If you haven’t made energy bites yet, then it’s about time you jump on the bandwagon. They truly are the perfect on the go snack or late night bite to keep in your fridge or freezer (and are especially great for mamas to be!)
After cleaning out my freezer yesterday (I’m in true nesting mode these days) I found a stasher bag full of these brownie energy bites and got ridiculously excited!
This nourishing energy bite recipe was originally from a former business I co-founded called the Healthy Glow Co. They were amazing and I decided to repost them because frankly, ’tis the season for all things mint + chocolate.
Ingredients in brownie energy bites
These delicious mint brownie bites are made with 5 simple, wholesome ingredients, and guess what? Not one of them is sugar. Just raw walnuts, dates, cocoa powder (or cacao), vanilla and mint extract. Plus a little salt if you’d like!
The only sweetener in these little bites of goodness is medjool dates. If you weren’t already aware, dates are an amazing source of fiber and vitamins, and their natural sweetness (and sticky texture!) is perfect for adding to no bake snacks and treats.
Why omega 3s are good for you
These brownie energy bites are packed with omega-3s thanks to walnuts. Omega-3s are a wonderful fatty acid that’s essential for your brain, your heart and the immune system. Most people will fail to get enough omega-3s in their diet as we tend to not eat enough fish, walnuts, or veggies with the type of fat. You can read more about 0mega-3s here.
Heart-healthy walnuts
Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3s but did you know that they also contain copper, vitamin e, and other anti-inflammatory properties? I’ve never been more of a fan of walnuts until now! Read more on walnuts and why they’re good for you here.
The mint brownie bites have a walnut & date base that’s packed with omega 3’s, plus a bit of cocoa powder and mint extract to give them an indulgent taste that’s actually healthy and nourishing for your body. DIG IN.
How to make mint chocolate brownie energy bites
These energy bites are easy to make and also happen to be vegan and gluten free! All you’ll need is a few ingredients, a food processor and a cookie scoop (or you can use your hands). Here’s how to make them:
- Add walnuts and pitted dates to the food processor and pulse until dates and walnuts begin to come together.
- Add cocoa powder, vanilla extract, mint extract and salt. Process again until a dough forms. If a dough isn’t forming together, add a tablespoon of warm water and process again.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to grab the mixture and then use your hands to roll into 8 balls. Feel free to double the recipe if you’d like!
- Place balls on a baking sheet or a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. Then transfer to an airtight container or stasher bag. Store in fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ways to make these energy bites your own
There are plenty of ways to get creative and make these energy bites your own! Here are a few suggestions:
- Add 1 tablespoon hemp seeds or chia seeds for an additional nutritional boost.
- Leave out the mint extract to have just a chocolate brownie bite.
- Add 1/3 cup shredded coconut for a chocolate coconut energy bite (leave out the mint).
- Add a scoop of your favorite unflavored or chocolate protein powder (I love Vital Proteins collagen peptides).
How to store & freeze energy bites
Keep these mint brownie energy bites in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you’re eating them straight from the freezer I’d recommend letting them soften up a bit in the fridge or at room temp before doing so.
I hope you love this brownie energy bite recipe as much as I do. If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment below, rate the recipe and let me know how you liked them. I appreciate you! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
No Bake Omega 3 Mint Brownie Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup (4 ounces) raw walnut halves
- 1 cup packed pitted medjool dates
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon mint or peppermint extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place walnuts and dates into a food processor. Process for about 1 minute or until walnuts and dates come together well. Walnuts should be slightly chunky.
- Add in the remaining ingredients: cocoa powder, vanilla extract, mint extract and salt. Pulse until a dough forms. The dough texture should be thick and clumpy, and possibly come together into a ball. If it isn't, then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of warm water.
- Use a cookie dough scoop to grab 1 tablespoon of mixture and then roll into a ball. Place onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all the mixture is gone. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to allow balls to chill and harden a bit.
- After balls are done chilling, transfer to an airtight container or reusable bag and store in fridge for 1 week or in freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
I just made these the other week but used cacao powder and pecans! They’re SO good!!! Definitely satisfy my sweet tooth.
Perfect! I’m so glad you liked them!!
Such a great post! I’ve been intimidated by dates and what to do with them! But seeing yours and Lee’s videos, I’m starting to think I’ll be making energy balls soon!
http://Www.themilestraveled.com
These are delicious and so easy to make. Definitely satisfies sweetness and chocolate cravings. My boys love it but I can’t have them because I’m allergic to walnuts. What can I use instead? I’m allergic to nuts, pistachios, pecans and sesame seeds, I can’t eat Tahini either.
