Chai Spice Energy Balls
5 from 5 votes

These vegan chai spice energy balls are so sweet and flavorful! Made with wholesome ingredients and easy to store/freeze.

A small, white rimmed plate holds a cluster of vegan snacks.

I keep seeing mention of quarantine snacks on social media. Yesterday afternoon, it occurred to me that I was running low on snacks myself! As I considered about what to make, I thought back to these chai spice energy balls, which I made and shared with my yoga community a couple months ago (feels like a lifetime ago now).

These are really the same date/nut energy balls I’ve been making for years and years, with the addition of a chai-inspired spice blend. Nothing groundbreaking, but a new-to-me combination that works really nicely.

A small pinch bowl holds pitted medjool dates and raw cashews.

Over time, I’ve learned that I like these types of snacks best when I use more dates than nuts, hence the ratio of ingredients in the recipe. When you process all of the ingredients, be sure to process for a good long time (at least a full minute), until the mixture is already sticking together in the food processor. That’s the second trick to getting a soft, chewy texture.

Soft medjool dates and raw cashews have been ground together into a sticky mixture. It's being held in a small bowl.

I’m sharing the recipe as I originally made it, which makes about 46 small balls. They can be frozen and stored in the fridge, so if you’d like to have extra or are feeding a bigger family, go for it. When I made them yesterday, I made a half batch, which was exactly as much as I need right now. Feel free to do that, too, if you don’t need a lot of snacks all at once.

A small, white rimmed plate holds a cluster of vegan energy balls.
A small, white rimmed plate holds a cluster of vegan energy balls.
5 from 5 votes

Chai Spice Energy Balls

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 20 balls

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (210g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 2 cups medjool dates, pitted and packed (380g)

Instructions

  • Place the cashews and spices into a food processor fitted with an S blade. Process for a minute.
  • Add the pitted medjool dates. Process for another 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is clumping together in the processor. Stop the processor and try squeezing a small amount in the palm of your hand; it should be very soft and stick together easily!
  • Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls (about 30g each). Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze. Enjoy!

Notes

Store the balls in the fridge for about a month, or in the freezer for up to two months.
 
A small, white rimmed plate holds a cluster of vegan energy balls.

I know weekends and weekdays are blurring together for many folks right now, but all the same, I wish you a restful weekend. Maybe you can set aside a little time to make some sweet, wholesome vegan snacks 🙂

I’ll see you for weekend reading!

xo

 

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Categories: Recipes, Snacks
Method: No-Bake
Ingredients: Cashew Nuts
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, No Oil, Raw, Soy Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: 30 Minute or Less, Quick & Easy

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Recipe Rating




    17 Comments
  1. 5 stars
    These are lovely. My husband adores anything chai, so these certainly hit the spot. I’ve made them numerous times, but recently I stumbled upon a chai spice blend which has made it incredibly easy to throw these together. (Hate to dirty too many dishes. :)) Thank you for the simple, yet tasty recipes Gena. You continue to be my recipe idol.

  2. 5 stars
    Hi Gena! I took your cooking class with Ali last week. I absolutely fell in love with these chai cashew balls. I was only able to get 20 balls from the recipe. I know you are not into calorie counting, but if you make 20 balls it comes out to 90 calories per ball (13g carbs, 4g fat, and 3g protein). I usually eat Rx bars but I like these better! Can you post about making the chocolate version of these balls? I remember you or Ali said something like add 3-4 teaspoons or tablespoons of cocoa? Either way, it was a great class. Lots of love!

      • 5 stars
        Hi Gena! I made your brownie bites and they were delicious! I made 22 balls from your brownie bite recipe (62 cal, 8g carbs, 1g protein, 3g fat). My husband likes the brownie bites better while I prefer the chai bites. Now I have to make both every week

        • Hi Sonia! Glad there’s something for everyone in the family 🙂 And so happy you’re enjoying these snacks!

          • 5 stars
            Hi Gena! I made this recipe again and the brownie bites again because both of them are so delicious. I was wondering how you could modify your the spices to make pumpkin spice energy balls. It looks like you use 1 and 3/4 teaspoons of “spices” and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Maybe add the 1/2 tsp vanilla. What do you think? There are so many ways to change this up. Even a Hawaiian one with macadamia nuts instead of cashews and maybe some shredded coconut.

  3. I don’t have any medjool dates, do you think the deglet noor dates would work?
    Thanks, Kathy

  4. these look amazing! Do you think a seed in place of cashews would work? We have a nut allergy in the house, so I don’t use any..

    Thanks!

  5. Gena,

    I saw this on FB yesterday and thought that yep, I am going to make these. I like more dates to nuts myself so I will give these a go. I don’t snack too much as a rule but I use these in conjunction with a bowl of grain for BK or as dessert.

    Thank you again!
    Libby