Chocolate Energy Bites

These easy-to-make Chocolate Energy Bites are loaded with oats, protein, cocoa powder, honey, and peanut butter. These protein-packed bites have rich chocolate and peanut butter flavors.

Try the original No-Bake Energy Bites recipe next or these four-ingredient Energy Bites.

Chocolate Energy Bites

My whole family loves energy bites. We usually make up a batch every Sunday to last through the week– and by Thursday or Friday, we’re wishing we’d made a double batch. You can whip up these healthy no-bake Chocolate Energy Bites in one bowl, scoop them out and roll by hand, or use a large cookie scoop.

We like to freeze the bites as soon as they’re made and eat them straight from the freezer (after they’ve thawed a couple of minutes). 

Truly, healthy Chocolate Energy Balls taste like a dessert. They’re the best for quelling sugar cravings and thanks to the protein and oats, they’ve got good staying power.

What are energy bites? They’re a grab-and-go, portion-controlled, ball-shaped densely nutritious snack. Our energy bites are made with healthy ingredients so you can feel good about popping one in your mouth when you need a tasty little boost. [/quicktip\]

Ingredients

• Dark chocolate: Use miniature dark chocolate chips or chop up regular dark chocolate chips. Or, you could cut up a dark chocolate baking bar. Milk or semi-sweet chocolate can also be used in these energy bites if preferred.
• Peanut butter: Use creamy (not crunchy) all-natural peanut butter.
• Honey: This ingredient adds structure and sweetens the bites.
• Dutch-process cocoa powder: There’s only a little cocoa powder, but it heavily flavors these energy bites. Make sure to get Dutch-process instead of natural or plain cocoa powder. The Dutch process offers a more robust and intense chocolate flavor. 
• Salt: Salt balances all the flavors; leave it out or reduce the amount if you’re using salted peanut butter.
• Chocolate protein powder: More on this below.
• Old-fashioned oats: Be sure to get old-fashioned, not quick or steel-cut oats. Otherwise, these chocolate energy bites won’t set up properly.
• Vanilla extract: This ingredient is optional, but it adds a nice subtle depth of flavor.

Protein powder

In an effort to get more protein in our snacks, I added chocolate protein powder to these bites. The powder also amps up the chocolate flavor without adding too much sugar. 

Since the protein powder is such an integral part of flavoring these bites, I recommend a good stevia-sweetened whey protein powder.

Here’s a list of the top-rated protein powders. My personal favorite: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard® 100% whey protein powder (double rich chocolate) (not sponsored, affiliate link).

Chocolate Energy Bite tips

• Beat the mixture with a hand mixer; it’s thick and sticky. 
• Allow time for the oats to absorb the liquid: At first, these bites may seem too wet, but after they sit for a bit, they firm up as the oats absorb the wet ingredients.
• Use a cookie scoop: With a good cookie scoop, the dough can just be scooped and placed on a plate instead of requiring the effort of rolling individual balls.
• Store in the freezer: We like to put a plate or tray of these energy bites in the freezer. Once firm, we transfer them to an airtight bag or freezer container and continue to store them in the freezer. 

More healthy snacks 

• Chocolate Granola
• Oatmeal Granola Bars
• Protein Breakfast Cookies
• Pumpkin Protein Shake
• Peanut Butter Granola