Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites (nut-free option, fruit-sweetened)

Who’s ready for all the pumpkin-spice-goodness you crave with incredibly health-promoting whole-food ingredients?  These delicious and decadent Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites will fuel and energize your day!  No cooking required, these healthy treats last for up to 12 days in the fridge.  The ingredients are flexible which means you can use what you already have on hand.  These energy bites also answer the age-old autumn conundrum: “What can I make with this leftover pumpkin puree?”

Whether you’re nutritarian or just looking for an incredibly delicious low-calorie dessert, breakfast or snack, I think you’re going to love these energy bites!

What makes these Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites special?

• no cooking required
• flexible ingredients
• nut-free option
• sweetened only with fruit (means a lower glycemic reaction than recipes with sugar, molasses or maple syrup)
• 79 calories and 3.7 grams of fat per energy bite
• great for meal prep
• 12-day shelf life in the refrigerator

Bite-Sized Vegan Pumpkin Pie 

The inspiration for this recipe comes from my premium e-cookbook, Nutritarian Celebrations,where I created this show-stopping Nutritarian Pumpkin Pie with Pepita-Date Crust for the fall menu.

My non-nutritarian family love that pumpkin pie recipe so much that I HAD to bring the essence of this classic holiday dessert into bite-size form!

Now I can pack an entire pie’s worth of delicious pumpkin spice flavor easily into their lunches or have them grab-and-go-able as a nutritious after-school-or-sports snack.

I love enjoying one or two of these with a cup of herbal tea as a lovely portion-controlled dessert.

7 Simple Ingredients:

1. raw nuts and/or seeds
2. golden raisins and/or dates
3. no-added-salt garbanzo beans or cooked beans
4. canned pumpkin
5. rolled oats
6. pumpkin spice
7. vanilla

Golden raisins and/or dates: Feel free to use what you have on hand.  I’ll have guidance in the recipe for when you want to make substitutions. I prefer using golden raisins because the sweet tangy flavor compliments the pumpkin so well and the resulting color is more pumpkin-y.

Canned or cooked beans: Many energy bite recipes rely on lots of oatmeal to help bind ingredients, but we can do a bit better than that!  By adding beans to the mix we’re lowering the glycemic load of these energy bites and adding more fiber and resistant starch.  Read here for more reasons to love beans.

Canned pumpkin: This is just steamed purred pumpkin with no additional ingredients.  You’ll only need 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. for this recipe, so it’s a perfect way to use up a partial can.

What are the best nuts and/or seeds to use in this recipe?

• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• cashews
• slivered almonds

You’ll need 1 cup total of nuts/seeds in total.

In the recipe I give my preferred ratio of 2/3 cup pumpkin seeds 1/3 cup cashews but feel free to use what you have.  The reason I suggest these in particular is because they let that beautiful golden pumpkin color shine through.

Difference in pumpkin seeds (Mexico versus China):

I went through quite a bit of pumpkin seeds while developing this recipe.  As you may already know, pumpkin seeds are not cheap.

Unfortunately, I found it well-neigh impossible to find pumpkin seeds grown in the US in any grocery stores.  At Whole Foods and Sprouts the country of origin (despite the brand) is China and at Trader Joe’s the country of origin is Mexico.  The seeds from China are notably greener and rounder while the variety from Mexico are longer and paler. After inspecting the Trader Joe’s bag I also saw that the Mexico-origin seeds are steam treated.

I used both types of pumpkin seeds during recipe development and found a slightly nuttier taste from the Mexican variety, but both were delicious.  

Roasted or Raw?

Because I based the flavor of these Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites on my pumpkin pie recipe I wanted to have that lovely depth of flavor that comes from quickly roasting the seeds.

Feel free to skip this step if you prefer to keep your seeds raw.  Or if you happen to have oil-free roasted and unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds feel free to use those.

How to make these Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites:  

Equipment needed:

• food processor
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. cookie baller
• soft spatula

If you want to roast your pumpkin seeds: Preheat your oven to 375°F.  Place the pumpkin seeds on your baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.  You should just be starting to smell them.  If your oven runs hot check at the 7 minute mark.  Remove the seeds from the oven and allow them to fully cool–at least 15 minutes.  The pumpkin seeds will crackle and pop while cooling and that’s okay.

Add the roasted or raw pumpkin seeds to your blender bowl, add the cashews (if using) and 3 tsp. pumpkin spice.

Process for 10 seconds or until a rough, rustic flour-like consistency but you can still see larger bits of texture.

Add the garbanzo beans and raisins and/or dates and process for another 10 seconds or until you get a loose mince-like texture.  See photos above for reference.

Add the remaining ingredients (oats, pumpkin and vanilla extract) and process for another 10 seconds.

Scrape down the sides.

After scraping down the sides, process for another 10 seconds.  A large ball of the mix will begin to form in the food processor.  The texture will be a textured, moist dough.

If you’re having difficulty getting your ingredients to incorporate: It may be because of the strength of your processor motor or the freshness of your dried fruit.  You can use 1/2 Tbsp. of water at a time to help move the mixture along.  Be careful not to use too much water or the balls will not set.

Use a medium cookie scoop and portion the mixture into 17 balls.  Use your palms to roll the balls (you can slightly dampen your hands if you wish).  Place the balls on a large plate and allow them to “set” uncovered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before transferring them to your long-term storage container.

Optional toppings:

• raw flax, hemp, chia or sesame seeds
• cocoa powder
• cinnamon
• for that lovely orange color: I used powdered curcumin mixed with cinnamon then dusted it over the bites with a fine mesh sieve

What is the flavor and texture like? 

These Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites are pleasantly soft and moist.  It’s like the pumpkin pie filling and crust have been mixed together (like a cake pop).  There is still a bit of texture from the larger pieces of oats, seeds and nuts.

The flavor is decadent and dessert-like with predominately pumpkin and spice tastes.  These energy bites are not super-sweet, just satisfyingly-sweet.

If you need to amp up the sweetness you can always add more raisins or dates or 1/2-Tbsp. of date syrup or maple syrup (if you’re not nutritarian).

What are the storage recommendations?

Fridge: The energy bites keep for 12 to 14 days in a glass food storage container with a snaplock lid.

Freezer: Keep for up to 2 months in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

To thaw: Allow the bites to thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature until defrosted.

How many Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites can you have on the nutritarian plan? 

If you’re following the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan: As the recipe is written you could enjoy one of these energy bites per day.  If you use only dates to sweeten and only seeds instead of seeds and nuts you could enjoy two per day.

Nut & Seed Allotment: Dr. Fuhrman advises women who are trying to lose weight should have no more than 1 ounce of nuts and seeds daily while overweight men can have 1.5 – 2 ounces (see source here).  One ounce is 28.35 grams.  There are 8.11 grams of nuts/seeds in each energy bite which is 28% of your allotment for the day, so keep that in mind as you plan the rest of your meals.

Dried Fruit/Dates: Dr. Furhman generally advocates for dessert recipes that are sweetened with one-half to two Madjool dates tops per serving.  If you use the recommended 6 large Medjool dates (~87 grams) for this recipe’s substitution, you’d be having .35 date per energy bite.

If you’ve reached your ideal BMI (under 23): Enjoy the recipe as written and have a two-bite portion per day.  Or swap with only seeds and dates and enjoy three to four daily.

Print

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites

Fuel your perfect fall day with these delicious low-calorie Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites that use healthy whole-food ingredients and no oil or maple syrup!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten-free, healthy, no cook, nutritarian, oil free, pumpkin, refined sugar free, WFPB, whole food plant based

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 17 bites

Calories 79.4 kcal

Author Kristen Hong

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds* ~87 grams
• 1/3 cup raw cashews* ~50 grams
• 3 tsp. pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup no-added-salt garbanzo beans ~80 grams
• 1/2 cup golden raisins** ~80 grams
• 1/2 cup rolled oats ~48 grams
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. canned pumpkin puree ~142 grams
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

If you want to roast your seeds:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.  Place the pumpkin seeds on your baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.  You should just be starting to smell them.  If your oven runs hot check at the 7 minute mark.  Remove the seeds from the oven and allow them to fully cool--at least 15 minutes.  The pumpkin seeds will crackle and pop while cooling and that's okay. 

2. Add your cooled roasted or raw seeds to your processor bowl along with the nuts (if using) and 3 tsp. pumpkin spice. Process for 10 seconds or until a rough, rustic flour-like consistency but you can still see larger bits of texture. 

3. Add the garbanzo beans and raisins and/or dates and process for another 10 seconds or until you get a loose mince-like texture. 

4. Add the remaining ingredients (oats, pumpkin and vanilla extract) and process for another 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides and process for another 10 seconds. A large ball of the mix will begin to form in the food processor.  The result will be a textured, moist dough.

5. Use a medium cookie scoop (1-1/2 Tbsp.) and portion the mixture into 17 balls. Use your palms to roll the balls (you can slightly dampen your hands if you wish).  

6. Place the balls on a large plate and allow them to "set" uncovered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before transferring them to your long-term storage container.  

Recipe Notes

Recipe Yield: 17 energy bites

* Seeds/Nuts: This recipe is flexible with what you can use.  You'll need 1 cup total of seeds only or a mix of nuts and seeds. I've tried these with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews and slivered almonds. You can keep the seeds raw or use roasted (unsalted, no oil) or roast them yourself.  

** Dried Fruit Options: You can use only dates. I've tried the recipe with 1/2 cup chopped Medjool dates (about 6 large dates, ~90 grams). You can do a half and half mix of dates and raisins. If the golden color is important to you use the yellow raisins. If you need to amp up the sweetness you can always add more raisins or dates or 1/2-Tbsp. of date syrup or maple syrup (if you're not nutritarian)

If you're having difficulty getting your ingredients to incorporate: It may be because of the strength of your processor motor or the freshness of your dried fruit. You can use 1/2 Tbsp. of water at a time to help move the mixture along. Be careful not to use too much water or the balls will not set. 

Optional toppings: You can roll the "set" balls in seeds (like flax, hemp, chia or sesame) or sprinkle with cocoa powder, cinnamon or curcumin.

STORAGE:

Fridge: The energy bites keep for 12 to 14 days in a glass food storage container with a snaplock lid.  

Freezer: Keep for up to 2 months in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

To thaw: Allow the bites to thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature until defrosted.  

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites

Serving Size

 

1 energy bite

Amount per Serving

Calories

79.4

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

3.7

g

6

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.8

g

5

%

Sodium

 

2.7

mg

0

%

Potassium

 

121.2

mg

3

%

Carbohydrates

 

8.8

g

3

%

Fiber

 

1.5

g

6

%

Sugar

 

3.6

g

4

%

Protein

 

3.2

g

6

%

Vitamin A

 

287.68

IU

6

%

Vitamin C

 

0.28

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

9.35

mg

1

%

Iron

 

0.83

mg

5

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I’d love to know what you think if you give this recipe a try!

Your comments and recipe ratings motivate me so much to keep creating memorable and delicious recipes while helping the website get rankings in those ever-important search engines.