Oats and Sesame Energy Balls

Name: Oats and Sesame Energy Balls - Vegan and Gluten Free
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats; 1 cup sesame seeds (black or white seeds work, or even a mix); 14-15 pitted dates; 1 tsp coconut oil; 1/4 cup dark chocolate; 1 tsp coconut oil

July 5, 2021 (Last Updated: October 23, 2022)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These energy balls or ladoos are made with rolled oats, sesame seeds sweetened with dates and they are vegan, gluten free and has a fruit, a grain and a seed! AND YES, it has chocolate and takes 15 minutes. ONLY. What are you waiting for?!

Do you all have that one superpower that cannot go into a resume?

I have a few and one of the most useful ones is making sweet stuff in 15 minutes.

I crave sweet snacks all the time, am not joking. While it may be the easiest thing to reach for a piece of chocolate, I am actively trying to reduce my sugar intake so such ‘healthy’ snacks to the rescue. During my initial working years in Singapore, I’d walk down to the nearest cafe and eat a piece of muffin or sometimes, get a creamy cup of coffee. Few years later, I got a little more sensible with food and stopped eating random stuff from cafes. I’d carry kadalai mittai with me ( groundnut ladoos/brittle) and it is still one of my favourite snacks ever.

I love quick sweet treats so much that I have a guide of over 10 desserts in my Instagram. Check my guide here

15 Minute Sweet Treats!

These oats and sesame energy balls are perfect if you are like me and trying to increase the consumption of seeds in your diet. It is a take on the traditional ellu urundai, a snack I grew up with.

What do these energy bites have?

Dates, ideally the soft medjool ones but any dates work

Rolled Oats

Sesame Seeds

Dark Chocolate

These balls are dairy free, nut free, gluten free, refined sugar free – but certainly not taste free!

Can I substitute sesame seeds?

YES! I love using sesame seeds and the nuttiness of it. However, I know some do not like it. If you are one, try substituting a nut of your choice. Almonds, cashews will work great. This is a very forgiving recipe, so experiment with the consistency and see what you like.

Can I make this into a bar?

YES, again! To make these oats and sesame energy bites into bars, press the mixture into a lined dish and let it set for an hour. You can also place it in the fridge to chill. Add melted chocolate on top and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, or toasted oats.

Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help me learn more about your preferences and will help other readers.

Love this post? Here are some links if you would like to share it with your friends:

Print Pin

Oats and Sesame Energy Balls – Vegan and Gluten Free

Vegan, refined sugar free energy balls filled with dates and sesame seeds. It takes less than 20 minutes and is a healthy snack for sweet cravings!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Keyword dates, gluten free, refined sugar free, vegan

Cook Time 20

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup sesame seeds black or white seeds work, or even a mix
14-15 pitted dates
1 tsp coconut oil

Chocolate coating

1/4 cup dark chocolate
1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

Soak 12 -14 pitted dates in about warm water for 15 mins. Or, use medjool dates that are really soft and do not need soaking. Drain them well, if soaking and keep aside.
In a pan, add 1 cup rolled oats and toast until fragrant (about 2 mins).
Now, toast 1 cup sesame seeds until they pop. I used a mix of black and white seeds. Do this on a low flame.
In a blender jar ( or a mixie jar), add the oats and sesame seeds first and grind to a coarse mix. Remove it from the blender.
Now, add the dates ( fully drained, if you have soaked it) and add any flavourings you like ( cardamom, vanilla) and 1 tsp coconut oil.
Mix the oats, sesame mix with the dates. I find using my hands the easiest way to do this.
Melt chocolate with coconut oil in a microwave ( or using a double boiler) and coat the balls
I find using a fork to coat the balls easiest way to do it. Lift a ball with a fork, dip it in melted chocolate, let the melted chocolate drip and set aside to cool

Notes

All ingredients are raw ( ok, toasted) but essentially edible as it is. So, you can taste the mixture before making into balls and if you find the dates are not sweet enough, you can add a tsp of brown sugar.

Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help me learn more about what your preferences and other readers.

Love this post? Here are some links if you would like to share it with your friends:

July 5, 2021 (Last Updated: October 23, 2022)

Nankhatai - Easy One Bowl Indian Cookie Overnight Oats with Saffron and Almonds

6 Comments

Vegan Gluten Free No Bake Brownies - My Flavour Factory

July 25, 2021 at 9:56 pm

[…] how wonderful can it even be? After all, I am not new to making desserts with dates. Check these oats and sesame energy balls […]

Easy Eggless Orange & Chocolate Oats Energy Bars - My Flavour Factory

July 26, 2021 at 9:26 pm

[…] oats energy bars take slightly more effort than my oats and sesame energy balls but they are also worth the extra effort. It is almost like biting into a dessert, but has so much […]

Overnight Oats with Saffron and Almonds - My Flavour Factory

July 27, 2021 at 3:30 pm

[…] YES. I add a mixed nuts powder that I always store at home. The recipe is below. It is a handy mix to have in your pantry to sprinkle on any dessert, or to add to an energy bar or simply to sprinkle on oats, granola. In this recipe though, it is optional. If you don’t want to add nuts, then skip it! I also use this nut power to make energy bites, like these oats and sesame ones. […]