Energy Balls - Salted Caramel 5 Ingredients!

These Salted Caramel Energy Balls are the perfect healthy snack! Made with Medjool dates, cashews, coconut and vanilla, they're naturally sweet, vegan, no-bake and ready in just 10 minutes. This easy recipe from a well known wellness retreat is perfect for meal prep, lunchboxes or satisfying sweet cravings without refined sugar.

About These Energy Balls

This recipe for salted caramel Energy Balls comes from Elysia Wellness Retreat in the Hunter Valley of NSW. They're incredibly easy to make and are really delicious! Made with dates, cashews and coconut they come together so quickly and are a tasty sweet snack that will satisfy sweet cravings in a healthy way.

Why You'll Love These Energy Balls

• Don't pay $4 for an energy ball - make them yourself and you'll know exactly what is in them!

• They're absolutely delicious and naturally sweet! They have a salted caramel flavour - dates give it a caramel flavour and vanilla adds to it.

• It's using whole, raw ingredients.

• It's naturally gluten free and entirely plant based/vegan.

Video How To Make Energy Balls

Video: Energy Ball Recipe

Ingredients For Energy Balls

Dates - we are using Medjool dates for this recipe

Cashews - Raw, unroasted cashews work here.

Coconut - We use flaked coconut but you can also use shredded or desiccated coconut.

Vanilla - We use vanilla extract. The extra liquid in extract (over paste) helps the ingredients to bind together perfectly.

Salt - Fine pink salt.

To Roll - you can choose either ground up, raw pistachios or desiccated coconut. I used a combination of both!

Tips For Making Energy Balls

1 - To pit a date, slice down the centre on one side and remove the seed. Also remove the circular fruit stalk if there is one.

2 - You can also soak the cashews to activate them prior to grinding up.

If you love energy balls try my raw vegan chocolate energy balls, Energy Bliss Balls or peanut butter chocolate balls next! I married into a real energy ball family and this is their traditional raw, energy ball birthday cake! ;)

Energy Balls Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Makes: around 24-25 balls

Ingredients Needed

• 1 cup/190g/6.7oz pitted Medjool dates
• 1 cup/150g/5oz raw cashews
• 1/4 cup/20g flaked coconut
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 30g/1oz ground pistachios or 20g/0.8oz desiccated coconut

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 PROCESS - Roughly chop the dates and place in a food processor or Thermomix along with the cashews, coconut, vanilla and salt and process until you get a sticky dough.

Step 2 ROLL - Using damp hands roll into 15g/0.5oz balls. Roll in the ground pistachios and coconut. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Substitution notes:

You can use shredded or desiccated coconut in the balls or sub cashews with almonds or another nut you like.

Personal Note

When I say that my in laws are an energy ball family I mean it. Not a single occasion passes by without an energy ball cake. Recently it was someone's birthday and we ended up at Tuulikki's house as the only time that everyone could make it was was at night so we had to forego our usual picnic.

Tuulikki cooked up a massive pot of vegan lentil soup and then showed us some of her new paintings. She had created a series of painting with everyone in the family as fairies. I thought it was a great idea until I saw her drawing of Mr NQN and I.

"Do I really look like that?" I whispered to Mr NQN and he assured me that even discounting the pointy fairy ears, that it wasn't the greatest likeness. Still, it's a cute idea, the only thing missing was Tuulikki's self portrait as a fairy!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you make energy balls or buy them?