These Sweet Potato Energy Bites are snack-sized bites packed with protein and healthy fats!
Hi Friends!
It’s time for another Recipe Redux post. The theme for this month was a fun one:
Bars & Bites for Brown Bags
Whether you pack your lunch in a bento box, a brown bag or a retro cartoon character lunch box, don’t forget the bars and bites. Small squares or round bites can pack nutrition into a sweet or savory taste. Show us your favorite way to jazz up any type of lunch box.
When I started thinking about what flavor combo I wanted to make, I decided to get a little crazy.
You guys know I love my Sweet Potato Banana Bites– I make them pretty much weekly for a pre-workout snack. However, they require baking…and in honor of the warm weather we’ve been having lately, I thought it might be fun to try a no-bake version! I also decided I wanted to make a batch of bites without using dates. I love dates and use them in my go-to energy bite recipes, but since not everyone always has dates on hand, I thought I’d attempt to forgo them.
Here’s what I came up with:
PrintSweet Potato Energy Bites
A no-bake energy ball packed with nuts, seeds and healthy fats!
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oats
- 3 Tbsp hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup almonds (or other nut)
- 6 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
- 1/4 cup mashed banana
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (more if desired)
- 1–2 Tbsp maple syrup/honey, optional
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Combine oats, pumpkin seeds, hemp, chia and almonds in a food processor and pulse several times to crush nuts.
- Add remaining ingredients and process to combine.
- Taste and adjust sweetener if needed.
- Pour dough onto plastic wrap, squeeze to form into large ball, wrap and freeze for 30-45 min.
- Remove dough and portion into snack-sized balls.
- Store in the freezer.
As usual, you guys know I don’t like things super sweet. I made mine without the maple syrup/honey addition, but I think most people’s taste buds might enjoy a little added sweetener. If you have dates and want to throw some in, go for it. If not, adding a little maple syrup or honey should sweeten them right up.
Since they’re no bake, you can taste as you go. Start with no sweetener and then add some as needed!
[Tweet “Need an energy boost? Make a batch of these Sweet Potato Energy Bites from @leangrnbeanblog!”]
I love keeping mine in the freezer, but if you’re going to pack them in your lunch they should still be fine at lunchtime if you throw them in frozen in the morning!
Check out the links below for more tasty bites and bars!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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Lauren says
These look awesome. I love the addition if hemp seeds in there! Those little batboys are brilliant!
Lindsay says
i know! they’re amazing!
Cat says
Ooh I have some cooked sweet potato sitting in the fridge right now – making these!
Lindsay says
perfection!
jill conyers says
Sweet potato, one of my all time favorite ingredients! Your recipe looks delicious Lindsay.
Lindsay says
thanks jill! we share an affinity for sweet potatoes 🙂
lindsay says
you know i love bites!! great combo! pinning!
Linz @ Itz Linz says
So creative! And your pictures look awesome !
Lindsay says
thanks girl!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
I need these!! YUM!
Dietitian Jess says
Such a great idea of using sweet potatoes in bites, so creative and sounds delicious!
★★★★★
Maryea {happy healthy mama} says
I love the looks of these! I’ll be trying them soon. 🙂
Lindsay says
hope you love them!
Kristin @ W [H] A T C H says
these look delicious. i do loveeee sweet potatoes.
Kim @ FITsique says
Awesome! I start classes again next week and with 12 hour clinicals need easy snacks that I can pop in my mouth. Looks like I’ll be making these this weekend!
Lindsay says
let me know how they turn out!
Leigha @ The Yooper Girl says
Genius! And thank you for no dates! I have never tried them so I never put them in recipes. These sound so yummy!
Lindsay says
woohoo! enjoy!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Yay for these being vegan! 🙂 I’m honestly not sure if I have ever paired chocolate with sweet potatoes… but I am totally on board for trying it!
Lindsay says
you must try! it’s a delicious combo!
Tina@GottaRunNow says
Now I’m sorry that I ate the last of my sweet potatoes yesterday!
Lindsay says
perfect excuse to get more!
Hayley@healthyregards says
Uh yum! Love these.
Jaclyn @ Bumpsweat says
I have a bunch of butternut squash I need to use up. I’d think that’d be an okay sub for the pumpkin, don’t you?
Lindsay says
that should probably work. might need to add a bit more sweetener
Michele @ paleorunningmomma says
I pretty much love anything involving sweet potatoes 🙂 Going to try them for sure!
Lindsay says
yay! hope you enjoy!
