Date Balls – A Super Healthy Recipe with Instant Energy

Date balls – vegan & super healthy with instant energy aka khajoor laddu, khajur ladoo, dates laddu

Date Balls – Vegan Date Balls & Super Healthy Date balls with Instant Energy aka Khajoor Laddu, Khajur Ladoo, Dates Laddu

These healthy balls are an instant energy, healthy snack that you can roll up in minutes. They call for just a handful of natural ingredients and are really loved by kids.

Healthy date balls are all the rage in the health world. They have stood the test of time. They’re super easy to make, can be enjoyed for breakfast, a snack, dessert or anytime you want to munch something nice.

They are the perfect healthy snack being vegan and gluten free.

If you’re finding yourself spending a lot of money on snacks and unpleased with the long list of ingredients they’re made with, it’s time to make your own healthy snacks. It’s cheaper and healthier!

• Process the nuts and dates in a food processor until you get a coarse texture.
• Add chocolate powder and blend the mixture until it forms coarse crumbs, but no further. You want it to be a crunchy.
• Pour the date and nut mixture into a medium-size mixing bowl.
• Roll and press the mixture into 2 tablespoon size balls.
• Enjoy immediately or store covered in the refrigerator!

These energy balls are easy, delicious and filling  and are made of just five ingredients in less than 15 minutes. These are a great snack without the guilt for those midday cravings.

I make these with cashews, walnuts & almonds but any nuts can be used. Any and all possible combinations work.

Other ingredients can be added if you wish, such as sea salt, a pinch of chilli powder, vanilla, cinnamon or desiccated coconut.

1. Dates – Use pitted Medjool dates for their rich, almost caramel-like taste and a soft, chewy texture.
2. Almonds – Use crunchy raw almonds
3. Walnuts – Great for heart and brain health, and have cancer-fighting properties
4. Cashew nuts – Unsalted cashews for a prime protein boost
5. Cocoa powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder. It provides a light chocolate flavour and dark colour to these delicious date balls.

As the name suggest these little balls are truly packed with all the goodness of  vitamins, antioxidants, good fat, protein and omega 3 fatty acids.

They are a great energy booster after a workout, and for the afternoon hunger pangs.

It’s quite normal for your energy ball dough to seem a bit crumbly at first, but it should start to get sticky enough to form into balls.

if it doesn’t then you can add some coconut oil or ghee to the mixture and it’ll stick together nicely.

Be mindful of what ingredients you’re adding into your balls. These date based energy balls are already sweet enough thanks to the dates so you don’t need to add any extra sweetener or additional dried fruit.

• Flavouring – You can work with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla. You can also add sugar free peanut butter, or natural peanut butter.
• Spices – Some chilli & sea salt often provide a balance to the sweet flavour.
• Seeds – You can add seeds like chia, sunflower, water melon, sesame. Seeds are very nutritious, high in protein and fibre.
• Garnish – You can roll the finished balls in dessicated coconut or sesame seeds for a nice contrast and more health.
• Alternative to dates – Feel free to use a different dried fruit as well. Dried apricots, figs, prunes or raisins will all work.

These healthy bites are sweet, chewy, and go perfectly with a cup of coffee. They can be eaten at any time. Some serving or eating suggestions follow below

• As an emergency breakfast or with your mid-morning coffee.
• After lunch when you have a sugar craving
• Before you hit the gym and also after you have hit the gym
• To tide you over before dinner as well as to ward off sneaky after dinner cravings.

If your dates are hard and dry, you can soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften. Just drain them well before using. Usually, medjool dates are big, rich, juicy and plump with a soft skin.

If you have dates other than medjool dates, follow the same process as above to soften them.

Yes! These are freezer friendly. Pop them into a freezer friendly container for upto 7 weeks. Let them defrost naturally overnight before eating or serving.

Yes, soak the dates for 20 minutes in hot water and mash well into a paste with a spoon. Break & chop the nuts as finely as possible with a knife.

Add everything to a large bowl and mix well together with a spoon or hands until all is well combined and shape into balls.