
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
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You’ll love keeping a stash of low carb keto energy balls around… they are one of my favorite low carb sweet snacks for the ketogenic diet. They’ll fill you up and also satisfy your sweet tooth! Plus, these keto bites are made with simple and nutritious ingredients, and the best flavor combination… peanut butter and chocolate!
If you love this combo as much as I do, give my chocolate peanut butter smoothie, chocolate peanut butter fat bombs, or chocolate chip peanut butter protein cookies a try.
Most energy balls are sweetened with dried fruit, honey, or maple syrup, and use oats as a primary ingredient. This keto version is sweetened with Wholesome Yum Keto Maple Syrup and uses a nut and nut butter blend for a similar texture to traditional oat ones. The syrup helps the balls stick together, but also adds great maple flavor and sweetness… with only 2g net carbs and 20 calories per serving!
Get Wholesome Yum Keto Maple Syrup Here
And of course, the syrup is delicious on all your favorite keto breakfast foods – keto pancakes, chaffles, and waffles! (Make your pancakes even easier with pre-made keto pancake mix.)
Why You’ll Love These Keto Bites
- Sweet with flavors of chocolate, peanut butter, and maple
- Perfect combo of soft and crunchy
- Ready in 15 minutes
- Keto, paleo, grain-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free
- Just 1.7g net carbs each
- No oven required (they are no bake!)
How To Make Keto Energy Balls
- Pulse almonds. Place almonds in food processor and pulse until you have a mixture of chopped almonds and almond meal.
- Mix dry ingredients. Add shredded coconut, flaxseed meal, and salt. Pulse a few times until uniform.
- Add wet ingredients. Add peanut butter, Wholesome Yum Keto Maple Syrup, and vanilla. Pulse again until uniform.



- Fold. Use a spatula to fold in chocolate chips.
TIP: You can remove the blade to make folding easier. This will also protect your spatula… or transfer to a bowl and mix there.


- Form. Use a small cookie scoop and your hands to grab the dough and form the keto power bites into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper.

Low Carb Energy Balls FAQs
Are energy balls low carb?
Most energy balls are made with high-carb ingredients like oats, dried fruit, and honey or maple syrup, so would not be low carb or keto friendly.
These low carb no bake energy balls are made with keto friendly ingredients like almonds, coconut, flaxseed, peanut butter, keto maple syrup, and sugar-free dark chocolate chips.
Are these peanut butter energy balls keto?
Yes, the carb counts in energy bites will vary recipe to recipe, but because we are using lower-carb ingredients in this recipe, they are just 1.7 grams net carbs each.
Can I make them nut-free?
Yes. If you have an allergy to tree nuts, you can swap the almonds with sunflower seeds and swap the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter.
Can I use something else instead of the maple syrup?
This recipe uses Wholesome Yum Keto Maple Syrup to sweeten and bind the energy balls. Other sugar-free maple syrup brands should work if they have the same thick consistency, but this is the only one that has a real maple syrup taste and natural ingredients.
You can also try using this sugar-free maple syrup recipe, but I haven’t tested it to confirm if it works as well.
Don’t use regular maple syrup, as that would be high in sugar.
If you don’t want to use a maple syrup at all, you can’t replace it with a granulated or powdered sweetener without changing the consistency. But, you can use a different liquid sweetener with a similar consistency, if you like. Sugar-free simple syrup or even sugar-free vanilla syrup would also be delicious!

Variations
- Peanut – Swap the almonds for peanuts. (Or add a boost of protein by making peanut butter protein balls.)
- Nut-Free – Use sunflower seeds instead of almonds and sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
- Double Chocolate – Replace 2 tablespoons of the flaxseed meal with cocoa powder.
- Snickerdoodle – Add a couple teaspoons of cinnamon and omit the chocolate chips.
Storage Instructions
- Make ahead: These keto no bake energy balls are a perfect make-ahead snack. While you can eat them right away, they are also easy to store in a glass storage container.
- Store: Keep your keto bites in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: You can keep the bites in the freezer for 3-6 months. Take them out to thaw slightly before biting in!

