BESTSELLING The Feel-Good Meal Plan Cookbook 
SALTED CARAMEL ENERGY BALLS
These soft and gooey salted caramel energy balls are slightly modified from my old fave recipe. They are the perfect snack to satisfy that sweet tooth without the crash!
We are officially gearing up for baby! We spent the past weekend starting to get the nursery set up. It all feels a bit surreal but we are getting so excited to meet this little nugget!
As I’m trying to get ahead with work so I can take a bit of downtime, I recently polled you guys on Instagram to see what kind of stuff you want to see on the blog and YouTube. I’m really hoping that over the next 6 weeks I get busy in the kitchen and pre filming some videos so that I can keep the recipes and info coming for you guys while I’m off – ish. Haha
There were a ton of requests for on the go snacks, specifically energy balls – this one is my absolute faaave and has been a regular in our rotation for years not. If you’ve been around here for awhile, you may remember a very similar recipe a few years back. I’ve perfected the recipe and plus, I know how those recipes can get burried in the archives so I’m bring this one back!
I recommend doubling the batch and stocking some extras in the freezer, which I will definitely be doing – also on the to do list, as recommended from some fellow mommas, stock up on easy to grab one handed snacks and meals to stay fueled in those first (wonderful) but potentially chaotic months. Haha.
Tip: I find that having snack recipes and ideas on hand always makes for more calm in my life, so I’ve created a list of quick and easy meal prep snacks for you here!
Without further adieu – energy ball time!
I’m back at it again with more energy balls! Because, well, you can never have too many snack options and these ones were just WAY too good not to share!
I had never made energy balls with cashews before and I seriously could not get over the texture of these once they were all blended up!! They are so creamy and seriously taste just like salted caramel!
One thing to note when you are making these is that they will be quite oily, this is just the natural (and healthy!) fats coming out of the nuts as they are blended. Other balls that I have made in the past like these Lemon Coconut, Chocolate Peanut Butter or Pumpkin Pie have included additional ingredients like oats that soak up more of the excess liquids- neither is better than another, they are just different, but for these ones I really wanted to keep the caramel-like texture so kept them simple. Just a warning that you may end up with some extra oil in the bottom of your bowl and that is totally normal!
You can eat them just as is or play around with rolling them in different toppings. I ended up going with my favorites- coconut and raw cacao powder but I think they’d also be really good with some chopped pistachios or toasted pecans.
I always seem to be carrying these around in my purse and they are the perfect pick me up for a mid-morning snack or a little something sweet after dinner.
Enjoy! And leave a comment below if you try them out! What are your favorite grab and go snacks?
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Salted Caramel Energy Balls (Vegan)
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 18 balls 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: North American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These soft and gooey salted caramel energy balls are the perfect snack to satisfy that sweet tooth! Packed with protein, fiber and healthy fats from almonds and cashews and naturally sweetened with dates and vanilla there ‘s not blood sugar spikes here!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, raw
- ½ cup almonds, raw
- 1 cup dates (soak in boiling if not super fresh/soft)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Sprinkle of coarse salt to taste
- ¼ – ⅓ cup warm or boiling water if needed for smoother consistency if using food processor
- Optional- shredded unsweetened coconut and/or raw cacao or cocoa powder to roll them in at the end
Instructions
- In a Vitamix or high powered blender, combine all ingredients and blend on high. Use your wand as you blend to keep ingredients moving. Alternatively use a food processor. You will need to stop as you go and use a spatula to push down the sides of your mixture. You will also likely need to add warm water to thin out the paste a bit.
- Keep blending until ingredients form a smooth paste, adding water as needed.
- Use your hands to form into 18 evenly sized balls (Note: Mixture will be a bit oily, this is normal, it is just those healthy fats from the nuts releasing!)
- Add an extra sprinkle of sea salt and roll in coconut and/0r raw cacao powder if desired.
- Keep in an airtight container to snack on during the week or store in the freezer to eat as you please!
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Loved these energy bites. So simple and so few ingredients but incredibly full of flavour! We did roll them in shredded coconut. My kids loved them. Will definitely make these energy bites again soon. They freeze really well too!
So happy you enjoyed these Liane! Yes!! Energy bites are a staple for our freezer. So nice to have quick snacks on hand. And with you on the coconut! The best!
I make these every week! The whole family loves them. I usually skip the coconut flakes because I am lazy and they are just as tasty without.
It’s awesome to hear that you make them every week and they are a hit with the family, Mary 🙂 And agreed! They are just as tasty without the coconut!
Made these today and they are so delicious and easy to make. Actually we really like all the energy ball recipes from Lindsay so now it’s hard to choose
Aw Lorraine! This message put a huge smile on my face! A good problem to have I guess?! haha Enjoy!
Loved these energy balls, they are the perfect combo of sweet and salty. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it was quick, healthy, and delicious!
Hi Mary! You are so welcome. I’m so happy you enjoyed this combo! Thank you for sharing 🙂 xo
These are soooo good! I was very surprised at how caramel flavoured they turned out. I added a bit too much water and the mix was a bit sticky, but I rolled them in coconut and after letting them sit they were the PERFECT treat!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed these Ali! I love the troubleshooting you did. I’m always down for extra coconut. haha These also freeze really well which helps them firm up and makes for a nice prep ahead snack to have on hand! I sometimes even double the recipe while I’m at it to save me some time.
My new go to recipe for energy balls! So simple & versatile. Easy to whip up. But like Lindsay says- a good processor is very helpful! I killed my Kitchenaid the first time I used this recipe (my own fault, I’ve abused it for years). The second time I pulsed each ingredient separately first and then combined in my back up processor. Tasty & forgiving to mix it up with other nuts when you are a bit short for the original.
I’m so happy to hear this is your new go to Wendy! I’ve loved seeing you play around with different options on Instagram! RIP to your food processor. haha but happy you’ve got a backup! Enjoy. can’t wait to see the next variation you come up with!
Actually surprised how good these are with so few ingredients and no bad sugar! I added a few sprinkles of coarse Himalayan salt to the food processor. Also, once everything got to a granola-like consistency it wasn’t doing much in the processor, but I added a couple tbsp of hot water and it instantly started turning into a paste. Great recipe!
I’m so happy to like this one Allison and I love that you modified it to work for you! I love batch prepping these and storing them in the freezer for future snacks.
Yummy! A perfect sweet treat to cover the mid afternoon cravings. Loved them!
Yay! So happy to hear they’re hitting the spot Kim!
Ok I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of this recipe at first. I knew it would be good but I didn’t believe it would actually taste like salted caramel, but somehow, it does! These are so fantastic…the cashews make them so creamy. I rolled mine in cocoa powder and they are perfect. Thanks Lindsay!
Haha that is a fair skepticism! Glad you were pleasantly surprised! Now I want to make a batch. Enjoy Lauren! xo
food allergy to cashews what can i substitute for cashews in recipe? no peanuts as well
excited to use a canadian cookbook
So happy to hear you’re excited about the cookbook Jackie! I haven’t tested, but I think you could substitute for more almonds or soaked raw sunflower seeds. You’ll likely need to blend a bit longer and they won’t blend up quite as smoothly with a bit of a different flavor but should work! Let me know if you try it out!