No-Bake Energy Bites - Granola Dates

These no-bake energy bites are made with granola and use the sweetness of dates, which makes them naturally sugar-free. They make a great breakfast on-the-go or snack for those evening hours when you crave for something sweet and indulgent like cookies. Also, the sweetness of the dates and added nutrition from the nuts make these a light, nutritious packed snack before workouts.

Energy bites in our home are a ritual before we go on our workouts. I use them before I go to my classes, so does Ziv before he goes to his swimming or the gym. Aadi has to have his energy bites before he goes for his basketball practice. If not he feels hungry. Rhea loves to have one before her dance.  But in reality, she loves them any time of the day. 

One of these is all you need to take away those afternoon sugar cravings. I sometimes eat more than once a day! Just so I can keep my hands off the cookie jar. On busy days I grab these instead of breakfast. Aadi has these for breakfast every day before he goes to school because often he wakes up late and has no time for breakfast

I grew up with my mom always saying 'dates and nuts are good for you' Guess what she was right! Though it's high in sugar and calories it actually does help with keeping your weight in check simply by substituting date honey for sugar. Have you heard about date-honey? Being sweet dates make a great substitute for anything that needs sugar. In fact, we buy date honey and often I will substitute date honey called silane for a recipe that calls for sugar. 

I always want to add oats to our family diet. It's incredibly nutritious packed with antioxidants, lowers cholesterol and can improve blood sugar are just a few of the benefits. Unfortunately, my kids don't fancy oatmeal very much nor do they like it in their desserts. The only oats they ever eat is in my granola! Yup, they do love granola. So I make breakfast parfaits, cookies and energy bites with granola.

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About this no-bake energy bites

Well, it does not get any easier than this because we don't need to bake these energy bites. I use premade granola which usually is homemade but you can certainly use store-bought granola. Having said that I highly recommend using no-sugar-added granola. Why? well, the dates are naturally sweet but still sweet which means they do add sweetness so if you start with a no-sugar-added base you will find that these are just perfect.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Dates - This is the glue that keeps it all together!! But if you do not like dates you can use either almond butter or peanut butter. You can then add some dried fruits such as cranberries and raisins for sweetness.
• Nuts - I love nuts and its'a  great way to add more nutrition and energy before a workout. I eat one of these and I'm not hungry during my work out.
• Granola - This is where this gets interesting every single time you make these bites. I make many different flavors of granola. Basic homemade granola, cranberry almond granola, almond blueberry granola, toasted coconut granola, maple pecan I like to call pecan pie granola, dates and sunflower seed granola. You can find a few of these here on my site. So you see every time the base is different so the results are also different.
• Toasted Oats - are a great substitute for the granola if you cannot find a sugar free granola or don't have homemade at home.
• Spices - I think cinnamon is the most preferred in our home but you can add pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice if you prefer.

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Step by step instructions (Save/Pin)

• Pit the dates and discard any loose dry skin.
• Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until breadcrumb consistency

• Add the nuts and pulse some more.
• Add the granola, spices, salt, and vanilla.

• Pulse until coarse breadcrumb consistency.
• You should be able to smooch some into a ball.

• Use a cookie scoop to ensure you have similar size balls.
• Make balls and leave on a plate uncovered for 30 minutes.

• When the outside is aired and feels dry to touch.
• Store them in a cookie jar or box.
• These will stay for a week outside the fridge or up to three weeks in the fridge.
• Enjoy!

Frequently asked questions

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