PB&J Energy Bites

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.

You might also like:

• Maple Tahini Oatmeal Balls
• Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites
• Loaded Oatmeal Cookie Energy Bites

PB&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. 

• Author: Leanne Ray, MS, RDN
• 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

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries (just shy of 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (see notes)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Add oats through salt to a food processor and pulse a few times until mixed and slightly broken down. 
2. 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.
3. Portion into 1.5 tablespoon balls and roll between  your hands. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Equipment

cookie scoop

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food processor

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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