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Home Recipes All Dessert Recipes Healthy sweets
Posted:9/29/2014
Updated:3/29/2020

Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls – Vegan and Paleo treats!

8 mins
Easy
Healthy sweets
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Fudgy Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls - fudgy, chocolatey and insanely delicious AND they're healthy, vegan, and paleo too! Just FOUR ingredients and a few minutes to make these treats your family will love!

Fudgy, chocolatey and delicious, these healthy Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls are vegan and paleo! And you only need just FOUR ingredients and a few minutes to make these healthy treats. 

Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls are great as a post-workout snack or as a snack for kids and adults alike.

Updated: August 2018

Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls - fudgy, chocolatey and insanely delicious AND they're healthy, vegan, and paleo too! Just FOUR ingredients and a few minutes to make these treats your family will love!

Why I love these chia seed energy balls?

Striking a balance between eating healthy and satisfying that sweet tooth is always an interesting challenge. Chocolate to me, is what kryptonite is to Superman! So while finding that sweet spot between healthy and indulgent can be tricky, I’m always on the look out for a solution.

This is why I’m really excited to share this recipe with you guys today. One of my absolute favorite alternatives for that nagging craving we all get from time to time – Chia Bliss Balls!

An overhead view of the chocolate chia bliss balls, that are coated with coconut, strawberry powder on a white plate.

So what are chia bliss balls?

Bliss balls are a snack that I ate regularly when I was in Australia. It’s a healthy snacks, with the added nutrition of “super foods” to make them extra nutritious! These chia bliss balls have the added nutrition of chia seeds, and these are vegan, dairy-free, and paleo, with no refined sugars!

All the ingredients needed to make chocolate chia bliss balls. Clockwise from left - Pitted dates, Chia seeds, cocoa powder, sliced almonds.

There are so many versions and flavors of these fudgy chia bliss balls that you can make! But my favorite are these chocolate chia bliss balls. The basic ingredients for chia bliss balls are chia seeds, almonds (or any other type of nut) and dates. But for these chocolate chia bliss balls, I also added cocoa powder. And since you can make these in the your food processor, it only takes 5 minutes to make them. And maybe a few more minutes if you do decide to coat them as well.

All the ingredients in the food processor bowl to make the chocolate chia bliss balls.

Why chia seeds are good for you

Chia seeds have gotten quite popular in recent years. They’ve been labelled a “super food” and with good reason too. One ounce of chia seeds have 4.7 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat, 11 grams of fiber, 12 grams of carbohydrates and other minerals and vitamins (Source: WebMD and several others). It’s  meant to keep you full for longer, which is perfect for someone prone to the munchies like me! I add it to all kinds of things – my bread dough, breakfast oats, salads, smoothies (my sister taught me that) and of course, bliss balls. 

The chia bliss balls "dough" has been processed in the food processor, and has formed sticky lumps.

Are dates really good for you too?

Dates have a natural sweetness and stickiness that work perfectly for treats like these chia bliss balls. They are also high in minerals, vitamins and fiber. Even though they are also high in sugar content, they still have numerous health benefits as well.

You all know how nutritionally dense almonds are as they are packed with protein, fat, vitamins, carbs and essential minerals. And even the unsweetened cocoa powder is well known for its anti-oxidants and its ability to boost endorphin levels to keep us all happy.

I don’t mean to sound like your personal dietitian or nutritionist. But you can’t deny that these are an amazing treat! Plus you can truly enjoy these without ever feeling the need to hit the gym and run five miles afterwards.

The chocolate chia bliss balls "dough" that has been mixed, in a bowl, with a small bowl of melted coconut oil and a cooking scoop next to it.

Can I change the ingredients for these chocolate chia bliss balls?

Yes you can! If you don’t like almonds, you can use alternatives – hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans. Don’t want chocolate bliss balls? You can leave out the cocoa powder altogether as well.

If you prefer chocolate chia bliss balls that are a little less sweet, you can reduce the amount of dates you use to about 6 oz. If you do reduce the amount of dates, you may need to add just a little extra liquid – like water or coconut oil or almond butter. But only add that if necessary.

Using an oiled cookie scoop to portion the chia bliss ball dough.

How can I make FUDGY chocolate chia bliss balls?

The trick to fudgy chocolate bliss balls is the dates. Make sure the dates are not stale or hard! Get some good quality dates that are soft and not stale to make these bliss balls . If your dates have become stale and hard, you can easily soften them too. So don’t toss them out.

Smooth balls of fudgy chocolate chia bliss balls kept on a white plate on a white table top.

Here’s how to soften your stale dates – just place the 8 oz of dates in a bowl, and pour boiling water over them completely submerge the dates. Cover the bowl and let the dates sit for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and place the dates on a paper towel to drain the excess water. The dates are now ready to use! 🙂

Plus, you don’t have to buy more expensive dates like mejdool either (although I do love mejdool dates!) for this recipe. You can use whatever dates that are available to you for this fudgy chia bliss balls recipe.

Red, White and Brown colored Fudgy Chocolate Chia bliss balls on a white plate, being coated with coconut (in one bowl), and freeze dried strawberry powder (in another bowl).

