• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Paleo Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Instant Pot® Recipe Roundup
    • Paleo Packed Lunch Roundup
    • Whole30® Recipe Roundup
  • My Cookbooks
    • Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go!
    • Ready or Not!
    • Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans
  • Spice Blends
  • Shop
  • Events
  • Paleo Meal Plans
  • About
    • What’s Paleo?
    • About Michelle Tam
    • Nom Nom Paleo in the News

Nom Nom Paleo®

Paleo recipes and more from New York Times bestselling cookbook author Michelle Tam!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Home » Blog » Recipes » Liar Balls (Paleo Energy Balls)

Liar Balls (Paleo Energy Balls)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

My Liar Balls—delicious and healthy paleo energy balls—are the perfect on-the-go snack! You can make these no-cook vegan treats with your kids and  customize the flavor with your favorite nuts or seeds!

An overhead shot of paleo, vegan, gluten-free energy balls called Liar Balls.

Copycat Lara Bars in Energy Ball Form!

Those of you who have thumbed all the way to page 252 of our first cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans, may remember our Liar Bars. These bars are my affectionate riff on a certain addictive brand-name snack bar that starts with the letter “L” and made with dates and nuts. My boys constantly remind me that although my tropical version is delicious, it’s still a knock-off. “Yours aren’t Lara Bars, Mommy. They’re Liar Bars.”

Sigh.

Liar Bars are insanely easy to make, but over the years, I’ve gotten even lazier. These days, I don’t even bother forming the no-cook dough into bars; instead, I  roll the sticky mixture into little orbs, and coat them in toasted, unsweetened shredded coconut.

A Liar Ball, a paleo no-cook healthy energy ball, in a pile of toasted shredded coconut.

Interchangeable ingredients!

I love making Liar balls with coconut flakes, salted macadamia nuts, and Medjool dates because that salty-sweet combination reminds me of my favorite tropical treats. But feel free to substitute your favorite toasted nuts and seeds in place of the macadamia or coconut flakes or add other dried fruit to customize the balls. I love making “PB&J” energy balls, too! Many Nomsters have suggested other fab Liar Ball flavor combinations in the comments section!

Time to make Liar Balls!

Makes 15 (1-inch diameter) balls

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
  • ⅓ cup dry-roasted and salted macadamia nuts
  • 10 large dried Medjool dates

Equipment

  • All of my other recommended kitchen tools are listed here.

Method

Toast the shredded coconut (if you haven’t already) in a 300°F oven (or toaster oven) on a parchment lined baking sheet. It should only take 3 to 5 minutes, but keep an eye on the coconut and make sure it doesn’t burn!

Toasted shredded on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Set the shredded coconut aside to cool. Now, go toast the coconut flakes the same way as the shredded coconut. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes, I skip this step and use Dang coconut chips (the lightly salted and unsweetened variety). I told you I’m getting lazy.

Remove the pit from each date, and roughly chop up the flesh. You should end up with about 1¼ cups of chopped dates.

Someone chopping up pitted Medjool dates on a cutting board.

Let’s pause and admire my mise en place!

The ingredients for liar balls, healthy no-cook energy balls, assembled on a cutting board.

Toss the macadamia nuts in a food processor, and pulse until the pieces are the size of rice grains. Don’t go too crazy, though. Remember: we’re not making nut butter today.

Someone pulsing toasted macadamia nuts in a food processor until they are the texture of coarse sand.

Transfer the chopped nuts to a large bowl and set aside.

Throw the dates into the now-empty food processor bowl, and pulse a few times to roughly chop up the pieces. Then, hold down the “On” button until the pulverized dates form a sticky ball that thwacks against the side of the work bowl.

Someone pulsing dates in a food processor to make a paste for paleo energy balls

Add the toasted coconut flakes and pulse until the coconut flakes are incorporated and still chunky.

Someone adding toasted coconut flakes to a food processor with date paste to make healthy energy balls.

Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the macadamia nuts, and thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Transferring the date and coconut paste to a metal bowl.

The result should be a sticky, nutty mass.

Someone mixing the ingredients for liar balls, healthy no-cook energy balls, in a metal bowl.

Pinch off about a tablespoon of the mixture, and rub it between your palms to form a ball. Repeat until you have about 15 balls.

Someone rolling a paleo energy ball in between their hands.

