This energy bites recipe might be sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, but it’s definitely NOT flavor-free. These energy bites make the perfect snack and have a lovely sweetness without being overpoweringly sweet. A great sugar-free dessert or sugar-free snack!
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This sugar-free energy bites recipe is a celebration of the end of The Great 2016 Strawberry Crisis. (Well, my great strawberry crisis anyway. I don’t think anyone else had one.)
My mom planted a bunch of strawberry plants in her garden (“NEVER AGAIN!” she says) and she had more strawberries than she knew what to do with. We’re talking several weeks of near-daily five-gallon buckets of strawberries here. What does any intelligent person with five-gallon buckets of strawberries do?
They live off strawberries for a few weeks (and give away as many as possible, of course).
Something funny happened to me after the first week or so, though. My seasonal allergies suddenly started to get really, really, really bad. I started to think my bottle of Allegra, normally an allergy miracle, had been replaced with a bottle of sugar pills. It didn’t work at all.
Then I had a meal of sardines (don’t hate—they’re pretty tasty mixed with mustard) and spinach, and I thought my head was going to explode a few hours later. What was going on?!
I started frantically Googling. Long story short, strawberries, sardines, and spinach (among other foods) can cause the body to be flooded with histamine. (Histamines are immune system chemicals that can cause the symptoms of many allergies, including itchy eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing.) Some people are really sensitive and can’t eat these foods at all, but I must have overloaded my system with the five billion or so strawberries I ate in such a short period of time.
I cut out the strawberries and was completely fine within 24 hours.
I was a little freaked out by the whole thing, so I avoided strawberries for nearly this entire past year … and then strawberries started to appear in the grocery store. They looked so fresh and beautiful, and before my overload of them last year, I never had any problems with them.
So I decided to cautiously try them again.
SUCCESS!
Oh, strawberries, how I missed you!
In celebration, I whipped up this energy bites recipe I call Strawberry Shortcake Energy Bites. They make the perfect snack (especially when topped with a big ‘ol strawberry slice) and they have a lovely sweetness without being overpoweringly sweet.
This energy bites recipe is sugar-free, gluten-free (use gluten-free oats), dairy-free, vegan, and Paleo (substitute the oats with almond flour). I think you should make them to celebrate the glorious return of strawberries to my diet (and also because they taste good).
Strawberry Shortcake Energy Bites Recipe {Yum!}
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats substitute with almond flour if Paleo
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
- 10 dates, pitted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp virgin coconut oil
Instructions
- Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
- Roll mixture into approximately 20 bites.
- Refrigerate the energy bites for at least one hour before serving.
- For the best flavor, top with a strawberry slice.
Notes
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition facts are included as a courtesy only. They are accurate to the best of our knowledge based on the ingredients and brands used, but their accuracy is not guaranteed. If applicable, sugar alcohols have already been removed from the total carb count.
Don’t hesitate to give your Strawberry Shortcake Energy Bites a cute strawberry hat. 🙂
If you like this energy bites recipe, please give it a share on Pinterest. Thank you! 🙂
This recipe was delicious! What is the serving size and calories per? Can’t wait to try them ?
Thank you, Dawn! 🙂 The recipe makes 20 bites and each bite is 53 calories.
How long do these keep in the refrigerator?
Hi Debbie! Because they use fresh strawberries, I wouldn’t keep them any longer than three days in the fridge. I didn’t try freezing them, but I bet they would hold up well frozen if you wanted to keep them longer.
I’m having a hard time rolling them, the mixture is very creamy. Is that normal? Anything I should adjust ?
Hi Rebecca,
I’m sorry you’re having trouble! The mixture should be kind of sticky, but not so creamy that you can’t roll them. I used relatively firm strawberries; if yours were quite ripe, they could add additional moisture. The mixture firms up in the fridge, so I suggest refrigerating it for about two hours and then trying again. You could also roll them in some shredded coconut to provide additional firmness.
I hope that helps!
Jessica
I cannot have any oil.
Will the recipe work without that little bit??
Hi LouAnn! Yes, you can skip the oil.
Can I omit the dates?
Hi Brandy! Unfortunately you can’t; that would cause issues with the flavor and texture. The good news is I have a date-free version! Check out my Strawberry Shortcake Keto Fat Bombs recipe.
Do you have the carbohydrates for each one? thanks
Hi! This is an old high-carb recipe that I didn’t calculate all nutrition facts for. I have a low-carb version available here, and that includes carb counts. (I think it tastes just as good, if not better!)