These apple oatmeal balls are soft, chewy and full of apple flavor. The balls need just 4 ingredients and don’t require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. They are easy to customize and store well.
A pile of apple oatmeal balls on a white plate

These apple oatmeal balls don’t require any baking. They take only a few minutes to prepare and are great for a quick snack or dessert.

Ingredients

  • Apple butter
  • Cashew butter or peanut butter
  • Quick oats
  • Honey or maple syrup

Apple butter: Apple butter is a spread made from slowly cooked apples. It is thicker than applesauce, less watery, and has a more concentrated apple flavor. Apple butter is a great way to infuse apple flavor into these oatmeal balls without making them too wet. Apple butter is usually sold at grocery stores this time of year, but you can also make your own. You can also use apple butter that includes spices for more flavor. I used store bought apple butter that is cooked in apple juice and doesn’t contain refined sugar.

Cashew butter: Cashew butter helps to bind the balls together. Make sure to use natural cashew butter with no added oils. You can also substitute with natural peanut butter or natural almond butter with no added oils, but you will taste the nut butter more.

Quick oats: Quick oats are rolled oats that have been broken down into smaller, thinner pieces. Quick oats work best for this recipe because they soften with less liquid and they bind better. If you only have rolled oats on hand you can run them through a food processor until they become the size of quick oats.

Honey: Honey or maple syrup is used to sweeten the balls, thicken the mixture and help bind the balls.

How to Make Apple Oatmeal Balls

  • Apple butter, cashew butter and honey are mixed together until evenly combined. Add in the oats and mix until the mixture is very thick, like cookie dough.
  • Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough and roll into round balls. Place the balls into the fridge for about 30-60 minutes to allow them to firm up a little more. The balls are the ready to eat.

No bake apple oatmeal balls on a plate

Expert Tips

  • You can add other mix-ins like finely chopped dried fruit, finely chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips.
  • This recipe works better with apple butter rather than applesauce. Applesauce has a lot more moisture, so you would need to use less of it, or increase the oats and cashew butter and then that results in very little apple flavor.

A stack of three apple oatmeal balls

More Oatmeal Recipes

5 from 6 votes

4 Ingredient No Bake Apple Oatmeal Balls

These apple oatmeal balls are soft, chewy and don't require any baking. They only need 4 ingredients and don't require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil.
Servings: 15 balls
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp (102g) apple butter with no added sugar, see note before starting
  • 1/4 cup (64g) natural cashew butter with no added oils, can also use peanut butter
  • 1-2 tbsp (15-30ml) honey
  • 1 cup (88g) quick oats

Instructions
 

  • Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Add apple butter, cashew butter and honey to a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula until evenly combined. Add in the quick oats and mix until evenly incorporated and the mixture is thick, like cookie dough. It should be thick enough to shape and roll. If your dough is too sticky or soft, add more oats, 1 tbsp at a time, until the dough is thick enough. You can also taste the dough and add a little more honey or apple butter to suit personal preferences. If adding mix-ins, add them in now.
  • Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough. Roll the mixture between your palms until it forms a smooth round ball. Place onto your prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining oat mixture.
  • Place balls into fridge for about 30-60 minutes to firm up a little more. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • The cookies are only very lightly sweetened. If you prefer sweeter cookies, I recommend adding mini chocolate chips or dried fruit. You can also add a little more honey to the dough.
  • Apple butter note: I used apple butter made with apples and apple juice concentrate, no other added sugar. You can also use one that includes spices if you prefer the flavor of Fall spices in the cookies. When measuring the apple butter, avoid scooping any excess liquid which sometimes float to the top of the apple butter jar. I used Eden Apple Butter.*
  • I used Amazon Grocery Quick Oats.*
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Serving: 1ball, Calories: 63kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Sodium: 0.04mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, NET CARBS: 8
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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