Energy balls are a must-have in every sports bag, and for good reasons: these little snacks are made of healthy ingredients, take up virtually no space and are easy to prepare at home. Discover 3 energy ball recipes for athletes and tips for making your own. As a bonus, we describe the ingredients best suited to the needs of runners.

Energy Balls: Healthy and Tasty Snacks

Energy balls are small bites of healthy food that can be prepared in just 5-10 minutes without cooking. Here are some ideas for ingredients to make your own:

• Crushed nuts, an excellent source of fatty acids and proteins with considerable energy and satiating power: brazil nuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, and so on.
• Dried fruits, concentrated in nutrients and carbohydrates: sultanas, dried apricots, dates, prunes, etc.
• Seeds, often sprinkled on top: chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, etc.
• Plant powders: grated coconut, almond powder, hazelnut powder, etc.
• Nut butters or nut purees that serve as a binder: peanut butter, almond puree, etc.
• Gourmet ingredients, such as melted dark chocolate – which is rich in magnesium, honey or maple syrup.
• Any other delicious ingredients that you would like.

Prepare your base with the binder by mixing the ingredients to be incorporated very evenly until you form a dough, which you can leave to rest in the fridge to make the shaping easier. A little later, use your hands to roll bite-sized balls, sprinkle on your coating, and that’s it!

A Snack Specially Designed for Athletes

Their DIY nature, the ease of making them and the fact that you can control each ingredient to personalise the recipe explain why athletes have quickly adopted these little energy balls as snacks. Made with shelf-stable ingredients, they can be stored for several weeks and prepared in large quantities in advance or even frozen for later.

These sports treats can be eaten at any time of the day, before, during and after training. Now you have a solution that helps you fight hunger pangs easily – a healthy snack to suit your needs at any time.

Our Energy Ball Recipes to Get You Started

To enable you to personalise your energy balls according to your objectives, here are some recipes designed to meet the nutritional needs of athletes.

Recipe for Protein-Rich Almond Energy Balls

Mix oats, chia seeds, shredded coconut, chocolate powder with more than 70% cocoa, flax seeds, almond puree, honey and a pinch of salt in your food processor. Leave the dough to rest, then add dark chocolate chips and crushed almonds before making the balls.

Recipe for Stimulating Energy Balls: Coconut, Dates and Goji Berries

Enjoy the goodness of dates and goji berries with this tasty recipe. Combine pestle and mortar-crushed dried dates, almond powder, coconut powder and a few goji berries for an energy-packed and vitamin-rich pre-sports snack.

Recipe for Energising Energy Balls with Lime and Ginger

Blend cashews, mashed dried dates and coconut in a food processor until smooth. Add lime zest and ginger powder. Blend again to mix well. Leave the dough to rest, then form your balls. To finish, coat with crushed pistachios or coconut flour.

Bonus: Make Your Own Energy Ball Recipe for Endurance Runners

Are you planning a long run and seek a recipe for energy balls that meet your specific needs? Most of the foods used to make energy balls are easily digestible and help support the body during a prolonged effort while also preparing for muscle recovery. These are some of the best ingredients to choose from:

• Almonds (powdered, pureed or crushed): rich in magnesium, they help prevent muscle soreness and contain protein.
• Sultanas: a good source of energy; they delay fatigue due to their high content of trace elements.

• Dried apricots: their appetite-suppressant effect can be useful during long events.
• Peanut butter: rich in minerals, vitamins and nutrients, it is a good foundation for making satiating energy snacks.

Check out our Health & Fitness page for more advice.