More Keto Snack Recipes
If you like this low carb energy balls recipe, you might also like some of these other keto snack recipes:
- Keto Granola Bars – You can wrap these individually and store in your pantry. Convenient and delicious!
- Keto Cookie Dough Bites – Just 10 minutes to prep these sweet bites that have just 1.5 grams net carbs each.
- Chocolate Fat Bombs – These will keep you full AND satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Cocoa Balls – A chocolate way to make energy balls. Swap the maple syrup with the Wholesome Yum keto syrup.
- Keto Popcorn – The satisfaction and crunch of popcorn, without the carbs!
Tools To Make Keto Bites
- Food Processor – The food processor makes these bites come together in no time, and this one is my favorite. It has lasted me for years.
- Keto Maple Syrup – The key sweetener and binder for sugar-free energy balls. Check out the reviews to see how much it tastes like the real thing!
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips – These are my go-to for all my sugar-free chocolate recipes!
Keto Energy Balls Recipe
Keto Energy Balls Recipe (Keto Bites)
Sweet low carb keto energy balls are super easy, grain-free, no bake, and 1.7g net carbs each! Make these keto bites with just 7 ingredients and 15 minutes.
Recipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Place the almonds into a food processor. Pulse (starting and stopping every couple seconds) until you have a mixture of chopped almonds and almond meal.
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Add the shredded coconut, flaxseed meal and salt. Pulse a couple of times, just until uniform. (Do not overmix.)
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Add the peanut butter, syrup, and vanilla. Pulse again until just combined. (Again, do not overmix.)
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Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and press them into the mixture.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a small cookie scoop and your hands to form the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on the parchment paper. Enjoy right away, refrigerate, or freeze.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our free low carb support group, too – I’d love to see it!
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 energy ball
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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63 Comments
Lori
0How many balls does this recipe make?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lori, This recipe makes 36 energy balls.
Serena
0Can I freeze the balls?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Serena, You can keep the bites in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Maggie
0I want to make these for Kentucky Derby. Can I soak them in bourbon without having them fall apart?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Maggie, I have never done this, but let me know the results if you do.
Wendy
0Yum. These are delicious! Just enough sweetness! Thank you for the recipe! We haven’t had a recipe of yours that we haven’t loved.
Wendy
0These are really good. I don’t even like coconut, but I do not mind it in this recipe. Very satisfying and easy to make.
Nancy
0I love these!! I make them all the time to have some on hand. They make great filling snacks that hold me for quite a while. My question is do you think these would be okay unrefrigerated for several hours? I want to take them on a plane trip…don’t think I could bear being without them for several days:)
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Nancy, Yes, that should work fine.
Suzi
0Can I use ground flaxseed in this instead of flaxseed meal?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Suzi, Yes, that is the same thing.
Georgee Campbell
0How many grams is one ball?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Georgee, This recipe makes 36 servings. If you want to know the weight of each serving, you will have to weigh the mixture and then divide by 36.
Lisa
0Can you use chia seed in place of flaxseed?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lisa, I wouldn’t replace the flax seed with chia. You could add chia seeds, but they wouldn’t replace the flaxseed.
Christine
0Hi. Would I use the same amount of sugar free vanilla sweetener as maple syrup since I don’t like maple taste.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Christine, Yes, you’d use the same amount if you use Wholesome Yum sugar-free vanilla syrup.
Kim
0These are awesome and so easy to make. I’m watching my carbs and these keto energy balls are a great sugar free low carb treat. So happy I found this recipe. Thank you Maya ❤️
Janice Nelson
0I had trouble with the recipe. Was not moist and the mixture was like sawdust with a bit of peanut butter. Would not roll into balls, just fell apart. Help please!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Janice, Did you use peanut butter with the oil?
Cindie
0I used Almond Butter instead of peanut butter and the same amount of Wholesome Yum Keto Syrup instead of Maple Syrup. Taste fantastic! I will definitely make again. Thanks!
Terry
0These are sooooo good! I can’t believe something that tastes this good, like regular unhealthy candy, can be healthy. And I’m sure the rest of my family who usually doesn’t go for my healthy treats will love them too.
Linda
0If I don’t have the keto maple syrup, what could I substitute?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Linda, There is a whole section in the post about how to replace the maple syrup, but you can also get the syrup here.
Elisa Castagna
0Absolutely delicious! Absolutely easy! The entire family loves these!
