These no-bake oatmeal balls with pomegranate are the perfect balance of sweet (from the dates) and tart (from the pomegranate). This easy oat ball recipe makes for a healthy refined sugar-free dessert or the perfect autumn snack. Better yet, they only take about 10 minutes to make! On top of that, there is no cooking or baking required. #winning 🏆
This post contains affiliate links.
Are Oatmeal Balls Healthy?
This autumn snack is packed with nutritious ingredients. Not only that, but the combination of the sweet dates, crunchy nuts, and punchy pomegranates brought together by the oats as a base flavor make these a great snack to grab between meals, after the gym, or for a no added sugar dessert.
The Medjool dates satisfy your cravings for something sweet as a source of natural sugar while providing fiber and antioxidants that can improve heart health. This refined sugar-free dessert also gets additional fiber and antioxidants from the rolled oats. Oats also bring health benefits including releasing energy over a longer period stabilizing blood sugar. 👍🏻
Pecans are packed with nutrients including vitamin B1 for fuelling your body, zinc which keeps your nails healthy, among other benefits, and copper, which aids your immune system. The pecans also act as a source of fat which helps balance this oatmeal ball recipe and keeps you fuller for longer.
Lastly, and by no means least, the pomegranate fruit in these energy balls, like other berries, is packed with essential nutrients such as vitamins C and K, potassium, and folate. The juice also contains a powerful antioxidant. Jeez, what more can you want from such a small (but mighty) fruit!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Dates – Although Medjool dates work great for their caramel taste and gooey texture, you can use other types of dates as they can be more accessible as well as more affordable.
- Pecans – Struggling to find pecans? No worries! Walnuts are a well-known substitute for pecans. They will give this oat ball recipe an earthy, rich, and (unsurprisingly) nutty taste. Try hazelnuts for a creamier, slightly chocolatey-tasting nut alternative if you find walnuts aren’t as sweet as you like.
How To Make No-Bake Oatmeal Balls Like A Pro
- If your dates aren’t fudgy enough, you can soak them in boiled water for about 10 minutes for blending or leave them submerged in room temperature water for a couple of hours.
- Don’t over blend as this can make the ingredients too smooth. Instead, combine enough to keep the ingredients gritty enough to give them some texture.
- Try adding a pinch of ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice flavoring to make this oat ball recipe extra autumnal.
How To Present Oatmeal Balls
These 5-ingredient oat balls are an excellent grab-and-go no added sugar snack idea that can give you a boost of energy. However, if you do want to make this easy autumn snack for guests, there are a few ways you can take the presentation to the next level. After all, we do eat with our eyes first.
To start, you can shape the oat balls into cute decorations such as hearts to complement the ruby-red pomegranate seeds or serve them displayed in mini muffin liners for individual servings. You may even wish to decorate these with a drizzle of vegan white chocolate when serving these as a healthy bite-sized dessert option.
How To Store This No-Added Sugar Dessert
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days to ensure they keep their texture and stay fresh (not that they will last this long however, you store them because they are so delicious!). Alternatively, these no-bake oat balls can be kept in the fridge for 4-6 days. Finally, freeze ahead of time if you are a serial snacker. Defrost for 2+ hours before eating. Just be careful to let them fully thaw as the pomegranate seeds become very hard!
More Vegan Fall Recipes
Recipe
Pomegranate Bliss Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups Medjool dates, pitted (about 18 dates)
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/2 pomegranate, (seeds only)
- 3 tablespoons pure pomegranate juice
Instructions
- Add: Add pecans and oats to a food processor and turn it on high for 10 – 20 seconds (until they are broken down into small bits).
- Process: Add in dates and pomegranate juice and turn on high until contents are well-combined, forming a loose dough consistency.
- Combine: Pour into a large bowl and add pomegranate seeds.
- Form into small balls and place them in an airtight container.
- Store in fridge or freezer and enjoy when you like.
Notes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through those links at no extra cost to you. Please read our full disclosure for more information. Thank you for supporting Raepublic.
This is the perfect Fall recipe. So good!
Love these bliss balls for on-the-go too.