Anti-Inflammatory No-Mess and No-Bake Energy Bites

I love using the same anti-inflammatory ingredients across several recipes and meals. It saves time, energy, and money! Oats are one of those ingredients. You can use oats in oatmeal, no-bake energy bites, meatloaf, and oatmeal cookies, or grind them into your own oat flour.

Learn more about anti-inflammatory oatmeal, or check out this simple and adaptable recipe. Energy bite add-ins (like cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, nuts, ground flax seeds or chia seeds, unsweetened dried fruit, and nut butter) boost the anti-inflammatory potential even more.

Oats provide antioxidants that help reduce inflammation. Research shows that oatmeal lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels and aids gut health. You can read a more in-depth summary of the research here. 

What You’ll Need for Anti-Inflammatory No-Mess and No-Bake Energy Bites

My favorite thing about this recipe is that I can prepare it ahead of time with no mess and have a tasty, affordable, and nutritious snack or part of a meal. 

These are affordable at $6.25 for 22 energy bites ($0.28 per bite). Pre-made energy bites can cost around $1 to $2 per bite. Similar ingredient and nutrient energy bars at your local store are the equivalent of 2-3 energy bites ($0.84) and cost around $2.50 to $3.00 per bar.

Here are some ideas for incorporating these energy bites into your life:

• Serve for breakfast served with berries and preferred milk.
• Serve as an after-school, pre-sport, or extra-curricular snack.
• Serve with fresh veggies, fruit, and yogurt for a DIY charcuterie lunch.
• If you are pregnant, nursing, or newly postpartum, these energy bites can keep you nourished (and less hangry).
• They are perfect for travel snacks. Pack a cooler bag and use the bites for a healthful road trip option or a nutritious choice when you arrive at your destination.
• Customize your add-ins for different flavors and variety. I will scoop half of the energy bites as the recipe states and then try some new add-ins for the latter half. 
• When preparing for surgery, these are great to make ahead for simple recovery food.
• A healthier alternative to baked goods for holiday parties, gifts, or a new neighbor welcome gift.

For the base recipe, you will need natural peanut butter, old-fashioned or rolled oats, ground flaxseed, honey, and vanilla extract. You can choose from a variety of add-ins. This recipe’s nutrition facts are based on using one-half cup of 62% cacao dark chocolate chips.

You could easily reduce the dark chocolate chips and add in unsweetened toasted and shredded unsweetened coconut, or use unsweetened dried fruit or chia seeds.

I recommend Quick (1 minute) Oats or Rolled or Old-Fashioned Oats as these are no-bake energy bites. Steel-cut oats would be too tough, and instant oats would not hold together.

No-Mess and No-Bake Energy Bite Instructions

Optional Step: Warming the Peanut Butter

I have been making no-bake energy bites for over seven years and have learned what works best. I have combined several recipes, but I started learning how to make energy bites with this recipe. I used to stir the room-temperature peanut butter with all the base ingredients.

Now, I warm the peanut butter for about 30 seconds. It melts just a touch, making it tremendously easier to stir the ingredients. The picture shows what 30 seconds of microwave warming looks like.

Keep in mind that if you microwave longer, the peanut butter will get too warm and will melt your chocolate chips when you add them. The energy bites still taste great but are a little less pretty and more messy. If you think your peanut butter is too warm, you can wait to add the chocolate chips or pop the whole mixture in the refrigerator for a few minutes before adding the chocolate chips.

Once you decide whether to warm your peanut butter or not, you are ready to combine the energy bite ingredients.

Combine Energy Bite Ingredients

Take your microwave-safe bowl with the warmed peanut butter and add the old-fashioned oats, ground flaxseed, honey, and vanilla extract. Stir with a metal spoon or spatula until combined.

The energy bites should hold together and not crumble apart. If the mixture is too crumbly, add peanut butter or honey by the tablespoon. If it is too sticky, add more oats or ground flaxseed. When I made the mixture, it looked like the picture after mixing. I added no extra ingredients.

Choose Your Add-Ins

Ensure the mixture is not too warm to melt the chocolate. Add dark chocolate chips; you can use less if desired. Dark chocolate has less added sugar than milk chocolate and contains iron and magnesium. For this recipe, each energy bite has 7% of the daily value for iron and 4% of the daily value for magnesium.

Iron is a necessary component of red blood cells and helps transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues throughout the body. People in the United States usually consume enough iron from their diets. However, certain groups, including infants, young children, teenage girls, pregnant women, and premenopausal women, are at risk for inadequate intake, or they lose more iron (from blood loss) than they consume.

Magnesium helps regulate many body functions, including protein building, muscle and nerve function, stable blood glucose levels, and blood pressure regulation. However, about half of Americans of all ages do not consume enough magnesium in their diets.

Optional Add-Ins

• If you like, add raisins, unsweetened dried fruit, chia seeds, unsweetened toasted shredded coconut, or nuts.
• You can add spices like cinnamon or unsweetened cocoa powder for a more chocolatey energy bite.

