Salted Caramel Bliss Balls Recipe

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These completely indulgent salted caramel nut free bliss balls are healthy, refined sugar and dairy free. Best of all, they taste like a decadent dessert! With a sweet caramel flavour and a little burst of salt, healthy bliss balls are kid friendly, portable and completely delicious. Perfect for breakfast on the go, a tasty lunchbox treat or a nutritious vegan snack.

black plate with caramel bliss balls coated in coconut

Why you’ll love this recipe

Bliss balls make a delicious treat for anyone that is looking for a healthier sweet snack. They are;

Sweetened naturally with dates and a little maple or rice malt syrup.
Can be made ahead and eaten on the go.
A safe and healthy lunchbox addition. Being bite-sized, they are easy for little fingers to hold and make a convenient, portable travel snack.
Dietary restriction friendly. These balls can be made to suit your dietary requirements and are naturally nut-free, dairy-free and egg-free.
No baking involved! All you need is a food processor, 8 ingredients and about five minutes of prep time.

What are bliss balls?

Bliss balls are small, high energy balls made by blending a combination of healthy ingredients together in a food processor until they break down and stick together. Most are made by mixing a combination of wet/sticky/oily ingredients with dry ingredients like oats and coconut.

They make such a handy snack, perfect for keeping energy and concentration levels up.

By making your own homemade snacks, you can control the ingredients that go into them. They can also be tailored to suit your taste and dietary requirements.

Most bliss balls can make a healthy vegan snack option and all can be made without nuts, gluten, dairy and other allergens.

What you’ll need

individual ingredients for caramel bliss balls laid out on a table

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. For full ingredient quantities and methods, see the detailed recipe card below.

Medjool dates. These dates can be found in most supermarkets and health food stores. They have a lovely, natural sweet caramel flavour. Regular dates can be used, however they are drier and therefore not as sticky as medjool dates. If using regular dates, use more and soak them in water and drain first.
Desiccated coconut– or shredded coconut, if you prefer.
Oats. Use rolled oats or smaller, “quick” oats.
Sunflower seed butter. Sunflower butter is made from nutrient dense sunflower seeds, which are a great source of protein, vitamin E, good fats and magnesium which all help keep you feeling full and energised. You can find sunflower butter in health food stores and some supermarkets. Or you can substitute for tahini.
Water. A little water may be required to bring the mixture together. But it should be added at the end. And only if needed.

Step by step instructions

So, are you ready for the simplest recipe ever?! Just place all of the ingredients together in a food processor and blend for a few minutes, until the ingredients are completely broken down and the mixture starts to stick together.

top view of all ingredients for caramel bliss balls in a food processor

blended bliss ball mixture in a food processor

If the mixture is still dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time and pulse until it starts to stick. Then, simply roll the mixture into balls and coat in a little extra coconut. That’s it!

top view of finished bliss balls on a layer of coconut

FAQs

Can you freeze bliss balls?

Bliss balls can be made ahead in batches and frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. This recipe makes around 10 large bliss balls and the recipe can be easily multiplied to make more, if you want to make and store freezer snacks in bulk.

Are bliss balls healthy?

Thanks to the oats, seeds and dried fruit content (dates and coconut), bliss balls tend to be high in fibre and have loads of health benefits. They help to keep you feel full and stabilise blood sugar between meals. While bliss balls have nutritional benefits such as Vitamin B6, Potassium and Magnesium, dates are quite high in (natural) sugars, so eat in moderation!

How long can you keep bliss balls in the fridge?

You can store these salted caramel bliss balls in the fridge for up to 7 days, making them a perfect grab-and-go lunchbox snack. If you want to keep them longer, you can store them in the freezer.

Expert tips

Because they are super quick and so easy, they are a great snack to stock your freezer every school holidays! Within an hour, you can make enough bliss balls to last an entire school term.
If you find the bliss ball mixture is too crumbly and difficult to shape, add a bit of coconut oil or water to help them to stick. Squeeze them into shape with wet hands and store them in the fridge to firm up.

Try these other recipes for bliss balls! Making some of these healthy and freezer-friendly no-bake snacks saves time and stress on busy school mornings;

To save time and money on healthy school (and work!) snacks, see my Healthy School Snacks E-BOOK which contains a bonus Guide to Making 2 Minute Lunches.

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in March 2020, but was re-published with new information and photos in January 2021.

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