This Coconut Apricot Energy Balls recipe is vegan, gluten-free, made with no added sugar, and is a perfect portable snack to have on hand!
So many recipes for energy balls (mine included) involve chocolate and peanut butter. Of course you can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter, but I was ready to change things up and get fruity.
Coconut reminds me of all things tropical, and with the winter weather giving me a major case of cabin fever, I thought coconut would be a perfect base. I had a huge bag of dried apricots from Costco, so Coconut Apricot Energy Balls were born. 
Energy balls are a popular snack over here. The kids just love them and I love that I can control the ingredients and make them in less than 15 minutes. My 7-year-old Meghan actually loves helping me make energy balls and asks to help anytime she sees me dumping ingredients into the food processor. <–That is an affiliate link, by the way, in case you are in the market for this amazing kitchen machine. I have no idea what I’d do without my food processor! I use it for so many things. (Affiliate link just means if you purchase through that link, I’ll get a small percentage of the sale, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Happy Healthy Mama!)
These Coconut Apricot Energy Balls are a nutrient-dense snack. Let’s take a look at what you’re getting in from these portable snack-a-roos.
Apricots: vitamin A, vitamin C, copper, fiber, potassium, catechins (the same anti-inflammatory nutrient found in green tea)
Dates: selenium, copper, zinc, fiber, vitamin B6
Cashews: copper, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, and zinc
Coconut: vitamin C, iron, calcium, vitamin B6, magnesium
As you can see, every ingredient is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. These snack balls are a good source of zinc, which is an important nutrient for immune function. Such an important nutrient to get enough of, especially this time of year when there is so much sickness going around! 
So we have a nutrient-dense snack that’s easy to make. As you can see, these are also highly portable. If you’re often having snacks on the run, these are perfect. If you love energy balls snacks, scroll to the bottom of this post and I’ll link some more of my family favorites. I hope you enjoy this one!
Print
Coconut Apricot Energy Balls
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 24 1x
Description
This Coconut Apricot Energy Balls recipe is vegan, gluten-free, made with no added sugar, and is a perfect portable snack to have on hand!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried apricots (pitted)
- 1/2 cup dates (pitted)
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor.
- Process until the ingredients are broken down and look like a coarse crumb. If you pinch it between your fingers, it should stick together.
- Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Category: snack
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 69
- Sugar: 6.5g
- Sodium: 2.1mg
- Fat: 3.7g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 1.4g
Here are some of my family’s other favorite energy ball recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Strawberry Shortcake Energy Balls
Must these be refrigerated?
★★★★★
No, they don’t have to be refrigerated.
Should I soak my apricots and dates they are a bit dry? And do I soak the raw cashews?
Thanks
Yes, it’s a good idea to soak your apricots and dates if they’re dry. I don’t soak the cashews for this recipe, but you certainly can.
Made these tonight and they are so yummy! I put some grated lemon rind and a squirt of lemon juice in and it gave them the perfect tang.
So good!
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Yum!
★★★★★
Made these today for School snacks for a very fussy 10rs…. she loved them , I also used raw unsoaked cashews and still turned out lovely
Great to hear that, Tracey! 🙂
Thanks Maryes,
Coconut Apricot Energy Balls, Easy to make and enjoyable.A quick snack from the fridge mid afternoon.
Terry.
★★★★★
Hi, I will make some tomorrow, I was wondering if you can freeze them? has anybody tried?
Tia!
Yes, you can freeze these!
I made a batch of these tonight and I LOVE THEM! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!! Oh and I used raw cashews and it worked perfectly and I didn’t soak them.
★★★★★
Great! Thanks for letting me know Cassie. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. I was looking out for a apricot energy bite.
It has come out well
Great! 🙂 You’re welcome.
What would you recommend using instead of cashews to make this a school safe treat? We aren’t allowed nut in our school because of allergies. Thank you!
Hi, thanks for the recipe. My daughter attends a nut free daycare. Any thoughtsfor a possible alternative to the cashews?
I have had good luck using sunflower seeds for nut-free energy balls. They may work here, too!
Hi Maryea – can I used desiccated coconut instead? I can’t seem to find shredded coconut anywhere… Thanks.
I’m not 100% sure what the difference is. It is more fine? I’m pretty sure it should work just fine, but I hate to say that without trying it or knowing for sure.
I’ll give a go and let you know, 🙂 thanks!
Hi Maryea,
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve included a link to your Coconut Apricot Energy Balls in a BuzzFeed roundup. Here’s the link if you’d like to share it with your followers:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/theendlessmeal/15-ways-to-get-more-energy-from-your-balls-fs33
Hope you have a great weekend!
(And a quick heads up … your email link isn’t working)
★★★★★
Sweetened or unsweetened coconut ?
I use unsweetened. Thanks for asking I should clarify that in the recipe!
I want to make this right now and eat it thats how awesome this looks
Aw, thank, Heghineh! I hope you do. 🙂
Hi. These look delish.
do you use raw cashews or roasted? and if you use raw, do you soak them first?
Thank you for all you do!
I used roasted. If you use raw, soaking them is the best way to go!
Hi . Do you use raw cashews or roasted? And if you use raw, do you soak them first?
Thanks! these look yummy.
I always tend to use raisins and forget how amazing dried apricots are. That needs to change!
Yes! Apricots are full of nutrients and a great way to switch it up!