These vegan peanut butter and jelly oatmeal energy bites are a throw-back flavor combination you can’t resist! Loaded with satisfying, nutrient-dense ingredients, these will be a new favorite afternoon pick-me-up.
Add these to your list of favorite oatmeal energy bite flavor combinations because I think you guys are going to love these. But then again, how can you go wrong with this classic? Peanut butter and jelly just works, no matter what the recipe.
Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
Ingredients
- rolled oats
- chia seeds
- salt
- freeze-dried strawberries
- peanut butter
- agave nectar
- vanilla extract
Per usual, you’ll need a few basic pantry staples to make these plus one (possibly?) novelty item: the freeze-dried strawberries. But fear not because you can find them almost anywhere.
What are freeze-dried strawberries?
Remember the Special K red berries that used to be super popular? Those are freeze-dried strawberries. The moisture is removed and they become slightly crunchy and really concentrated in flavor. I love using them for an extra pop of color when baking and they also make a great addition to granolas or mueslis.
For these energy bites, everything goes in the food processor. No mixing, no dirty bowls. Favorite kitchen appliance anyone?
Using a spring-loaded scoop is the easiest and (in my opinion) best way to portion these evenly. Just give them a quick roll between your palms to get them nice and uniform in shape.
I love this “dough” too because you don’t even need to chill it! They’re ready to enjoy right away, but you can certainly pop them into the fridge to firm up a bit if you want.
Oatmeal bites will be my forever favorite way to start the morning. They pair perfectly with coffee and give you a little bit of energy in that space before you’re ready to eat a real breakfast. Make a batch on Sunday so you have something quick and healthy to snack on all week long.
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PrintPB&J Energy Bites
These peanut butter and jelly oatmeal energy bites are a throw-back flavor combination you can’t resist! Loaded with satisfying, nutrient-dense ingredients these will be a new favorite afternoon pick-me-up.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 20 bites 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1 ounce freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (see notes)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add oats through salt to a food processor and pulse a few times until mixed and slightly broken down.
- Add peanut butter, agave nectar and vanilla extract then run until ingredients are thoroughly combined and no large chunks of strawberries remain. You may need to scrape the sides with a knife a couple of times.
- Portion into 1.5 tablespoon balls and roll between your hands. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- I used the Good & Gather brand freeze-dried strawberries from Target (one package).
- For the peanut butter, I used a natural (drippy) variety. If you use a no-stir peanut butter, you might need slightly more if your mixture is on the dry side.
- Any liquid sweetener (pure maple syrup, honey) should work in place of the agave nectar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bite
- Calories: 118 calories
- Fat: 5 grams
- Carbohydrates: 16 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
Keywords: oatmeal balls, oatmeal bites, energy bites, healthy snacks, kid-friendly
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Nichole says
My toddler (and I love these)! I didn’t have enough freeze-dried strawberries so I added some diced up prunes along with the strawberries and they were great!
★★★★★
Leanne says
Yay! So glad to hear that! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating.
Lindsey says
Sweet, salty, and so good! Peanut butter and jelly was a favorite as a kid, but these are SO much better! Kids and adults agree=}
★★★★★
Leanne says
Thank you so much Lindsey!
Julie Pylkas says
Everytime I place an order at Target pick up, I add dried strawberries to the order now to ensure I can make these on a whim. Probably my favorite “energy ball” to date!
Leanne says
So glad to hear that! It’s a fun and tasty way to sneak in some fruit.
Jackie says
I made these for the first time yesterday, definitely staying in the snack rotation!
★★★★★
Leanne says
So happy to hear it Jackie! They’re a nice change when you get tired of peanut butter and chocolate (although that rarely happens for me haha). Thanks for the comment and review!