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Just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes is all you need for these sweet little no-sugar-added bites! Sunflower Fig Balls are a healthy snack that won’t ruin your diet!
Happy Halloween! Today is a day filled with ghosts, witches, goblins, and the scariest of all – SUGAR!
No doubt your kids (and probably you) will eat your month’s lot of sugar today alone. I am not immune to this debacle, I have been known to sneak plenty of Halloween candy when no one is looking.
This year I purposely bought candy that I don’t like so I wouldn’t be tempted. And then, I whipped up a batch of these Sunflower Fig Balls, so when my sweet tooth strikes I have something healthy to grab.Â
With absolutely no added sugar, these little bite size balls are plenty sweet and satisfying. There’s nothing scary about these…I’m happy to report, the kiddos loved them too!
Only 4 ingredients and about 5 minutes is all you need until you are savoring a bite of this figgy goodness. The “dough” is quick and easy to make, coming together all in a food processor.
These energy balls are soft and practically melt in your mouth, but they still have that little pop from the fig seeds, which I love. The figs provide fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and more.
The sunflower seeds give them a protein packed punch along with vitamin E, several B vitamins, copper, phosphorus, folate and much more!
Initially, my plan was just to use figs, sunflower seeds and lemon, but I felt it needed a little something more and I knew cardamom was the answer! I only added ¼ teaspoon because I just wanted a little hint of it in the background, but feel free to add a ½ teaspoon if you want a little more.
And then, just to make sure I didn’t leave out any texture component, I rolled half of the fig balls in crushed sunflower seeds for a beautiful powdery coating.
More vegan snack recipes
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls
- Coconut Bliss Balls
- Lemony Cashew Date Balls
- Thai-Inspired Trail Mix
- Apple Oatmeal Date Bars
- Cherry Chocolate Walnut Truffles
- Dark Chocolate Tahini Granola Bars
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Sunflower Fig Balls
Ingredients
For the Energy Balls
- ½ cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
- 10 dried figs stems removed
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom ½ teaspoon if you want a more pronounced cardamom flavor
For the coating
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds until the consistency is almost like flour. A few little chunks are fine. Do not over process as it will become sticky. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
- In the same food processor, place ½ cup sunflower seeds, figs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cardamom. Processes until it forms a sticky dough.
- Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. I used a small cookie scoop for this to ensure they were all the same size. Repeat with the remaining dough until gone.
- Roll each ball (or as many as you want) into the processed sunflower seed “flour.”
- They are ready to enjoy immediately.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
imsen says
Super great recipe!! Nice and quick, really good snack to keep you going throughout the day.
Jenn Sebestyen says
I’m so happy to hear that. Glad you enjoyed them!
Manal's Bites says
These look divine…love them all the way through…need to give them a try as all ingredients are available here in Jordan 🙂 thanks for sharing
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Manal!! I hope you enjoy!!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Gin! Cardamom is delicious!
Rebekah | The Kitchen Gidget says
I really love sunflower seeds – these are going on my “to make” list!
Jenn S. says
Great! Thanks, Rebekah! Please let me know how they turn out!
Christine | Vermilion Roots says
These balls are made with all my favorite ingredients. I should make them soon!
Jenn S. says
Awesome! Glad to see there are other fig lovers out there! Thanks, Christine!
Germaine says
Perfect! simple, wholesome and honest ingredients. I think your photos are beautiful too…
Jenn S. says
Thank you so much, Germaine! I was very proud of these photos too. The stars aligned for me that day!! And, yes, these could not be simpler! I hope you enjoy!
Kathy Hester says
I love cardamom and these sound so easy to make. They are added to my to-do list!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Kathy! They are definitely easy…we’ve been through several batches already!
Everyday Sarah Jane says
These look awesome! I’ll have to try them ASAP!
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Sarah! Let me know how you like them!
Fareeha says
Wow, this is just so incredible.. love it.. the pictures are just so amazing.. i am totally drooling over it
Jenn S. says
Thank you so much, Fareeha! I was pretty proud of how the pictures turned out too!
Linda @ Veganosity says
These sound amazing! I love cardamom, and the sunflower seeds sound perfect in this. I could never get away with buying candy that I don’t like because my kids didn’t like it either. I think I gained five pounds every October when they lived at home-haha!
Jenn S. says
LOL! That’s usually how my Halloween goes too! And I just found out they sell dairy free M&Ms at Target….they aren’t really M&Ms, but very similar. I’m in trouble! Thanks, Linda!
veggiesdontbite says
Looks great Jen! I love figs!! What a great snack, I bet the kids love them.
Jenn S. says
They do! They didn’t last long! Need to make more. Thanks, Sophia!
The Vegan 8 says
These look so good! I love sunflower balls and I always add, wait for it, cinnamon to them, haha! These I bet are so delicious with the caradmom!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Brandi! I did think about adding cinnamon since that is usually my go-to as well, but I didn’t want to overpower the flavor of the figs and lemon. Cardamom seemed like a lighter, more subtle, choice, but still with definite flavor. I hope you try them!
Natalie says
I think I want to be a Sunflower Fig Ball monster for Halloween now, and eat them all!!! So yummy Jenn, and I am amazed the coating is sunflower seeds I thought it was coconut at first…so creative 🙂
Jenn S. says
I like that idea for a costume! No cookie monster. Sunflower Fig Ball Monster! Love it! I actually thought about adding coconut, but I really didn’t want to alter the pure flavor of the figs. Thanks!
Strength and Sunshine says
Yay figs! People a;ways neglect them when making bites and cookies and only use dates! I love figs way more!
Jenn S. says
No neglect here! I love them so much! I used to eat almost a whole sleeve of Fig Newtons in one sitting….ha! Thanks, Rebecca!