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Chocolate Oat Balls

March 11, 2013 By Kaitlin McGinn 39 Comments

These super-tasty treats are such an awesome way to sneak in lots of healthy oats, nuts, and seeds. I’m revisiting this recipe from a year ago because I wanted to reiterate how amazing these little things are! In all honesty, I can’t remember the last time I made just a single batch. I’m so out of control with these, the past two times have been a quadruple batch. Quadruple! They’re a great (healthier) treat that my husband loves to take to work almost everyday. I also like them for quick snacks and dessert because they don’t leave me feeling heavy and full. Hope you enjoy too! (For peanut-free, simply substitute almond butter or other nut butter.)

Vegan (with dairy-free chocolate), gluten-free (with gf oats)
Makes a small batch, about 6-8 small balls

Ingredients
1/4 cup agave (or honey)
1/4 cup peanut butter, or other nut butter
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almonds, crushed
1/8 cup ground flax seed
1/8 cup sunflower seeds

Directions
Melt peanut butter and agave/honey in a pan over medium heat.
Add remaining ingredients. (To crush whole almonds, I place them in a ziploc bag on a cutting board and crush with rolling pin.)
Stir with spatula for a couple minutes to combine until chocolate thoroughly melts.
Remove from heat and let sit in pan at least 10 minutes to cool.
When it cools enough to touch, mold into balls. They will harden further as they sit for a while. We store ours in an airtight container in the fridge.

Tip: when I make large batches, after molding them into balls I put them on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about a half hour, then remove and place them in a sealed tupperware in the fridge for storage. This way they’re already chilled and hardened and don’t stick together upon hardening in the fridge.

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Filed Under: Dessert, Recipe, Vegan Tagged With: chocolate, dessert, gluten-free, oats, recipe, snack, vegan, vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jacqueline Meldrum

    March 11, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    Brilliant, I am going to try these. I think my hubby and wee boy would love them too 🙂 Pinned!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      March 12, 2013 at 2:48 pm

      Thanks Jacqueline! Hope you all enjoy them! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Anonymous

    March 12, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    oh yum! These look delicious & the kids will LOVE them! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      March 12, 2013 at 2:49 pm

      Always great to have some healthier treats for the kiddos (and us!) 😉

      Reply
  3. LittleMonsterx14

    March 12, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    Mmm these look amazing! gorgeous photos 🙂

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      March 12, 2013 at 2:49 pm

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
  4. Leah

    March 12, 2013 at 7:24 pm

    We have made these several times and my girls adore them. I admit, I love them too. =) I don't blame you for making a quadruple batch, a single batch would be gone before they even hit the counter around here!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      March 13, 2013 at 3:54 pm

      Hey Leah! I'm so happy your girls like them – it's a great treat for everyone! I think quadruple batches are the new single batches in our household now 😉

      Reply
  5. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies

    March 17, 2013 at 11:48 pm

    These sound so good! I'm always looking for healthy snacks that taste indulgent. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      March 18, 2013 at 2:00 pm

      Hi Kiersten! Thanks, hope you get a chance to try these. We are so addicted 🙂

      Reply
  6. Anonymous

    April 8, 2013 at 6:33 am

    These look fantastic! Any idea on the "Nutritional Stats"? 🙂 Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      April 8, 2013 at 7:26 pm

      Hi there! I don't provide nutritional stats, but if you'd like to calculate your own you can try this website:
      http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
      I've heard it's pretty straightforward and easy to use. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Andrea

    April 12, 2013 at 12:17 am

    How essential is the oats? Any suggestions for a substitution? I don't eat any grain. Would cooked quinoa work? Or perhaps chia since it absorbs liquid and binds things together?

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      April 12, 2013 at 8:30 pm

      Hi Andrea! The honey, peanut butter, and chocolate are what binds these together so you wouldn't have to worry about finding something to do that. We love the oats, but you could surely try quinoa. I actually have yet to try chia seeds, but this would probably be a fantastic recipe to try them out in! You could also just increase the nuts and sunflower seeds if you want. I'll let you know if I can think of anything else. Would love to hear if you try them!

