These banana bread energy balls make for a deliciously sweet yet healthy snack. They’re filled with nutritious, good-for-you ingredients and are easy to throw together. Just toss everything into a food processor, roll the dough up, and that’s it!
What Are Energy Balls?
You’ve probably heard of bliss balls, protein balls, energy balls, and so on. Essentially, they’re all the same bite sized treats made from energy-boosting ingredients. From healthy fat to fiber to protein, they’ve got it all. Not to mention, they only takes 10 minutes to make.
They come in a wide range of flavors, including oatmeal chocolate chip energy balls, to mango date energy balls, and matcha pistachio bliss balls.
It’s no wonder why everyone loves these energy balls. They make for a quick, portable snack that’s filling, energizing, and all around healthy. Even better, today’s version tastes like your favorite banana bread!
Banana Bread Energy Balls Recipe Video
Want to see how easy this recipe is to make? Just watch the video below!
The Power Of These Small, But Mighty Balls
While there’s endless flavor combinations, energy balls are typically made from a similar foundation. Here’s what you’ll find in them.
Healthy Fats: Energy balls usually have a base of nuts or seeds, which provides plenty of healthy fats. Such ingredients can be almonds, cashews, walnuts, or chia seeds.
Fiber: Aside from nuts and seeds, fresh and dried fruits are thrown into the mix – giving you a boost in fiber! This will help keep you full, promote good gut health, and help create a smooth digestive system.
Carbohydrates: With carbs being a main source of energy, oats or dates are prime ingredients for any balls. They’ll give you that boost in energy, making it great for an afternoon or pre-workout snack.
Protein: Protein comes naturally from the nuts being used such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, and more. Which means this is a great protein snack for vegans or vegetarians.
7 Ingredients You’ll Need
If you’ve made my paleo banana bread before, you’re in for a treat. These little energizing bites tastes just like a slice of banana bread. Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make them.
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: 2 cups
- Ripe Bananas: 1/2 cup mashed banana
- Almonds: 1/2 cup
- Pecans: 1/2 cup
- Maple Syrup: 1/3 cup
- Ground Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
- Vanilla Extract: 1/4 teaspoon
- Salt: 1/4 teaspoon
How to Make Banana Bread Energy Balls
These energy balls are as simple as can be. Plus they’re gluten-free, and vegan. So grab your food processor and cookie scoop, and let’s get started.
- Process. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse the mixture for 10 seconds. Then scrape down the sides and blend again until the mixture is fairly smooth, with slight bit of texture.
- Roll. Scoop a ball using a medium cookie scoop and roll it in between your hands. Continue this process until you’ve used up all the dough.
- Enjoy. You can enjoy the balls right away or place them in a storage container.
How To Store Energy Balls
The beauty of these energy balls is that they make for the perfect meal prep snack. All you need to do is store them in an airtight container. But you have the option of leaving them on the counter or storing in the fridge or freezer.
If you’d like to keep the balls a bit softer, leave them out at room temperature. For a more chilled and firmer texture, place them in the fridge. They will last for about 2 weeks either way.
Want to store them longer? Just place them in the freezer, and make sure to separate the balls with parchment or wax paper so they don’t stick together.
More Easy, On-The-Go Snacks
Need a snack for the road? Here’s a few ideas that can easily be bagged up and taken with you wherever you go!
- Baked Apple Chips
- Crispy Kale Chips
- Ultimate Seed Crackers + Classic Hummus
- Baked Plantain Chips
- Trail Mix Granola Bars
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup mashed banana, from one medium banana
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse the mixture for 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides, then blend again until the mixture is fairly smooth, with a slight bit of texture. The dough will likely start to roll around the food processor when it's blended enough.
- Scoop a ball using a medium cookie scoop and roll it in between your hands. Then place it on a parchment lined plate or baking tray. Continue this process until you've used up all the dough.
- Chill the balls for 30 minutes to firm up, then enjoy!
Lisa's Tips
- If the balls don't hold together, it's likely the texture is too big. Just put it back in the food processor and pulse for a finer texture.
- The balls will be a little soft when you first roll them, but they'll firm up as the oats absorb the maple syrup.
- This is the cookie scoop I use and love.
Nutrition
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These taste just like the banana bread dough before it is baked. I love to eat raw dough so this was right up my alley! However, I preferred to eat them fresh. Once they hardened up, I stopped grabbing for them. I will make half of the recipe next time so I can eat them all while they are still slightly moist. Thanks for the recipe!
Happy to hear you enjoyed these banana bread energy balls Kelli :)
Just tried them. Delicious.
I had to store them away on the freezer not to eat all in once! XD
Glad you loved these banana bread energy balls!
Yummy snack. Used walnuts instead of almonds since that is what I had on hand. I also tried broiling the Energy Ball in the Air Fryer and it provided a nice crisp outer shell.
Yum! Love the idea of adding it to the air fryer to make it crisp on the outside.
These are BANANAS!
They were super simple and quick to make. On top of that they were delicious!
