Get your caffeine kick with a protein boost with these Espresso Tahini Protein Energy Balls. A quick, easy and delicious no bake recipe that’s great for a pre-workout snack or even dessert!
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I made these energy balls at 1am because I’m a huge coffee-tahini fan and was way excited for the recipe. Literally scraped every last bit of the (Whole Foods) Tahini I had left in my jar.
To my luck it was EXACTLY how much I needed, but since I needed my stock back, and the WF was 20 minutes away, I unintentionally had a “find-the-best-tahini” quest.
Made a trip to Sprouts – closest store – first thing next morning to get some. Came home and tried it. Such a disappointment.
Got a recommendation for the Trader Joe’s one after posting to my Insta story, and drove there at 8:30pm – 30 mins before closing – just to try some of that. Opened the jar in my car itself to test it out. What a heavenly creation!
So I went back to Sprouts on the way home, and actually returned that first jar!
Verdict: TJ’s >> WF >>>>>>> Sprouts! (This is just for the Tahini though, Peanut Butter is a whole other story)
Ingredients for these Tahini Oatmeal Protein Energy Balls
- Instant Coffee – Decaf instant coffee would be just as good. Don’t use coffee grounds since they won’t dissolve.
- Almond Milk
- Tahini – Use the runny, unsweetened, unsalted variety.
- Rolled/Instant Oats
- Vanilla Protein Powder – Quest Nurition Vanilla is my go-to.
- Flaxseed Meal – This may be sold as ground flaxseeds.
- Maple Syrup – I would recommend a stevia sweetened one like Sweetleaf Stevia, or Monk Fruit based from Lakanto.
- Sesame Seeds – I’d say optional, but it complements the Tahini really well.
How to make Tahini Espresso Energy Bites with Protein Powder
A no bake recipe, and there’s no cooking involved whatsoever in making these protein oat balls.
All you need is a food processor, 2 bowls and a spoon.
- Food processor: Process the rolled or instant oats until it forms a flour-like consistency.
- Bowl #1 small: Stir instant coffee and milk
- Bowl #2 large: Mix together all the ingredients: coffee-mix, tahini, oats, protein powder, flaxseed meal, and sesame seed
- Scoop out some of the tahini espresso mix, about a tablespoon worth, and shape it into bite sized balls using your palms. You should get about 15.
And that’s all it takes!
Storing these no bake coffee oatmeal energy balls
These little bites last a while – unless you finish them all.
Place them in an airtight container or resealable zipper bag and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freezer for 3 months.
For freezing I’d recommend (optional) placing them on a baking sheet to freeze separately first, and then transfer to a bag.
Nut free, dairy free and sugar free energy balls!
These are quite the allergen and diet friendly bites.
The bliss balls use tahini, which is made from sesame seeds, so there’s no nuts or nut butter – especially no peanut butter like the usual recipes. Makes a great nut-free treat.
It uses almond milk, so there’s no dairy here either, which also makes the energy balls Vegan.
The balls are sweetened with stevia/monk fruit based maple syrup, so they’re sugar free as well.
Loaded with tahini and protein powder, these make great fat bombs too!
Some alternative ingredients for these Tahini Oat Espresso Bites
- Any non-dairy milk – cashew, soy or flax would be great. You could also use regular milk, but these energy balls won’t be dairy free and Vegan anymore.
- Use any other seed or nut butter in place of the Tahini. Almond or Cashew Butter would be great alternatives.
- Replace the protein powder with more oat flour. Be sure to add some vanilla extract and more sweetener in this case.
- Honey can be used in place of Maple Syrup, but these treats won’t be Vegan and Sugar-free then.
Note: With the tiny bit of oats in here, these energy balls are actually low carb and borderline keto. You could try to sub in coconut flour (maybe a ¼ cup) and turn them completely keto.
More Energy Balls and No Bake treats to try:
- Perfect Post-Workout Chocolate Protein Balls
- The Softest Low-Fat No-bake Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- Chickpea Cookie Dough Protein Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownie Energy Bites
Espresso Tahini Protein Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 4 tsp Instant Coffee
- 2 Tbsp Almond Milk, or other
- ⅔ cup Tahini, Runny, about 150g
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp Rolled or Instant Oats, 80g
- ¼ cup Vanilla Protein Powder, 22g, about ⅔ scoop, or more Oats
- 2 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal, about 13g
- 1½ Tbsp Maple Syrup, Stevia Sweetened preferred, or Honey
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds, optional
Instructions
- Place oats in a small food processor and process until it gets a rough flour-like consistency.
- In small bowl, stir together instant coffee and milk until coffee has dissolved; Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients: coffee-mix, tahini, oats, protein powder, flaxseed meal, and sesame seeds. Stir to combine well. If mixture is too dry, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Scoop out a tablespoon of mixture at a time and roll into balls using the palm of your hands.
- Store in the fridge or freeze in a sealed container until ready to eat!
Notes
- Fridge: 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- Freezer: 3 months in a freezer-safe resealable zipper bag.
- Quest Nutrition Vanilla Milkshake Protein Powder
- Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup
- Servings: 15 1½” balls | Serving size: 1
- Calories: 103kcal
- Fat: 7.1g | Saturated fat: 1.3g
- Carbohydrates: 5.6g | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 0.1g
- Protein: 4.3g
Hey! I'm Haylee
Google Software Engineer
I use my passion for baking (and eating) to create healthy, high-protein, good-for-you and diet-friendly desserts and sweet treats that are actually delicious.
Come join me in Hayl's Kitchen and let's eat high protein, sweet and guilt free!