April 11, 2013

Vegan Peanut Butter Oat Balls Recipe


These little peanut butter oat balls are absolutely delicious. Not only are they easy and quick, but they are also extremely moreish. You just throw it all in a bowl, mix it, roll it into balls and refrigerate them. DONE! I was thinking of a recipe to prepare that Jerome and I could take to uni as a little snack. I wanted something filling that was sweet but not too naughty. I came up with this idea truthfully because they were the only ingredients I had in the pantry at that point in time. I really needed to go grocery shopping. However, the ingredients are cheap and very accessible. You will most likely always have these items in your kitchen. As a little add-on, I melted some dark chocolate and used a piping bag to pipe little love hearts on for Jerome. I thought it would be a cute and romantic... he loved them! He ate so many of them and said that they remind him of vegan 'Jupiter Bars'... not sure what they are. Anyway, we both loved these and will definitely make them again as a yummy lunchbox snack. I hope you try these and love them as much as we do :)


makes 12 balls


    1/4 cup peanut butter
   1/2 cup quick oats*
   1 teaspoon cacao powder
   1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
   1/4 cup desiccated coconut
   1 tablespoon maple syrup
   melted dark chocolate for garnishing (optional)


  1. In a large bowl, add the peanut butter, oats, cacao, vanilla, coconut and maple syrup.
  2. Use a spoon to mix it together until combined.
  3. Use your hands to roll the mixture into about 12 balls. I used 2-teaspoon portions. Squeeze the mixture first to make it stick together and then roll into a perfect and smooth ball. If the ball is not sticking together properly, add a little bit more maple syrup to bind it together. 
  4. Sit the balls on a tray or plate and press down slightly to make sure the balls stay in place.
  5. Pipe melted chocolate decorations such as the hearts shown above on to the tops of the balls.
  6. Refrigerate the balls for 1 to 2 hours until completely set and the chocolate has hardened. 
  7. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until needed.

  • *Quick oats are rolled oats but chopped smaller which allows for quicker cooking. I like them better in these balls as they are easier to eat and aren't as thick and rough. If you only have rolled oats, pulse them a couple of times in the processor to make them a bit more fine. 
  • If you do not want to use maple syrup, feel free to use any other syrupy sweeteners such as agave syrup or brown rice syrup etc... 
  • If you don't have cacao, you could always add cocoa powder but it wont add the same delicious taste.


The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline and does not include the "optional" ingredients. 

17 comments :

  1. These look delish :)

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  2. These were amazeballs. Thanks! We took them to college. They were awesomeeeeeeeeee.

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    1. Haha thank you! I am really glad that you enjoyed them :)

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  3. Hi!

    These were AMAZING! I substituted the peanut butter (my little brother has a peanut allergy) for Tahini and they still turned out awesome. They were the first gone at his little school party. :P

    Thanks so much for this recipe Madison. Love it ^.^

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    1. Hello! I am so happy that you enjoyed them. I really love these. Such a yummy and easy snack. It is great to know that they work with tahini too!

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  4. Could I use molassas instead of golden syrup, do you think?

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    1. Hello! I haven't tried it before but you should definitely try :) You could try a little bit of maple syrup too!

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  5. This is an amazing recipe and highly versatile. I am on the road a lot for work and this is breakfast or a mid-morning snack almost every day now. Things I have added to keep it interesting include dried cranberries, flax seed, sesame seeds, raw sunflower seeds, chopped dates, and I have used sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. It's a little different every time I make it, but it is always amazing. Thanks so much for sharing this.

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    1. Hello! They sound like such delicious ideas! Thanks for the comment :)

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  6. If using quick oats, do you recommend cooking them first before adding the rest of the ingredients, or stirring them in uncooked?

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    1. Hi there,
      No you shouldn't cook them... just put them in as they are :)

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  7. Do you just use regular peanut butter for this? Or a more healthy nut-butter?

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  8. Thank you! I will give them a go :)

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  9. Could these be frozen to eat later (grab on the go to eat once thawed)?

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