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.
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
** 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.
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!
FAQs
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.
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!
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.
Related recipes
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.
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating or leave a review below and let me know how you went!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest recipes and news.
Salted Caramel Bliss Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 large medjool dates pitted
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup desiccated coconut plus a little extra for rolling
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or rice malt syrup
- salt flakes to taste, around ¼ tsp
- 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter or tahini
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- water if required
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until the ingredients completely break down and start to stick together. This may take a few minutes. Once broken down, the mixture should stick as is, but may require a teaspoon of water at a time (while blending) to come together. Only add water if required.
- Roll the mixture into balls of preferred size and roll in extra coconut. Store in the fridge or freezer for when required. Enjoy!
Notes
- Sunflower butter is used in this recipe, but can be swapped for tahini. Sunflower butter can be found in health food stores.
- Medjool dates can be found in most supermarkets and health food stores. 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.
- 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.
- Store these balls in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container, ready to add to lunchboxes!
Nutrition
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in March 2020, but was re-published with new information and photos in January 2021.
Ooh this one looks like a great one to try with the kids while we are all stuck at home… guilt-free too!
Hi Jaimie! Haha, yes! It is a perfect recipe to try while stuck inside with the kids. Good luck! 😀
You had me at salted caramel… but I was truly sold at tahini! What a delicious combination of ingredients – tasty, healthy and perfect snack!
Hi Sylvie! Thank you- I love tahini too! I hope you enjoy them.