I am going to make these on the regular!
I did not have almonds but I had a trail mix with chocolate, almonds and cashews. I added that and they were delicious!
*chef kiss*
Happy to hear you found these to be easy and delicious!
Just Amazing!! I made these today for a quick bite and I am onto the next batch! I replaced pecans with walnuts. Thanks for the recipe Lisa. Can I add chia seeds along with the other ingredients?
Happy to hear you enjoyed these Banana Bread Energy Balls!
Easy, fast and smells incredible. I replaced pecans for pistachos and it gave it a pinch of color!!! loved it. I also used rolled oats with extra fiber and the recipe still worked :) Thank you!!
Love the idea of adding pistachios to this Juanita!
I do not have a blender or a food processer so how can I make a lot of these good snacks and meals. Very small kitchen and no storage for kitchen equipment.
Hi Barb – for this recipe, you could finely chop all of the dry ingredients with a chef’s knife and then mix together with the wet ingredients in a bowl.
Hi Lisa,
Is your nutrition information per serving or per 100g?
Hi Anna – my nutritional information will always be per serving.
These are simply amazing! Just made them and having a hard time waiting for them to chill
Glad these have become a snack staple!
Thanks Lisa, I have made these a few times and they are so quick and easy!
My husband and I have one after dinner each night instead of dessert.
Thanks for sharing, we love watching your videos and have made many of your recipes :)
These definitely make for the perfect healthy snack!
Hi Lisa
What do you recommend to use instead of oats?
I am gluten free and sometimes oats can be contaminated with gluten.
Thank you
Hi Nancy – I would recommend my other energy balls such as the Mango Date energy balls or Matcha Pistachio Bliss Balls
if i only have pecans and no almonds, can i just add 1 full cup of pecans?
Hi Anna – yes, that’s fine. Enjoy!
Thank you so much! I tried them and these are BOMB! I also gave some to my friends to try and they asked me for the recipe! 10000/10!
Amazing! Glad you and your friends enjoyed these energy balls :)
These are so yummy! My kids and I loved them! I definitely ate more than just one today ;) This really helped my sweet tooth cravings.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Jenna!
These are delicious! We love your recipes. Thank you Lisa
Glad you enjoyed these energy balls Tina!
I have a ton of candied pecans on hand. If I swap the maple syrup for honey instead….do you think it’ll be ungodly sweet???
It will be on the sweeter side, but I don’t think it will be too bad. But it also depends on how sweet you want it to be.
Wow these are fantastic! My husband asked me to make these and we were not disappointed. Every recipe I make off this blog turns out so nicely. Thank you Lisa!
Happy to hear you loved these banana bread energy balls Tina!
Lisa, can I do these in my new Vitamix? Don’t have a food processor. Thanks!
Hi Denise – unfortunately, energy balls are not easy to make in a blender as they’re too sticky.
Placing all of these ingredients in my food processor just makes me so happy. You just KNOW it’s good for you. (Well, as long as you don’t have too many at one time which was very easy for us to do, haha!) These really did taste just like banana bread and the texture was perfect. I brought these to school one morning and placed them in the staff lounge and they were gone within the hour. Thank you, Lisa!
I was wondering if the syrup could be replaced with anything? I plan on getting some but I don’t always have it on hand because I don’t really eat it so I was just curious in case I wanted to make some on a whim!
You can also use honey!
Love these!!!
So glad you love it!
I don’t like pecans, is there something else I could substitute I place of them?:)
Hi Cheri – you could use any other nut as a replacement.
Amazing flavor and so easy to make!
Hi Renee – wonderful! I’m so happy you loved the recipe!
Can peanut be substituted for the pecans and almonds?
Yes, that’s fine!
I made them today, so easy to make and tasty. My husband enjoyed it. Thanks Lisa.
So glad you enjoyed these banana bread energy balls!
Hi Lisa
Are they 106 calories per ball?
Yes! The nutrition facts will always be per serving :)
Hello. Can these also be made into bars?
Sure, I don’t see why not.
These are great for school/work lunches! I rolled mine in some hemp seeds as well :)
Wonderful! Love the idea of adding hemp seeds :)
Is the serving size one ball?
Hi Mary- Yes it is!
These energy balls are so easy to make and so tasty! Big hit for the entire family including my picky toddler! Definitely going to make it again!
Hi Stephanie- Wonderful! Glad everyone got to enjoy these energy balls :)
I love these yummy treats and i have used them mostly as my pre workout snack cuz its the perfect combination for that little boost😋💘
Hi Sahar- It does make for the perfect boost of energy! :)
Delicious recipe. I tried a half batch with a few fresh strawberries and a little more oats and they didn’t bind / come out as pretty but were very tasty too.
Hi Lauren- What a great idea to add in strawberries!
Hello, Lisa! I am new to the community of Downshiftology, but have already taken advantage of the delicious recipes and great health tips you have! I had a question about the energy balls: could I add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to these? I wasn’t concerned about how it would taste, but I didn’t know if it would change the consistency of the mixture.
