Pistachio Date Energy Balls – Project Meal Plan

Our best ball recipe yet – these Pistachio Date Energy Balls are a sweet and salty no-bake treat nobody will be able to resist! Made with only 5 ingredients, you’ll want to keep these on hand at all times for a quick burst of fuel!

What are the ingredients in these Pistachio Date Energy Balls?

There are only five simple ingredients in this recipe, and that’s including salt! I do have some tips about some of these ingredients to share. Here’s a list of exactly what I used and info on each:

• medjool dates – My favorite brand of medjool dates is Natural Delights. They’re always high quality, large, fresh and juicy. Look for them in the produce section; at my grocery store, they are on shelving below the organic produce area. The naturals sugars in the dates give most of the energy in these ‘energy’ balls, and they have lots of other benefits too!
• raw pistachio kernels – My grocery store offers raw pistachios in the bulk nuts and snacks area. The Wonderful pistachio brand has taken over the nut section at my store, but they didn’t have raw pistachios that I could find.
  • If you can only find roasted pistachios, that’s okay! You can still make this recipe. However, you will need to skip the pistachio crumb coating (step 2). Reduce pistachios to 1 cup to account for this change. Roasted pistachios will begin to form a butter instead of crumbs when processed, so they won’t be able to make a nice green coating on the balls!
• rolled oats – The oats have many functions in this recipe. They add a bit of flavor, fiber, and something to help everything else stick to. It’s another ingredient the contributes to the almost cookie flavor of these balls.
• vanilla extract – Purely for flavor, I love to add a touch of vanilla extract. It gives the balls a flavor that reminds me of cookies!
• salt – If you’re using raw pistachios, they are likely unsalted, so we’ll need to add a little bit of salt ourselves. The dates are very sweet, so this helps balance the flavors and give that salty/sweet goodness.

Equipment you’ll need to make Pistachio Date Energy Balls:

The only equipment you should use for this recipe is a food processor. I have a Cuisinart 8-Cup Food Processor (affiliate link!) that has worked well for several years now. However, you don’t actually *need* this equipment – you could use a mortar and pestle, similar to how people made treats like this before electricity.

How to make Pistachio Date Energy Balls:

The best way to guarantee your dates are soft, moist, and ready to use is to soak them in super hot water for a few minutes. This softens and hydrates them, so they provide good moisture and help the balls stick together.

Start this process by getting some water boiling (I use a kettle for this). Place the dates in a heat safe bowl, such as a Pyrex or sauce pan. Cover them with the near boiling water, and then set them aside while you make the pistachio crumb coating.

Set up your food processor and then separate 1/2 cup pistachios from the rest. Place these pistachios in the food processor, and blitz until they form a fine powder. I recommend pulsing instead of leaving them on, so you don’t over blend.

Once a fine crumb powder has formed, transfer that to a shallow dish. If any of the blended nuts have begun to stick to the sides, use a spoon to scrape them off. These little pieces should fall apart once you touch them!

Remember, if you are using roasted pistachios, this step will not work (if this is the case, skip this step and reduce pistachios to 1 cup). The balls are still incredible without the coating, but they will be a brown blended textured exterior.

Return to the dates and drain as well as you can. Place them in the food processor, along with the remaining cup of pistachios, old fashioned oats, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Blend for about 30 seconds (again I like to pulse continuously), and then stop to push down the sides.

Blend or pulse a bit more. Once you notice a mostly smooth texture with some chunks of nuts remaining, you can stop blending. The mixture should definitely be sticking together at this point, but if it doesn’t, add 1-2 tablespoons of water and continue to blend until it does.

Next, put on some gloves if you want, and then roll the balls. Grab a bit of the mixture just larger than a tablespoon, roll it into a smooth ball, and then roll it in the blitzed pistachio powder to give it a green coating. Use your fingers to press it into the balls. 

Repeat this process with all the remaining mix. You should end up with about 15-18 balls total. Chill the balls for at least 30 minutes and then serve!

Best tips for making these Pistachio Date Energy Balls:

Here are my best tips for making this recipe successfully in your own kitchen:

• Pay attention to the pistachios you are using. If raw, proceed with the recipe as written. If roasted, you’ll have to skip the pistachio green coating. See the notes in the recipe for more info.
• Use gloves if you don’t like getting your hands sticky. I wash my hands a lot (cooking, dealing with pets, just being clean) so sometimes a pair of disposable gloves is welcomed for a messy task like rolling date balls.
• Check the insides of your dates and be sure to toss them if there are any signs of black mold spores. Fresh dates should be fine, but it doesn’t hurt to check.

How to meal prep this recipe:

This recipe was made for snack and dessert meal prep! They’re super simple to make ahead of time and perfectly portioned to grab as many as you want and enjoy. I like to place them directly into the storage container as I roll them out.

Follow the recipe instructions for the best way to meal prep these no-bake Pistachio Date Energy Balls. Store them in an airtight container with lid in the fridge for best quality.

How to store Pistachio Date Energy Balls:

Store the date balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can still eat them after that time but they will likely begin to dry out.

Recipe developed by Rachel Phipps.