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These 4-ingredient no-bake peanut butter energy bites are simple and made with healthy ingredients that you probably have in your pantry. Plus, they taste like cookie dough!
I’m excited to share this recipe for no-bake peanut butter energy bites with you because they’re healthy, easy, and delicious! They’re so simple that I kept ALL of the ingredients for these bites in my dorm room back in college, and that’s saying something.
In case you need some more convincing…
• They taste like PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIE DOUGH. But they also happen to be healthy.
• You don’t have to use your oven or stove! When I first shared this energy bites recipe during my freshman year of college (way back in 2015!), my only kitchen access was a shared dorm kitchen down the fall. Thankfully, as of this update in 2020, I am no longer in college and I have a kitchen. But I still appreciate how simple these are to make!
• They’re perfect for popping right before a workout, sticking one or two in your lunchbox, or eating as a late-night snack.
• They stay good in the freezer for a long time, and they taste amazing frozen.
• Did I mention these peanut butter energy bites only have 4 ingredients?
How to Make Peanut Butter Energy Bites
First, measure out the oats, peanut butter, honey, and mini chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl.
Optional measuring trick: The best little tip I’ve learned for measuring sticky ingredients like peanut butter and honey is to use a kitchen scale if you have one! Place the mixing bowl on the scale and zero it out. 3/4 cup natural peanut butter is 192 grams, so add that amount of peanut butter to your bowl, zero out the scale, and then measure the honey in grams, as well. I love not having to scrub a sticky measuring cup this way!
*Sometimes, when I’m I was feeling adventurous, I’ll also add ground hemp seeds or ground flax seeds, but you can’t taste them. Promise. Other people have tried these bites and had no idea that they had a secret ingredient, so unless they read this post, they’ll never know! You could also add chia seeds, wheat bran, or your other healthy little add-in of choice.
Stir it all up and marvel that it looks like cookie dough! At this point, some taste-testing is probably necessary for quality assurance purposes.
If the dough is sticky, you can refrigerate it for a couple of hours or pop it into the freezer for 20 minutes, but I usually skip this step.
Use a spoon or cookie scoop to shape the dough into about two dozen balls and place on a lined mini baking sheet or baking dish. Then, refrigerate them for about an hour before enjoying. 
How to Store
To store the energy bites, you can place them in a container or gallon-size bag and stash them in your fridge or freezer. They are so addictive that I’ve found that the best way for me to have portion control is to keep most of them in the freezer, and then take one or two out as I want them.
I keep a batch in my freezer pretty much all of the time! I make them every time my boyfriend visits. And I also pull some out as an easy homemade snack whenever friends come over to hang out and study. Everyone loves these little cookie dough-esque bites!
If you try these peanut butter chocolate energy bites, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram! I’d love to see!
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4.96 from 22 votes
4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Bites
Healthy energy bites that taste just like peanut butter oatmeal cookie dough!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time 20 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 24 energy bites
Calories: 100kcal
Author: Liv
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 3/4 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
- 1/3 cup honey (or slightly more if needed to bind everything together)
- 1/3 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips (I prefer mini)
- Optional: 1/4 cup wheat bran, hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, or hemp seeds
Instructions
If using refrigerated peanut butter, add peanut butter to a medium microwave-safe mixing bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds, until the peanut butter is less solid. Let the peanut butter cool so it won't melt the chocolate.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir for 2-3 minutes, until fully combined. At this point, if the dough is very sticky, you can refrigerate it for an hour or pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes to slightly firm up.
Line a baking dish or rimmed cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Using acookie scoop, spoon,or your hands, form the dough into about 24 tablespoon-sized balls and place in a single layer on the baking dish or cookie sheet. Refrigerate for an hour or freeze for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a storage bag so the balls will hold their shape.
To store, place energy bites in a Ziploc bag or storage container. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Depending on the type of peanut butter you use and its thickness, you may need to add slightly more honey or peanut butter to help the energy bites come together.
Things I Used:this small cookie scoop, this kitchen scale, and this adorable chocolate chip cookie silicone spatula
Nutrition
Serving: 1energy bite | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Sugar: 7g
Originally published in March 2015; updated with new photos & text in December 2020.
There are a million similar energy bite recipes for inspiration online so I’m not sure of an original source, but I mixed & matched the ingredients for my perfect ratios of oats, peanut butter, honey, & chocolate chips
