This recipe is for anyone looking for a healthy snack loaded with omega 3 fatty acids!

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These homemade omega-3 snack bites are the healthiest and yummiest sweet treats to keep in your fridge for a quick energy boost and/or chocolate craving situation.

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential nutrients, critical to achieving optimal health. Getting enough omega 3 fatty acids is one side of the equation, but we also need to be cognizant of our ratio of omega 6 fatty acids: omega 3 fatty acids. Most people have way too high omega 6s and not enough omega 3s and this creates chronic inflammation in our bodies, which can lead to a number of health problems.

How we can help keep this ratio in check is limit or avoid ultra-processed and fried foods, the main drivers of having too high omega 6s, while making sure we’re getting the omega 3s we need.

Two of the omega 3 fatty acids we need are EPA and DHA, which we get from animal sources like fatty fish. (We eat this pan-fried salmon recipe often over here!) The ingredients in this recipe provide the omega 3 fatty acid that comes from plants, ALA.

Is this one important, too? Yes! ALA is essential as well and is shown to have neuroprotective qualities, can help prevent cardiovascular disease, and can play a role in balancing your omega 6: omega 3 ratios. (source) This recipe is designed to help you get a healthy dose of ALA while having a tasty snack!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ready in a Blink: These Omega-3-rich energy bites are the easiest to make. The recipe only involves blitzing all the wholesome ingredients in the food processor, setting the mixture in a baking pan, and cutting it into bite-sized balls – even your teen kid can figure it out!

Make 36 in a Batch: Once you taste these peanut butter energy bites, you’ll love that the recipe yields so many. They are also easy to store (not that you’ll have many left to care for—they vanish in a flash)!

Crazy-Good Health Benefits: When ingredients like dates, honey, organic chia seeds, and nuts come together, they make a power-packed healthy snack for your mental health, immune system, and brain health.

Great for On-The-Go: These energy balls are perfect for those busy days when you need a quick and nutritious snack. They are easy to pack in lunch boxes, take on road trips, or bring to the office for an extra boost of energy.

They’re for Everyone: These delicious snack bites are popular among kids and adults – thank you, peanut butter and cocoa powder.

Ingredients: What You Need for Omega 3 Snack Bites

Pitted Dates: Dates are a nutrient-dense whole food that is great for heart health and digestion. Since they are naturally sweet, they work as our natural sweetener for this nutritious snack. Dates may be naturally high in sugar, but with a lower glycemic index, they don’t have the same impact on your blood sugar as cane sugar does.

Walnuts: Meet the powerhouse of omega-3 healthy fats. A small handful of walnuts daily can protect you from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other health problems. Their anti-inflammatory properties also make them great for joint health. The crunchy, nutty flavor they add to these energy bites is an unmissable bonus!

Honey: Honey adds more sweetness to our omega 3 snack bites without using refined sugar.

Seeds: We’ll use a combination of pumpkin, chia, hemp, and flax seeds in these healthy snack bites. Each of these seeds contains essential nutrients that will give your body the energy boost it needs. Each of them is a good source of ALA omega 3 fatty acids.

Peanut Butter: If you’re allergic to peanuts, feel free to substitute with almond butter or any other nut butter.

Cacao Powder or Cocoa Powder: Chocolate makes everything better! If you use cacao powder, you’re adding even more antioxidants to the snack bites.

Rolled Oats: A fibrous and crunchy source of essential amino acids, oats add texture to the recipe. Oats also have anti-inflammatory properties.

Stevia-Sweetened Chocolate Chips: I highly recommend using stevia-sweetened chocolate chips to keep the amount of sugar in this recipe down.

Coconut Oil: This helps make a thinner, more spreadable chocolate topping.

There’s a lot more that goes into these yummy omega-3 energy bites. Check the recipe card at the bottom for all the details.

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Omega 3 Snack Bites

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until ingredients are broken down and is a sticky mixture.
Line an 8X8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press the mixture into the pan until it is evenly distributed and the same thickness throughout.
Place the pan in the freezer while you melt the chocolate.
Melt the chocolate on a double broiler with coconut oil. Spread the chocolate on top of the mixture and place the pan back into the freezer to firm.
Pull the parchment paper out of the pan. Cut the mixture into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tips and Tricks

Add some water or milk if your mixture feels too dry. It’ll add moisture and help the ingredients stick together better.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a professional blender. Just make sure to pulse the ingredients instead of blending continuously.
If you have a smaller food processor, I suggest processing the mixture in batches.
If your food processor isn’t that powerful, it’s a good idea to process the walnuts until they reach a powder consistency, then add the dates and process until broken down, then add the rest of the ingredients. All of the ingredients at once works with a big, powerful food processor (I use this one), but could be troublesome in a smaller, weaker machine.

Variations

You don’t necessarily have to slice the dough into squares. You can also make them as bite-sized balls using a cookie scoop or, even better, use fun cookie cutters for exciting shapes.
If you want to add some texture and crunch, roll the balls in shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or dark chocolate chips before refrigerating them. I love some sea salt sprinkles at the top!
Feeling adventurous? Add some dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, or apricots to the mixture for an extra burst of flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store These Omega-3 Snack Bites?

They are easy to store at room temperature in an airtight container, but I recommend the refrigerator. They will last longer and the chocolate won’t melt. Keep them in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or freeze them for up to two months.

How Many Energy Bites Should I Eat in a Day?

These bites are healthy, but they are also higher in calories due to the ingredients used. Limit yourself to 1-2 bites per day, or use them as a pre-workout snack. Let me tell you, though, they are PERFECT if you have active teen athletes who NEED those calorie-rich snacks!

If you make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Omega 3 Snack Bites or any of my other healthy recipes, I’d love to see! Share a pic on Instagram and tag me and I’ll feature you in my stories. If you’d like more omega-3 rich recipes, scroll below the recipe card for some favorites.