These nut free energy balls are such a fun work or school snack, and so easy to prep and pack up in a lunch box. We combine easy to find ingredients of oats, seeds and pantry staples to blend up these protein balls without nuts in just 10 minutes!
Much like my pistachio energy balls and sesame energy balls, these energy balls without nuts are such an easy snack to make with store cupboard ingredients. They're packed with seeds, oats and a pinch of spice. Yep, they're a little green - that's the pumpkin seed butter!
I love the flavor of pumpkin seed butter as it's creamy, sweet and has a slight nutty taste (but no fear, there are no nuts in the recipe!). And, for quickness, these are no bake protein balls so there's no need to turn the oven on!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Sweet, chewy and flavorful. The seed butter, oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut and spices gives a lovely taste and texture.
Protein balls without peanut butter. The combination of seeds, oats and flax gives us an easy protein snack that's easy to pack up for school or work.
Energy balls without nuts. While some nuts are considered low histamine per the SIGHI list, they don't work for everyone. I hope these no nuts energy balls will work for most people as we use typically well tolerated seeds instead (of course, be mindful of personal food sensitivities).
🥄 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes to help guide you:
- Oats - you want to use old fashioned rolled oats to make these nut free energy bites, and gluten free oats if you have that dietary requirement.
- Pumpkin seed butter - this is used instead of peanut butter or other nut butter, and will give a fun green color to your snack! You can either use a store-bought butter or make homemade pumpkin seed butter if you prefer (it's very easy!).
- Milled flax seed - also known as flax meal, you can make your own by grinding whole flax seeds or buy ready-done.
- Shredded coconut - this is optional, but adds a nice crunch and buttery taste. While it is often considered that coconut is a fruit and not a nut (Healthline), different organisations classify coconut differently, so it is important to consult with a dietician if unsure. Please be mindful of personal food sensitivities and do not consume unless you know you tolerate well. If serving to someone with a nut allergy, they would need to be prepared in a nut free environment and all necessary precautions taken to prevent contamination.
📖 Swaps and variations
Swap pumpkin seed butter for sunflower seed butter. You can use either as nut free butter options, but as sunflower seeds score 2 on SIGHI, I suggest my low histamine readers may prefer pumpkin seed butter.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making these nut free energy balls is very easy, uses pantry staples and doesn't require turning the oven on!
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Combine ingredients
Tip the oats and milled flaxseed into your food processor and pulse blend a few times so the oats have broken down into a grainy texture. Add the pumpkin seed butter, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, coconut and cardamom (image 1).
Step 2: Blend the 'dough'
Blend the ingredients together so they combine, break down and form a slightly moist dough. It should feel a bit sticky, so if it's too dry, add a touch of maple syrup (image 2). You may need to scrape the sides of the blender down a few times.
Step 3: Roll the dough
Scoop the dough out of the food processor and form into a ball to make it easier to handle (image 3).
Step 4: Roll into energy balls
Use either a cookie scoop or your hands to form the energy balls. I use about a tablespoon of dough per ball, then roll in my hands to form the ball (image 4).
💭 Expert recipe tips and notes
Use a runny seed butter. You want to use a pourable butter rather than a thick 'set' one (they tend to solidify when they've been open a while).
Adjust the seed butter quantity. If your dough seems too thick or dry you can add a little more seed butter or a splash of water to thin.
Use a cookie scoop. You can of course simply use your hands to roll the balls (wet your hands first to prevent the dough sticking to them!), but using a cookie scoop will give you similar sized balls.
📋 Frequently asked questions
If you use certified gluten free oats, then these are vegan, nut free and gluten free energy balls!
Coconut is described by Healthline as being a fruit not a nut. However, this is a little debated, with some organisations classifying it as a nut. It is possible to have allergies or food intolerances to coconut, so it should only be consumed if you know you tolerate it well. You can easily leave the shredded coconut out of this recipe if it doesn't work for you.
If coconut doesn't work for you, simply swap for a little more oats and pumpkin seeds.
Peanut butter can easily be swapped out for sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter, tahini or other suitable nut or seed butter, depending upon your personal dietary needs and food intolerances.
Yes, simply place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to a month.
🥣 More energy balls recipes
You can find so many fun snacks here, including my honey flapjacks, as well as these other energy bites recipes:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ and comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Nut Free Energy Balls
Equipment
- Food processor
- Cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats gluten free, if required
- 2 tablespoon milled flaxseed also known as flaxmeal
- ½ cup pumpkin seed butter or sunflower seed butter*
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup shredded coconut see notes below
- 1 teaspoon cardamom or cinnamon
Instructions
- Tip the oats and flaxseed into your food processor and pulse blend a few times so the oats are broken down into a grainy texture.
- Pour the pumpkin seed butter and maple syrup into the food processor, and add the shredded coconut, cardamom and pumpkin seeds. Blend so you have a thick, sticky 'dough'. You may need to scrape the sides of the food processor down a few times. If the dough seems too dry, add a little more maple syrup.
- Scoop the dough out of the food processor into a bowl or onto a plate. Use a cookie scoop or your hands to scoop about a tablespoon of dough. Roll between your hands to form a ball. Repeat so you have about 12 small energy balls.
Notes
- Coconut is typically considered to be a fruit and not a nut (Healthline). However, this is somewhat debated. Only consume coconut if you know you tolerate well, and be mindful of personal food intolerances. If taking to a nut free work or school environment, check their policies beforehand in terms of coconut.
- The dough should be sticky in terms of texture. If it feels a little dry, you can add a little water, maple syrup or pumpkin seed butter.
- The energy balls can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to a month.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- pumpkin seeds score 0, but pumpkin seed butter (store bought) is not listed.
- cardamom scores 0, but with a note in French that not all varieties may be well tolerated.
Alice says
These were so good, and helped me to realize that I can't eat flax seed anymore. Ahhhhh! Do you think if I switch out flax for chia seeds it will work?
Claire says
I haven't tried it myself, but milled chia should work well I think. It may have a slightly different taste. Glad you enjoyed them though!