I like to scoop half or more of the energy bites as the recipe states and then try some new add-ins for the latter half or quarter of the recipe. I add chia seeds or toasted shredded coconut for flavors reminiscent of almond joy candy. Then, I haven’t experimented with a whole batch for a new flavor, just a small portion.

This tip also works if you have different flavor preferences in your house. Add the alternative ingredients after scooping the base recipe. You can accommodate different tastes with the same recipe.

Scoop the No-Mess Energy Bites

Most energy bite recipes instruct you to roll the mixture into uniform balls with your hands. These do not!

I hate recipes where I have to get my hands sticky. I will avoid them at all costs. I usually have between one or three boys running through my kitchen, playing Nerf battles, riding scooters, etc. I prefer my hands to stay clean so I can multi-task. So I use a utensil – a cookie scoop.

Use a tablespoon cookie scoop to easily scoop uniform-sized energy balls with less mess. These may not look as pretty as the rolled ones, but your hands aren’t messy and you can multi-task while making them.

If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can roll these into balls

You can enjoy them immediately or use the listed storage options below.

Storage Options

Energy bites can be stored in a food-safe container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to one week. At my house, they don’t usually last that long.

But if you don’t think you will use them that quickly, store them in the freezer for up to three months. I put a small piece of parchment paper or foil in between layers of energy bites so they don’t stick together in the freezer or refrigerator.

I often start with ours in the freezer. I will take out a few at a time to thaw for five to ten minutes at room temperature, or I will microwave them at 10-second intervals until they are thawed.

It depends on how quickly I need to get breakfast on the table or how hungry my boys are after school or playing outside, but thawing them in the microwave saves some time. Enjoy these no-mess, no-bake energy bites!

FAQs

How many can I eat?

Starting with two energy bites is a good starting point as part of a meal or for a complete snack. They provide a balanced mix of protein, carbohydrates, heart-healthy fats, and fiber to keep you full and energized.

Energy bites are rich in fiber. If you are not used to consuming much fiber, increasing your fiber intake too quickly can cause temporary digestive side effects like bloating and gas. Gradually increasing fiber intake while drinking adequate water reduces this effect.

Each person has individual needs and may need more energy bites for a complete snack. Energy bites are also packed with vitamins and minerals to help your body perform its best. Energy bites contain anti-inflammatory ingredients, including oats, ground flaxseed, limited added sugar, and peanut butter. Dark chocolate and honey can help satisfy your sweet tooth and help you consume more anti-inflammatory foods.

Eating two energy bites will provide the following:

• 346 calories, 10 g of protein, 36 g of carbohydrates, and 20 g of fat (77% of the fat comes from heart-healthy unsaturated fats).
• 6.5 g of fiber (over 25% of your daily needs).
• Plus, a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, including the following:
• 18.6% of your daily niacin (vitamin B3) needs.
• 4% of your daily vitamin E needs.
• 5% of your daily calcium needs.
• 5.5% of your daily copper needs.
• 13.6% of your daily iron needs.
• 7.5% of your daily magnesium needs
• 6% of your daily manganese needs.
• 7% of your daily phosphorus needs.
• 9% of your daily potassium needs.

Is there too much sugar in these energy bites?

The daily limit from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends people limit their added sugars to 50 g or 12 teaspoons daily.

The American Heart Association(AHA) further reduces this daily limit for women to 100 calories, 25 g, or six teaspoons of added sugar. The limit is 150 calories, 36 g, or nine teaspoons of added sugar for men.

Finally, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children over two years old aim for less than 100 calories, 25 g, or six teaspoons of added sugar. Added sugar should be avoided for children under two years old.

Two energy bites made per the recipe ingredients with the listed amounts of dark chocolate and honey contain 4.3 g of added sugar (1 teaspoon), or 8.6% of the daily limit of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Even with the stricter limits from the AHA or AAP, energy bites fit into a healthy eating pattern.

If desired, you can use less honey or omit the dark chocolate chips and use different add-ins with no added sugar to reduce the sugar content further.

As a dietitian, I consider the overall nutrients provided by a food along with its sugar content. Most food items containing sugar typically lack protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Energy bites contain some added sugar but are packed with healthy fat, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. I love that my kids will happily eat these.

Are oats an anti-inflammatory food?

Oats contains antioxidants that prevent inflammatory responses. Oats contains phenolic acids, tocols (vitamin E), sterols, avenacosides, and avenanthramides, all with antioxidant properties. 

Vitamin E helps prevent aging, chronic disease, cancer, and heart disease.

Avenanthramides are found primarily in oats. Research has shown they are anti-inflammatory and protect against heart disease, colon cancer, and skin irritation. 

Oats help lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and improve the balance of good bacteria after two weeks. They also help prevent constipation and improve bowel regularity.

You can read more about the health benefits of oatmeal, how to make anti-inflammatory oatmeal and smoothies, another anti-inflammatory breakfast option.

You can also grab my detailed printable anti-inflammatory foods list (PDF) to assess your diet and ideas for new foods to try. 

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