These No Bake Date Bliss Balls With Chocolate & Coconut have only 5 ingredients & make the perfect healthy snack! They are sweet and tasty and unlike most date balls, my version is nut free!
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If you're after a healthy, filling snack that's packed with goodness, these no-bake date bliss balls with chocolate and coconut are just what you need!
Made with only five simple ingredients, they’re a great way to curb those sugar cravings without the need for baking (these dairy free rice krispie treats, mini egg chocolate slices & gluten-free rocky roads dont need baking either).
While most date balls contain nuts, my recipe is nut-free, making it ideal for anyone with a nut allergy. Plus, they're naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan!
These bliss balls are also a hit with kids, who will love the sweet, sticky taste of dates combined with chocolate. As they're nut-free, my kids love them in their school lunchbox as a tasty, healthy treat!
Looking for some more sweet recipe ideas? Why not check out my Dairy Free Cranberry & Coconut Flapjacks , Silken Tofu Chocolate Mousse, Eggless Cupcakes or One Bowl Vegan and Gluten Free Banana Bread!
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🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make these bliss balls. As written, the recipe is free from the top 14 allergens in the UK making them a great choice for someone with multiple food allergies.
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
Such an easy recipe to make with only 5 ingredients!
- Pitted Medjool Dates - Dates are packed with fibre and a range of vitamins and minerals. Medjool dates are perfect for this as they're softer and have a lovely sweet, caramel-like taste.
- Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut - I’ve used desiccated coconut to coat the bliss balls, but you could also try coconut flakes if you prefer.
- Raw Cacao Powder - Cacao powder comes from raw, unroasted cacao beans, whereas cocoa powder is made from roasted beans. Cacao is less processed than cocoa, which is why I like to use it, but you can swap it for cocoa powder if that’s what you’ve got.
- Sunflower Seeds - I’ve used sunflower seeds instead of nuts to keep the recipe nut-free.
- Maple Syrup - This helps to bind the mixture together and is a great vegan alternative to honey.
See the recipe card at the bottm of the page for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🥜 How Can I Make These Allergy Friendly?
Good news, this recipe is top 14 free!! Its also vegan too! Just one thing to note: some desiccated coconut may contain sulphites, so it’s a good idea to check the packaging.
⭐ Variations
- ✔️ Mix up the seeds: Swap the sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds or a mixture of pumpkin, hemp and flax seed!
- ✔️ Oats: If you are not following a gluten-free diet you can make these with oats instead of seeds. Just pulse the oats in the food processor as you would the seeds.
- ✔️ Nuts: If you do not need to avoid nuts you can switch up the sunflower seeds with an equal amount of cashew nuts for a deliciously nutty flavour.
- ✔️ Maple Syrup: This can be substituted for honey if you are not following a vegan diet.
- ✔️Add Extra Protein: Swap the cacao powder for an equal amount of dairy-free chocolate protein powder.
✏️ How To Make No Bake Date Bliss Balls
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: Remove the stones from the dates if they are not already pitted. (Soak the dates in warm water if they are dry - see Lauren’s Tips)
Step 2: Place the sunflower seeds in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients and keep pulsing until all the ingredients come together. This can take a few minutes.
(You may need to do this in two batches, dependent on the size of your food processor)
Step 4: Mould into ball shapes with your hands. This mixture should make between 13-15 medium-sized balls.
Step 5: Shake some extra desiccated coconut onto a plate and roll the balls in the coconut mixture until evenly covered, then enjoy!
💡 Lauren's Tips
- ✔️ Mixture Too Dry?: Add a splash of water or extra maple syrup to the mixture.
- ✔️ Mixture Too Wet?: Pulse in some extra sunflower seeds or cacao powder.
- ✔️ Soak The Dates: If your Medjool dates are a bit dry, soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften them up before blending. This makes the mixture easier to work with.
- ✔️ Chill Mixture: If you find the mixture too sticky, chill it in the fridge after blending for about 15 minutes before rolling it into balls. This will make it easier to handle.
🥡 How To Store
If you can refrain from eating the lot in one go, they will keep nicely in an airtight container for up to 7 days, so are great to meal prep at the beginning of the week and keep on the kitchen side for when you fancy them in the week.
To freeze, place the balls on a baking tray evenly spaced apart and freeze for an hour. They can then be placed in a freezer bag in the freezer for a month or so. (Freezing them on the baking tray first stops the balls sticking together)
Defrost on the kitchen side at room temperature until they are fully defrosted and you are good to go!
💬 Recipe FAQs
I’m not going to lie to you and say they are sugar free, BUT the sugar in these is all natural and un-refined, so basically if you are going to eat sugar, this is the sugar to eat!
The health benefits of the dates/coconut/cacao and sunflower seeds are AMAZING! Packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they are soooo good for your body, brain and heart!
Yes, they will have a crunchier texture & its a lot more work, but it is possible! Sunflower seeds are quite small so you can either leave them as they are or crush them a little with a pestle and mortar.
Chop the dates with a knife as finely as you can, then put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together well, using a splash of water if needed, then mould together with your hands as per the recipe.
I would say YES!
Medjool dates have an almost caramel taste and a chewy, soft texture that you just don’t get with other variety of date.
Can I use coconut oil in this recipe?
Yes, you can use a small amount of coconut oil (1-2 teaspoons) to help bind the ingredients if your mixture feels too dry. Just be sure not to overdo it, as it can make the mixture greasy.
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
No Bake Date Bliss Balls With Chocolate & Coconut
Equipment
Ingredients
- 150 G ( 5oz) Medjool dates
- 75 G (2.5 oz) Desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoon Raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 90 G (3.4oz) Sunflower seeds
- Extra desiccated coconut for coating
Instructions
- Remove the stones from the dates if they are not already pitted.
- Place the sunflower seeds in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and keep pulsing until all the ingredients come together. This can take a few minutes. (You may need to do this in two batches, dependent on your size of food processor)
- Mould into ball shapes with your hands. This mixture should make between 13-15 medium sized balls.
- Shake some extra desiccated coconut onto a plate and roll the balls in the coconut mixture until evenly covered.
Notes
- Mix up the seeds: Swap the sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds or a mixture of pumpkin, hemp and flax seed!
- Oats: If you are not following a gluten-free diet you can make these with oats instead of seeds. Just pulse the oats in the food processor as you would the seeds.
- Nuts: If you do not need to avoid nuts you can switch up the sunflower seeds with an equal amount of cashew nuts for a deliciously nutty flavour.
- Maple Syrup: This can be substituted for honey if you are not following a vegan diet.
- Add Extra Protein: Swap the cacao powder for an equal amount of dairy-free chocolate protein powder.
Lotte says
These are great! I used to make some that were very similar with almond powder but now my daughter goes to a nut free school I had to find something different. These are perfect. I did substitute the maple sugar for 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and water. They are still sweet and daughter loves them.
Lauren Woodger says
I'm so pleased your daughter loves them! I will have to try them with coconut oil instead of maple syrup. Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂
Laura says
I don’t mind openly admitting that I had no idea what the word ‘desiccated’ meant…lol After looking it up, now I know it means ‘dried’. This recipe is awesome. It doesn’t contain a lot of ingredients and is healthy and can be made quickly. I love it!
Lauren Woodger says
LOL .. so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for commenting x