Gluten, Dairy & Oat-free Energy Balls (2024)

No bake, clean ingredients and crazy delicious–I’m talking I could tell my kids these were cookies and they’d have no idea they’re packed with B vitamins, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. These Gluten, Dairy & Oat-free Energy Balls are also free of: grains, gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nuts and oats. Yes, an energy ball that is oat free! These can also be easily made vegan too.

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If your child needs to be grain-free or has food allergies–it can be super tough to find filling snacks. I feel like my friends’ kids live of crackers, nutrigrain bars and protein bars–(jealous!) all of which can be next to impossible to find or super expensive to find something comparable that’s safe for my kids.

I’ve been on the hunt for awhile now to have something homemade that actually fills them up (IE–has lots of protein) and that they’ll actually eat.

I kept seeing these “power balls” or “energy balls” float around the Internet for the past two years or so. I’d always be sad and wish that my son could have them–but I’ve only seen them made with oatmeal, and my son is allergic to oatmeal so I figured we’d never get to experience the no-bake bliss of these rolled wonders.

Lately, I’ve discovered the magic of buckwheat–it’s not even a grain, or related to wheat–someone just had a really bad idea to name it. I always figured it wasn’t safe until I realized only the name was misleading. It’s the best grain substitute and so I figured I’d try it in this super popular energy ball recipe and see if it’d still bind and taste good.

And it is WONDERFUL. Truly. Even my husband who doesn’t like the taste of SunButter really liked these balls. My kids will legit eat 3-4 in a row, and I don’t even mind. It’s a snack I don’t feel like I have to put limitations on because it has no refined sugar and it’s full of good stuff. I even find myself downing a bunch at a time. I basically need to start doubling the batch each time because we go through sixteen balls in one day. (Note–you can use any nut butter that works for your diet–there is a soy butter and of course almond, peanut–whatever works).

The texture is even fabulous! The crunch from the chia seeds and buckwheat groats gives it a nice chew (reminiscent of the days when we could have that lovely snap from nuts), so that it’s not this soft, wet ball–like a lot of them look like. And by all means, if you’d rather not include chocolate, craisins would be just as yummy too!

I see myself adding these to lunches when I have to pack them next year and just always having them on hand.

Having hungry kids complain there is nothing to eat is one of the most frustrating things a mom can hear–especially when you have hungry boys who are bottomless pits. Don’t get me wrong–they love to snack on carrots and apples and such–but those never fill them up and five minutes later they’re scavenging the kitchen. It’s even more stressful when you feel like you don’t have a lot of options due to food allergies. I’m so grateful I’ve found a homemade, easy snack that is allergy-friendly!

And, if you need a paleo version (uses tree nuts), check out out HealthSeasonalRecipes’Paleo Energy Balls.

I hope your family enjoys theseGluten, Dairy & Oat-free Energy Balls too!

Do you have a video showing how to make these Gluten, Dairy & Oat-free Energy Balls?

Yes, I do! I like to useTikTokbecause their videos are short and succinct. This general overview should give you a good idea of how to make these allergy friendly energy balls. I also have the video saved to my Instagram Highlight Bubbles.Enjoy!

@allergyawesomeness##nutfree ##dairyfree & ##glutenfree energy balls. ##greenscreen ##foodallergy ##learnontiktok ##tiktokpartner♬ original sound – Megan Lavin

Gluten, Dairy And Oat-free Energy Balls

Yield: 16 balls

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

No bake, clean ingredients and crazy delicious--I'm talking I could tell my kids these were cookies and they'd have no idea they're packed with B vitamins, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. This is also free of: grains, gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nuts and oats. Yes, an energy ball that is oat free! These can also be easily made vegan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup buckwheat groats, uncooked
• 1/2 cup SunButter, or other nut or seed butter of choice
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (use dairy-free if needed)
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (can be omitted--but I like the extra protein--use whatever brand is safe for your diet)
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds (or I love hemp hearts too!)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• dash of sea salt

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add all of the ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated.
2. Using a cookie scoop, scoop one ball at a time and place them on wax paper. (I find sometimes I have to use my hands to help roll it into a ball if it's a bit crumbly.)
3. Chill for 30 minutes. Can be stored room temp or in the fridge, covered.
4. *See notes section for additional questions/swaps.

Notes

Adapted from Clean Eats and Treats.

I made this recipe because my son couldn't eat oats at the time. He now can, and it's delicious both ways. Feel free to swap in oats for buckwheat if you can and want to, use oats at the same measurement.

Frequent FAQ--I use whole buckwheat kernels, I do not cook or crush them first. I like the crunch they give. I buy it in bulk at my local Winco.

For the protein powder, I use a soy protein powder (we can do soy) from Forever Living (in Arizona) because I got it for free for doing freelance writing for them for a bit. Use what works for you! I've also used Organic Organic Vegan Vanilla.

I've also swapped in hemp seeds in place of the chia seeds when I get sick of them getting stuck in my teeth.

See Also

Best Vanilla Frosting Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 110Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 39mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 3g

DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT. ALSO, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER ALLERGY-FRIENDLY PINTEREST BOARDS.

Looking for other buckwheat recipes? Try these:

Blender Buckwheat, SunButter & Banana Waffles (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)

Oat-free & Nut-free Chocolate Banana Granola Bars (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)

Happy Trails Mix (Nut free, DF, Top-8-free)