Heather (Where's the Beach) says
These look fantastic. It’s hard to go wrong with sweet potatoes! And I bet the maple syrup adds a nice flavor.
Lindsay says
yes! i love the two together!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
These are genius!!!
Lindsay says
🙂 thanks friend!
Elana @ The Inventive Vegetarian says
Oooh, these look tasty! Thanks so much for sharing!
Lindsay says
enjoy!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
Interesting combo!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
YUM! I love little energy bites like these that are tasty and super convenient to have on hand. Plus who doesn’t love sweet potatoes?! 🙂
Lindsay says
agreed. sweet potatoes for the win!
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says
Given the fact that I love sweet potatoes, I’m psyched that that’s one of the ingredients in these bites. They sound amazing and are definitely a perfect work snack!
Lindsay says
I agree. Hope you enjoy!
Melissa @ Freeing Imperfections says
Another recipe I can’t wait to get my hands on! Yumm!
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
I’ve never thought of using sweet potatoes for snack bites! Love these!
Lindsay says
It was an experiment that turned out well!
Jim Mandoli says
Perfect as a pre work out snack!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
love these bites..i like to have these on hands at all times.
Lindsay says
They’re perfect for stocking your freezer!
Cassie says
I loveee energy bites and I’ve never made them with sweet potatoes or bananas so I’m excited to try!!
Lindsay says
woohoo! enjoy!
Liz - Meal Makeover Moms says
OK .. this is just about the healthiest recipe I’ve EVER seen! Looks amazing. I need to try hemp hearts and this recipe has definitely inspired me 🙂
Lindsay says
definitely give them a try! they’re a fun mix-in!
Elizabeth Eats says
like sweet potato pie! love it
★★★★★
Lindsay says
dessert for snack. what could be better 🙂
Ashley says
Yum! I would have never thought to use sweet potato in snack balls…I can’t wait to try it out!
Meal Makeover Mom Janice says
I’m a huge sweet potato fan and these look like a perfect treat! Can’t wait to try them.
Lindsay says
woohoo! let me know what you think!
Jody - Fit at 56 says
I am going to raid your freezer!
Matt @ Runner Savvy says
Yum!
Alex @ DelishKnowledge says
Love these and love that they aren’t super sweet! I’m with you- I prefer foods on the not-so-sweet side. Dates are perfect for that!
Lindsay says
yes they are. can’t believe it took me so long to discover them!
Sarah Grace says
I’ve made a sweet potato ball recipe awhile back as well and LOVE it, so I bet these are SO yummy 🙂 Looks incredible!
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
Sarah @ HealthFitnessGenie says
Wow! Some really awesome recipes. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
You’re one of a few who could get me to appreciate sweet potatoes!
Lindsay says
doing my best!
Annemarie (Real Food Real Deals) says
Ooh, these sound amazing! Perfect flavors for fall. I will try these the next time I have a sweet potato in my drawer.
Lindsay says
Hope you enjoy!
Farrah says
Ahh, these sound amazing! I love sweet potato! (Can’t wait til they go on super-sale again soon! *-*)
Lindsay says
woohoo! it’s almost that time of year!
Min says
This looks fabulous! I ALWAYS have roasted sweet potatoes on hand for easy snacking so this looks like a great way to enjoy them ;). Pinned!!
Lindsay says
thanks Min! Let me know if you try them out!
Debbie @ Live from La Quinta says
And they’re vegan! Hurray! The sound delicious!
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil) says
So clever – I gotta get back into making sweet potato puree again – use to use it in my mac & cheese and tomato sauce all the time but have gotten lazy. Now this is the recipe to fire me up to do it!
Lindsay says
oooh in mac and cheese?! brilliant!
Tierney says
These are amazing! I just made them the other night and they turned out wonderfully. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Lindsay says
so glad you liked them!
Kristina says
Was looking for a pre-workout snack with sweet potato. These came out really sticky for me but I rescued them with some coconut flour and cocoa. They did give me energy at the gym at 6am so maybe I’ll try again with a little tweaking. I love sweet potatoes!
Lindsay says
hmmm sorry they were sticky! hope you can find a version that works for you!
katie says
I love love sweet potatoes and these little energy bites are so great before a workout. Used what I had on hand-chocolate almond butter, chia, flax. Thanks for the recipe/ inspiration! Would you happen to have general nutrition info?
Beverley says
I loved the sweet potato idea but am a little hesitant about mixing in the banana and chocolate .
Can anyone give their feedback please. Which flavor can you taste most? Sweet potato or banana?