Making these chocolate chia bliss balls in your food processor is super easy too. It’s similar to how you would make nut butter in your food processor, but with a few extra ingredients. Simply run your food processor for a few minutes to chop and mix all the ingredients.  The dates need to become a sticky paste along with the other ingredients too, so that it’s easier to make balls. Some bliss ball recipes call for the addition of water to bind the ingredients together, but I’ve never had to that with this recipe.

An easier way to coat chia bliss balls with freeze dries fruit powder - Place the fruit powder and bliss balls in a plastic bag - Seal and shake until coated well.
An easier way to coat chia bliss balls with freeze dried fruit powder – place the fruit powder and bliss balls in a plastic bag, seal and shake until well coated.

I processed the ingredients for about 2-3 minutes (with breaks in between), until the dates break down and act as the glue to hold everything together. An optional step here is to process the CHIA SEEDS FIRST, before adding the rest of the ingredients. This will chop up the chia seeds first. If you add all the ingredients together, the chia seeds will mostly remain whole. I personally like this because the chia seeds provide a little crunch. But it is up to you, as to how you’d like the texture of the chia seeds to be. 🙂

An uncoated fudgy chocolate chia bliss balls on a tray along with coated red and white chia bliss balls next to them.

Since this “dough” is super sticky, use some coconut oil to coat your hands before mixing this dough. Otherwise it WILL stick to your hands! I also coat the mini cookie scoop so that the chocolate chia bliss balls won’t stick too much to the scoop either.

But once the chocolate chia bliss balls have been rolled into perfect balls, they will not stick to your hands. You can leave them uncoated, that’s how I prefer them. Alternatively, you can coat them with coconut flakes (K’s favorite), or with freeze-dried fruit powder (they just look so pretty).

Uncoated, coconut coated and strawberry powder coated fudgy chocolate chia bliss balls on a white plate, with a blue napkin underneath.

These chocolate chia bliss balls are ridiculously fudgy, chocolatey, and addictive! These are great for kids, and are a wonderful alternative for their sweet cravings. You can even get them to help you with forming the balls!

Fudgy Chocolate Chia Balls piled up in a white bowl. One strawberry coated chocolate bliss ball has a bite taken out to show how fudgy the center of the bliss balls are.

If you liked this fudgy chocolate chia bliss balls recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER,INSTAGRAM,  PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.

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Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls - fudgy, chocolatey and insanely delicious AND they're healthy, vegan, and paleo too! Just FOUR ingredients and a few minutes to make these treats your family will love!
5 from 7 votes

Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls

Cuisine: Other
Fudgy, chocolatey and delicious, these healthy Chocolate Chia Bliss Balls are vegan and paleo! And you only need just FOUR ingredients and a few minutes to make these healthy treats. 
EASY - This recipe is super easy for a novice. Doesn't require any cooking and only requires a food processor.

US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions
Total Time 8 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Serves 18 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Optional coating time: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 minutes
Print Rate

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz dates
  • 3 oz chia Seeds
  • 2 oz raw almonds sliced or chopped RAW almonds are fine too
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa
  • pinch of salt optional

To Coat

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup desiccated coconut optional
  • 2 tbsp freeze-dried berry powder optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions:

  • Optional first step - add the chia seeds into your food processor and pulse for a few times to "chop" the chia seeds. You can start with this step if you prefer the chia seeds to be fully chopped/processed in your bliss balls. But skip this step if you prefer having mostly whole chia seeds in your bliss balls.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients (if you skipped the first step, then add ALL of the ingredients) into the processor and mix on low speed for about 2 minutes (stop to scrape down the sides if needed) until the ingredients come together to form a "dough". 
    Process for another 2 - 3 minutes if needed to form the dough. 
  • If the dough is not coming together (if your dates were too dry for example), you can add a little water or coconut oil - a teaspoon at a time, to get a dough like consistency (see Recipe Notes).
  • Turn the sticky "dough" out in to a bowl. Use oil coated hands to fold the dough into one big piece. 
  • Roll the "dough" in to small 1 1/2 inch balls. You can use a small, oiled cookie scoop to portion out the dough, or use well oiled hands (preferably with coconut oil).
  • Optional - roll the smooth chocolate chia bliss balls in the coconut or the freeze-dried fruit powder to coat. To avoid sticky fingers, you can place the chia bliss balls in a plastic bag along with the freeze-dried fruit powder, then seal the bag and shake until the bliss balls are evenly coated. 
  • Store in an airtight container for a few days. These can be kept in the fridge, but will then get less soft. 

Tips & Tricks

The ingredients need to be processed for at least 2 minutes. It will be a dry mix at first but will slowly start to stick together to form a sticky "dough". You can check by taking a little of the mix in to your hand and squeezing it. If it holds or sticks together then it's ready. If it's already finely chopped but not holding together, then add a little water while processing to help the dough come together.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 75kcal (4%)Carbohydrates: 12g (4%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 3g (5%)Sodium: 1mgPotassium: 136mg (4%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 44mg (4%)Iron: 0.7mg (4%)
Course:Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine:Other
Keyword:Chocolate, Dates, Healthy
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

 

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  1. Rachael says

    September 22, 2020 at 19:46

    Would it be possible to add protein powder to this mixture?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      September 22, 2020 at 19:48

      Hi Rachel
      It should be possible. But if the mixture becomes too wet or dry you can easily adjust it to compensate.
      I hope that helps.

