Made with wholesome ingredients like pumpkin, oats, dates, and hemp hearts, these energy bites are the perfect autumn snack to whip up! Chocolate protein powder gives them a protein boost, and mini chocolate chips & cocoa provide some chocolatey goodness.
I feel like I say this every time I post an energy ball recipe, but I really love energy bites as a healthy little snack! I’m constantly switching up my energy ball combos, and I usually make a batch on the weekend, them throw them in a bowl to have available for on-the-go snacking or a healthy dessert all week long.
My husband loves energy bites too. His favorite kind is chocolate peanut butter, but he’s an energy bite monster in general… and a cookie monster too for that matter! I legit hide my Lenny & Larry’s Complete Cookies from him when I order a few boxes at a time, and then I’ll ration them out a few at a time for him. It’s a running joke in our house, but if I don’t hide them, he eats the cookies so fast!
While I was traveling a couple weeks ago, my hubby was looking for something and started going through all of the kitchen drawers. We have a ton of drawers around our kitchen, so I’ll usually stick the Complete Cookies in one of them. Well, he found my hidden stash! And do you want to guess what happened when I went to eat a protein cookie about a week after I got home?
Yup, he had been snacking on them while he was home alone and had eaten them all. Told ya, he’s a cookie monster! Now I’ll have to find a new hiding spot….
But back to the recipe at hand: chocolate pumpkin protein bites. I’m digging all things pumpkin these days, and am loving these energy balls as a way to get my pumpkin fill – as well as my chocolate fix. They have a few of my favorite energy bite ingredients: dates, oats and cinnamon. I added in some omega-rich hemp hearts, as well as plant-based protein powder to pump up the protein a bit.
They’re my current favorite seasonal energy bites, and I hope that you give them a try!
Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bites {vegan + gf}
Ingredients
- 1 scoop/ around 31g plant-based chocolate protein powder
- 1/4 cup pure pumpkin
- 1/2 cup dry oats
- 2/3 cup pitted dates about 16 dates
- 2 TBSP hemp hearts
- 1 TBSP cocoa powder
- 2 TBSP mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 TSP vanilla
- 1/4 TSP cinnamon
- Dash of salt
- Dash of ground cloves optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a food processor, pulsing until everything combines well and is mostly ground.
- Mix in the mini chocolate chips, and pulse for about 10 seconds, or until the chips are mostly mixed in but not ground.
- Remove the mixture from the food processor and roll them into 10 evenly sized balls. Store them in the fridge in a covered bowl or container for a healthy snack or dessert all week long!
Nutrition
Looking for other autumn energy bite inspiration? Check out my new FITNESS recipe, cranberry almond energy bites!
Tell me… What snack(s) are you loving lately?
I was laughing at your story about hiding the cookies from your husband because I have to do the same thing with Brandon but with graham crackers. He eats a whole package in one sitting! I’m like, slow your roll.
I haven’t made energy bites in forever but they really are the best snack to have on hand. I love the sound of this chocolate pumpkin version!
I think I could eat a whole package of graham crackers in one sitting too.. those are addictive! My favorite is eating them with peanut butter – so good!! I feel like men tend to not be great lookers so my hubby usually takes awhile to find my hiding spots hehehe
Heyyyy… nice hemp hearts! 😉 I love the idea of adding pumpkin and protein to all of the other yumminess.
Hemp heart obsessed!!! 😉
We LOVE some energy bites…. and lenny and larry’s cookies too. But I’d take a homemade energy bite over those anyway! These sound delicious and perfect for Fall!
I’m with you, I’m a fan of both! Agreed, homemade snacks almost always win with me too.
These sound really good. I am going to make these. I had no idea Adam was a cookie monster lol.
Oh yes, he’s quite the cookie monster!! I can’t believe he wasn’t one as a kid…??!
hahaha oh man that sounds like at our house. I legitimately hide things from my husband because he will eat them SO fast that I don’t get any!!
I love me some energy bites as an afternoon snack and these sound fantastic!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who hides food!! Haha.
I’m always looking for different bite recipes. LOVE having them on hand. What kind of chocolate plant protein powder do you use?
Same here! I like either Bob’s Red Mill, Puritan’s Pride or Amazing Grass protein powder brands.
Mmm I love seeing those little chocolate chips 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
I put Enjoy Life Foods’ mini chocolate chips in just about everything! 😉
Ooh that was one of the giveaways at our local Gluten Free Expo earlier this year. So good!