Hemp seed energy balls are a healthy, 5 ingredients, no bake, sugar free, 10 minute snack and a dessert. Rich in protein, iron and nutritious, it is a guilt free energy bites.
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Iron Rich
Hemp seeds are one of the good sources of iron. An ounce of hemp seeds have 15% of daily required iron. Hulled seeds are tiny but packed with protein, fiber, nutrients and healthy fatty acids.
It is easy to include this superfood in daily diet. Sprinkle it on cereals, oatmeal, smoothies, salads and pastas. Broccoli salad is one such recipe were I love using hemp.
Hemps seeds have a mild nutty flavor. So, we can even eat it as is. Besides iron, protein and various minerals, these are also rich in calories. Hence eat in moderation. As always, moderation is the key here.
A-Z iron rich food is a series where I post a recipe with an iron rich ingredient for all alphabets. For alphabet 'H', the ingredient is hemp seeds. Here are a few recipes from the series.
About the Recipe
Hemp seeds energy balls recipe is a quick, no cook, sugar free snack with minimal ingredients. Take a few of your favorite seeds and nuts, dates as a sweetener and process it in a food processor and shape into round balls.
Most of the seeds and nuts work really well together. Sesame seeds, hemp seeds blend well together. Sesame seeds are also a good source of iron and I usually eat roasted seeds with some jaggery or brown sugar.
For these healthy balls, use both hemp & sesame along with either almond or peanuts for natural butter. Our preference is almond.
Alternative is to substitute almonds or peanuts with almond butter or peanut butter. In fact, use any nut or seed butters of your choice.
To enhance the flavor add some vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Play with the nuts & seeds on hand for more creative healthy snacks.
I have two varieties of energy balls. One is with hemp, sesame and peanuts, and other with hemp sesame and almond flour. Both taste good but peanuts dominate the flavor hence we prefer almonds over it.
To make the healthy balls look more attractive, roll them in coconut flakes, hemp seeds, flavored sugar, cocoa or sprinkles.
Ingredients
- Seeds - hemp and sesame seeds blend well together and both are good sources of iron. Roast sesame seeds before using.
- Nuts - Almonds or peanuts work as natural nut butter. When these nuts are ground, these release oil, which helps in binding and shaping energy balls.
- Dates - Adjust quantity of dates as per your sweet tooth. Dates work as both sweetener and also binder.
- Cocoa & Vanilla Extract - Use these two to enhance the flavor. Cocoa is optional but do use vanilla extract.
- Garnish - You can skip the garnish. For more appetizing look, roll the balls in any if the following. Coconut flakes, cocoa powder, hemp seeds, flavored sugar (cinnamon sugar), sprinkles are some suggestions.
Preparation
Dry roast sesame seeds and let cool. Back home, the procedure to roast sesame seeds is wash in warm/hot water and drain in a strainer. Then dry roast when seeds are still damp. I still follow this method. But roasting dry seeds without washing also works.
Take hemp seeds, almond flour or peanuts, roasted sesame seeds, chopped dates, vanilla extract and cocoa (if using) in a food processor or mixie jar (images #1-4).
Run the food processor or mixie in 10 second intervals, until the mixture crumbles and comes together. It need not form a ball (image #5).
Transfer to a plate, shape into laddu or round balls. Optional step is to roll the balls in coconut flakes or hemp seeds or cocoa powder or hemp seeds+cinnamon sugar (image #6-7).
Storage
Let the balls dry a little and store in an airtight container. Stays good for a day or 2 at room temperature. Never kept it longer than that at room temperature. Stays good in the refrigerator for few weeks.
More Dessert Bites
Detailed, Printable Recipe
Hemp Seed Energy Balls
Equipment
- Food Processor or Indian Mixie
- Cutting board & knife
- Plate
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Hemp Seeds
- ¼ cup Sesame Seeds, roasted
- ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts or Whole Almond Flour
- 4 Seedless Medjool Dates chopped, extra 1-2 as per your taste
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder (opt)
Instructions
- Take all the ingredients in a mixie jar or food processor.
- Run it for 30 seconds to a minute in 10 second intervals. Process it until nuts and dates blend in well and come together to almost form a lump.
- Transfer to a plate. Mix once shape into 6 equal sized balls.
- For more appetizing look, roll the balls in coconut flakes or hemp seeds or hemp seeds+cinnamon flavored sugar or cocoa powder or sprinkles. Be creative and make them colorful and appealing to eye.
Notes
- Dates - are the sweeteners here and use more dates for a sweeter energy balls.
- Nuts - Use either almond flour or roasted peanuts. If you want to experiment, use combination of both.
- Nut Butter - Almonds / Peanuts work as nut butter in this recipe. Feel free to substitute these nuts with any of your favorite nut or seed butters.
- Nutrition - Nutritional values are approximate calculations.
Nutrition
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Harini Rupanagudi says
What a unique recipe with hemp seeds this one is. I would prefer to satisfy my sweet cravings with simple no cook recipes like these.
NARMADHA says
Hemp seeds energy balls look so healthy and nutritious with different seeds and nuts. Bookmarking to try it for my kids.
Suma Gandlur says
I make something similar but never tried with hemp seeds. Should remember to buy hemp seeds during my next grocery visit. These sound utterly delicious besides being nutritious. They make great snack any day over the store bought junk.
Radha says
This is a delicious and healthy snack. I could finish the entire batch.
Ritu Tangri says
These are such an easy and full on energy balls. A must try recipe indeed. Thanks for sharing.