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, to tide them over.

Breakfasts can be especially challenging as I am not perky in the morning. I don’t always have time to make eggs or a fancy breakfast casserole, and often we need a breakfast to go.

I was thrilled to have discovered this recipe for PB&J energy bars.  

We adapted it, a  LOT – I did not have most of her ingredients on hand, to make our Breakfast Balls sometimes called Energy Bites.  But it still tastes a bit like PB&J…

This article includes affiliated links.

How to Make Easy No-Bake Breakfast Balls

Ingredients Needed

• 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

Tip: You can replace pretty much any of the ingredients  – don’t like almonds?  Use walnuts… skip the chocolate and throw some toffee pieces in instead… or use coconut shavings in place of the cashews (yum!).

I was able to get everything delivered (and save a trip to the grocery store!) with Amazon Fresh!

Directions for Making Breakfast Balls

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.  

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.

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.

Step 4

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.  

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.

Tips for making no bake breakfast balls:

• Feel free to substitute different dried fruits or nuts in this recipe for different flavors.
• 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.

Looking for more easy food ideas that kids love?

• Try our no-bake chocolate energy balls recipe too!
• When you’re not in a rush, hot breakfast ideas are a treat.
• If it’s the season, perk up the first meal of the day with these halloween breakfast ideas.
• These breakfast cake ideas may make your kids think they’re eating dessert for breakfast!
• Breakfast Cookies – yup, good for you too!
• A breakfast taco bowl could spice up your morning!
• Easy homemade granola recipe that the entire family will love.

Yield: 14

Breakfast Balls- No Bake Energy Bites

Print

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

Did your kids love the breakfast energy balls?