Try these granola bars instead! https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/nut-free-granola-bars-recipe/
Made these brownie bites and they are so damn good. You are so awesome, Monique.
Aw thank you! Glad you loved them!
These are delicious. I’ve made many recipes like this and the taste and texture of these is far superior to others I’ve tried. It’s hard to believe they have no added sweetener. Perfectly satisfying.
I weighed my dates and used 7 oz. I made 20 gram balls, got 16 with calorie count of 83/ball.
Perfect! I’m so glad you liked them. Such a great snack or treat!
Easy to make and so tasty! I added 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and using my scoop it made 12 perfectly sized little bites. Thank you!!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
So easy, and so yummy! I made and tasted these today, and am looking forward to snacking on them this week!
Love it! The perfect weekday snack.
Wow! Thank you for this recipe! I left out the mint extract, and replaced with extra vanilla extract. These were amazing, and completely satisfied my brownie and chocolate craving! Excellent!
Absolutely! Such a great snack or treat 🙂
These are great! I don’t love peppermint so I added some chia seeds and a little bit of pb fit peanut powder and they were delicious! I find them to be a perfect pre-workout snack.
Love it! Such a great pre-workout snack.
These are amazing! I’ve added them into my routine and save $$ not buying larabar everyday. Thanks for the recipe!
Love that! Such a great alternative 🙂
Really good and easy to make. Perfect for satisfying that afternoon chocolate craving. Easy to leave out the mint if that’s not your thing. And without, they taste exactly like a Larabar. Thanks for another good recipe, Monique!
Absolutely! Such a great snack 🙂
Yummy! Love the concept and ran with it! I used pecans, a little extra vanilla, chocolate protein, coconut, tablespoon flaxseed meal. Played with how much water and dates and 15 mins later, deliciousness! Ty 🙂
This one’s great for customizing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
These are absolutely delicious! My new favorite bite, I added protein powder and topped with drizzled chocolate with shredded coconut and yum.
Making them again right now actually and realized I never commented after the first time I made them!
Perfect! So glad you love them!
Hi, I love your Omega 3 mint brownie energy bite. I would like to try for this formulae. But I’m not sure for the dates. Which type of dates that you use? Dry dates or fresh dates?
Regards,
Supang
Hi! I use medjool dates, which are fresh 🙂
What would be a good replacement for walnuts? I don’t know that pecans or another nut would work well. This looks like a great snack, but I’m allergic to walnuts.
You could try pecans — I think it might work okay. Let me know if you give it a try!
I’ve used pecans or cashews if I wanted to change up from the walnuts. They all work and all are delicious.
I have a bit allergy but I really want to try this recipe! Any suggestions for walnut alternatives that I could use?
I’m sorry, but I can only recommend this recipe as is! I haven’t tested with other seeds.
These were the perfect grab and satisfy snack! I kept them in the freezer so they wouldn’t get crumbly! Lovely bites!
I just made these & had to add half almonds & half granola in place of walnuts..i also used dark chocolate 100% cacao.still not bad. They are definitely a keeper. Will try other add-ons next time.
I’m glad you enjoyed with those swaps!
Delicious and easy!
Glad you liked them!
I followed a commenter’s advice and used walnuts! Loved it either way, very great recipes on this website. 5/5 Thank you so much.
Perfect! So glad you’re finding ones you like!
These are AMAZING!! I always have my toddler try a bite of everything I make (doesn’t have to eat more if LO (little one) doesn’t like it if it’s not a meal), and LO was nervous to try this one, so I gave LO a really tiny bite and just said it’s yummy without saying anything else so I didn’t hype it up too much and LO got SO excited after trying a bite and was like, “brownies????!” Now LO loves them! Thanks so much for another amazing recipe!
Love that! Perfect treat 🙂
Just made these. Cuz why the hell not. So yummy. Perfect flavor and texture. Nailed it!
Love your recipes. Consistantly the best!
So glad you enjoyed! And that you’re loving AK recipes 🙂
I just wanted to thank you for all the healthy, delicious recipes you share! I passed the no sugar ones on to my daughters as we are trying to stay away from sugar but enjoy something sweet sometimes! I haven’t tried them yet but plan to soon.
Wishing you all the best with your new baby!
Absolutely! So happy to hear that. And thank you!
These are amazing! I have made them several times. Sometimes you have to adjust a bit depending on how dry your dates are. Great treat!
I love these because they are so easy to make and store! Plus my whole family enjoys them and they satisfy my sweet tooth craving whilst being nutritious!
Aboslutely! Glad they’re a hit!
