These Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites taste like a bite of pumpkin pie! Vegan, gluten-free, easy to make and perfect for snacking or post-workout refueling.
This recipe and photos have been updated since the original post on 9/24/2013
It’s getting to be that time of year where candy, desserts and all the comfort food start showing up. I can pass on the Halloween candy, but a piece of Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cake or one of these Apple Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies are things I can’t leave alone.
This is the time of year when I start stocking the fridge and freezer with health snacks that remind me of the baked treats I love. These Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites are the perfect replacement for pumpkin cookies, not to mention they’re also great for a pre or post workout snack.
What Ingredients are in Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites?
These energy bites are made with simple ingredients and they happen to be gluten-free and vegan. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Gluten-free rolled oats or regular rolled oats if gluten isn’t an issue for you.
- Flax meal. I like to use this golden flax meal.
- Almond butter. If you don’t like almond butter or need to keep them nut-free you can substitute with peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower butter. Be aware that the taste will vary depending on what you use.
- Unsweetened pumpkin purée
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Mini chocolate chips, dairy-free if needed. These are optional, but a nice addition if you enjoy chocolate.
Do I Need Any Special Equipment to Make Them?
Unlike these Cranberry Vanilla Energy Bites, you don’t need a high speed blender or food processor to make them. All you need to make this pumpkin pie version is a mixing bowl and rubber spatula.
Stir together all of the wet ingredients until their smooth and combined, then add in the dry ingredients. Work the mixture together with the rubber spatula until it resembles cookie dough. If you’re using mini chocolate chips stir them in at the end.
Once you have the energy bite “dough” made, use a cookie scoop or measure out approximately 1 tablespoon of dough. Roll the dough between your palms into a ball. If the mixture is sticky refrigerate it for 15 minutes to help it firm up so it’s easier to roll.
Store the pumpkin pie energy bites in an airtight contain in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for several weeks. They’re the perfect snack to grab before a workout or when that afternoon cookie craving hits!
More Energy Bites
Lemon Coconut Cashew Energy Bites
Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened pumpkin purée
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, dairy-free if needed
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl add all of the wet ingredients and stir together. Add in the oats, flax, pumpkin pie spice and chocolate chips.
- Roll the mixture into approximately 1 inch sized balls.
- Store the energy bites in a single layer in an airtight container lined. Keep them in the fridge for several days or the freezer for several months.
Notes
If the dough is too sticky to roll, put it in the fridge for 15 minutes so it firms up.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 76Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g
I am thinking about making these for a backpacking trip. Can I omit the chocolate chips? Chocolate would melt during the day and make a mess. Thank you.
Hi Linda,
Yes, you can absolutely omit them. They probably would get melted and messy during a hike. Enjoy!
So this is only the second ball-like recipe I’ve tried. This is the first one that didn’t call for the food processor (thank butts, I hate that thing). I love pumpkin and I love oats. So what better thing could I make?! It took a bit of work to get the peanut butter to mix (it just clumped and I had to smash-smear it repeatedly with the spoon), but otherwise this was so friggin’ easy. And they taste AMAZING!! Even frozen they have a very cookie-like texture that I LOVE TO PIECES. I’m a huge texture fan… :) Thank you so much for this recipe! So healthy and so delicious! I even splurged on a bag of Enjoy Life mini chips for this so my boyfriend (can’t have dairy) could have them. Thank you again!
Does one serving consist of one or two bites?
Hi! should I use rolled or quick oats?
Hi Elizabeth. I’ve only made these with rolled oats. I think the quick oats might absorb too much moisture and get soggy. If you do try with quick oats I’d love to hear your results!
I did ! And after I rolled them in cocoa powder ! Minus the chocolate chips very good ????
Love the idea of rolling them in cocoa powder Sonya, glad you liked the energy bites!
are you supposed to bake these or them raw?
They are a no-bake energy bite. :-)
Greetings!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes. I recently tried your Cinnamon Apple Energy Bites and they were fantastic! With fall around the corner, I am very excited to try this recipe. I was curious about the purpose of the flax in this recipe and to see if a potential substitution seemed like a possibility. I was curious about your thoughts on replacing the flax with chia (with the proper conversion, I estimated around 1 1/2 chia). Thank you for your time and again for these great recipes.
All the best.
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the Cinnamon Apple Energy Bites, they are one of my favorites! As far as a substitute for the flax meal I think chia seeds would probably work as a replacement. I haven’t tried it, but I think if you ground them they would work the same as the flax.
I want to try these. Any idea the nutrition ????
Hi Christy, I currently don’t calculate the nutrition/calories for my recipes. However, there are some great calculators out there for doing this. You might try this one, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator.