If you want a healthy snack that tastes like lemon cheesecake, you've come to the right place. These lemon coconut energy balls are so irresistibly delicious, you won't even be able to tell they're actually good for you!
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📖 About
We don't know about you guys, but we never get hangry. When we're hungry we just put our feelings aside and keep moving on (if you couldn't tell that was sarcasm).
How funny is it looking back 10 minutes after eating and realizing how much better you feel once you get a little snack in your gullet.
We've been together for almost 9 years now, so we can say with confidence we always regret not having snacks with us.
Enter lemon coconut energy balls.
They're so incredibly easy to make, store for a long time, and are perfect to pop in your mouth when you're feeling like you a need a snickers bar.
These energy balls have just enough sweetness to satisfy your dessert craving, but are also healthy enough to enjoy throughout the day. They make the perfect on-the-go snack for when you are out and about, but don't want to buy something.
We prefer to make our own coconut manna to reduce costs, but you can definitely use store-bought to save on time. If you are interested in making your own coconut manna though, we will have a recipe posted soon!
Anyways, back to these energy balls. We're getting hungry.
🍲 Key ingredients
- Coconut: the star of this dish is used in two different ways. Just an FYI, coconut butter and coconut manna are the same thing, but coconut oil is not. Coconut manna is ground coconut with no water in it (think coconut shreds ground up into a paste). We also roll the balls in coconut shreds at the end to give them a nice look and texture. Coconut adds such a distinct tropical, sweet flavor to these balls, all while providing you with nutrients like manganese, selenium, and phosphorus.
- Lemon: you can't leave this crucial ingredient out because it balances out the sweetness and adds a tart finish to this delicious treat. We love adding citrus to desserts because it makes them taste a lot more fresh. And don't waste the lemon peel after juicing! We also try to get the most out of our fruit because citrus has become quite expensive and the peel contains important nutrients like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. These are so helpful for maintaining a healthy heart, blood vessels, and bones!
- Cashews: this delicious nut that actually grows on a fruit (cool, right?) adds another sweet element and crunchy texture to these energy balls. We love the rich nutty flavor cashews bring to any dish. To top all this off, cashews are a serious powerhouse of nutrients like vitamin E, K, and potassium.
- Maple Syrup: a Canadian's secret weapon. Honestly, we really do use maple syrup to sweeten most of our dishes. It has such a well-balanced sweetness but contains vitamins and minerals ultra-processed sweeteners don't have. Just ¼ cup of maple syrup provides you with 100% of your daily manganese needs!
🔪 Instructions
First, you'll make a batch of homemade coconut manna, or melt some store-bought coconut manna in a small bowl.
After your coconut manna is ready to go, add all ingredients into a food processor, except the extra coconut shreds for rolling.
Process everything until it forms a dough-like consistency. If the mixture seems too crumbly, add some plant milk or water a tablespoon at a time.
Lastly, form the dough into balls, then put your extra coconut shreds in a shallow bowl or plate. Roll the outside of each ball in more coconut shreds and place each ball on a parchment-lined pan or plate.
Let the energy balls set in your fridge for about 30-60 minutes. That's it! Pretty easy, right?
🌡️ Storage
The best part about these energy balls is how well they store. They store in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
We also take them in our car when we know we'll be out for a prolonged period of time. We don't recommend keeping them out of the fridge for longer than a few hours though.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Make your own coconut butter
- Use agave nectar in place of the maple syrup
- Don't roll these in the optional coconut shreds
🍴 Tasting notes
We hope you're never hangry again, especially if you're taking these delicious treats along for the ride. They're:
- Sweet
- Tart
- Fresh
- Creamy
- Satisfying
If you try these energy bites, please rate them and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Lemon Coconut Energy Balls
Equipment
- Food processor
- Double boiler
- Shallow bowl
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 cups unsweetened coconut shreds ($2.20)
- ½ cup raw cashews ($0.86)
- 4 tbsp lemon juice ($0.36)
- 1 lemon, zested ($0.00)
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar ($0.75)
- ¼ cup coconut manna ($0.80)
- ½ cup almond flour ($0.49)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.21)
For Rolling optional
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut shreds
Instructions
- Melt the coconut manna in a small bowl in the microwave 10 seconds at a time, or by using a double boiler.
- Once coconut manna is melted, add all ingredients into a food processor (except the extra coconut shreds for rolling).
- Process everything until it forms a dough-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes. You may have to stop the food processor to scrape down the sides. If the mixture seems too crumbly, add more coconut manna 1 tbsp at a time.
- Form the dough into 1-2 inch balls, then place ¼ cup extra coconut shreds in a shallow bowl or plate. Roll the outside of each ball in more coconut shreds.
- Place on a parchment-lined pan or plate and leave it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, or until energy balls are firm.
- Store the bliss balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. They can also be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of this recipe.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more no-bake dessert recipes, check out our:
- 3-ingredient chocolate when you need that chocolate fix asap.
- Vegan cookie dough bites for a recipe that will quickly top your favorites list.
- Healthy Snickers bars if you want a bomb snack to keep on hand for when you get "hangry."
- Homemade peanut butter cups that give Reese's a run for their money.
💬 FAQ
If you don't have coconut manna, you can try using equal parts coconut oil and coconut cream with varied results.
If you don't have cashews, blanched almonds or macadamia nuts will work in this recipe too.
If you want to use another sweetener besides maple syrup or agave nectar, brown rice syrup or coconut nectar act as good substitutes.
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