Maybe it's the chia? Chia just makes everything feel that much healthier.
Looking for more healthy no bake chocolate desserts? Give my Chocolate Cereal Clusters a try!
Recipe Overview: Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites
Why You'll Love It: This is the ultimate "Lazy Way" chocolate fix! These spectacular bites taste exactly like a healthy version of Black Forest cake, providing a rich cocoa hit and a boost of energy without ever turning on the oven.
Ready In: 15 minutes active prep (plus chilling time)
Serves: 22 bites
Calories: 116 kcal per bite
Main Ingredients: Almond butter, dried cherries, oats, chia seeds, and chocolate chips.
Dietary Info: Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegetarian.
Weight Watchers Points: 4 WW points per bite.
Difficulty: Easy
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🥘 Ingredient Notes
For this no bake chocolate cherry oatmeal balls recipe, you'll need:
- Almond Butter: This provides the healthy fats and acts as the "glue." You can use peanut butter, but almond butter allows the cherry and chocolate flavors to shine without being overshadowed.
- Dried Cherries: These provide the spectacular "Black Forest" tang. I prefer to chop them up because it makes them go further and easier to work into the mixture. If your cherries are very hard, soak them in warm water for 5 minutes, and pat dry before adding.
- Chia Seeds: These add a spectacular crunch and a massive boost of Omega-3s and fiber.
- Quick Oats: Ensure these are certified gluten-free if you have a sensitivity. Quick oats work better than large flake oats here because they create a smoother, more cohesive ball. *DO NOT use instant oats.
- Agave Syrup: A natural sweetener that keeps these vegan. You can substitute liquid honey if you prefer, but you'll need an extra tablespoon of it.
- Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips work best, but you can use regular ones. I have used both types.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Nut-Free: Swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter (SunButter).
- Vegan: Ensure your chocolate chips are dairy-free.
- Extra Protein: Add a scoop of chocolate protein powder (you may need an extra tablespoon of water) or use chocolate protein powder instead of cocoa.
- Crunch Factor: Add finely chopped walnuts or pecans.
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites
These bites are so quick and easy to make!
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, mix almond butter, agave, vanilla, and cocoa powder together. Add 2 tablespoons of warm water.
- Step 2: Add oats, coconut, chia, and chocolate chips and stir until evenly coated. Add dried cherries. At this point, if the mixture still doesn't stick together, add water by the tablespoon, as needed. Transfer mixture to refrigerator to chill until nearly set and easier to handle.
- Step 3: Lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Remove mixture from refrigerator and shape into 1- 1 ½ -inch balls and space apart on cookie sheet. ** I find it helpful to wet my hands when I am forming the mixture into balls. Freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight. Then transfer to freezer bag to store ( I store in freezer for up to 2 months). Thaw when ready to eat (you can pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds) OR throw them in a lunch bag in the morning and they'll be ready to eat by lunch time!
Expert Recipe Tips
- The Wet Hand Hack: This is the ultimate "Lazy Way" trick! Keep a small bowl of water nearby and lightly dampen your palms before rolling. It prevents the dough from sticking to you and results in perfectly smooth energy bites.
- Don't Skip the Chill: Chilling the dough before rolling is essential. It allows the oats to hydrate and the almond butter to firm up, so your bites don't flatten out.
- The Salt Trick: Add a tiny pinch of sea salt to the mixture. It spectacularly enhances the flavor of the chocolate and cherries.
- Digestive Sensitivity: If you have a sensitive digestive tract, or IBS, soak your raw oats (in milk or water), as eating dry, raw oats can lead to digestive issues, bloating, or constipation. Soaking them for at least 12 hours helps break down phytic acid, improving nutrient absorption.
🌡️Storing
You can store these chocolate energy bites in the fridge for up to 3 days. They freeze well for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes about 16 chocolate energy balls if you make them larger (as I did in the main photos). But you will get 22 if you make them a little smaller (as I did in the process photos). You can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving size in the recipe card and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient amounts will then adjust accordingly.
❔Recipe FAQs
This usually means the mixture is too dry. Add warm water, one tablespoon at a time, until you can form a ball that sticks together.
No, fresh cherries have too much moisture and will make the bites mushy. Stick to dried cherries for the best texture and shelf-life.
You can, but the texture will be much "chunkier" and the balls may have more trouble sticking together. If you only have large-flake oats, I recommend giving them a quick pulse in your food processor first.
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So, if you are looking for a healthy chocolate snack or dessert, you'll love these Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls!
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📋 Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoon agave syrup or substitute 3 tablespoon liquid honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2-4 tbsp warm water as needed
- 1 cup quick oats (gluten-free)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup chia seeds
- 6 tablespoon semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup dried cherries
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix almond butter, agave, vanilla and cocoa powder together. Add 2tbsps of warm water.½ cup almond butter, 2 tablespoon agave syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 2-4 tablespoon warm water
- Add oats, coconut, chia and chocolate chips and stir until evenly coated. Add dried cherries. At this point, if mixture still doesn't stick together, add water by the tablespoon, as needed. Transfer mixture to refrigerator to chill until nearly set and easier to handle.1 cup quick oats (gluten-free), ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut, ½ cup chia seeds, 6 tablespoon semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, ½ cup dried cherries
- Lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Remove mixture from refrigerator and shape into 1- 1 ½ -inch balls and space apart on cookie sheet. ** I find it helpful to wet my hands when I am forming the mixture into balls.
- Freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Then transfer to freezer bag to store ( I store in freezer for up to 3 months). Thaw when ready to eat (you can pop them in the microwave for 10- seconds) OR throw them in a lunch bag in the morning and they'll be ready to eat by lunch time!
Notes
- The Wet Hand Hack: This is the ultimate "Lazy Way" trick! Keep a small bowl of water nearby and lightly dampen your palms before rolling. It prevents the dough from sticking to you and results in perfectly smooth energy bites.
- Don't Skip the Chill: Chilling the dough before rolling is essential. It allows the oats to hydrate and the almond butter to firm up, so your bites don't flatten out.
- The Salt Trick: Add a tiny pinch of sea salt to the mixture. It spectacularly enhances the flavor of the chocolate and cherries.
- Digestive Sensitivity: If you have a sensitive digestive tract, or IBS, soak your raw oats (in milk or water), as eating dry, raw oats can lead to digestive issues, bloating, or constipation. Soaking them for at least 12 hours helps break down phytic acid, improving nutrient absorption.
Helene Levesque says
Can I omit the cherries since i'm not a cherry person. or maybe replace with something else !!??
Terri Gilson says
Hi Helen,
Sure! You can use dried cranberries (Craisins) or even finely chopped dried apricots!
Enjoyn 🙂
Terri
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
I like healthy snacks like these, but that still satisfy my sweet cravings. Love the ingredients and yes, the almond butter is a good fat!
Terri Gilson says
Thanks, Nicoletta! I agree 🙂
Sue Slaght says
Oh yummy! Chocolate for breakfast. That has a lovely ring to it. 🙂
Food Meanderings says
I agree, Sue! But I know myself and AM chocolate can only lead to trouble! However, it's my perfect lunch dessert and PM snack. I admire your will power!