3 Ingredient Sunflower Seed Energy Balls (No Oats, No Nuts)

Learn how to make 3 ingredient sunflower seed energy balls, with no oats and nut-free! These nourishing treats are also oil-free, gluten-free, no bake, and easy as can be to mix and roll.

Can You Make Energy Balls without Oats?

Yes, you can! I love using oats–whole or ground into flour–to make energy balls. They are perfect for binding ingredients into soft, bite-size, healthy treats. But an excellent grain-free alternative is coconut flour.

Coconut flour has become a pantry staple for me in the past few years. Naturally gluten-free and grain-free, it is a soft, faintly sweet flour that is a natural by-product of coconut milk production. Specifically, once all the milk is extracted from coconut meat, what remains is dried and ground into flour. It can work as a great alternative to oats in easy energy balls, like these sunflower seed balls.

Can You Make Energy Balls without Peanut Butter, or Nuts?

Yes! If you cannot eat peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or other nuts, try using sunflower seed butter. It is equally delicious and versatile as peanut butter in this and many other recipes.

Recipe Benefits

• Made with 3 ingredients
• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• No-cook and no bake
• No oats
• Nut-free
• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Gluten-free
• Grain-free
• Oil-free (no coconut oil, or other varieties of oil)

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.

• Coconut flour
• Sunflower seed butter (smooth style, either purchased, like Sunbutter, or make my homemade version: DIY Sunflower Seed Butter).
• Maple syrup

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.

• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sunflower seed butter, coconut flour and maple syrup until completely blended. 
• Cover and refrigerate the energy ball dough for 1 hour, or place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Line a small baking sheet ( I use a 1/4 size sheet pan) with parchment paper of wax paper. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop 24 small mounds of the dough on the prepared sheet. Roll each mound into a ball.
• Enjoy immediately, or store until ready to eat (see storage instructions below).

Storage

Store the energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 6 months. You can store at room temperature throughout the day (e.g., if packed in a lunch box). Frozen balls do not need to be defrosted before eating–they are firm, but soft enough to bite.

Coconut Flour Tips

• Measure Carefully: For best results, measure the coconut flour carefully. Either lightly spoon into a measuring cup to measure, living top with a flat edge. Ideally, measure to the gram with a digital scale (toggle to metric for the ingredients in grams and mL)).
• Brand Variation: Coconut flours can vary, a little bit, from brand to brand (ie., it is not you, it’s the brand 😊). If the dough is too dry, add a bit more sunflower seed butter (or a few drops of nondairy milk or water). If too loose, add a small amount more coconut flour.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Sunflower Seed Butter Alternatives: Use an equal amount of pumpkin seed butter or coconut butter (to keep the balls nut-free). If you can eat nuts, consider using an equal amount of peanut butter, cashew butter or almond butter.  
• Maple Syrup Alternatives: An equal amount of agave nectar, brown rice syrup, date syrup, or (if you do not follow a vegan diet) honey can be used in place of the maple syrup. 
• Coconut Flour Alternatives: Coconut flour cannot be swapped 1:1 with other flours. However, you can use oat flour, my DIY sunflower seed flour, my DIY pumpkin seed flour, or almond flour as a substitute. You will need to use about twice the quantity of oat flour or almond flour compared with coconut flour.

Variations

You can add all kinds of extras to this basic energy balls recipe. The possibilities are extensive!

Flavor Variations

Customize the vegan coconut flour pumpkin muffins to your liking with some of the following options:

• Spices: Add a generous pinch or more of your favorite spice, or spices, such as cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom or pumpkin pie spice.
• Dried Fruit: Add up to 1/3 cup of finely chopped dried fruit, such as raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried figs.
• Chocolate: Add up to 1/3 cup of your favorite chocolate chips or chunks, or 1 to 2 tablespoons of cacao nibs.
• Nuts or Seeds: Add up to 1/2 cup chopped seeds (toasted, or raw), or nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, peanuts, pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seed kernels.
• Extracts or Zests: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. Or add one to two teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest, lime zest, or orange zest.

FAQS

• What is the texture of these sunflower butter energy balls? The balls have a fluffy, yet firm, fudge-like texture. They are a bit like the filling of a candy bar, but not too sweet.
• I only have chunky style sunflower seed butter. Can I still use it somehow? Yes! You can blend the sunflower seed butter in a food processor or small high powered blender until smooth. I recommend adding the maple syrup at this stage, it will help loosen the mixture to break up the sunflower seeds.

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