Chocolate Cashew Energy Bites
on Mar 28, 2025
These Chocolate Cashew Energy Bites are the perfect balanced snack for your sweet tooth!
Energy bites are a constant snack in our house and we make a batch almost every single week.
Each one packs a great combination of nutrients that help keep you full and they taste amazing too! Each energy ball packs around 6 grams of protein.
When I was recipe testing for my cookbook, these were actually inspired by one of my readers.
I had a comment on my Chocolate Cashew Protein Bars that the reader made them into protein balls instead.
I loved this idea because those protein bars were one of my favorite flavor creations and I knew they would be just as good in bite sized form!
What I love the most about this recipe is the rich chocolate flavor combined with the salty crunch of the cashews. It is the perfect blend of chocolate flavor with a salty twist!
Ingredients & Notes
These energy bites are made with easy to find ingredients! Here are a few things to note and swaps you can use if you need to.
- Natural creamy peanut butter: the only ingredients should be peanuts and salt.
- Quick oats: these give the energy balls the delicious chewy texture.
- Roasted salted cashews: these add a delicious salty crunch to these energy bites.
- Cocoa powder: to really amp up the chocolate flavor! You can also substitute raw cacao powder if you want.
- Honey: the sticky sweetener that holds it all together. You can use pure maple syrup if needed.
- Chocolate protein powder
- Salt: make sure to check to see if your peanut butter has added salt or not. The recipe instructions will have how much salt to add based on that.
- Dark chocolate chips: You can use other types of chocolate chips if you want to, but we really love the rich flavor of dark chocolate in this recipe! It pairs so well with the salty crunch of the cashews.
How to make chocolate cashew energy bites
Step 1: Add the peanut butter and honey to mixing bowl and stir them together using a rubber spatula.
Step 2: Add the roasted salted cashews and dark chocolate chips to a food processor. Process them into small pieces.
Joy’s Tip
If you do not have a food processor, you can use a knife and cutting board to roughly chop the cashews and chocolate chips.
Step 3: Add the cashew and chocolate chip pieces to the peanut butter and honey mixture.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir it all up until a thick batter forms.
Step 5: Use a mini cookie scoop to drop balls of batter onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Roll each ball with your hands to smooth out the edges.
Recipe Tip
My best tip for making energy balls is to use a mini cookie scoop. My favorite size is a 1.5 tablespoon scoop. This will make the process go a lot faster and the cleanup much easier!
Step 6: Place the protein balls in the refrigerator for one hour, or until firm.
Storing
Leftover energy bites can be stored in an airtight container or bag. They will keep 5-7 days in the refrigerator, or 2-3 months in the freezer.
To thaw frozen energy bites, allow them to sit at room temperature for around 5 minutes or so before eating.
More Protein Ball Recipes
- Peanut Butter Energy Bites
- Cinnamon Roll Energy Bites
- Strawberry Energy Balls
- Chocolate Protein Balls
- M&M Cashew Crunch Energy Bites
- Monster Cookie Energy Bites
- Oatmeal Cookie Energy Balls
- Cookies & Cream Protein Balls
- Banana Bread Energy Bites
- Almond Butter Protein Balls
- Birthday Cake Protein Balls
- Pecan Pie Energy Bites
- Gingerbread Energy Bites
Chocolate Cashew Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups natural creamy peanut butter, see notes
- ½ cup quick oats
- ½ cup roasted salted cashews
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup chocolate protein powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, see notes
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the peanut butter and honey to a mixing bowl and use a rubber spatula to stir it together.
- Pulse the cashews and chocolate chips into small pieces using a food processor.
- Add the chopped cashews and chocolate chips to the mixing bowl with the peanut butter and honey.
- Add the rolled oats, cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, and salt. Mix it all together using a rubber spatula until a thick batter forms.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Use a mini cookie scoop to drop balls of batter onto the baking sheet.
- Roll each ball with your hands to smooth out the edges.
- Place the baking sheet with the energy bites on it into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the balls are hardened.
- Transfer the energy bites to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Natural peanut butter
Natural peanut butter does not have added sweetener. The only ingredients in it should be peanuts and salt.How much salt to add
If your peanut butter does not contain added salt, use 1 and ½ teaspoons of salt. If it does have salt in the ingredients, use only the ¼ teaspoon of salt listed in the recipe.
Nutrition