      Reply
  8. Library Lady

    April 12, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    Do you have the nutritional value? Calorie counts would be beneficial.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      April 12, 2013 at 8:19 pm

      Hi there! I don't provide nutritional stats, but if you'd like to calculate your own you can try this website:
      http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
      I've heard it's pretty straightforward and easy to use. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply
  9. BottomsUpTrainin

    July 15, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    These look amazing! Do you think I could replace chia seeds in place of the sunflower seeds? I just don't have any on hand :/

    Reply
    • Kaitlin M

      July 15, 2013 at 4:46 pm

      Hi there! I bet that would be great (though I have yet to try chia seeds!) Would LOVE to hear if you try it out! 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply
  10. Anonymous

    August 29, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    Do you think you can add protein powder to this recipe?

    Reply
    • Kaitlin M

      September 3, 2013 at 5:21 pm

      Oh awesome idea! I'd never thought to do that, but I bet it would go great! Definitely trying it next time for a little more oomph of protein 🙂

      Reply
  11. Anonymous

    October 24, 2013 at 5:37 pm

    Looks yummy…and healthy.
    Can you suggest a substitution for Peanut butter, please? Thank you….

    Reply
    • Kaitlin M

      October 29, 2013 at 6:22 pm

      Is it for a peanut allergy? If so, almond butter or other nut butters would work perfectly!

      Reply
    • Anonymous

      December 16, 2013 at 2:41 pm

      Thank you so much for replying. Didn't check your message earlier.
      My husband doesn't really like taste of peanut butter, so I will try other recommendations. Thanks again…

      Reply
    • Kaitlin M

      December 17, 2013 at 7:15 pm

      Good luck! Hope you and your husband love it! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Donna

    May 16, 2014 at 3:19 am

    I thought your Chocolate Oat Balls would be a 5-star recipe but turns out they are a "6" in my kitchen! Tasty treat!!!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin M

      May 16, 2014 at 4:13 pm

      Hi Donna! Oh YAY!!! Haha thanks for the sweet comment. So glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂

      Reply
    • Donna

      May 16, 2014 at 11:45 pm

      Love them… I do!!! Have made them several times. Even eating only one satisfies me, and that is important! GREAT recipe! I hope others try them!!!

      Reply
  13. Yvonne

    January 5, 2016 at 10:55 pm

    Peanut Butter is on the "Food that slows down metabolism" list of foods. It can't be good for metabolism and bad at the same time.

    Reply
  14. Tami Brodbeck

    June 3, 2016 at 2:27 am

    Just made these; used almond butter, and substituted chia seeds and shredded raw coconut, and added a little vanilla (1 tsp?). I doubled the recipe and rolled them into 32 balls! These are delicious, and will be a staple at our house!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      June 18, 2016 at 8:20 pm

      YUM Tami!! I love your creative adaptions! So glad you enjoyed them, have a great weekend! 🙂

      Reply
  15. Jens Hyldtoft

    October 19, 2016 at 7:19 am

    Hi Kaitlin
    It just says "agave" in your recipe. Is it sirup? Thx

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      October 30, 2016 at 3:44 pm

      Hi! Yep, agave is a syrup – but you could also use honey (which is what we commonly use if we don't have any agave on hand). I just updated the recipe 🙂 Thanks so much, hope you love 'em!

      Reply
  16. Wendy

    March 1, 2017 at 12:39 am

    I don't have flax seed or sunflower seeds so can I just leave them out? Do I need to increase the amount of oats? Would love to make them now without have to make a trip to the store. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      April 4, 2017 at 5:30 pm

      Hi Wendy! Oh my goodness, I'm way late responding to this – so sorry! You could totally just increase the oats and/or almonds in place of the sunflower and flax. Would love to hear how they turn out for you if you give it a go 🙂 Apologies again for the delay! Hope you have a beautiful week!!

      Reply
  17. Unknown

    May 1, 2017 at 6:03 pm

    can I leave the chocolate chips out and just use more of the oats and nuts? or sub cocoa powder

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      August 18, 2017 at 6:59 pm

      Hi! Sorry this is so late – the melted chocolate is really what helps bind these together. I'm unsure if cocoa powder would be enough to hold them with the peanut butter and agave/honey. Would love to hear if you tried it and how it went!! I'll be sure to update if I ever give it a try!

      Reply
  18. WhippedGreenGirl Angie

    May 1, 2017 at 8:31 pm

    So happy I just found this recipe on Pinterest! Great share, can't wait to give it a whirl 😉

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn

      August 18, 2017 at 7:00 pm

      Yay, hope you loved them! 🙂

      Reply
  19. Unknown

    June 14, 2017 at 10:40 am

    Hi, do you know the calories in the oat balls?! They look delicious!

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Kaitlin! Passionate about colorful plant-based food, nature, reading, matcha, and compassionate living. Read More →

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