Low-FODMAP Energy Balls

Low FODMAP energy balls made with rolled oats, peanut butter, maple syrup, chia seeds, shredded coconut, and dark chocolate chips.

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 12

Gluten-free-optionDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (135 g) rolled oats (not steel-cut; certified gluten-free if needed)
• 3/4 cup (195 g) natural peanut butter, no honey or added sugar blends
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons (24 g) chia seeds
• 1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• 2 tablespoons dairy-free dark chocolate chips, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Mix

1. Stir the peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth.
2. Add the oats, chia seeds, coconut, and chocolate chips. Fold until every oat is coated and no dry pockets remain.

Chill

1. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes. This firms the peanut butter and lets the chia absorb moisture so the balls hold together.

Roll

1. Scoop about 40 g of dough (a heaped 2 tablespoons) and roll between your palms into a ball. You should get 12 balls.
2. If the dough cracks, knead in 1 teaspoon of peanut butter. If it feels oily, add 1 tablespoon of oats.
3. Set the balls on a parchment-lined plate or tray and refrigerate for another 30 minutes before eating.

Tips & Substitutions

• One ball is one serving. Each ball has about 11 g oats (2 tablespoons), 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup, all low FODMAP amounts.
• Check the peanut butter label. Plain peanuts and salt is ideal; skip anything with honey, agave, high-fructose corn syrup, or inulin. Almond butter can swap in, but its low FODMAP serve is smaller, so check your jar in the FODMAP Foods app first.
• Dairy-free dark chocolate chips. Dark chocolate is low FODMAP at about 5 squares (25g). Skip "sugar-free" or keto chips sweetened with xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, or isomalt, which are high FODMAP.
• Add-ins, in small amounts. A tablespoon of chopped walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds across the batch works; for dried cranberries, use 1 tablespoon total, sweetened with sugar rather than apple juice concentrate.
• Skip the dates. Dates have small low FODMAP serves and are easy to overdo in a batch, so maple syrup does the sweetening here.
• Coconut, modestly. The 20 g of shredded coconut across 12 balls is under 2 g per ball; don't double it. For a firmer ball, add 2 tablespoons of oat flour or ground flaxseed instead.

Why This Works

Oats well within their serve. Monash lists rolled oats as low FODMAP at 1/2 cup dry (52 g), and each ball has about 11 g.

Peanut butter is low FODMAP. Plain peanut butter tests low at 2 tablespoons (50 g), so the label matters more than the nut itself.

Maple syrup instead of honey. Maple is low FODMAP at 1 tablespoon, while honey is low only at about ½ teaspoon (4g) and high above that (excess fructose and fructans).

Chia binds without fruit. Chia seeds absorb liquid and pull the dough together, the job dates normally do, and keep the texture from drying out in the fridge.

Storage

Keep the balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week at 40°F (4°C) or below. For longer storage, freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw a few in the fridge the night before, or eat straight from the freezer.