These easy no bake, no equipment needed pumpkin oat energy balls are vegan, gluten free. Filled with fibre rich rolled oats, pumpkin puree, and healthy fats from chia seeds, flax seeds and pecans these pumpkin oat energy balls makes these the perfect on the go breakfast, snack or a sweet treat at the end of the day.
As meal prep experts and nutritionists we know that breakfast and snacks are one of our clients biggest struggles when it comes to healthy eating. This is why we love to have a couple of things prepped and ready to go that can double as breakfast or a quick snack for those busy Vancouver days. And these pumpkin oat energy balls are just that! We love making them for our meal prep clients, or ourselves, as they are a perfectly balanced quick on the go meal.
We use pecans/walnuts and nut butter in this recipe but if you are allergic to nuts or avoiding nuts you can easily substitute these out. We love using pumpkin/sunflower seeds in place of the nuts here, they are both high in protein and healthy fats. You can also substitute a seed butter like pumpkin, or tahini for the nut butter OR just go with easy coconut oil, just be sure to add it in solid form not melted.
These energy balls also use rolled oats, which we highly recommend over quick oats. Rolled oats are a less processed form and are higher in fiber than quick oats. If all you have is quick oats, or you prefer to use quick oats, you may need to increase to 2 ½ cups in this recipe. Also be sure that your oats are gluten free if needed.
Pumpkin Oat Energy Balls
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Makes 18-22 energy balls.
Ingredients
-
2 cups Rolled Oats, gluten free is necessary
-
½ cup Pumpkin Puree, not pumpkin pie filling
-
¼ cup Nut Butter of choice, our favourite in here is Almond or Cashew
-
¼ cup chopped Pecans, or Walnuts
-
¼ cup Flax Seed ground
-
¼ cup Maple Syrup
-
1 tbsp Chia Seeds, activated with 2 tbsps of water
-
1 tsp Vanilla
-
1 tbsp Pumpkin Spice
-
⅛ tsp Salt
-
Optional: ¼ cup melted Chocolate Chips
Directions
Step 1
Place oats, pumpkin spice, flax seed, pecans and salt in a large bowl and combine until the spice mix and seeds are evenly distributed.
Step 2
Once the mixture is fully combined add in the remaining ingredients and combine until the mixture is dough like and sticky.
Step 3
Using a small scoop or 2 spoons, portion out 20-24 balls and then roll each portion into a firm ball. Place in the fridge to set before drizzling with the optional melted chocolate and placing in the fridge in a sealed container.
Pro Tip:
This recipe can double as a cookie recipe! If you are craving something more decadent we recommend adding ½ cup chocolate chips and then baking in the oven at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.
This recipe was created by one of our nutritionists and blogger Danielle of Thyme to Nourish. You can find more of her creations here.
