These chocolate orange hemp balls are super nutritious and soft but also lower in sugar than regular energy balls as they use just 1 ripe fresh banana to sweeten them rather than dried fruit, this keeps them lovely and soft but means you need to eat them fast, preferably within 2/3 days (but it won’t be a challenge, trust me!)

They require a bit of setting time to firm up so make them in advance, they make a good afternoon pick me up or prepped the night before for a breakfast snack before a morning gym workout or on your way to work.

Chocolate orange hemp banana balls Breakfast energy balls Grainfree snack vegan

Activate those nuts!
I’ve used Linwoods activated walnuts here as I’m trying to use more activated nuts where possible in my cooking due to the process of activating making the nuts more nutritious but also easier on digestion, plus if you just want to eat them straight it also gives the nuts a lovely crispiness. Walnuts are one of the nuts highest in phytic acid which holds onto nutrients making it harder for your body to extract which is why they’re one of the nuts that you should try to eat soaked/activated whenever possible.
Another reason why I love walnuts and hemp is because they have a good balance of healthy fats which the standard Western diet tends to be lower in and instead, higher in omega 6 fats which when too high can be pro-inflammatory, so eating a variety of omega 3 fats to balance this out is something to keep in mind.

Chocolate orange hemp banana balls Breakfast energy balls Grainfree snack vegan

Choc orange hemp banana balls (makes 9)
-60g hemp protein*
-95g banana flesh (measured after skin removed)
-8g cacao powder
-3/4 tsp orange extract
-50g activated walnuts
optional: 1/2 tsp spirulina
*Note: I’ve tested both regular and Linwoods cocoa+ hemp proteins, Linwoods is slightly more absorbent than other hemp proteins, so if you use a regular one then give the mix a longer setting time to firm up, they’ll still be soft but you can use the palm of your hands to roll them into balls, it’ll be slightly sticky & soft but it works

Chocolate orange hemp banana balls Breakfast energy balls Grainfree snack vegan

Directions
First blend the dry ingredients together to a course powder texture then add the wet and blend until combined
Allow minimum 30-45mins to set or preferably a few hours to firm up before rolling, they’re quite soft so you need this setting time otherwise they’re too soft to roll properly
Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days

Chocolate orange hemp banana balls Breakfast energy balls Grainfree snack vegan