These festive gingerbread energy bites taste like little balls of gingerbread cookie dough. They’re easy to make with sticky dates, oats, nuts, and classic spices. Everything comes together quickly in the blender!
If you’re looking for another no-bake treat to make this holiday season, give my favorite Christmas crack a try next.
Homemade energy balls are always a welcome snack, and since they’re so easy to make, I had to share a fun holiday version. Gingerbread energy bites are packed with chewy oats and crunchy pecans and almonds, sweetened and held together with sweet dates. With a few festive spices in the mix, including cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, these easy energy balls taste JUST like classic gingerbread.
About These No-Bake Gingerbread Energy Bites
- No baking needed. Oats and soaked dates bind these energy bites without the need to bake them in the oven.
- Festive flavor. A simple blend of warm pantry spices gives these soft, chewy energy bites authentic gingerbread flavor. They taste like the cookie dough from gingerbread cookies!
- Simple to make. All you need is a blender. There’s also the option to finely chop and mash up the oats, dates, and nuts by hand if you don’t have a food processor.
- Perfect for snacking. These spiced gingerbread energy balls are a light, gluten-free, dairy-free snack. I can munch on these guilt-free in between all the chocolate truffles and bourbon balls that also make an appearance this time of year.
You’ll Need These Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for these easy gingerbread energy bites. Scroll to the printable recipe card below the post for the full measurements.
- Dates – Make sure they’re pitted, or pit them yourself. I’ll show you how to soak the dried dates to soften them, see below.
- Almonds and Pecans – You can use all of one type of nut or the other, but I use both. Try using honey-roasted almonds for extra sweetness. More options are walnuts, hazelnuts, and cashews.
- Gingerbread Spices – Ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves recreate that classic gingerbread flavor.
- Oats – I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but quick oats also work well. I don’t recommend steel-cut oats as the texture will be tough.
- Flaxseed Meal – Rolling the energy balls in ground flaxseed makes the outside less sticky.
Why You Should Soak Dates
While soaking dates isn’t mandatory, it rehydrates the dates, plumping them up and making them easier to digest. If you’d prefer to skip this step, however, dates are perfectly fine to eat without soaking, too.
To soak the dates, add the dates to a bowl with warm water. Allow them to soak for 10 minutes while you gather the other ingredients, then drain and set the dates aside.
Can I Make These Gingerbread Energy Balls Without Dates?
If you don’t have dates, substitute different dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or currants. Another option is to replace the dates with enough nut or seed butter for the energy ball mixture to hold together. In order not to impact the gingerbread flavor too much in this recipe, I’d recommend sun butter, almond butter, or cashew butter.
More Mix-in Ideas
Just like my original energy balls recipe, this gingerbread version is very adaptable. Here are some easy add-ins that you can try.
- Chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips are the perfect size. You can fit more chocolate in each energy bite with less risk of the balls crumbling!
- Coconut. Add shredded coconut, either plain, sweetened, or toasted.
- Seeds. Replace the nuts with seeds, like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, to make these energy bites nut-free.
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Soften the dates. In a medium bowl, soak the dates in warm water for 10 minutes. Discard the water and set the dates aside.
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Make the energy ball mixture. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients except for the flaxseed meal. Process, using on/off pulses, until everything is finely chopped but not a paste.
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Shape the balls. Scoop about 1 tablespoon to 1½ tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls with your hands. The amount of mixture used will depend on how large you want your energy balls to be. The mixture will be sticky, so it helps to use wet hands.
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Roll in flax. Spread the flax meal on a shallow plate. Roll each ball in the flax meal to coat.
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Chill. Transfer the energy balls to an airtight container and store in the fridge. They will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Energy Bites That Taste Like Gingerbread!
The easiest way to make your gingerbread energy ball mixture is to use a blender or food processor. That said, you can use a sharp knife and a little elbow grease to chop the ingredients finely if you need to.
- Make the energy ball mixture. Set the flaxseed meal aside for now. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Be careful not to overprocess the dough, or you’ll end up with a paste.
- Shape the balls. Scooping 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of energy ball dough at a time, roll the dough into balls using your hands. I’ll often wet my hands a little while working with the mixture, since it can be sticky.
- Roll in flax. Lastly, add the flaxseed meal to a shallow plate. One at a time, roll the gingerbread balls in the flax so they’re evenly coated. Place the coated energy bites in an airtight container to keep in the fridge.
Why Aren’t My Energy Balls Sticking?
If your energy bites aren’t sticking together, the mixture likely needs more moisture to keep it from crumbling. Add a little water, one teaspoon at a time, until you have the right consistency.
Storage and Freezing
- Keep refrigerated. Stored airtight, these gingerbread energy bites will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. If you’re stacking these energy bites, use parchment paper between the layers.
- Freeze. For longer-term storage, energy bites freeze like a dream. Pre-freeze the energy balls on a baking sheet, and then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag.