Tawny
0Can I use your Keto Honey instead of the maple syrup, and if so, how much Keto honey? Thank you!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Tawny, I have not tried this yet but it should work. Please let me know the results if you try it out.
Bert Rutherford
0Wondering if you’ve ever tried hemp hearts in a recipe like this. I absolutely love them and they have all kinds of nutritional value from what I can see.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Bert, I have never tried to add hemp hearts to this recipe, but I believe it should work out good for you.
Jamie
0What can I sub if I don’t have flaxseed meal?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jamie, You could make the double chocolate version, replace 2 tablespoons of the flaxseed meal with cocoa powder.
Linda M Wheeler
0Any substitute for coconut flakes? I do not like coconut at all
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Linda, Your favorite finely chopped nuts would work great in this recipe in place of coconut. Enjoy!
Ellie
0Really great ratios and textures. I didn’t have almonds so I substituted with pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts (totalling 1 1/2c) Worked out great and was really yummy!
Carol
0Excellent and easy! Great anytime treat.
Lynn Williams
0Are there any substitutes for coconut.
I don’t like coconut.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lynn, Feel free to sub in more chopped nuts in place of the shredded coconut. Enjoy!
William Fulton
0Ok, I tried this with Macadamia nut flour to improve the Omega 3/6 profile. These are delicious!
Adina Conroy
0These are great. I followed the instructions exactly and they came out perfectly. I have had some busy mornings so popping one in my mouth in the morning with my coffee keeps me going for several hours. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so I hope Maya creates a savory version that still includes the coconut – which I love.
Mary Fick
0I don’t own a food processor but my local store sells “almond meal”. How much almond meal would I use for this recipe? Also I have “milled flaxseeds” on hand. Can that be substituted for the golden flaxseeds? Thank you! I love you Maya, you’re my go to keto girl!!!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Mary, I think this recipe can be done by hand, but it will take a lot of muscle! Almond meal and milled flaxseeds should work. Best wishes!
Rebecca
0I also don’t have a food processor but I used my ninja blender and it worked fine.
Gurmit
0Made these Keto peanut butter balls – not quite to the letter (had no flaxseed meal or Keto maple syrup). I used a very small amount of normal maple syrup with monk fruit sweetener and they tasted great!
Jen
0These were delicious! I added two dropperfuls of vanilla stevia to make them a bit sweeter and pump up the vanilla flavor. Love the maple flavor from the syrup which is the best out there!
Marie
0Would like to try these but do not like coconut. Can I substitute it for something else?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Marie, Your favorite finely chopped nuts would work great in this recipe in place of the shredded coconut. Enjoy!
Tina
0These are great snacks for me as a truck driver
bren037
0I like these very much. The flavor s great. But I am not sure if I am making quite right. I find that they are a little crumbly. Maybe I am not mixing them enough? I have a very small food processor so I find I have to combine the ingredients in batches. That too might be the issue. I do find freezing them helps them to keep their shape. Also do you think this recipe could be used to make granola by baking it?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Bren037, Are you using natural, runny peanut butter? Using conventional peanut butter will leave you with a drier texture and could be crumbly. If using conventional peanut butter, you can add a little oil to it to achieve the correct consistency for this recipe. If you are interested in a granola recipe, I have this recipe for Keto Granola here!
bren037@yahoo.com
0Thanks so much for the response. I am using natural peanut butter. With the oil. I think maybe my problem was I wasn’t pressing them together well enough. Either way they are super tasty! And thanks for the granola link!
Sara Donahue
0I can’t wait to try this. Just bought some balls for $9.00 for a 8.29 oz box.
Karla
0Can you use almond flour if you dont have almonds?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Karla, Yes, but you will likely get a different texture in your energy balls because the nuts will be a finer texture.
Agnes Wasowski
0Can you use Almond flour?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Agnes, Yes, but you will likely get a different texture in your energy balls because the nuts will be a finer texture.
ConnieABQ
0Hi, so I made them and it was so easy. And these little snacks are filling and oh so tasty. Thanks for giving me ideas! Some days the cookies look to good to pass up and these stop those cravings!
Elaine
0I’m not a fan of peanut butter – any suggestions for a substitute for this? Thx
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Elaine, The peanut butter is used to hold the energy balls together, I recommend using almond butter or sunflower butter, but make sure it’s low in sugar.
Bren
0Do you think these would work with walnuts?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Bren, Sure! Just be sure not the over-pulse your nuts. You don’t want to end up with walnut butter.
Sam
0These were easy and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
wilhelmina
0These are great to have on hand! I love to be able to go grab a tasty snack and still be healthy!