Hi Jameson- You can definitely add that if you’d like a hint of chocolate with this!
Second times I’m making these Banana balls! Brought them to Yoga class and everybody asked for the recipe!
I made them with cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds instead of pecans which are ridiculously expensive here in Luxemburg ! Thanks Lisa,
Kind regards, Marie
Hi Marie- So glad everyone in your yoga class loved these energy balls :) And good tip on the cashew nuts!
Ooh! Thanks for the tip! Pecans are also expensive here in Germany (when you can even find them)!
These are amazing, Lisa! My kids absolutely love them. My FIL can’t eat oats, do you think these would work with quinoa flakes? Or a different substitute for the oats? Thank you!
I haven’t tried these with quinoa flakes, but I think it might be able to work! You just need a dry and absorbing ingredient such as oats.
I converted the recipie to metric and wonder how big the oats are if you only need 4 of them !
4 old fashioned rolled oats. thanks for that chuckle :)
Hi, it’s Emilie from France. I am not sure I get the good quantity in metric.
Is 4 old fashion rolled oats means 125ml ? But what about the other ingredients like Marple sirop which are still in cups. Sorry I am so lost with the translation.
This is now one of my favorite recipes! Thank you for making my life a little simpler.
Wonderful! These energy balls are so great to have on hand as an energizing snack!
These are wonderful! Am I reading the calories per ball, correctly? Is it 106 calories per ball? Thanks in advance.
Hi Charlene- Yes, the calories will be per ball :)
Delicious! I replaced the pecans with walnuts.
May I ask: The nutrition info indicates one serving or the whole batch?
Thank you.
Hi Jane- The nutrition info is always for one serving :)
Made them this week, the whole family approves! Thanks you! Amazing recipes
Hi Fabiola- Wonderful! So glad everyone in the family loved these energy alls.
Yummm, Yummm, Yummmmm! You did it again Lisa! These are delicious. I did have some trouble rolling them at first as they were sticky and crumbly. BUT I rinsed my hands in water in the sink and just shook them off and didn’t towel dry them, leaving them a bit wet. This made all the difference in the world! They were so easy to roll and pack into nice little balls and didn’t stick to my hands. Also, these ingredient to me just screamed to be toasted. So I did a bunch of them in the oven and just broiled them a bit until they were lightly toasted. OMG the aroma in the kitchen was amazing. The family did a taste test and we all preferred the toasted ones! Give it a try! I love the fact that you use maple syrup in so many recipes. I LOVE pure maple syrup! Keep it up Lisa!!!
Hi Jim- Yes, these are definitely sticky when you roll them so make sure to get them super compacted when rolling! But, I’m glad you and the whole family got to enjoy these. I love how you toasted them as well. I’ll have to try that next time :)
I don’t have a food processor so I processed the ingredients in a Blendtec blender. They mixed up just fine but were very sticky. Even after refrigerating they are super soft and messy! Could it be due to using a blendtec or possibly something else?
Hi Heather – it sounds like maybe you just need a little more oats, or less maple syrup next time. It could be because the blender pulverized the oats to a finer texture.
I just made them…so easy so delicious…i could eat the whole thing…and so sweet….just perfect. Ty! I love everything I make from your recipes
Hi Elvina- So great to hear! These little balls will be perfect anytime you’re craving for a banana bread flavor :)
Really good! I let them sit in the fridge for 10 minutes in the food processor before scooping and rolling them, and that really helped make that part less messy.
Yes, you can always let them cool and harden a bit before scooping and rolling :)
I just made them and they are PERFECT! Thanks for the recipe! I put some of them in the freezer, but after I had tried one I took them out again :-)
Hi Elli- Great! Thrilled to hear your energy balls turned out perfectly.
Hi..
I made these b banana balls..Yummy…
And my granola bars are in the oven!!😊🤞they taste as good as they look
Thanks Jody Xxx
Hi Jody- So glad you enjoyed these energy balls!
I love how easy these look and as you say, perfect as a snack while still being relatively healthy. They’d be great for after school.
They’re definitely a great mix between a sweet treat and healthy snack :)
I don’t have any almonds on hand, can I use almond flour? Would it be the same measurement?
While I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour, I imagine that would work. I’d recommend starting with a little less and adding more as needed.
I made these this morning and they were so delicious. I used walnuts instead of pecans because that’s what I had at hand and they were great. Will try with pecan next time!
Walnuts are a delicious substitution for this recipe, but can’t wait for you to try the pecan version!
These energy balls are cooking perfection! They seem so easy to make. I am gonna try them out with my nieces :)
Hi Irina- So glad you enjoyed these energy balls! I’m sure you nieces will love it!
I love that the energy balls have the banana bread flavor, they sound so delicious and good for you.
They really are little mini banana bread delights :)
These energy balls sound fantastic. Cant wait to make them.
Hi Andrea- You’re going to love these little energizing bites!
Loved this recipe so much!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! :)