Kick-Ass Vegan Energy Balls
It's almost always the same story: I decide that today at 17:00 I'm heading out for a workout, no matter what!
I manage my day like a Swiss watch: I make sure to eat a proper lunch so I have strength for the workout, I plan the session in my head, and I promise myself that today I'll do every single set without cheating on the count. And then 17:00 arrives.
I'm tired.
I'm also a little hungry.
And I kind of want something sweet.
And honestly, I just don't have the energy.
Sound familiar?
In that moment, I put on some upbeat music, get dressed quickly, pop 2-3 vegan energy balls that are waiting for me in the fridge, and boom—I'm out to train and nothing else matters.
These energy balls are packed with coffee, cocoa, and good sugars from dates. They give me a burst of energy (maybe it's time to find a better word than "burst"?) like I just drank a strong coffee without even boiling water.
The sugar in the dates, the dietary fiber in the oats, the healthy fats in the tahini, and the caffeine in the coffee and cocoa create an energy bomb that will take your workout to levels you never knew (okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, but it definitely gives a great push).
A bit about vegan energy balls
The base of these energy balls is date paste, which comes in vacuum-sealed packs. You can replace it with the same weight of pitted dates ground finely in a food processor (but why would you? It's the same thing, just more work).
You can swap the oats for puffed rice cereal or even crushed whole-wheat pretzels.
The tahini can be replaced with peanut butter or almond butter. (Don't skip one of these, or they'll be too dry to swallow).
Regarding the amount of coffee—3 tablespoons of instant coffee might sound like a lot, but the recipe makes 40 balls, which means each ball contains only about 0.225 of a cup of coffee.
Nutritional values by Noam Bechar, Clinical Dietitian and Fitness Trainer:
One vegan energy ball out of 40 (weighing 10g) contains:
- 33 kcal
- 1g protein
- 7g carbohydrates
- 1g fat
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Vegan Energy Balls
Vegan energy balls - that give you a real kick
Ingredients
- 250 g Date paste (half a package)
- 100 g Oats 3/4 cup
- 30 g Raw whole tahini 2 tablespoons
- 5 ml Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- 7 g Cocoa powder 1 tablespoon
- 9 g Instant coffee granules 3 level tablespoons
- Extra cocoa powder for coating
Instructions
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Cut the date paste in half. If it's too hard, you can microwave it for a few seconds to make it easier to work with.
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Combine all ingredients and mix well until a uniform, sticky dough is formed.
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Using your hands, roll into evenly sized balls.
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Roll each ball in cocoa powder.
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Place in a jar.
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Stores for about two weeks in an airtight jar.
Recipe Video
