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Who said Energy Bites had to be sweet? These 3 Savory Energy Ball Ideas are Gluten-Free, Vegan, and perfect for On-The-Go Snacking!
Believe it or not I actually prefer savory foods to sweet – snacks included! However, I find it hard to find healthy bites that aren’t just veggies, rice cakes and hummus.
So one day when I thought of creating a Savory Energy Ball, I knew this was an idea I had to actualize!
Energy Balls (also known as Bliss Balls) are typically a sweet treat made from dried fruits and nuts. I still kept the nuts in this recipe, but swapped the fruit for white beans! This may sound strange but it’s actually a perfect savory sub – the beans help to keep the balls moist and bind everything together. Plus, they add some extra fiber and plant based protein.
Throw in a little oat flour (or any flour of your choice) to help bind everything together, and you have yourself a tasty, healthy, and savory treat.
Because this recipe is pretty simple, I came up with three different flavor variations for you all! You can certainly experiment on your own and come up with other savory creations, but I thought these were good starting points.
We have some Pizza Flavored Bites…
Some Curry Bites…
And last but not least, some Garlic & Herb Bites…
All in all, these tasty treats are perfect for packing into lunch boxes or as a quick on-the-go snack! I could even see them being great on top of a salad or stuffed inside a wrap.
If you’d like to see a video of me talking you through the ball-making process, feel free to watch below:
A Few Final Thoughts:
- These Balls are perfect for meal prep! They’ll last up to a week in the fridge, or even longer if you store them in the freezer and thaw as desired.
- I used a different nut for each recipe, but in reality you can use any nut combination of your choice. Just add the appropriate amounts of beans and desired seasoning, as stated in the recipe below.
- Oat flour can be substituted with any flour you have on hand! I think these would work well with Buckwheat or Brown Rice Flour especially.
Finally, if you make any of these Energy Balls and post a photo on Instagram, be sure to tag me @frommybowl + #frommybowl so I can see your tasty remake! 🙂
PrintSavory Bliss Balls
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 balls 1x
Ingredients
For the Pizza Balls:
- 1/2 cup Almonds
- 1/2 cup White Beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp Oats, ground into flour
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- Pinch of Salt
For the Curry Balls:
- 1/2 cup Cashews
- 1/2 cup White Beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp Oats, ground into flour
- 1/2 tsp Curry Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- Pinch of Salt
For the Garlic & Herb Balls:
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 1/2 cup White Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup Oats, ground into flour
- 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
Assemble all Bliss Balls as follows:
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and pulse until well-incorporated.
- Wet your fingers slightly (this prevents the dough from sticking) and use a 1/2 tbsp measure to scoop out the ball “dough” and roll it into spheres. Each recipe will create between 10 and 12 balls.
- Store your Bliss Balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to two months.
Notes
White Beans may be substituted with Black Beans or Pinto Beans. I would not recommend using Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans in this recipe, as they are not as moist.
Oat Flour may be substituted with any flour of choice.
Love this idea.
What do you think of baking them?
Or air frying them?
Would that work?
Would you have to do something additional?
Thank you!
★★★★★
You can definitely air fry or bake these for a firmer, crisper texture.
These pizza bliss balls are going to change my life! It’s so nice to have a savory option. I subbed cashews for almonds and used soldier beans. I froze them before a long bike ride and they were thawed and nice and cool by the time I ate them in the heat. Held together well. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them!
I’m looking forward to trying these! I always roll my energy bites in something. What would you recommend with each of these? Sesame seeds? Crushed nuts? Dried herbs?
Also, I have a large herb garden this year. Would adding minced fresh herbs change the recipes too much?
★★★★
Sesame seeds would be great! If you add in some herbs you should be fine with ratios, as they don’t add much moisture or dryness to really throw it off.
Thankyou
Are you supposed to bake these please??
These are all no-bake recipes!
I made these Monday morning because I knew I would have a busy week at school. I can’t pick a favorite because I love them all! I will definitely make them again. I’m also going to try taking some with on road trips because they are the perfect snack (The pizza ones taste like Combos 2.0). Also, I just realized that I’ve already been using some of your recipes without knowing it was you!
