These vegan-friendly Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites are packed with healthy flavor from creamy pumpkin, almond butter, oats, pepitas, and raisins. Yum!
The Pumpkin Spice Bandwagon
Yes, I am jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon. I couldn't resist doing a pumpkin recipe (it is fall after all) and if you do a sweet pumpkin recipe, you have to add pumpkin pie spice, right?
This kind of reminds me of the time I accidentally wore the school colors on spirit day when I was in high school and I had to spend the whole day explaining to everyone that no, I didn't have school spirit, and that the navy blue t-shirt I was wearing was just a coincidence.
"Hey, do we have a quiz today in biology?"
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO WEAR THIS SHIRT TODAY! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I HATE THIS SCHOOL!"
That was the worst day.
Now that we have that out of the way - let's get on with the cooking.
Making Pumpkin Energy Bites
Sometimes I throw things together just to eat, not really intending to blog about it - this is one of those recipes.
I bought an adorable little pie pumpkin and made puree with it for another recipe and had just a little bit left, so I added a little almond butter and maple syrup, folded in oats and raisins and pepitas, put in a little sprinkle-sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, and rolled the mixture into balls.
Random! But they were so good, I decided they were definitely worthy of sharing.
In addition to being delicious, these will also give you tons of energy. You'll have the strength of a bull, the reflexes of a cat, and the mental acuity of one of those really smart chimpanzees. Eat these Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites and you will crush your enemies and run a 5K afterwards.
Or not. (Probably not.) Energy bites aren't exactly Red Bull. But they're healthy and get you over that mid-afternoon hump better than a bag of M&Ms or potato chips.
Every ingredient in these energy bites is good for you - maple syrup is rich in manganese and zinc, pumpkin is full of fiber and Vitamin A, pepitas are high in magnesium, etc. And then there's the pumpkin spice too, which is full of deliciousness. And they're 100% vegan too!
So at the very least - these little pumpkin balls are a guilt-free indulgence.
Tips & Tricks
These pumpkin energy bites store well in the fridge for 3-5 days, or you can freeze them for several months. Just defrost and eat!
This recipe is pretty flexible and allows for lots of swaps and customizations. Here are a few that readers have asked me about the most:
If you don't have maple syrup on hand, you can use agave syrup or honey as a sweetener instead. Obviously, these won't be vegan anymore if you add honey.
I've also had readers successfully leave out the maple syrup entirely for a sugar-free version. Or you can plus up the sweetness, by rolling the pumpkin bites in a little cinnamon-sugar coating!
You can leave out the raisins if you're not a fan, or replace them with dried cranberries, dark chocolate chips, or a handful of your favorite nuts. Pecans would be a nice addition.
Peanut butter (or any nut butter of your choice) can be used in place of the almond butter.
The pepitas add a nice crunch - but you can get the same effect with sunflower seeds too.
More Recipes
If you love these pumpkin energy bites, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes:
- 22+ Amazing Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Pumpkin Spice Smoothies
Ingredients
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ⅓ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup pepitas
- ⅓ cup raisins
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Combine the pumpkin puree, almond butter, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl and stir until smooth.
- Fold in the rolled oats, pepitas, raisins, and chia seeds. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until the mixture is chilled and easy to work with.
- Roll the mixture into balls. (If you have a small cookie dough scoop, that works perfectly!) Store the balls in the refrigerator or freeze and thaw for a few minutes before eating.
Karen says
I am new to your blog and have been scouring the site for recipe ideas. Love these pumpkin bites. The second time I made these, I rolled them in a mixture of Cinnamon Plus (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, dry orange peel) and a Stevia so there were more like truffles. We love to keep these in the freezer as they never freeze solid.
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoy the recipe--I am going to have to try rolling them in cinnamon next time I make them! 🙂
Eleanor says
Pumpkin purée is not something I have ever seen in an English supermarket, what could I use as a substitute or do I need to make my own, if I did does it freeze well?
Kiersten Frase says
You can use butternut squash puree instead or make it yourself: https://potluck.ohmyveggies.com/make-pumpkin-puree/
Kristin says
Is there something else I can use besides oats? I can't digest them very well.
Kiersten Frase says
I haven't tried making this recipe without oats, but it's pretty forgiving, so you could probably experiment and find something that would work. My first thought would be some kind of cereal.
abby says
These look delicious and I will have to try them. I was just reading some of the other comments (sometimes you get reviews or good substitutes), any who, I have noticed a food replacement for oats is puffed quinoa which is sometimes referred to as quinoa flakes ( just make sure they are the little foam like circles). Hope that helps!
June says
Sooo good, thank you for sharing! I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand, so I ended up replacing the almond butter for peanut butter, pepitas for sunflower seeds, and raisins (because I hate raisins) with chopped dark chocolate. YUM!!! Can't wait to try it with all your original ingredients as well once I can get to the store. 🙂
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad they turned out well for you! 🙂
Lara Parodi says
Hi, I'm from São Paulo Brazil, I like very much yours recipe with pumpkin, I like spice food, but I don't know what is pumpkin pie spice, you can explain to me please.
I think I can't find this ready here in Brazil, but maybe I can switch for other thing what you sugest?
Thanks a lot!
Kiersten Frase says
Here's a recipe for pumpkin pie spice: http://www.kitchentreaty.com/homemade-pumpkin-pie-spice-mix/
Lara Parodi says
Thanks!
Jeannette says
I was looking everywhere for a pumpkin bite with no sugar and I came across these little gems. DELICIOUS!!! I left out the maple syrup, added 1/2 c. almond flour instead of butter, and added cranberries (though I'm sure raisins are delish as well). They are too good! Thank you!!! Perfect pre-run snack!
Wendy @ The Nomadic Vegan says
Oh, these look like the perfect take-to-work snack! I'm on a sugar detox at the moment, so am very happy to see Jeannette say that they work well without the maple syrup too. I wasn't sure they would stick together without it, but I guess they do. And this recipe doesn't even require a food processor. Too easy!
Sandra says
Hi, I would like to know what is pepitas??
It look so yummmy!!
Dana Raidt says
Hi Sandra, pepitas are another name for pumpkin seeds. 🙂
Laurie says
I can’t tell you how much I relate to your angst at jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon! It really is overused. Yet, just this morning I posted a pumpkin pie granola recipe and made the same comment about hating to fall into the pumpkin spice craze. Oh well. I succumbed and so did you!
Hilarious about your school colors.
But these seriously caught my eye, and I love the randomness of this recipe. Hats pretty much how I cook.
Great recipe that I will try as soon as I pick up some more pumpkin.
Blessings,
Laurie
Ridge Haven Homestead