Our Favorite Energy Bite Recipes
Whether it be in our Kid-Friendly Snack Drawer I shared about last week or whenever we are snacking on them in the background of my Instagram stories, you all ask me about energy bite questions ALL. THE. TIME!
That’s for good reason!
With nuts being a choking hazard in kids under four and yet all of us struggling to find easy, nourishing snack ideas to keep on hand, energy bites combine a variety of ingredients like nuts, seeds, and fruit to provide a more nutrient-dense snack than many other mainstays. So whether you call them homemade LARABARs, fat balls, or energy bites, I am sharing my family’s favorite here!
In the post, I give you links to the top 10 recipes we keep on constant rotation. With some seasonal favorites and other year round staples, these are the energy bite recipes I share my family making the most often. I know you and your family will love having this list handy too!
My Family’s Favorite Energy Bite Recipes
Although not all of these can be modified as nut-free (so that they are safe for school), I encourage you to make a batch of whichever recipe sounds the best to your family based on when you plan to serve them (at home or at school). Even if it is you plug one new recipe in per month to try, I think you will quickly see which ones become staples in your snack time rotation (or snack drawer)!
1. Blueberry Lemon
I know this recipe post could use some work, but it long stands as a favorite from my site even still! We buy the dried blueberries with no added sugar from Trader Joe’s and then use raw cashews or almonds (depending on what we have on hand). They taste very similar to Blueberry Muffin Larabars.
2. Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter
This is definitely one of my kids favorites. I like it for an easy one to sub out a nut-free butter in (we use Sunbutter) so that they are a compact source of energy (i.e. calories) for school. Plus, if you are easing your kids onto the idea of energy bites, these may be a good first one to go with (…because, duh - the chocolate chips!).
3. Pumpkin Pie
I saw this one posted on Instagram and knew we needed them in our life. They definitely do not disappoint! With a subtle Fall flavor, they’re in our current rotation.
4. Gingerbread
I don’t know technically at what point we swap from Thanksgiving to Christmas, but you can believe that this one and the next one are two of my favorites for December-time (but really any time)!
5. Chocolate Peppermint
These scream holidays and for someone living in Houston who doesn’t get a lot of seasonal, winter weather, I take all the lay-ups I can get when it comes to embracing the added feeling of winter. My dear friend first brought these to me in January after my oldest was born (back when Milk & Honey Nutrition and I were neighbors), and they have been among my favorites since.
6. Monster (M&M) Bites
These are a bit more like dessert with two sources of added sugar, but sometimes life calls for that! I like making these for playdates or a non-traditional dessert when having company. They’re easy, portable, and much less messy than many other options while still offering some added nutrition to say a cookie or ice cream.
7. Carrot
This dietitian mom is MASTERFUL at packing in nutrients, in particular vegetables. So it is no surprise that Min found a way to make these carrot energy balls so loaded up on the good stuff AND managed to get a veggie in them too!
8. Apple Cinnamon
Another seasonal combination, I love this combination of apples and cinnamon and how it is a peanut-free option (for schools that aren’t completely nut-free). We buy the dried apple chips that often go on sale this time of year and will make these when near the end of the bag and the pieces are small and crumbly!
9. Oatmeal raisin
We love dates at my house, but sometimes we run out! So this is a great option with similar nutritional benefits to other mentioned above, but it doesn’t require dates.
10. LEMON
It may surprise you, but my favorite flavor of LARABAR is…LEMON! There is something about it that I just love, so the fact that Lindsay figured out how to recreate a similar flavor profile here is what makes me particularly fond of this lemon energy bite recipe.
So there you have it!
Our favorite energy bite recipes.
We constantly have at least one of these in the fridge for portable, nutrient-packed snacks that our whole family enjoys.
However, if you are in a pinch and can’t prep any of those listed below, know that products like LARABARs are a great premade option with similar combinations to many of the above. Using simple ingredients and natural flavor combinations, keeping premade bars or fruit and nut products on hand can be an excellent alternative also.
If your family is already used to LARABARS (or a similar fruit and nut product like them), leverage the kinds your child loves or likes to work backwards when coming up with energy bite recipes. Often, you can go and search for a homemade version of that flavor! Using similar ingredients listed on the package label, one option is to try several of the LARABAR combinations listed with recipes when you scroll down here.