Swedish Chocolate Balls – A Healthy and Vegan Version

Chocolate balls are a beloved fika treat in Sweden. The recipe usually consists of oats, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, a sweetened vanilla powder, and coffee. The chocolate balls are then rolled in either shredded coconut or pearl sugar. They are super easy to make and SO delicious. However, as much as I’d like to snack on them all the time, all that sugar and butter isn’t so healthy… so over the years I’ve created my own healthy vegan recipe for the classic Swedish chocolate balls! They’re so good you won’t notice the difference!!

To replace the sugar in these chocolate balls, I’ve used moist fresh dates to provide sweetness. Dates work beautifully in this recipe due to their high amount of natural sugars, but they also add some structure so less fat is needed in this recipe. Even though they are high in natural sugars and calorie rich, dates add lots of healthy nutrients too like fibre, vitamins and minerals, so this treat isn’t full of empty calories like with regular sugar. Yay!

To replace butter in the classic recipe, I used cashew butter instead to add structure and a creaminess to this recipe. Cashew butter is not only a vegan alternative to butter, but it also adds protein, fibre, heart healthy fats, and minerals like magnesium and iron.

The raw cacao powder used in this recipe adds even more healthy stuff like loads of antioxidants!

Therefore these chocolate balls will be more satisfying and healthy than if they were full of butter and sugar like the traditional recipe. So go ahead and snack away on these chocolatey delights!!

Swedish Chocolate Balls – A Healthy and Vegan Version

by Baking Me Healthy

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Chill Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Swedish, Vegan

Servings 14

Ingredients

  

• ⅓ cup natural cashew butter
• ½ cup fresh pitted dates soak for a bit if they're not fresh and moist*
• 350 ml rolled oats gluten free if needed
• 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 2 tbsp cold strong coffee or espresso
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• shredded coconut to roll the chocolate balls in

Instructions

 

• Mix the fresh dates (drained if you soaked them), cashew butter, vanilla, coffee, cocoa powder and salt together in a food processor until it's smooth. If the dates aren't moist enough you might have trouble mixing it, so try adding a teaspoon or so if needed. I didn't need to add any so be careful how much liquid you add. 🙂 Scrape down the sides as needed. Taste the batter and add more of any of the ingredients to your liking! Such as more dates for more sweetness, more cacao for more intense chocolate flavour, or more coffee for more coffee flavour!
• Once it's mixed, then add about ¾ of the amount of oats for this recipe. I don't add all in the mix at once because I prefer a bit more texture to these bites. Then mix until the oats are in smaller pieces combined with the mixture. Then add in the rest of the oats and mix until you like the consistency.
• Put the mixture into the fridge to allow it to set and firm up because the balls are easier to form and roll that way.
• When the mixture is firm, scoop out the mixture into about 12-15 pieces and roll them into round balls. Then roll them in shredded coconut and place on a dish.
• Once you've rolled them all in coconut, place them back into the fridge to firm up a bit if needed before placing them in an airtight container for storage (otherwise they might squish and flatten each other a bit). Store them in the fridge and enjoy!! 🙂

Notes

*If the dates aren’t moist, soak them for 15 minutes or so in water. This is important otherwise the ingredients won’t mix together properly.

Keyword chocolate, coconut, coffee, dates, fika, healthy, vegan

If you like this recipe of mine…

let me know! And you might like to try another chocolate/espresso bite, but this other recipe of mine below has lots of roasted nuts in it as well! Delish!

Chocolate Espresso Protein Bites (Vegan, No-bake)