Sunflower Seed Energy Bites

Working with more clients recently has also brought me to the realization that it’s okay to write posts that are just great, everyday recipes and not necessarily fancy or for special occasions. So for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been photographing the things that I make on a weekly basis and that we eat as part of our daily fare. I’ll be sharing more of these simple, go-to recipes in the future alongside some of the special recipes that I also like to make sometimes.

These raw sunflower seed energy bites have become a staple in our home since moving to Germany. We’ve been eating only organic food since we moved here, which is great, but it’s also meant that we can’t buy as many grocery items that are pricier, like nuts or medjool dates. I’ve been using more seeds, basic flours like spelt, and less expensive fruits.

Despite what other blogs tell you, regular dates work perfectly well to make energy bites, and you’ll save a lot of money by using them. If they’re a little hard, just soak them in hot water for half an hour. Any longer, and your bites will probably be a little too soft when thawed and too hard when frozen from the extra water content.

These sunflower seed energy bites can be easily adapted to your tastes by changing the spices or type of oil used. If I have hazelnut or walnut oil (which make great gifts for food-lovers) then I use them – hazelnut particularly makes a nutella-like bite that’s absolutely delicious without having to splurge on hazelnuts. If you’re not fond of lots of spice, then you can just add vanilla or cinnamon, and you can mix up the seeds used too. Sesame, hemp, and chia are all great in these.

I’ve posted several other easy recipes for energy balls, from simpler ones like these sunflower seed balls, to raw almond date truffles. If you want something a little more truffle-like, or decadent, head over there – these are more of an everyday snack.

Adding bee pollen to energy bites is my favourite way to eat pollen, but you don’t have to use it. Obviously they’re very healthy, with high protein, fibre,  and healthy fats, but you are getting quite a lot of fruit sugar from the dates, so just have one or two per day. I rarely use a recipe for energy bites but this is how I generally make them, so I wrote the measurements down for you!

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This recipe was originally shared in September 2017. It has been updated as of March 2019.