This energy balls snack recipe (which doubles up as a date ladoo) is super simple and there’s no added sugar; the dried dates bring natural sweetness. The combination of roasted chunky cashew nuts and ground roasted almonds bring texture and a nutty flavour. Top that with roasted seeds and cardamom and you get an aromatic ball of tasty goodness, giving you fibre and plant protein, with less saturated fat than recipes that use coconut oil. There aren’t many tasty snacks that give you nearly 5 grams of protein in a serve. (Some great examples of other plant proteins can be found here).
I created two versions – the first energy balls snack recipe has more roasted almonds for occasions when you need something more indulgent; the other is a lighter version with just over 100kcal per ball. If you’re watching your weight or have diabetes, choose the lighter version. This recipe is so easy and a great one for the kids to get involved in, as it’s a bit like making shapes out of putty! The cardamom adds an Eastern twist making this a healthier alternative to “ladoo” sweets, often served at Diwali and Eid. In fact, I did a Diwali cookalong with this recipe for NHS Better Health Campaign – it went down a treat!
Recipe 1
Makes 10
Cooking and preparation time: 20 minutes
What you need
60g almonds
100g cashew nuts
3 tsp flaxseeds (golden linseeds)
3 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp cardamom powder (optional)
12 plump dried dates
1 tsp pistachio nuts, ground
What you do
- Roast the almonds in a dry pan for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Allow to cool and pulse in a grinder or food processor till the almonds become powdery (do not over blitz as the almonds will turn into almond butter).
- Roughly chop the cashew nuts and roast over a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add them to the ground almonds.
- Roast the flaxseeds, sesame seeds and cardamom powder for about 30 seconds till they pop. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile remove the stones from the dates and cut into small pieces till they become sticky. Add to the roasted nuts.
- Pulse the seeds and mix with the date and cashew mixture while the seeds are still warm from the grinding.
- Work the mixture with your hands till all the ingredients are combined and form into 10 ball shapes.
- Dip the top of each energy ball into ground pistachios and serve.
Nutritional Analysis
| Typical values | per energy ball (1/10 recipe) | |
| Energy | 160 | kcal |
| Fat | 9.6 | g |
| of which saturates | 1.5 | g |
| Carbohydrate | 12 | g |
| of which sugars | 11 | g |
| Fibre | 2.8 | g |
| Protein | 4.6 | g |
| Salt | 0.01 | g |
Recipe 2 Lighter Version
Makes 10
Cooking and preparation time: 20 minutes
What you need
30g (handful) almonds
30g (handful) cornflakes
60g (2 handfuls) cashew nuts
3 tsp flaxseeds (golden linseeds)
3 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp cardamom powder (optional)
12 plump dried dates
1 tsp pistachio nuts, ground
What you do
- Toast the almonds in a dry pan for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Set aside to cool.
- Toast the cashew nuts over a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Grind the cornflakes till they look like breadcrumbs. Or use a strong food bag and rolling pin. Transfer them to a medium sized bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients.
- Pulse the toasted almonds in a grinder or food processor till the almonds become powdery (do not over blitz as the almonds will turn into almond butter). Add them to the cornflakes.
- Roughly chop the toasted cashews and add them to the almond and cornflake mixture.
- Roast the flaxseeds, sesame seeds and cardamom powder for about 30 seconds till they pop. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile remove the stones from the dates, chop them into small pieces till they become sticky. Add to the bowl of roasted nuts.
- Pulse or crush the seeds and mix with the date and cashew mixture while the seeds are still warm from the grinding.
- Work the mixture with your hands till all the ingredients are combined and form into 10 ball shapes.
- Dip the top of each energy ball into ground pistachios and serve.
Nutritional Analysis
| Typical values | per energy ball | |
| Energy | 128 | kcal |
| Fat | 6.0 | g |
| of which saturates | 0.9 | g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.0 | g |
| of which sugars | 11.0 | g |
| Fibre | 2.5 | g |
| Protein | 3.2 | g |
| Salt | 0.04 | g |
