Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites (No-Bake)

cherry-chocolate-energy-bites-(no-bake)

4-Ingredient snacking bliss is just 15 minutes away with these Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites.  The perfect grab-and-go snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy and delicious way.

Updated on January 21, 2021.  Originally posted on June 17, 2016.

A plate filled with dark chocolate energy bites stacked up and sprinkled with sea salt flakes.

Snacking at it’s finest with this no-bake energy bites recipe.

Are you searching for a new snack recipe? Whether you need a snack for you or the kids, this energy bites recipe is sure to become your favorite! With only 4 ingredients, 15 minutes, and the delicious flavors of cherry and dark chocolate these cherry chocolaty snack bites are the epitome of snack time.

When you’re looking for a quick and easy but also healthy snack option, grab this recipe and whip up a batch of these energy bites for your week’s snack box.

As you can imagine, we’re all about healthy and fast these days, and these energy bites fit that ticket splendidly. So we love whipping up a batch of these Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites and storing them in the pantry or the freezer for the afternoons when we need a quick snack. Our kids are loving these energy balls and we hope you will too!

These Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites are a homemade version of a popular snack bar known as ‘Larabars’.

4 ingredients + a food processor or blender and you’re on your way to easy DIY snack bar city with the added benefit of teeny, tiny chocolate chips and just enough sea salt to give it that sweet and salty thang we all love. Of course, you can leave the chocolate chips out if you want a Whole30-compatible version. Or add a scoop of two of our favorite collagen peptides to support healthy skin, joints, nails and hair and staying power.

Got kids? Awesome. Get them in the kitchen to help you roll these bad boys into little snack bites.

Or press them into a pan if you prefer bars – similar to larabars. Kids love getting their hands all sweet and sticky and studding the energy bites with the little chocolate chips that don’t quite get mixed all the way in. Or, eating them.

Close up view of cherry chocolate energy bites on a black plate.

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Ingredients for these snack bites

Dates – medjool dates or deglet dates work equally well in this recipe

Dried cherries – we like organic dried cherries, but feel free to substitute dried cranberries in this dried cherry recipe if you are having a hard time getting your hands on dried cherries or looking for something a bit more budget-friendly

Almonds – raw almonds are typically what you want to use in a recipe such as this one

Sea salt – a tiny bit of salt brings out the sweetness

Chocolate chips – mini chocolate chips are great for this recipe – or any energy bite recipe for that matter

How to make these cherry chocolate no-bake energy bites recipe

  1. Put the dates, almonds, cherries and sea salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarse-fine and somewhat crumbly. This will take about 5 minutes and you may need to stop and scrape the bowl down.
  2. With the food processor still running, slowly add some of the water and continue to process (adding more water as needed) until the fruit and nuts form a ball.
  3. Turn off processor, stir chocolate chips into fruit and nut mixture using a spoon.
  4. Using your hands, roll mixture into balls or press into an 8×8-inch pan that has been lined with parchment paper for a homemade larabar.

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Several cherry chocolate energy bites on a black plate and topped with sea salt flakes

Do you need a food processor to make this recipe

A food processor is going to work best because this recipe requires the break down of nuts – a hard task to complete.

If you have a high-powered blender, that could also work. You will likely have to scrape the sides down every few seconds when making these chocolate cherry bites. If you’re looking to add a food processor to your kitchen, we recommend an 8 cup food processor or 9 cup food processor which will work for most recipe needs.

Can you freeze these little cherry bites

Yes, these dried cherry chocolate energy bites are freezer-friendly. After rolling the bites out, place in a freezer-friendly bag or container with a lid and freeze for up to 3 months.

How to store cherry chocolate energy bites

After the energy bites are rolled out, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Several cherry chocolate energy bites topped with sea salt flakes

More energy bites like this:

Birthday Cake Energy Bites

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites

Trail Mix Energy Bites

What’s your go-to, simple snack recipe? Leave a comment below and share your favorite snack ideas for busy families.

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Let’s Get Cookin’

Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites

These Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites are super-simple and are a budget-friendly alternative to more expensive store-bought fruit and nut bars.

  • Author: The Real Food Dietitians
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 24 Bites 1x
  • Category: Snack

Ingredients

  • 10 pitted medjool dates (or 20 deglet dates)
  • 1 cup dried cherries, preferably organic
  • 2 cups raw almonds
  • 23 tsp. water
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Put the dates, almonds, cherries and sea salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarse-fine and somewhat crumbly. This will take about 5 minutes and you may need to stop and scrape the bowl down.
  2. With the food processor still running, slowly add some of the water and continue to process (adding more water as needed) until the fruit and nuts form a ball.
  3. Turn off processor, stir chocolate chips into fruit and nut mixture using a spoon.
  4. Using your hands, roll mixture into balls or press into an 8×8-inch pan that has been lined with parchment paper.
  5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Bite
  • Calories: 135
  • Sugar: 12g
  • Sodium: 48mg
  • Fat: 7g
  • Carbohydrates: 16g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 3g

Pin it now and make it later!


Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

About Jessica Beacom

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her hubby and two daughters. She’s been described as a ‘real food evangelist’ and loves sharing her knowledge with others to help them break free of the diet mentality and find their own food freedom. In her spare time she enjoys CrossFit, telemark skiing, mountain biking, teaching herself how to play the banjo and camping out under the stars.

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