These Nutella no-bake energy bites require just THREE ingredients, and they are all pantry-staple, very shelf-stable ingredients at that! Hopefully you already have all of them in your pantry right now so you can go whip of a batch of these gooey, chocolately hazelnut bites in a matter of just minutes.

I’m sorry to say I’ve been sitting on this recipe for an entire year. (insert facepalm here). I apparently first wrote and tested this recipe on 3/28/19 per my computer files…and am just now sharing it. YIKES! Sometimes I get so excited about new recipe ideas that I will create and test a lot of recipes, and then get behind on the other tasks of editing photos, writing the blog posts, etc. I always and forever will love the hands-on recipe testing part of having a blog the best. I LOVE cooking and baking! Especially baking; I’ve always had a preference for that which is why many of the recipes on the blog tend to be more baked goods/sweeter recipes. BUT. All that to say now that I think about it this energy bite recipe I’m sharing with you today is neither a cooking recipe nor a baking recipe…rather, it’s no-bake!

I’ve shared several no-bake recipes with you before. One of the very first recipes I shared on the blog (almost two years ago; yikes!) were these peach protein bars (copy-cat RX bars). I’m happy to report that my food photography has improved since then, as evidenced here in these lemon protein bars (copy-cat RX bars).

Here are some other no-bake healthy snack recipes:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls (3 ingredients!)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip No-Bake Granola Bars-a classic recipe I’ve been making since high school! Literally I’ve been making these over a decade now.

Peach Pistachio Granola Bars

Monster Cookie Energy Bites

Mocha No-Bake Cookie Energy Balls

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites

Tell me (leave a comment below!): what recipes have you made yet? What sounds best to you or are you going to try making next?!

While many of the no-bake recipes linked above contain oats, this recipe is completely grain-free. Instead, here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients and Substitution Ideas

Medjool Dates

I’ve mentioned in many times before on the blog, but my preference when using dates is Medjool dates. I 100%, hands-down, always recommend using Medjool dates. Medjool dates are much larger, softer, and sweeter than other varieties of dates (such as Deglet-Noor). Whenever I use dates in recipes (such as in this no bake cookie dough and these chocolate protein bars-link), I always use Medjool dates. Medjool dates are almost always found in the fresh produce section, NOT in the dried fruit section with the raisins and other date varieties. Dates are packed with potassium and are a great way to naturally sweeten these protein bars…with fruit! The dates are the key ingredient to bind all of the ingredients together…they are perfectly soft, sticky, and sweet!

That being said, if you don’t have Medjool dates, you can try subbing in another variety (Deglet-Noor tends to be one of the more common varieties I see in grocery stores, which is often found in the dried fruit aisle near the raisins).

Hazelnuts

Now I will say for the classic “Nutella” flavor, you’re definitely going to want to use hazelnuts in this recipe. I realize hazelnuts can be a little pricey compared to some other nuts, but they are SO worth buying here. I bought a bag of chopped hazelnuts in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips, which was a cheaper option than buying whole hazelnuts. However, since you’ll be using a food processor anyways, it doesn’t matter if you buy whole or already chopped hazelnuts.

You can of course substitute any other variety of nut, but note the flavor profile will change. These chocolate energy bites will still taste absolutely delicious when using other nuts, such as cashews, almonds, and walnuts (all nuts I’ve tried before). Using a more neutral nut like this will still have a delicious, brownie like flavor. I’d say my second-favorite option would be using walnuts in place of the hazelnuts. While I don’t often eat walnuts plain, I have to say using walnuts results in the most brownie-like taste (if you’re not going for the hazelnut/Nutella flavor).

Dark Cocoa Powder

I LOVE using Hershey’s dark cocoa powder in these Nutella no-bake energy bites. The dark cocoa powder has a deeper, richer, more intense chocolately brownie flavor. However, you can absolutely use regular unsweetened cocoa powder or even cacao powder in this recipe. They all work!