Spirulina Hemp and Coconut Bliss Balls

Name: Spirulina Hemp and Coconut Bliss Balls
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes; ⅓ cup old fashioned oats; 2 tbsp hemp hearts; 2 tbsp chia seeds; 2 tbsp sesame seeds; ½ cup pitted and packed dates ((I use Medjool, Mazafati, and bam)); 2 tbsp coconut oil (, melted); 1 ½ tsp spirulina; 2 tbsp matcha powder (, optional)

Print recipe

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Candies and Small Sweet Bites

RSF GF NF

10 mins Prep: 10 mins

Serves 12

Chewy, coconutty energy bites made with healthy and wholesome ingredients? Yes! You can also enjoy this tasty sweet snack throughout the day as well.

Ingredients

⅓ cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
⅓ cup old fashioned oats
2 tbsp hemp hearts
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
½ cup pitted and packed dates (I use Medjool, Mazafati, and bam)
2 tbsp coconut oil , melted
1 ½ tsp spirulina
2 tbsp matcha powder , optional

Recipe

Step 1
To a food processor, add coconut flakes, oats, hemp hearts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, dates and coconut oil. Pulse until a sticky dough is formed.
Step 2
Add spirulina, half a teaspoon at a time, pulsing after each addition and tasting the mixture. If you prefer a stronger spirulina taste, I recommend adding up to 1 1/2 teaspoon of spirulina. On the other hand, if you would like a milder taste, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of spirulina.
Step 3
Using a tablespoon, scoop out the mixture and roll into balls using your hands. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 4
(Optional) After refrigerating for 30 minutes, roll your energy balls in some matcha powder. Enjoy!

Common Questions & Swaps

Toast your coconut flakes in the over at 325ºF for 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on it – coconut can burn fast!
If you only have shredded or grated coconut on hand, use it instead of the flakes, but make sure to toast only if it is unsweetened.
If all the coconut you have on hand is sweetened, do not toast it.
If your dates are hard and dry, add them to a bowl with boiling water and let soften for 15 minutes. Drain the water, give the dates a squeeze with your hands, and use as indicated in the recipe.
Do not replace coconut oil with another oil.
You can replace all the chia and sesame seeds with 4 tablespoons of hemp, giving you 6 tablespoons of hemp total in this recipe.

Spirulina Hemp and Coconut Bliss Balls in a little jar

Spirulina Hemp and Coconut Bliss Balls in a jar

Hand picking up a Spirulina Hemp and Coconut Bliss Ball

To create this recipe, I was inspired by a coconut spirulina energy ball I had tried at a vegetarian café in Montreal called Juicy Lotus. A couple of months ago, Sam’s mother, Brigitte, had picked up these energy balls and I instantly fell in love with the flavour combination. They were slightly sweet, very coconutty and had a little bit of a savoury, sea-vegetable flavour that came from the spirulina.

If you are not familiar with spirulina, it is an algae powder that is super high in protein, chlorophyll, vitamins K & B and has amazing detoxifying properties.

I think the flavour of spirulina takes a little while to get used to, because it has a seaweedy aftertaste, that might not be pleasing at first, but with time, if you eat it regularly in small amounts – in smoothies for example – you do get used to it. You might even be inspired to use it in desserts and in savoury dishes, like Kati from Black White Vivid did in her Savory Spirulina Pancakes with Vegan Herbed Cream.

I found that the coconut energy balls from Juicy Lotus were a little too rich for my personal taste; I could tell they were packed with lots of coconut and quite a bit of coconut oil. For my version of these energy balls, I wanted to make a snack that wasn’t as fatty, was more chewy and only sweetened with dates. Therefore, I only used 1 cup of coconut flakes and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. To make them more hearty, I added in some oats and some of my favorite seeds: hemp hearts, chia seeds and sesame seeds. Finally, instead of maple syrup, I opted to sweeten these energy balls with dates.

If you are looking for a quick snack to put together that is packed with unique flavours and healthy ingredients, look no further, this one is for you!

p.s. If you do not have any spirulina in your cupboard, try swapping it with matcha powder. Coconut and matcha are a match made in heaven!

If you do give in to the temptation of making this recipe (which frankly, you totally should!), make sure to let me know how you find it in the comments or over on Instagram by tagging me (@muriellebanackissa).