Dairy and refined sugar are a thing of the past with these vegan chocolate cake pops. The only thing left is pure guilt-free deliciousness. Gluten-free, plant-based, and easy to make.
Imagine a world where you have your cake and eat it too. Well, with these vegan chocolate cake pops you can. But, they’re so much more. They make perfect little decadent dairy-free desserts, energy bites, or a quick and simple afternoon healthy plant-based snack the kiddies will love.
They’re rich, chocolaty, and decadent, and you can make them with just 6 simple ingredients. Oh, these bad boys are also completely gluten-free and naturally sweetened.
It’s time to grab life by the cake balls and whip up a batch of these easy vegan chocolate cake pops.
Ingredients
The best thing about these delicious cake pops, apart from the taste, are the ingredients. All natural, wholesome, and completely plant-based.
- Walnuts: be sure and use raw walnuts that haven’t been roasted with oil or salt.
- Dates: the dates serve two functions: replacing the sugar and helping batter in order to make the cake pops. If you do
- Cacao Powder: adds rich chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla: for adding depth of flavor.
- Nut Butter: I prefer almond butter but you may use any nut or seed butter you wish.
- Chocolate Chips: melted and used for dipping or in place of frosting.
How To Make Vegan Cake Pops
- In a food processor, blend the walnuts until all of the walnuts are finely ground. Add the dates, cacao powder, vanilla, and almond butter. Blend again until the mixture is moist and crumbly and resembles large cake crumbs. It should be sticky enough to form into a ball and hold its shape.
- Using a measuring spoon or cookie scoop, spoon out 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter and roll into balls. Place each cake pop onto a lined baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl, melt in 20-second increments, and stir occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and completely smooth.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cake pops and enjoy! (NOTE: If you plan on using any optional topping add those before the chocolate hardens.) You could also place the chocolate cake pops in the fridge for 30 minutes and allow the chocolate to set up and harden.
Tips and Notes
- The cake pop mixture should be moist enough and not crumble when you roll it into a ball.
- Do not overmix. You want the mixture to retain some texture.
- If you want it a little sweeter you can add a little maple syrup before blending in the food processor.
- You can create fun little treats for the kids simply by purchasing some cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks at any of the local craft stores.
- Refrigerate the cake pops before drizzling them with chocolate. It helps them to keep their shape and not fall apart.
- If the dates seem dry, soak them in water for a five minutes, then drain thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel before blending.
Serving Suggestions
Make a batch of cake pops ahead of time, keep them in the fridge, and enjoy them as energy bites or post-workout snacks.
Add lollipop sticks and insert them into a decorated styrofoam block for a healthy snack at a gathering or kid’s birthday party.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
If you enjoy these vegan chocolate cake bites try my homemade vegan Larabars, peanut butter protein energy bites, or chocolate banana oatmeal cookies.
Vegan Chocolate Cake Pops (Energy Bites)
- Total Time30 minutes
- Yield15 cake pops 1x
- DietVegan
Dairy and refined sugar are a thing of the past with these vegan chocolate cake pops. The only thing left is pure guilt-free deliciousness. Gluten-free, plant-based, and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup walnuts (raw)
- 1 cup packed pitted dates (Medjool are best)
- ¼ cup raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon creamy natural almond butter (only ingredients should be almonds and maybe a little salt)
- ¼ cup non-dairy chocolate chips
Optional Toppings
- chopped cashews
- chocolate shavings
- dust with cocoa powder
- unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the walnuts into a fine meal. Add the dates, cacao powder, vanilla, and almond butter. Pulse again until the mixture is moist and crumbly. If the mixture seems too dry and crumbly, keep processing until it is sticky enough to form into a ball.
- Using a measuring spoon or cookie scoop, spoon out 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter and roll into balls. Place each cake pop onto a lined baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 20-second increments until the chocolate is melted and there are no lumps.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cake pops and enjoy! (NOTE: If you plan on using any optional topping add those before the chocolate hardens.) You could also place the chocolate cake pops in the fridge for 30 minutes and allow the chocolate to set up and harden.
Equipment
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
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Buy Now → Notes
The cake pop mixture should be moist enough and not crumble when you roll it into a ball.
Do not overmix. You want the mixture to retain some texture.
If you want it a little sweeter you can add a little maple syrup before blending in the food processor.
You can create fun little treats for the kids simply by purchasing some cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks at any of the local craft stores.
Refrigerate the cake pops before drizzling them with chocolate. It helps them to keep their shape and not fall apart.
If the dates seem dry, soak them in water for five minutes, then drain thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel before blending.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake pop
- Calories: 107
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 0.5 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.1 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Set Up Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Vegan Snacks & Appetizers
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Vegan
There is no baking temperature or how long to bake. Otherwise, I’d love to try it.
They are “no bake.”
These were amazing! You don’t even need any toppings.
Thank you!!!
These are delish and satisfy that craving for a sweet treat after dinner or lunch! I have made them with the chocolate topping and without. Both ways are great.
Worth the effort to roll them into balls that stick together!
THANKS, NANCY!
These are delicious and super easy to make! Cures my chocolate craving and they are healthy too!
Thank you!
These are dense since they are no-bake and have walnuts, almond butter, and dates, but they are very delicious!! I love them as a quick snack. They are not too sweet, so they’re less like a brownie and more like a healthy “energy bite”. My 10 year old is very picky and loves them too!
These were delicious and just what I needed. I did add a bit of maple syrup to food processor. Thanks for a fantastic chocolate treat!!
I just made these for Christmas and had to taste test. Holy smoke! I think I had an out of body experience. They are so good. Everyone will love them and never know they are healthy. They taste naughty, but are really nice. 😆. Thanks for another great recipe, Shane! Merry Christmas!!
Haha, Traci! That is so awesome. Merry Christmas!!!
I just made these! They are so good! I didn’t read the directions to well and ended up putting the chocolate chips in the mixture instead of drizzling over the top…. Oh well, they are great either way!😉
Sounds like a totally delicious accident to me:)
Can I use other nuts, my husband can’t eat walnuts. Maybe pecans?
Pecans, cashews, or almonds should do well.