I wanted a low carb vegan bliss balls recipe for the girls and myself to snack on for a few reasons and we have been making this recipe ALOT. We are not a low carb family (far from it), but I do believe strongly in making sure we get a good balance of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fats) and since many of our meals contain good amount of carbs, we try to snack on plant proteins and good quality fats. Add it the fact that a low carb vegan bliss ball is the perfect way vessel to sneak powdered herbs and medicinal mushrooms into my families diet, and you have your self a winning recipe. Finally (and maybe most importantly), while most bliss ball recipes call for a food processor you can make these entirely in a bowl and your bare hands. Winning!
The ingredients you’ll need for these low carb vegan bliss balls are
The ingredients you’ll need for these low carb vegan bliss balls are- Activated almond meal. This is simply ground up almonds, that have been activated (a process to remove physic acid) however you can substitute for regular almond meal or any other nut meal if you wish.
- Coconut butter. This is one of my favourite ingredients in the pantry, and is a paste made from whole dried coconut. It is very different to coconut oil (which is just the fat extracted from coconut) so do not substitute it. If you have a food processor you can easily make your own. Read on for instructions.
- Pure maple syrup. A sap extracted from the Canadian maple tree, this is the only sweetener used in these low carb vegan bliss balls. If you’re following a veto diet, ensure you but kept-friendly maple syrup.
- Good quality salt. I suggest finding a salt that is harvested locally to you. Unprocessed salt (like sea or rock salt) is a great source of minerals, and is a great flavour enhancer.
- Pure vanilla extract. Vanilla is an optional ingredient, however is also has an important function in enhancing other flavours (particularly cacao). We prefer to use real vanilla, as it is free from artificial flavourings (unlike vanilla essence).
- Cacao powder. You may wish to use dutch pressed cocoa or cacao. Both will yield the same result, and both will add a subtly chocolate flavour that is well balanced with the almond butter
- Roasted almond butter. You should be able to find this at any supermarkets, and we don’t recommend exchanging it for peanut butter for this particular low carb vegan bliss ball recipe (we’ve tried both- the texture and flavour is much better with almond butter). To make you won almond butter, see the recipe below.
- Medicinal mushrooms, or adaptogens. An optional ingredient, but these low carb vegan bliss balls really are a great vessel for adding superfood powders to you diet. Earthy medicinal mushrooms air beautifully with roasted almond butter and cacao, so not even your kids will notice them in there.
How to make your own roasted almond butter
It is much cheaper to make your own nut butter, and you’ll need only 2 ingredients- almonds and salt- plus a high-speed food processor (or blender, if thats all you have). The process is pretty simple.
First, roast your almonds. This loosens up the oils making them easier to blend as well as improves flavour and reduces mould prevalence as nuts harbour mould very easily.
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350F).
- Take 3 cups of almonds and spread them on a baking tray. Roast the almonds for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Transfer cooled almonds to a food processor, with 1/2 tsp salt.
- Process for 10 mins, scrapping down the sides a few times. You will need the full 10 minutes- so don’t stop early. To get a really smooth, runny and tasty nut butter, it takes time so don’t worry if it doesn’t look great after only 5 minutes because it will if you just KEEP blending.
- Finally- transfer to a clean, glass jar and enjoy.
If you love these, you’ll love these other vegan snacks
- Vegan wagon wheel slice
- Chocolate cupcakes with blackberry buttercream frosting
- Baked vanilla donuts with raw blueberry icing
- No bake cacao and vanilla slice
If you try these almond butter bliss balls id love to hear from you. Please leave a review or comment- i love hearing what you have to say.
Roasted almond butter bliss balls
- Prep Time: 10 mins plus setting time
- Total Time: 1 minute
- Yield: 20 large balls 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Description
A devious, nutty bliss ball that is low carb, veto and vegan friendly, grain and gluten free and with an optional boost of medicinal mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) activated almond meal
- 1 cup (250g) coconut butter
- 1/3 cup (85mL) pure maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp good quality salt
- 1 tsp (5mL) pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (33g) cacao powder
- 1 cup (250g) roasted almond butter
- 2 Tbsp powdered medicinal mushrooms *optional
If you want to dip the balls in chocolate
- 100 Dark chocolate
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- If you are living in a colder climate, soften your coconut butter first. Place jar (with lid tightly secured) in a pot of just boiled water (with the heat OFF) and stand for 10-15 minutes, or until the coconut butter has softened.
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and throughly combine.
- Using wet hands, roll into approximately 20 balls. If you want to be precise, you can weight the balls to 35g each, to create a total of 20. Place in the fridge to set.
To make balls with a chocolate coating.
- melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over pot of just simmering water. Ensure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk together until silky. Remove balls from the fridge, and dip each one into the chocolate. Using a fork is easiest. Once you have dipped each ball, tap off excess chocolate and set on a lined baking tray. Repeat with all the balls, then set in the fridge.
STORAGE.
To store these low carb vegan bliss balls you need to consider the weather. If you live in a cold climate, simply store in an air-tight container in the pantry. If you live in a warm climate, store in an air tight container in the fridge, but always take the balls out of the fridge 10 mins before you plan to eat them.
Notes
Please read the instructions for storage options. Is is important to eat the balls at room temperature, as they contain a high level of healthy fats and are too hard straight from the fridge.
To make your own nut butter, please read the blog post.
Medicinal mushrooms can be found at health food shops and online. Some of my favourites are reishi, chaga and lions mane- but you can easily use others.
prep time does not include time to (optionally) dip them in chocolate, or setting times.
Keywords: Grain free, gluten free, kept, low carb, vegan