Energy Balls That Give You a Kick
It's almost always the same story: I decide that today at 5:00 PM I'm going to work out, no excuses!
I manage my day like a Swiss watch: I make sure to eat a proper lunch so I'll have energy for the workout, I plan the session in my head, and I promise myself that today I'm doing every single set and no cheating on the count. Then 5:00 PM rolls around.
I'm tired.
And a little hungry.
And I kind of crave something sweet.
And honestly, I just don't have the energy.
Sound familiar?
In that moment, I put some upbeat music in my ears, 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 can stop me.
These energy balls are packed with coffee, cocoa, and good sugars from dates, giving me a boost of energy (is it time to find a better word than boost?) as if I drank a strong cup of coffee without even boiling water.
The sugar in the dates, the fiber in the oats, the fatty acids in the tahini, and the caffeine in the coffee and cocoa create an energy bomb that will take your workout to a whole new level (okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but it definitely gives you a nice push for your training).
A bit about vegan energy balls
The base of these energy balls is date paste, which comes in vacuum-sealed packages. You can swap it for the same weight of pitted dates ground finely in a food processor (but why bother? It's the same thing with more work).
You can replace the oats with puffed rice cereal or even crushed whole-wheat pretzels.
The tahini can be replaced with peanut butter or almond butter. (Don't skip the fat source, or they will be too dry).
Regarding the caffeine content—while 3 tablespoons of instant coffee sounds like a lot, the total amount is equivalent to 9 cups of coffee *for the entire recipe*, which means each energy ball contains about 0.225 cups of coffee.
Nutritional Values by Noam Bechar, Clinical Dietitian and Fitness Coach:
One vegan energy ball out of 40 (weighing 10g) contains:
- 33 calories
- 1g protein
- 7g carbohydrates
- 1g fat
Want another recipe for energy bars? Click here
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Vegan Energy Balls
Vegan energy balls - that give you a kick
Ingredients
- 250 g date paste (vacuum-packed) half a pack
- 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 granulated instant coffee 3 level tablespoons
- cocoa for coating
Instructions
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Cut the date paste package in half. If the paste is hard, you can microwave it for a few seconds to make it easier to work with.
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Transfer all ingredients to a bowl and mix well until a uniform, sticky dough is formed.
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Using your hands, roll into equal-sized balls.
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Roll each ball in cocoa powder.
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Place in a jar.
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Stays fresh for about two weeks in an airtight jar.
Recipe Video
