Craving banana bread but don’t feel like baking or consuming more than a cup of sugar? These sweet little energy bites are exactly what you need. You can make them with only six ingredients in just 10 minutes. Not only are they vegan and gluten-free, but they are also great snacks for kids and adults alike. Keep them in the fridge and enjoy when ready, or make a big batch and store them in the freezer, taking them out whenever you want a snack.
Although this recipe calls for walnuts or pecans, almonds work too. Feel free to mix and match the nuts you enjoy for this recipe, so long as they total one cup. For the oats, we chose rolled oats, but you can use gluten-free oats if you don’t eat gluten. And to keep it vegan, the chocolate chips have to be dairy-free. If you cannot find dairy-free chocolate chips, you can use chopped dark chocolate, but the chocolate chips are recommended.
When it comes time to make the banana bread bites, start by adding the nuts to the food processor. Pulse until you achieve a crumbly consistency. Then you can add rolled oats, dates, banana, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and blend until grainy and broken down. At that point, add the chocolate chips and pulse until you get a sticky, dough-like consistency, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Form the mixture into little bite-size balls with your hands and refrigerate them to harden. You can place them in the freezer to accelerate that process, which helps you enjoy them quicker!
- Prep Time:10m
- Total Time:10m
- Serves: 20 servings
- Category: Appetizers & Snacks, Desserts, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 c walnuts or pecans
- 1 c rolled oats
- 1 c dates, pitted
- 1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/2 c vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the walnuts or pecans to the food processor and pulse until you get a crumbly mixture.
- Add the remaining ingredients (except the chocolate chips) to the processor bowl and blend until grainy.
- Pour in the chocolate chips and blend until you get a sticky, dough-like consistency, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed to fully incorporate the ingredients.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and wet your hands to form the mixture into 20 bite-size balls. Place them on the parchment paper and then freeze or refrigerate them so they can harden.
- Remove from the fridge or freezer when they are ready and enjoy. Store leftover bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
