A delicious and quick (yet, no-sugar-added, raw, and vegan!) treat called Hula Bites
Throw a few ingredients into your Vitamix and have a healthy(ish) treat within minutes.
This recipe is super easy and packed with flavor.
Best part? There’s no added sugar. Just the natural sweetness of dates.
Make some the next time you’re tasked with making (a vegan, gluten-free) dessert.
A taste of the tropics
Energy bites and protein balls are all the rage right now. If you type either of those terms into Pinterest you’ll come back with thousands of posts.
Usually we skip trendy foods, but this one seemed like a no brainer (especially because they were requested from more than one follower).
Since our home office is currently in Honolulu, we decided to make our version tropical.
Pineapple, coconut, and macadamia. Sounds pretty Hawaiian, eh?
Using our Vitamix, these Hula Bites took no time to come together. (It’s definitely a Vitamix recipe, but you can use a food processor instead.)
Make some tonight and live that sunshine life!
Recipe
Hula Bites
Hearty little bites packed with tropical flavor.
Almonds, Dates, Macadamia Nuts, Oats, Pineapple,Ingredients:
- BLEND
- almonds - 1/2 cup (70 g)
- dried pineapple - 1/2 cup (80 g)
- macadamia nuts - 1/4 cup (34 g)
- rolled oats - 1/2 cup (40 g)
- dates (pitted) - 8
- TOPPING
- dried coconut - 1/4 cup (19 g)
- dried pineapple - 8 pieces
Instructions:
BLEND
- Add ingredients under BLEND to Vitamix container in order listed
- Blend on Variable Speed 10 (or high).
- Use the tamper to push ingredients from corners into the blade
- Do *not* over blend
ROLL
- Sprinkle coconut flakes on a dinner plate
- Scoop a tablespoon worth of the mixture out of the container
- Push half a piece of dried pineapple in the middle
- Roll a ball shape
- Roll the ball in the coconut flakes
SERVE
- Refrigerate for an hour
- Snap a pic and tag #lifeisNOYOKE
- Aloha! Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week or the freezer for up to 1 month.
Useful tips for Hula Bites
Feeling tropical? Try our Hawaiian Salsa or our Pina Colada Smoothie!
You can find unsweetened pineapple as well as coconut flakes at most grocery stores. The dates have plenty sweetness.
You'll want to pulse the mixture until it has a texture similar that's consistent, but where you can still see the individual ingredients.
The mixture is sticky (because of the dates), but remarkably easy to get out of the container.
This is a messy recipe. But one that would be fun to make with kids :)
Serve near the desserts!
And don't feel the need to list every ingredient -- ignorance is bliss!
Just made these. Swapped out dried cherries for dates. They were a bit sour (due to the cherries) and a bit dry. They did maintain their ball shape, but I had a hard time getting the coconut to stick on the sides and bottom. It might have stuck better if the “dough” was wetter/sticker via the dates. Overall they taste good, and I would make them again. My 14 yo daughter likes them. Could you post the nutritional content for the original recipe?
Glad you tried them! I feel like dates are a key ingredient for the texture on this one. Maybe try em again?
Nutrition Facts (makes 16 balls)
Amount per serving
Calories 36
Total Fat 3.1g 4%
Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 1.3g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3%
Total Sugars 0.3g
Protein 1.3g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 17mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 46mg 1%
I just made hula balls. I’m vegan, I don’t eat commercial candy or other processed foods. Your hula ball recipe is a gem! They are sweet, but not too much. They are satisyingly chewy and substantial. Now i’m interested in your cookbook. I’ve had several vitamix blenders over the years.
This comment just made my day, Susan! I agree, they are so satisfying… maybe I should go make a batch right now…
Our eBook can be found here.
This recipe is an absolute gem. I cannot wait for Shalva to make ’em again.