★★★★★
These things are legit (will make again)! I knew I was going to be busy tonight and wouldn’t have time for supper so I made some of these this morning to have as an evening snack. All I had to do was boil some raspberry tea and grab the tupperware from the fridge! I’ll probably bring these on roadtrips because they taste better than anything gas stations have to offer (The pizza ones are like Combos but 10x improved). Also, I looked at my list of bookmarked pages and realized that I’ve been using some of your recipes already without even knowing!
★★★★★
So happy to hear you’ve been liking the recipes (whether you realized it or not!) haha! Thanks!
Hi Caitlin
I have allergies to almonds and peanuts, so I’m a little wary of all nuts.
I do know I can eat hazelnuts without issues.
Would these substitute ok for the almonds and cashews?
Or can you recommend something else?
Thanks
Hmm, we haven’t tried subbing out the nuts but I think hazelnuts could work. Another option may be to go in the seed direction – pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.
I tried the curry balls and I absolutely love love them ! I’m much more fond of savory snacks too and it’s great to have a version I can finally enjoy. I used chickpeas instead of white beans and it works perfectly as well. Next time I think I’ll add pumpkin seeds or sesames seeds. Thanks again =)
★★★★★
That’s awesome! Agreed on needing more savory snacks, it seems the sweet route is usually the way all snacks end up being!
Do you think some kind of asian flavors could work ? Like toasted sesame and ginger ?
Ooh definitely sounds intriguing! Would take some recipe testing but if you make something like that let us know!
I found this recipes because I was imagining an energy ball that tastes like the Trader Joes thai chili lime cashews. I will experiment and report back!
Let us know how it turns out! Thank you, Mary!
Do you think it would be possible to turn these into a bar somehow?
Not sure how the change of shape would hold up, haven’t tried that, it’s possible it might bend under it’s own weight. If you try it let us know!
Heya Caitlin, I found this thanks to furious googling for ideas on how to make savory protein bars. Your recipe really helps to cement my optimism for use of beans as a binding agent instead of the syrup or dates used in sweet and chocolate themed bars.
Let me ask, what do you mean by white beans? There are so many types! Navy Beans? Great Northern Beans? Cannellini Beans? Butter or Lima Beans? I appreciate they are similar and it may not matter!
I would recommend Navy, Great Northern, or Cannellini – all should work well!
Dear Caithlin, these recipes are amazing! I was Just wondering if you could substitute the nuts for more oat flour?
Love,
Jenny
Hi Jenny! You can try, but I imagine the balls would be a little dry and crumbly.
Do you use raw unsalted almonds ?
Yes I did! If you’d like to use toasted almonds they would work here as well.
Hi 🙂 I was just wondering if I could use red kidney beans instead of white beans? By the way, you’re so cool and sweet and congrts on you new book! 🙂
★★★★★
Yes you can Dean! Thank you so much 🙂
hey 🙂
Soon ill start working as a excursion medic, i will be out of my house for days, will those energy balls survive several days without refrigerating? I live in Israel and it’s HOT here for most of the time
(plus, wanted to let you know you kinf og gave me the last push to become a vegan ^^ )
Hi Miriam, unfortunately I don’t think these would fare well, as most canned beans need to be refrigerated after opening. You could try substituting the beans for another nut butter instead, but I have not tested this.
I cannot wait to try the savory bliss balls! I know I just gave it 5 stars without trying yet … but I have a feeling I’m going to like them all since all contain ingredients I love and usually have all on hand. Love your recipes!
★★★★★
Thank you Lynn! Hope you love them 🙂
Ok, so I made my first batch but had to improvise just a bit. I made the garlic/herb ones and I did not realize I was running low on tahini! Anyway, I also had some fresh almond butter on hand so substituted that to make up for the lack of tahini (ended up being about 1/8 cup each). I think they were good but do you think that may have prevented the intended flavor from coming out? I’m going to make the pizza ones next!
The tahini taste is pretty strong in the garlic and herb ones, but I don’t think the almond butter would have affected it too much! The pizza ones are my favorite! 🙂