Roll the balls in the toasted shredded coconut.

Someone coating vegan energy balls with toasted coconut flakes.

Voilà! Sticky, sweet, and slightly salty balls! <giggle>

An overhead shot of healthy, paleo, no-cook energy balls on a piece of parchment paper.

Leftovers? You can store your balls in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week, but I bet they won’t last more than a couple of days!

[Originally posted on July 6, 2016. Updated with new details and photos on May 25, 2020.]


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

An overhead shot of healthy, paleo, no-cook energy balls on a piece of parchment paper.
Print Recipe
4.67 from 12 votes

Liar Balls (Paleo Energy Balls)

My Liar Balls are delicious and healthy paleo energy balls that are the perfect on-the-go snack! You can make these no-cook vegan treats with your kids and customize the flavor with your favorite nuts or seeds!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free, grain-free, No-cook, paleo, Primal, Vegan
Servings: 15 balls
Calories: 118kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut toasted
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes toasted
  • ⅓ cup dry-roasted and salted macadamia nuts
  • 10 large dried Medjool dates
US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

  • Toast the shredded coconut (if you haven’t already) in a 300°F oven (or toaster oven) on a parchment lined baking sheet. It should only take 3 to 5 minutes, but keep an eye on the coconut and make sure it doesn’t burn!
  • Set the shredded coconut aside to cool. Now, go toast the coconut flakes the same way as the shredded coconut. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes, I skip this step and use Dang coconut chips (the lightly salted and unsweetened variety). I told you I’m getting lazy.
  • Remove the pit from each date, and roughly chop up the flesh.
  • Toss the macadamia nuts in a food processor, and pulse until the pieces are the size of rice grains. Don’t go too crazy, though. Remember: we’re not making nut butter today.
  • Transfer the chopped nuts to a large bowl and set aside.
  • Throw the dates into the now-empty food processor bowl, and pulse a few times to roughly chop up the pieces. Then, hold down the “On” button until the pulverized dates form a sticky ball that thwacks against the side of the work bowl.
  • Add the toasted coconut flakes and pulse until the coconut flakes are incorporated and still chunky.
  • Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the macadamia nuts, and thoroughly combine the ingredients. The result should be a sticky, nutty mass.
  • Pinch off about a tablespoon of the mixture, and rub it between your palms to form a ball. Repeat until you have about 15 balls.
  • Roll the balls in the toasted shredded coconut. 

Video

Notes

You can store your balls in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week, but I bet they won’t last more than a couple of days!
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g
80

Thrive Market   LunchBots   Real Plans

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate Van says

    September 15, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    2 stars
    Hmm this one wasn’t a winner for us which is made more disappointing by the fact that ingredients are crazy expensive. I think I got about 8 tiny balls and despite following directions to the t-they didn’t stick enough. Maybe my dates are the wrong kind? I know they would taste great if the mechanics had come together.

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      September 15, 2020 at 4:10 pm

      Oh no! Did you use Medjool dates? Those ones are bigger than Neglet so you have more sticky matrix for the balls. Also, if your dates are old they won’t be sticky enough and you may need to add a few drops of water when you blend them.

      Reply
      • Kate says

        September 24, 2020 at 2:08 pm

        4 stars
        Yep we figured out I had the Neglet. I doubled the recipe and had better luck with the next batch. 😋

        Reply
  2. Janna Dailey says

    August 22, 2021 at 10:22 pm

    5 stars
    My kids love these! Great to have on hand for quick snack between school and sports!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Logged in as . Log out? Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Archives

About Nom Nom Paleo Nom Nom Paleo Cookbooks Nom Nom Paleo App Nom Nom Paleo Spices
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • A slice of paleo and Whole30 sausage breakfast casserole on a white plate. Italian Sausage Breakfast Casserole (Whole30, Gluten Free)
  • An overhead shot of Paleo Potstickers and a dipping sauce Paleo Potstickers (Gluten Free, Nut Free)
  • Mango Sago (Coconut Tapioca Pudding)
  • A collage of the cooking steps for Roasted Kabocha Squash Roasted Kabocha Squash

Footer

COPYRIGHT© NOM NOM PALEO LLC. All rights reserved. The content on this website may not be copied or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission.

HOME  •  PRIVACY POLICY  •  CONTACT

Copyright © 2023