Name: Vegan Cashew Coconut Energy Balls
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup pitted medjool dates (~10-12); 1 ½ cups almond flour; ⅔ cup toasted shredded coconut flakes; 2 tbsp cashew butter; ¼ tsp vanilla extract; 1-2 tsp water (as needed)

Soft and subtly sweet Vegan Cashew Coconut Energy Balls are the perfect fuel for your day. These tasty vegan energy balls are my favorite grab and go snack currently because they’re so easy + delicious. The toasted coconut and rich cashew butter blend perfectly with the sweet medjool dates for a soft and tasty bite!

Not to mention, these can be made in under 10 minutes and with only 6 ingredients. That’s what I’m talking about for a speedy sweet treat when you have no time to waste!

Plus, I’m the type of person that needs a snack ASAP when I’m the slightest bit hungry otherwise I get hangry real fast. Nobody wants to be hangry and/or be around someone who is!

And if you’re looking for more quick and easy sweet snacks, check out these two recipes. Vegan Carrot Cake Energy Balls that are sweet + chewy and filled with your favorite carrot cake flavors – cinnamon, raisins, pecans, coconut, and carrots! Or these Peanut Almond Energy Bites for a bit more traditional sweet and salty flavor.

Vegan energy balls made with cashew butter and toasted coconut are scattered on a white background. The center energy bite is broken in half to show the soft and chewy texture.

Ingredients

Medjool Dates – Pitted dates are a great refined sugar free sweetener that also add fiber to these energy bites. You can buy them in bulk if your store carries them or from an online distributor like Terrasoul.

Almond Flour – My favorite gluten free flour that binds these vegan energy balls together. I found that almond flour works best with the sticky texture of the dough plus it doesn’t require any baking!

Coconut Flakes – I recommend toasting the coconut flakes/shreds for extra flavor as it releases more of the natural oils.

Cashew Butter – A great neutral flavored nut butter that pairs well with the coconut. My favorite cashew butter for thick texture and rich flavor is definitely Georgia Grinders!

Vanilla Extract – Elevates the sweet flavor of the dates and the richness of toasted coconut.

Water – Adds moisture to help all the ingredients blend together.

A white bowl is filled with vegan cashew coconut energy balls. The top energy bite is broke in half to show the soft and chewy texture. There are more energy balls in the background surrounding the bowl.

How to Make Vegan Energy Balls

In a food processor, blend together dates until they form into a ball, 1-2 minutes.
Next, add in almond flour, coconut flakes, cashew butter, and vanilla extract and process for an additional 1-2 minutes – mixture should stick together easily when you press between your fingers. If this isn’t happening, add water, 1 tsp at a time, until it does.
Roll into 12-14 balls, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for longer.

How to Toast Coconut Flakes

The flavor of toasted coconut flakes is seriously underrated. Once you try toasted coconut you won’t be able to stop, it’s just that good! Not to mention, it’s an easy way to bring out the natural flavor and oils in coconut.

All you do is preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add a fair amount of coconut flakes (I usually do 2-3 cups at a time) then toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Be careful though and check on it every 5 minutes, coconut flakes go from golden to burnt very fast.

Once the flakes are golden, remove from the oven and let cool. You can store the toasted coconut flakes in an airtight container or glass jar until you need them then! I’ll usually sprinkle some over my breakfast bowls, add to a recipe (like this), or blend them into coconut butter. The options are endless!

A ceramic plate is filled with round vegan energy balls. The energy bites are made with toasted coconut, cashew butter, almond flour, vanilla extract, medjool dates, and a touch of water. The texture is soft and chewy.

Cashew Butter Substitute

I’m a big nut butter fan and cashew butter is probably tied with peanut butter for my top favorite. I just love how rich it tastes when eaten plain and then how neutral is tastes when combined with other ingredients. Makes for the perfect baking nut butter!

If cashew butter isn’t for you or you just prefer another, try peanut butter, almond butter, pecan butter, or for extra coconut flavor, coconut butter! I’ll link my recipe for homemade coconut butter if you want to try it.

Cashew coconut energy balls are scattered on a white background. The center energy bite is broken in half to show the soft and chewy texture from the cashew butter, coconut, and date mixture.

Add Ins for Vegan Energy Balls

These cashew coconut energy balls are tasty enough as is, I love pairing mine with coffee or cold milk. But if you want to add some mix ins for texture or flavor, these would be my top suggestions!

Coconut Shreds – Roll the energy balls in fine coconut shreds for extra coconut flavor + chewy texture. I’d do this before chilling in the fridge, while the balls are still warm and a little gooey.

Chocolate Chips – Everything is better with chocolate and these are no exception! Once the energy ball dough is combined, add chocolate chips then give it a few pulses. Just enough to distribute the chocolate chips and/or break them up a bit.

Pecans – Chopped pecans would add a slightly sweet and nutty flavor + great crunch texture to these. I’d add these in the same way as the chocolate chips.

Raisins or Dried Cranberries – Would add extra sweetness plus chewy texture to the cashew coconut energy balls. Mix in with a few pulses once the dough is fully combined.

Chocolate Drizzle – Another way to add the chocolate flavor to these would be with a chocolate drizzle. Gently melt your favorite chocolate and then either drizzle it over the chilled energy balls or roll them in it. Chill the energy balls in the freezer/fridge for the chocolate to harden and get crisp!

A white bowl is filled with vegan cashew coconut energy balls. The energy balls are made with toasted coconut, cashew butter, and blended dates as the main ingredients. There are more energy balls in the background surrounding the bowl as well as a jar of cashew butter.

For more tasty, no-bake desserts, check out these fun creations.

Strawberry & Cream Truffles – These fudgy bites are naturally sweetened with dates, filled with strawberry flavor and coated in silky dark chocolate. The perfect no-bake, and refined sugar free treat for when you’re craving something sweet!

Chunky Monkey Truffles – Peanut butter and banana truffles with toasted coconut and silky chocolate. These truffles are a combination of all my favorite flavors in one tasty bite!

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Vegan Cashew Coconut Energy Balls 🙂