These healthy, simply delicious pumpkin bites are the perfect snack to experience all of the fall flavors while staying healthy through the holidays.
Pumpkin Bites
Ummm, I'm gonna come clean here and say I ate my share of Thanksgiving goodies. Pumpkin pie? I had two slices. And a piece of French silk pie earlier in the day.
Why? Because I was practicing my best (pie) thankfulness!! But now, I'm working on a reset.
You know, to prep for the Christmas and New Year's marathon. That week where allll the goodies are everywhere.
Which is why I'd like to introduce you to these healthy pumpkin bites. I'm making them now and I'm freezing them so I can have a healthy little treat along the way.
These are soon to be one of your favorite snacks, too. They have all the pumpkin flavor in portion sized bites that you can eat with minimal guilt.
These are made with honey (or maple syrup, your choice), pumpkin spices and a few treats thrown in, like mini chocolate chips. Because chocolate. Yum.
Y'all are going to love these and they're a great snack when you're on the road, too!
Or, you know, in a tractor in a corn field. You are my people, and I know you're looking for healthy-ish treats, too.
And contrary to my two pie slice Thanksgiving dinner, we can enjoy pumpkin recipes all year long. No eat-a-thon needed at the Thanksgiving table.
Pumpkin puree is actually rich in Vitamin C, which helps immunity, and fiber, which keeps you full longer.
These little bites make a great healthy treat or addition to a packed work lunch. Let's dive in, shall we?
Ingredients in Pumpkin Bites
Wholesome ingredients are the name of the game here! Here's what you'll need to grab...
old-fashioned oats - you can use quick oats, too. I like old fashioned oats because they’re a little chewier. If you want to keep these pumpkin bites gluten free, be sure to use certified and labeled gluten free oats.
creamy peanut butter - I'm really enjoying this two ingredient peanut butter but if you are a Jif or Skippy kinda person, go for it! If you or a loved one has a peanut butter allergy, almond butter or sunflower butter are a good substitute.
pumpkin puree - when you check the label on that can of pumpkin puree you're adding to your grocery cart. The only ingredient should be real pumpkin for this recipe. That’s it!
Make sure you don't pick up pumpkin pie filling as it has added spices and ingredients that will quite possibly give you pumpkin spice overload.
honey - this adds a touch of sweetness, or you can use maple syrup if you prefer
pure vanilla extract or imitation vanilla flavor
pumpkin spice - this is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can even make your own pumpkin spice if you want.
ground cinnamon
sea salt - we need at least a pinch of salt in this recipe to help balance the richness and sweetness of the other ingredients. If you pay attention when you take a bite, you'll notice it hitting your taste buds in just the right place!
mini semi-sweet chocolate chips - you can omit this if you like, but I gotta ask, why would you??!?
Optional additions: you can add a few teaspoons of chia seeds or ground flax seed if you like those in your energy bites.
How to freeze pumpkin balls
These pumpkin balls can be frozen in individual pieces and stored in an airtight container.
They look super cute in little mini muffin tin liners for storage. Then, it’s like pulling a little truffle out every time you treat yourself. Or, you could gift them to a friend! I'm always looking for excuses to feed people.
Pull out one (or two) of these from the freezer when you're looking for the perfect treat. They'll be right there waiting for you to take a tasty bite.
Looking to splurge on pumpkin recipes?
Check out my Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies and Mini Pumpkin Pies, Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies are delicious too (no pumpkin is in this recipe, but the spice blend is spot on!)
Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Other healthy snack recipes:
When you try these mini pumpkin bites, leave a recipe review or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
Pumpkin Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup honey plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or imitation vanilla flavor
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips to a large food processor and secure the lid on top.
- Blend until it starts to come together to form a lumpy mixture and is smooth.
- Add the mixture to a large bowl and stir and mash in the chocolate chips until thoroughly combined.
- Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
- Form 1-inch balls from the mixture and place them on the baking pan.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.