With simple ingredients and entirely nut free, these No Bake SunButter energy balls make an easy snack when you're looking for a quick boost!
When I asked my friends what kind of recipes they'd like to see me create with SunButter, energy bites came up frequently.
Now I'm not one for snacking, but I know most people are looking for quick and easy foods they can grab and eat on the go. So I jumped all in for this idea, and quickly found myself completely ADORING these SunButter energy balls.
They're grain free, paleo, and nut free. Oh, and you need a whopping 6 ingredients for these tasty little suckers. How's that for simple?
Ingredients needed for nut free energy balls
- Sunflower seed butter - my favorite store-bought brand is no sugar added SunButter, but you can also make your own sunflower seed butter!
- Raw honey - our sweetener for these little energy balls!
- Unsweetened shredded coconut - to help change up the texture so it isn't so samey, a bit of unsweetened shredded coconut adds a bit more oomph with a different flavor, too!
- Ground flax seeds - this helps keep the balls bound together and soak up a bit of moisture from both the sunflower seed butter and seeds.
- Sunflower seeds - opt for raw, hulled sunflower seeds. You'll ground them into a "meal" before using them for the nut free energy balls.
- Vanilla extract - just adds a touch of vanilla flavor to make these energy balls extra delicous!
You can also add a dash of sea salt if you are a fan of the salty-sweet combo!
How to make ground sunflower seeds
I predicted this might be a hurdle for this recipe. But believe me when I say that making sunflower seed meal/flour is a lot easier than you'd expect. It only adds 5 minutes of prep, including getting your food processor out of your cupboard!
To make ground sunflower seeds, you just have to pour raw hulled sunflower seeds into a food processor and pulse until they break down into a mealy flour texture.
Done. That's it. Really!
About a cup of sunflower seeds will make the right amount of ground sunflower seeds for the recipe. But if you end up with a little extra, no big deal - this recipe is incredibly forgiving. If you're having trouble rolling the energy balls into shape, just mix in a little more SunButter.
How to make no bake energy balls
Despite the extra step of grinding up the sunflower seeds (as mentioned above), making nut free energy balls couldn't be easier!
If you're starting with raw hulled sunflower seeds, you'll need to grind them into a meal or flour using a food processor.
Otherwise, there is a company that sells a "sunflower seed flour" - I haven't tried it, but you can!
Once you have your sunflower seed flour, all you need to do is combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
Stir until evenly-mixed, then use your hands to form small, 2-inch balls.
Place finished balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Refrigerate them so they firm up, then store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 weeks or freezer for 3 months!
And that's it!
No bake energy ball variations
When creating this recipe, it was really important to me to keep these no bake energy balls simple. That's not exactly an easy task when you're also restricted to grain free and nut free (hence the ground sunflower seeds).
Along the way, I couldn't help but dream up variations on this simple base. Feel free to make the base recipe (it's awesome just as it is), or take one of these ideas and run with it!
- mini chocolate chips
- dried cranberries
- dried strawberries (we all know I love that SunButter & Jelly combo!)
- a scoop of your favorite protein powder (mine is Equip Prime Protein - use code CHELSEAJOYEATS for 20% off!)
- collagen peptides
- maca powder
- cinnamon
- pumpkin spice
More nut free recipes to explore
- Lamb & Beef Meatballs with Whipped Feta
- Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Quinoa
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Leftover Turkey Casserole with Wild Rice
📖 Recipe
No Bake SunButter Energy Balls
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 dozen 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
With simple ingredients and entirely nut free, these No Bake SunButter energy balls make an easy snack when you're looking for a quick boost!
Ingredients
- ½ cup sunflower seed butter
- ¼ cup raw honey
- ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- ¾ cup raw hulled sunflower seeds, ground into a flour (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until completely mixed.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Scoop out approximately 1 tablespoon of the SunButter mixture and roll between your hands to form a ball. Place on the parchment paper. Repeat until you've used all the SunButter mixture.
- Keep refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
To make ground sunflower seeds, add raw hulled sunflower seeds to a food processor and pulse until broken down to the consistency of a mealy flour.
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