Looking for a healthy, no-bake treat? Try these delicious strawberry bliss balls made with chewy dates, oats, fresh and dried strawberries and coconut. With only 6 ingredients and no added sugar, they make a great dairy-free, nut-free and vegan snack.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – they are super easy to make in a food processor in less than 5 minutes.
- Freezer-friendly – just like these apricot bliss balls and lemon coconut bliss balls, they freeze really well, so you can make a batch (or two) and snack on them all week long!
- Allergy friendly – this recipe is free from nuts, eggs and dairy. And they can be made gluten-free with GF-certified oats.
- No added sugar – these energy balls are naturally sweetened with fruit and contain no added sweeteners.
- Perfect for lunchboxes – they make a great bite-sized snack, full of goodness and loads of energy!
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Strawberries – either fresh or frozen strawberries can be used, depending on availability. If using frozen berries, there is no need to thaw them first.
- Freeze-dried strawberries – for concentrated strawberry flavour. Freeze-dried strawberries are shelf-stable fruit that have had nearly all of the moisture removed. The nutrients remain, but they lose almost all of their water content which gives them a dry, crispy texture and intense strawberry flavour. They can be found in most supermarkets. I use Frisp strawberries, but you can use any type of freeze-dried strawberries.
- Oats – use rolled oats or quick oats. If you require the balls to be gluten-free, source gluten-free certified oats.
- Desiccated coconut – use regular, desiccated coconut rather than shredded coconut. Shredded coconut is too coarse and will affect the texture of the balls. Keep a little extra to coat the balls, if desired.
- Sunflower seeds – add texture and additional protein. They are also a good source of zinc, folate and Vitamin E. If preferred, swap for pepitas or your choice of healthy seeds.
- Medjool dates – sticky Medjool dates are used to bind the bliss balls. They are large dates that are partially dried and have a sweet, caramel-like flavour. Medjool dates are stickier and juicier than regular dates. You will find them in most supermarkets, grocers and health food stores. Remove the pits from the dates before adding them to the food processor.
- Acai powder – this ingredient is optional but will add additional nutrients and antioxidants to the balls. Depending on the brand used, it may also affect the final colour. Acai powder is sold in supermarkets and health food stores.
Step by step instructions
**Full ingredient list and detailed step-by-step instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Bliss balls are made by blending together a mixture of wet and dry ingredients together in a food processor, until they break down and form a sticky paste that can be rolled into bite-sized balls.
Step 1 – Blend everything together;
Combine all of the ingredients together in a food processor on high speed, until the ingredients are mostly broken down and the mixture is smooth. You may need to scrape the sides of the food processor down once or twice.
Step 2 – Roll;
Roll the mixture into balls of your desired size and refrigerate until ready to eat! The balls can be rolled in additional coconut, cocoa powder, seeds, freeze-dried strawberry powder or sprinkles.
Expert tips
- Add a tablespoon or two of chia seeds to the mixture before blending.
- While you can leave the balls plain, they can also be rolled in additional coconut or even cacao/cocoa powder, seeds, crushed freeze-dried strawberries or even sprinkles!
- If you prefer them a little sweeter, add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup. However, you will need to account for the additional moisture or they will be too sticky.
- This recipe can be easily multiplied to make larger batches for the freezer.
- A food processor is required to completely break down the ingredients until they stick together. Alternatively, a Thermomix or high-powered blender could be used.
- Measure the ingredients accurately. The mixture should be sticky enough to hold together when rolled into balls, without being too crumbly and dry. Incorrectly measured ingredients can result in a mixture that is too sticky or too dry.
- If the mixture is to wet/sticky, add a few more oats and continue to blend. If the mixture is too dry, add some more strawberries, a little maple syrup or some coconut oil until you reach the desired consistency.
FAQs
Bliss balls make the perfect make-ahead snack, because they can be stored in the fridge or freezer and keep really well! Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months and keep any layers separated with baking paper to prevent sticking. They don’t take long to thaw, so can be packed directly into lunchboxes from frozen.
The balls will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. So, they can be made ahead and enjoyed all week long!
Freeze-dried strawberries add a bright pink colour and intense strawberry flavour to the bliss balls without adding additional moisture. I highly recommend using them if you can. But if you don’t have any, you can also use dehydrated strawberries. Additional fresh or frozen strawberries can be used, but they will release extra moisture into the mixture. This will need to be balanced with some more oats or coconut, or the mixture will be too sticky and wet to roll.
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Strawberry Bliss Balls
Ingredients
- 30 grams freeze dried strawberries ½ cup
- 100 grams strawberries approximately 3-4, fresh or frozen
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats 160 grams
- 1 ½ cups desiccated coconut
- 160 grams medjool dates approximately 10 Medjool dates, pitted
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons acai powder optional
Optional
- additional coconut or toppings, for rolling
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend on high speed until the ingredients are mostly broken down and the mixture is smooth and sticking together. This may take a couple of minutes and you may need to stop the food processor and scrape down the sides once or twice.
- Roll the mixture in your hands into bite-sized balls. Roll in extra coconut (optional) and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until required.
Notes
- Strawberries – either fresh or frozen strawberries can be used, depending on availability. If using frozen berries, there is no need to thaw them first.
- Freeze-dried strawberries – for concentrated strawberry flavour. Freeze-dried strawberries are shelf-stable fruit that have had nearly all of the moisture removed. The nutrients remain, but they lose almost all of their water content which gives them a dry, crispy texture and intense strawberry flavour. They can be found in most supermarkets. I use Frisp, but you can use any type of freeze-dried strawberries.
- Oats – use rolled oats or quick oats. If you require the balls to be gluten-free, source gluten-free certified oats.
- Medjool dates – when broken down, sticky Medjool dates are used to bind the bliss balls. They are large dates that are partially dried and have a sweet, caramel-like flavour and are stickier and juicier than regular dates. You will find them in most supermarkets, grocers and health food stores. Remove the pits from the dates before adding them to the food processor.
- Add a tablespoon or two of chia seeds to the mixture before blending.
- While you can leave the balls plain, they can also be rolled in additional coconut or even cacao/cocoa powder, crushed freeze-dried strawberries or even sprinkles!
- If you prefer them a little sweeter, add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup. You will need to account for the additional moisture or they will be too sticky.
- This recipe can be easily multiplied to make larger batches for the freezer.
- A food processor is required to completely break down the ingredients until they stick together. Alternatively, a Thermomix or high-powered blender could be used.
- Measure the ingredients accurately. The mixture should be sticky enough to hold together when rolled into balls, without being too crumbly and dry.
- If the mixture is to wet/sticky, add a few more oats and continue to blend. If the mixture is too dry, add some more strawberries, a little maple syrup or some coconut oil until you reach the desired consistency.
- Storage: keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the mixture being rolled into 16 balls, with one ball being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the bliss balls.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in February 2019, but was re-published with new information, helpful tips and photos in September 2022.
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