Coconut Date Balls
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Coconut date balls made with pitted dates, peanuts, and peanut butter, and rolled in shredded coconut. This easy, five-ingredient coconut date ball recipe makes a great breakfast or on-the-go snack.
Why Make These Coconut Date Balls?
Made with sweet, sticky dates, creamy peanut butter, and unsweetened shredded coconut, these coconut date balls make the ideal make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings. Enjoy them at home, or pop a few in a reusable container or food storage bag for on-the-go snacking. This easy recipe requires just five ingredients and twenty minutes of prep time, and the finished product will keep in the fridge for several weeks. No oven required, but keep your food processor at the ready—you’ll need it for blitzing the dates and nuts into a smooth, easy-to-roll paste!
Coconut Date Ball Recipe Ingredients
- Dates – Dried dates are naturally high in sugar, and inherently very sweet. You’ll need about 12-14 pitted dates, coarsely chopped. And save the rest! You can use the extra dates to make cookie dough date balls, dinner rolls, apple date bars, or a date and almond milk breakfast smoothie.
- Shredded Coconut – For this recipe, choose an unsweetened shredded coconut, like Let’s Do Organic, Anthony’s, or Whole Foods 365. (Avoid sweetened coconut, since the dates already contain plenty of sweetness.) If you have extra coconut, use it to make homemade Mallo Cups, coconut basil truffles, or a mango smoothie.
- Peanuts – I developed this recipe with roasted, salted peanuts; if you use unsalted peanuts, add a pinch of fine sea salt to balance out the sweetness of the dates. Save the extra nuts to make peanut butter trail mix.
- Peanut Butter – Choose creamy peanut butter, and avoid “natural” peanut butters—these contain too much oil, and can make the finished date balls oily rather than smooth. I have not tested this recipe with other types of nut butter.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – Nielsen-Massey makes my preferred brand of vanilla bean paste, but any good-quality vanilla paste or vanilla extract will work. You can also use the scrapings of a whole vanilla pod.
Substitutions and Adjustments
- Add mix-ins. This coconut date ball recipe provides a great base for mix-ins and substitutions to suit your personal taste. Try kneading in chia seeds for protein, sunflower seeds for crunch, or miniature chocolate chips or additional sweetness. Add finely chopped dried fruit (apricots, cranberries), mixed peel, or bits of homemade candied orange peel or candied ginger. Or, use ground spices (ground cinnamon, ground cardamom) for additional flavor.
- Choose how you roll. You can roll the date balls in toasted coconut (see my Oreo truffle recipe for the best toasting method!) or, skip the coconut and finish with a roll in finely crushed peanuts instead.
Coconut Date Balls
- Total Time20 minutes
- YieldAbout 10 1 1/2-inch date balls 1x
Coconut date balls made with pitted dates, peanuts, and peanut butter, and rolled in shredded coconut.
Ingredients
115 grams pitted dates (3/4 cup, or about 12-15 dates), coarsely chopped
70 grams roasted and salted peanuts (1/2 cup)
15 grams creamy peanut butter (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
20 grams unsweetened shredded coconut (1/4 cup)
Instructions
Line a plate or a small tray with parchment, wax paper, or a silicone mat.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the dates, salted peanuts, creamy peanut butter, and vanilla bean paste. Process until a sticky dough forms. (Dough will look “crumbly” with visible pieces of dates and nuts, not perfectly smooth.)
Scoop mixture into a medium bowl.
With your hands, divide date mixture into portions. You should have approximately 9-10 portions total. Roll each portion into a smooth ball.
Roll each ball in shredded coconut.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Refrigerate leftover date balls in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Other Energy Ball Recipes You Might Enjoy
Pumpkin Oatmeal Balls
Chocolate Oatmeal Balls with Peanut Butter
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
