If you are craving the flavors of fall, these pumpkin spice energy balls are perfect for you! Made with only 7 ingredients, you can whip up these balls for a quick, healthy, and slightly sweet snack.
Energy balls (AKA bliss balls, protein balls, date balls, etc.) are one of my favorite sweet afternoon snack. With the warming taste of fall and a healthy serving of ingredients, these pumpkin spice balls are a delicious fall treat!
The best thing about energy balls is that they use healthy, simple ingredients. Even better, they taste almost like pumpkin spice cookie dough!
Ingredients
Energy balls are made with ingredients that aren't just good tasting, but are also good for you. Find out below what makes these balls so healthy.
Pumpkin Spice: For this recipe, I used the pumpkin pie spice blend from Trader Joes. It is a combination of cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. Click here if you would like to make your own pumpkin spice blend.
Cinnamon: the most abundant spice in the pumpkin spice blend is cinnamon, which is a spice that goes far beyond adding a warming flavor to foods. Cinnamon has been studied and has shown potential for helping with blood sugar management, decreasing inflammation, improving cholesterol levels, and symptoms of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) (4).
Oats: oats are a whole grain and a good source of a type of fiber. The benefits of fiber are numerous, but the most well-known are that it lowers cholesterol, balanced blood sugar, feed good bacteria in the gut, and helps you feel full after eating (1).
Several different types of oats exist, and not all of them are created equal. However, in most situations, I recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats over quick or instant oats.
Almonds: almonds can help to reduce both cholesterol and blood sugar levels, manage your weight, and protect against diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (2).
Walnuts: walnuts sort of look like little brains which is ironic because one of their health benefits relate to their effects on brain health. Studies have suggested that consuming walnuts could have improve cognition, memory, anxiety and help to protect against Alzheimer's disease (3).
How to make pumpkin spice energy balls
These energy balls are extremely quick and easy to make. Toss all the dry ingredients into a food processor or blender (oats, almonds, walnuts, salt, and pumpkin spice). Blend until you have a fine meal. Dump the meal into a large mixing bowl. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix together until you have a sticky dough and roll into balls.
Store them in the refrigerator or freezer. Better yet, make two batches and store one in the refrigerator and one batch in the freezer to save for the next time you're craving these sweet treats.
Energy balls vs protein bars - what's better?
A lot of people like to grab a protein bar for their afternoon snack. Protein bars contain a lot of added junk, but not all are the same. Yes, protein bars may pack in a decent amount of protein, but next time you buy a bar check out the ingredient list.
General tips when looking at an ingredient list:
- The shorter the list the better
- Look for ingredients you actually recognize
The ingredients are listed in order of highest to lowest quantity. The first ingredient listed is used most while the last ingredient listed is used least.
These energy balls satisfy the need for grab-and-go snacks but without all of the strange ingredients that you see on some protein bars.
More Energy/Bliss Ball Recipes
Strawberry shortcake energy balls
Pumpkin Spice Energy Balls
Equipment
- Food processor/high speed blender
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup raw almonds
- ⅓ cup raw walnuts
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin spice blend
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Add the oats, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin spice, and salt to a food processor or high speed blender. Pulse or blend until you have a crumbly meal.
- Pour the blended dry ingredients into a large bowl and add the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Mix together until you have a sticky dough.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the dough and roll into balls.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Sources
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-benefits-oats-oatmeal#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146189/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071526/
- https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/fulltext/2019/01000/cinnamon__update_of_potential_health_benefits.8.aspx
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