Banana, peanut butter and chocolate are a great combination, but especially so when they come together in these healthy sweet little no bake energy bites! Perfect for popping in your mouth whenever you need a little energy boost (or help keeping your digestive system moving along), these little bites are perfectly gluten free and they taste a little like no-bake cookies without the sugar bomb. Just 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup or honey gives them the perfect amount of sweetness without weighing you down.

Using oat bran, peanut butter powder and fiber powder gives them lots of good fiber (great for your heart and digestive system, diabetics and weight loss), or, if you’re looking for added protein without quite so much fiber, use chocolate or vanilla protein powder in place of the fiber powder.

When is a good time for an energy bite?

Seriously anytime of day when you feel a little hungry and need a little boost! For me, these little bites (and other versions of them) have pretty much become a staple in my diet. I find myself waking up, first drinking a glass of water (because water first thing rehydrates your body, fuels your awareness and jump starts your metabolism and your digestive system … it’s just SO so so good for you), then I prepare my morning cup of chai and grab an energy bite. It’s a great way to start my morning and ensures I have a little something in my system in case work gets crazy busy and I don’t have time to get in a proper breakfast.

I also turn to my homemade energy bites whenever I am just too busy to fit in a proper meal. If my mornings are dragging on with meetings, I sometimes find myself going back for a second energy bite to tide me over until I have a break in my schedule to warm up some leftovers or throw together a quick meal. (BTW, blogging is NOT my full-time job! This blog is a labor of love that I SPEND money to keep going.) Occasionally, I also have an energy bite in the afternoon if I’m getting a little hangry (mis-spelling intentional … Hangry = angry + hungry).

What else can I use aside from bananas?

After I realized I could use pumpkin instead of water to make my energy bites stick together, my brain immediately started to think about what else would work. Shredded apples work great too, I discovered (and I’ve been meaning to share that version with you), but when I found myself with some over-ripe bananas in my house, well, I just had to try using bananas to make my yummy energy bites.

How much cocoa powder is needed?

Bananas and peanut butter to me just SCREAM for chocolate, so I added some cocoa powder in this recipe to provide that chocolatey goodness. How much is needed depends on how dark you want them to taste and on how dark your cocoa powder is. If you’re using a darker cocoa powder, you won’t need as much to achieve a dark chocolate tasting energy bite. On the other hand, if you’re going for more of a milk chocolate flavor, use less cocoa powder of a lighter variety. Adjust the amount of cocoa powder you use to your own liking and your own brand of cocoa powder.