Sesame Energy Balls
Today we are making Sesame Energy Balls! Energy balls are a quick snack that you can make in the blender, customize to different flavors, use up leftover ingredients with and really make them however you please – all with just one blender cup, no turning on the oven and minimal hassle! It’s the most convenient of snacks, they last quite long once they’re made and they’re portable for on-the-go snacking.
Today’s no bake recipe uses three main ingredients with lots of health benefits! Almond flour, dates and tahini (which is sesame seed paste made from pure sesame seeds, similar to how pure peanut butter is made from just blended peanuts until the oils come out). Vanilla extract and salt are added for flavor.
Overall, five main ingredients, with the dates providing natural sweetness and the almond flour and tahini providing protein. All of these wholesome ingredients combine to make these delicious energy bites. You can find the full recipe and instructions below in the recipe card, plus a video to follow along!
Why You’ll Love These Sesame Energy Balls
Whole Foods Ingredients: When buying snacks at the grocery store, they usually don’t contain minimal ingredients and no added sugar, without any additional preservatives. But when making homemade snacks, you don’t have to worry about unneeded ingredients! We are using pure tahini, almond flour and dates. Then pink salt is used for flavor, as well as pure vanilla extract.
Convenient Snacking: It’s made in just one food processor or blender, lasts two weeks in the refrigerator, can be brought to school or work for a snack, and can even be customized to make it chocolate chip flavor. Tahini energy balls are the perfect snack to check off all these boxes!
Substitutions: Wet Ingredients
Tahini: Check the ingredient label to make sure that the only ingredient listed on the tahini container is just sesame seeds. You can substitute with any nut or seed butter for varying flavors. Almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter and others will work great. Note that using peanut butter will lend a very strong peanut flavor, and is not as neutral as some other nut and seed butters.
Vanilla: For best results, use pure vanilla extract. This doesn’t contain any added dyes, caramel color or other artificial ingredients. Imitation vanilla flavor will work, albeit not taste as fresh as pure vanilla.
Substitutions: Dry Ingredients
Sesame Seeds: These are optional, but add a crunch and added healthy fats to the outside of the balls. Make sure to use white sesame seeds, as they have a different flavor than black sesame seeds. Switch it up and roll these in shredded, unsweetened coconut instead as well!
Almond Flour: I used blanched almond flour from Kirkland for this recipe. You can substitute this with almond meal instead. For an almond-free option, grind up cashews or walnuts under a powder forms, and use these instead of almond flour. For a totally nut-free option, try grinding up sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to make flour from those instead.
I do not recommend using oat flour or coconut flour. Oat flour does not have the same level of fat as nuts, which won’t make the recipe taste as rich as using nuts or seeds as the flour base. Coconut flour on the other hand, is very dry and does not work well unless the other ingredients are adjusted by adding more moisture.
Medjool Dates: For best results, use Medjool dates. These are super soft and blend easily, whereas other variety of dates may be harder to blend. Using the latter will result in date chunks in the dough, making it hard to shape into balls. You can also substitute with prunes or another dried fruit for changing up the flavor!
Although the dates are there are sweetness, I do not recommend using pure maple syrup or another liquid sweetener as a sugar substitute. These are more liquid-y than dates and won’t help the dough stick together as well as dates will.
Sesame Energy Balls Recipe Notes
- To make these chocolate chip cookie balls, mix in mini vegan semisweet chocolate chips by hand, after the dough is formed but before shaping the balls. You can even melt some chocolate and drizzle it on top before refrigerating!
Video
More Recipes You’ll Love
Homemade Cashew Cookie Larabars
If you make these Sesame Energy Balls, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Sesame Energy Balls
Equipment
- High-speed blender or food processor
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Medjool dates pitted
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp tahini
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch pink salt
- additional white sesame seeds for coating
Instructions
- Fill a small bowl with the additional sesame seeds. Each ball will be rolled in these at the end.
- Now add all ingredients, except the sesame seeds for rolling, into a food processor.
- Blend until a sticky dough forms. If using a blender, you may have to stop and scrape down the sides occasionally as it isn't as wide as a food processor cup.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and shape into 5 small balls.
- Roll each ball in the bowl of sesame seeds, as shown in the video.
- Enjoy!
Notes
-
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
