Energy ball recipes are a super easy to make and are a great idea for portable breakfasts or on the go snack for busy mornings. This is a great recipe that can be easily adapted to create your kids favorite breakfast ball!

easy to make breakfast balls - a great breakfast to go shown held by a child in a blue bowl with grapes
Let’s make this healthy and easy breakfast balls recipe!

Easy Breakfast Recipe that is Portable!

I have 3 boys that wake up very, very hungry. They have a mission to eat me out of house and home, so I’m constantly looking for kid friendly recipes  and breakfast ideas that are filling with lots of protein.

Breakfasts can be especially challenging and often we need a breakfast to go.

This all started years ago when I discovered a recipe which I can no longer find for PB&J energy bars. We used it as inspiration to make our own breakfast balls, sometimes called energy bites.

Related: 50 Amazing Pancake Recipe Ideas for Breakfast

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How to Make Easy No-Bake Breakfast Balls

energy breakfast balls ingredients shown
You can use almost any ingredients to make these yummy power balls.

Ingredients Needed for Breakfast Ball Recipe

  • 1/4 cup of almonds (we used slivered, but you can use any)
  • 1/4 cup of cashew pieces
  • 1/4 cup of dried fruit (we used dried cherries, but I bet any dried fruit would work)
  • 1/4 cup of almond butter (+ 1 teaspoon of coconut oil – omit the coconut oil if you decide to substitute with peanut butter).
  • 2 Tablespoons of Dark Chocolate pieces
  • 1 cup of toasted granola

Easy Ingredient Substitutions to Customize Your Breakfast Balls

Tip: You can replace pretty much any of the ingredients. Here are some of our favorite suggestions and the best part is that you can customize your

  • Don’t like almonds?  Use walnuts, flax seeds or chia seeds.
  • Skip the chocolate chips and throw some toffee pieces instead or increase the amount of dry ingredients and add a dash of maple syrup or brown rice syrup to sweeten.
  • Use coconut shavings in place of the cashews (yum!).
  • Add a little protein powder in place of another dry ingredient.

Directions for Making Breakfast Balls

how to make breakfast balls - steps for healthy energy ball recipe
Just follow these simple steps to make this yummy healthy breakfast.

Step 1

Throw all the ingredients except for the almond butter and the granola into the food processor.  I chopped them pretty chunky.  The texture is fun in the protein energy bites.

Tip: If you want these to stick together better, consider chopping more finely.  The finer your nut meal the more dense and filling your breakfast energy balls will be.

Step 2

Once it’s chopped, mix in the granola and the almond butter and coconut oil (or butter) making sure everything is well-coated in a large bowl.

Step 3

Put the bowl into the fridge for about 3 hours.  

You want the nut meal to soak up some of the healthy fats from the almond butter.   It will help the balls stick together.

tasty energy balls great for a bfast on the go
Just roll out your energy balls!

Step 4

We used a 2 Tablespoon scoop or a cookie scoop to portion control our breakfast balls. 

Roll the mixture into balls and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. They are ready to eat right away.

Tip: I found that wetting my hands with warm water and drying them slightly helped as I formed the breakfast balls. I squeezed the mixture together quite tightly so they were stuck together well.

Finished Breakfast Ball Recipe

The recipe makes roughly a dozen balls – you might want to double it. I have yet to make a double batch and regret it!  

We usually make multiple versions for a little variety at breakfast time.

finished breakfast ball recipe shown in a white bowl from above
Let’s have a healthy on the go breakfast!

How to Store the Breakfast Balls

Store the balls in an airtight container.   Grab 3-4 balls for a breakfast when you are running out the door.  They will last for awhile, but my guess is that your kids will eat them long before they go bad.

Yield: 14

Breakfast Balls- No Bake Energy Bites

Breakfast Balls- No Bake Energy Bites

Mix up a batch of these healthy no bake energy balls for a great breakfast on the go option.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup of almonds (we used slivered, but you can use any)
  • 1/4 cup of cashew pieces
  • 1/4 cup of dried fruit (we used dried cherries, but I bet any dried fruit would work)
  • 1/4 cup of almond butter (+ 1 teaspoon of coconut oil – omit the coconut oil if you decide to substitute with peanut butter).
  • 2 Tablespoons of Dark Chocolate pieces
  • 1 cup of toasted granola

Instructions

Step 1: Throw all the ingredients except for the almond butter and the granola into the food processor.  I chopped them pretty chunky.  The texture is fun.  But if you want these to stick together better consider chopping more finely.  The finer your nut meal the more dense (i.e. filling) your balls will be.

Step 2: Once it’s chopped, mix in the granola and the almond butter and coconut oil (or butter).  Make sure that everything is well coated, then put the bowl into the fridge for about 3 hours.  You want the nut meal to soak up some of the healthy fats from the almond butter.   It will help the balls stick together.

Step 3: We used a 2 Tablespoon scoop to portion control our breakfast balls.

The recipe makes roughly a dozen balls – you might want to double it.  

We usually make multiple versions.  

Store the balls in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

14

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g

more easy Breakfast Ideas from Kids activities Blog

How did your breakfast ball recipe turn out? What are your favorite energy bite ingredients to add?



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15 Comments

  1. Well that didn’t work. Didn’t stick together at all. Followed your directions to a tee. Got a bowl full of ingredients that don’t fuse, I really wanted this to work, my ADHD kiddo doesn’t like peanut butter

    1. I’m sorry to hear that, Esther! Here are a couple tips from the recipe that might help: “Tip: If you want these to stick together better, consider chopping more finely.  The finer your nut meal the more dense and filling your breakfast energy balls will be.” & “Tip: I found that wetting my hands with warm water and drying them slightly helped as I formed the breakfast balls. I squeezed the mixture together quite tightly so they were stuck together well.” I hope that these help!

  2. Yum! I love healthy, portable breakfast ideas! These breakfast balls are so tasty, served in yogurt with fresh fruit!

  3. These breakfast balls are exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’m always on the hunt for healthy, on the go breakfast options.

  4. There are lots of foods out there packed as “healthy” breakfast bars but I much prefer making these breakfast balls instead. I get to tailor the ingredients and flavors to what works for our family!

  5. My boys love granola bars but I don’t like the extra ingredients they have. These breakfast balls are great because they’re easy to make, I control the ingredients, and they make busy mornings much easier!

  6. These breakfast balls are perfect for those on the go breakfast days. I always need quick breakfast ideas for the weekday. These are perfect for the whole family!

  7. I have made these twice now. They are delish but they don’t stick together in balls. Is there supposed to be some honey or maple syrup in the recipe to help bind it?

    1. Hi, Janine! You could definitely try adding some honey or maple syrup! I would start with a small amount, and then adjust until you reach the desired consistency.