      Reply
  2. Kelly Bowles says

    August 21, 2020 at 05:48

    5 stars
    Made these today and they are yummy, even my husband and son love them! Very easy recipe.

    Reply
  3. Steph says

    August 12, 2020 at 01:50

    Is there a possible substitute for cocoa?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      August 12, 2020 at 11:01

      Hi Steph
      You can leave it out if you like.
      You can add some ground flax seed to prevent the bliss balls from being too sticky. They will also be sweet without the added cocoa powder.
      I hope that helps!

      Reply
  4. Tara says

    June 26, 2020 at 22:34

    5 stars
    I FULLY BEYOND ❤️ THIS RECIEPE, it’s healthy, yummy & has so many good attributes towards it, thanks 4 sharing it.- I give this recipe %

    Reply
    • Dini says

      June 27, 2020 at 05:58

      Thanks so much Tara, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Ashleigh says

    February 1, 2020 at 05:02

    5 stars
    This recipe is so great, simple and tasty! And very easy to make. Even my daughter loved them.

    Reply
  6. Ruth says

    December 29, 2019 at 23:55

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious

    Reply
  7. Ms Ali says

    October 15, 2019 at 05:58

    Hi, can I use melted butter instead of coconut oil? I’m in a country where It’s not available. I need to make for a party tomorrow. Thanks

    Reply
    • Dini says

      October 15, 2019 at 14:01

      Hi Ms Ali
      Yes, you can use butter instead 🙂

      Reply
  8. Kristi says

    August 9, 2019 at 16:33

    Yum! I am excited to try this recipe!

    Reply
  9. Miss Blessed says

    April 26, 2019 at 01:47

    Thank you for sharing this recipe! Do you think these can be frozen and thawed out to be consumed later?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      April 26, 2019 at 09:57

      Absolutely!
      I even keep them in the fridge for about a week, but they can be frozen for months! Definitely let them thaw out (without microwaving them), before eating them! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Lucinda says

    April 12, 2019 at 13:14

    I don’t have coconut oil available. What can I use instead to make sure the dough doesn’t stick?

    (I’m new to all this )

    Reply
    • Dini says

      April 12, 2019 at 13:49

      Hi Lucinda
      I haven’t tried other oils, so I can’t guarantee how these will turn out when the coconut oil is substituted. The reason why coconut is used is because it solidifies at room temperature, so it’s perfect to make bliss balls. Using other oils may affect texture, but you could give it a go.
      I have sometimes used half coconut and half butter as well with great success.

      Reply
      • Lucinda says

        April 14, 2019 at 16:12

        Thank you very much!

        Reply
  11. Kate says

    April 11, 2019 at 22:15

    Can I use a blender instead?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      April 12, 2019 at 10:21

      Hi Kate
      It will entirely depend on the blender. You could make these in a high power blender. It could make the bliss balls smoother and softer as well.
      Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Kate says

        April 12, 2019 at 11:53

        Thanks

        Reply
  12. Zoe says

    December 13, 2018 at 04:38

    5 stars
    do you think putting some desiccated coconut inside the balls would work as well (as opposed to just coating them in it at the end?). Perhaps you would just need to adjust the amount of liquid to achieve the right consistency?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      December 13, 2018 at 22:00

      Hi Zoe!
      You can absolutely add desiccated coconut to this recipe! Whether you would need to add extra liquid or not depends on how much coconut you would add. I would add about 3 – 4 tbsp of coconut at first, and only add liquid if needed. Since the dates can be pretty sticky, there’s a chance you might not need extra liquid, but if you do, just add a teaspoon at a time. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  13. Katie @ The Perfect Brownie says

    October 2, 2014 at 19:57

    Ah, vegan cuisine. I’m such a Neanderthal in my preference for all things filled with butter. I have to admit, though, it was a vegan blog (Oh She Glows) that gave me a recipe to use up the leftover pumpkin seeds from my last mad brownie science experiment.

    You get 10 points for adding chocolate. 🙂

    Reply
    • Dini says

      October 6, 2014 at 17:20

      thank you 😀 Chocolate makes everything better! You wouldn’t guess this was good for you when you eat it… I promise! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes says

    September 30, 2014 at 08:03

    5 stars
    Looks delicious! I love any form of bliss balls especially when they only have 4 ingredients! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Dini says

      September 30, 2014 at 19:34

      Thank you Vanessa – I love easy and quick recipes too! Hope you try this recipe 🙂

      Thank you Ganu – I hope you did make them! They disappear so fast at home!

      Reply
  15. Ganu says

    September 29, 2014 at 12:09

    5 stars
    These sound amazing! Thank you! Definitely making them tonight xD

    Reply

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