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Get It Now- What Are Bliss Balls?
- Why You’ll Love This Bliss Balls Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Make Bliss Balls
- Tips For The Best Bliss Ball Recipe
- Recipe Variations
- Storage Instructions
- More Healthy Sweet Snack Recipes
- Recommended Tools
- Bliss Balls Recipe (4 Ingredients!) Recipe card
- Recipe Reviews
Bliss balls are the ultimate on-the-go healthy snack! My girls love dates, so I came up with these sweet and satisfying bites as a way to incorporate dates into easy, nutrient-packed snacks for them. This coconut bliss ball recipe is quick to make, customizable, and stores well, making it perfect for meal prep.
What Are Bliss Balls?
Bliss balls, sometimes called energy balls or energy bites, are a simple treat that combines raw, usually plant-based ingredients into no-bake snack balls. They get their name because they taste like pure bliss! Many recipes include nuts, coconut, vanilla beans, and natural sweeteners, such as dates.
I made these bliss balls with dates, but if you need a sugar-free alternative, try my keto energy balls, peanut butter balls, or cookie dough balls instead.
Why You’ll Love This Bliss Balls Recipe
- Sweet coconut and vanilla flavor
- Perfect crunchy and sticky texture
- Just 4 simple ingredients (plus salt and some optional add-ins if you like!)
- 10 minutes to make
- Packed with healthy fats and no refined sugar
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and paleo
- Easy to take on the go as a snack, dessert, or for your workout
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this easy bliss ball recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Bliss Balls:
- Nuts – This recipe uses roasted cashews and almonds for the best texture, but you can substitute any other nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts, in the same quantity.
- Desiccated Coconut – You could use shredded coconut, but larger shreds may remain in the final mixture and the bliss balls might be more difficult to roll. You will need more for topping, if desired.
- Sea Salt – Balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla Bean Powder – Although optional, it adds a deep flavor and aroma to this recipe. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Pitted Medjool Dates – These add natural sweetness and prevent the balls from falling apart. You can substitute any other soft and juicy date variety. If using drier dates, soak them in warm water for about 15 minutes or until softened, then drain and pat dry before use.
Optional Toppings:
- Desiccated Coconut – For extra texture and fiber.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – Adds flavor and keep the balls from sticking to each other.
How To Make Bliss Balls
This section shows how to make coconut bliss balls, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Process dry ingredients. In a food processor, combine cashews, almonds, coconut, sea salt, and vanilla bean powder. Blend until the mixture reaches a fine consistency.
- Add dates. Add the medjool dates and process until the ingredients stick together and are easily formed into a ball, and not too sticky.
- Roll bliss balls. Using a tablespoon or a medium cookie scoop, take a spoonful of the mixture and form into a ball. Repeat until no mixture remains.
- Add toppings. If desired, roll the bliss balls in almond flour or desiccated coconut.
Tips For The Best Bliss Ball Recipe
This recipe is easy to make, but keep these tips in mind for the best taste and texture:
- Don’t process too much. Be careful not to process too much, so the nuts don’t start to turn into nut butter. It’s okay if there are some slightly bigger nut pieces.
- Adjust dates as needed. The amount of medjool dates you need will depend on how soft they are. If the processed ingredients are not sticking together, add more dates until it’s easy to form them into a ball with your hands. If the dough is too wet and it’s sticking to your hands, add more desiccated coconut.
- Use a cookie scoop. This one is the perfect size and makes it easier to form even balls.
- Use roasted cashews for best flavor. If you buy them raw, you can roast them in the oven for 6-8 minutes at 320 degrees F (160 degrees C). Set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes before using.
Recipe Variations
- Peanut Butter – The trick to this recipe is having something sticky to hold everything together. My recipe uses dates, but you could make peanut butter bliss balls by replacing the dates with 1/3 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter) and 1/4 cup honey (regular or sugar-free honey). Or, simply make my peanut butter protein balls recipe instead.
- Chocolate – Replace half of the dessicated coconut with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. You can also simply add 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (or sugar-free dark chocolate chips) after processing.
- Oatmeal – Replace the almonds with old fashioned rolled oats.
- Add Superfoods – Include 1-2 tablespoons of other superfood mix-ins, such as chia seeds, chewy goji berries, or crispy cacao nibs.
- Swap The Dates – Try a different dried fruit, such as dried apricots, dried cherries, or dried figs.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep coconut energy balls in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last at least a week.
- Meal prep: These balls make the perfect make-ahead snack. You can make them in just 10 minutes and have them all week (or month) long.
- Freeze: Place the bliss balls in a zip top freezer bag or airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
More Healthy Sweet Snack Recipes
Believe it — you can enjoy sweet snacks without the extra junk! Try more naturally sweetened healthy snacks here:
Recommended Tools
- Food Processor – The best tool for prepping this recipe quickly and easily.
- Medium Cookie Scoop – A cookie scoop gives you the perfect size balls every time.
Bliss Balls Recipe (4 Ingredients!)
This bliss balls recipe with dates, roasted cashews, almonds and coconut makes the perfect healthy, bite-sized snack, all in just 10 minutes!
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them.
Bliss Balls
Optional Toppings
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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In the food processor, combine the cashews, almonds, coconut, sea salt, and vanilla bean powder.
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Process until fine consistency. Be careful not to process too much, so they don’t start to turn into nut butter. It’s okay if there are some slightly bigger nut pieces.
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Add Medjool dates and process until the ingredients stick together and are easily formed into a ball, and not too sticky. If the dough is too dry, add more Medjool dates, 1-2 at a time. If it’s too wet, add more desiccated coconut, 1 tablespoon (15 g) at a time.
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Using a tablespoon or a medium cookie scoop spoon the ingredients, press/squeeze in your hands and roll them into balls. (Use about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per ball.)
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If desired, roll the bliss balls into almond flour and/or desiccated coconut for additional flavor and so they don't stick to each other.
Did You Like It?
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 bliss ball
- Nutrition info does not include optional ingredients: Desiccated coconut and almond flour.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
5 Comments
Addison
0I am always looking for healthy snacks! These were easy, healthy and delicious!
Bella
0These bliss balls were so tasty! We are big date fans here. I packed them for our hike the other day and they disappeared so fast!
Elizabeth S
0These were so good! I didn’t have vanilla bean powder so I added a half teaspoon of vanilla extract and they turned out great. Will make again.
Claire
0My daughter made these all by herself this morning and she was so proud of her efforts. We all were!! They were so delicious. The coconut was the perfect coating. Truly delish and I am so happy how easily she followed the recipe.
Lindsey
0These bliss balls were delicious and filling! I did use the protein powder as you suggested in the recipe and I am so happy I did. It gave me a great boost post workout!