So incredibly delicious!! I skipped the mint because I didn’t have any, but still so good! Will make over and over.
This recipe is THE REASON I started to follow Ambitious Kitchen/Monique and I have been a long time fan of many of her recipes ever since. This recipe is absolute perfection. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.. I make a double batch and keep them in the refrigerator for a quick, delicious power snack. I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate, but these absolutely hit the spot. Thank you, Monique!
So happy to hear that! One of my fav snacks/treats, too 🙂
Loved these energy balls!! I added a little cashew butter, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp maple syrup, and 2 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut to my taste/liking. I would recommend to people who make it, to try the recipe as directed, and once its all pulsed, taste and then add/modify ingredients if you wish. I think I will try adding a little ground Flaxseed next time just for a little bit of added Omega 3s 😉 Thanks Monique for YET ANOTHER AMAZING recipe!!! Gosh what would I do with you!?
This one’s great for customizing! So glad you loved them 🙂
It looks like there are flax seeds in the photo but not in the recipe. Otherwise can’t wait to try it. Please let me know before I try it. Thanks
Hi, Paula! No flax seeds in here, those little bits in the photos are just the processed walnuts!
Delicious! So good – seriously reminds me of Girl Scouts thin mints but healthy!
YES love Thin Mints!! So glad you loved these 🙂
Outstanding! I made them today and they are going in the weekly rotation! Thank you for this recipe!
Nice! You’re welcome, I’m so happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Can this be made with almonds instead of walnuts?
Yep! You may just want to process the almonds first before adding the other ingredients because they’re harder to break down.
I love your recipes and this one is another keeper. Two modifications: My husband is allergic to walnuts so I used almonds; they needed to be ground up ahead of the dates, I guess because they are harder than walnuts. Used almond milk instead of warm water. Both worked great! I will make these again and again. Thank you for all that you share.
So glad those modifications worked well, Deb! Happy you enjoyed these 🙂
How many grams of EPA/DHA are in one serving of these?
Sorry to say I haven’t calculated that so I’m not sure! You might be able to find it on Google.
Seriously, this was one of the easiest and delicious recipes I have made. And it is so healthy! Will definitely be making these often.
Awesome! So happy you are enjoying this recipe, Marisol ❤️ Easy and delicious!
I made these this morning and they are delicious! I cut the recipe in half and I used pecans, since I didn’t have walnuts. I also added a tablespoon of flax meal and salted caramel protein powder.
After I blitzed this together, I divided the dough and did half with peppermint extract and half without.
Do you have any other suggestions on the flavors, maybe extract wise that would be good? I would love to do hazelnut extract, but it is expensive 🙁
Ugh SO good! I’m nursing and craving sweets, these hit the spot without the guilt of gummy bears. I accidentally added the cocoa powder at the beginning for the initial round of processing and they still turned out perfect. They’re a hit with my three year old as well! Thanks for this recipe:)
The mint in my garden already is out of control. Suggestion for using fresh mint instead?
Hi Marla – I haven’t tried this recipe with fresh mint so I am not sure how it would turn out. So sorry!
So easy and tasty! Love this
Glad you enjoyed!
Super yummy! I didn’t have dates so I substituted raisins and was delicious. Also added vanilla protein powder. My dad really enjoys them.
Perfect! So glad you both enjoyed!
We left off the mint since we aren’t big fans and used pecans instead of walnuts (it’s what we had) and my family loved them! I thought I’d miss not having any added sugar but the dates are just enough. Yum!
Perfect! Love this for an easy snack or treat 🙂
These turned out so yummy! My kids will love them for an after school snack! Thank you AK- you have been my go to for recipes for so long!
Absolutely! So glad you’re finding recipes here that you love 🙂
These turned out nicely, super easy to make, and taste good. However, the recipe in the story above does not match the recipe that you print. One says “roll into 8 balls,” the printed recipe says “use a cookie dough scoop to grab I tablespoon of mixture and then roll into a ball.” Is the nutrition info based on 8 balls, or the 24 smaller ones that I was able to make using the tablespoon scoop??? Also, where is the Omega-3 recorded. If you’re going to call them Omega-3 bites, it would be helpful to know how much there is.
Apologies for the confusion here! This recipe should make 16 energy bites, and serves 8 (so the serving size and nutrition are for TWO energy bites).
These are delicious! I have made these a few times now to freeze and have on hand for a quick snack. I did experiment with one batch by subbing the mint extract with orange extract and added in some orange zest to make a choc orange version, which worked very well.
Chocolate orange sounds amazing!
Sooo tasty
The perfect snack 🙂