Energy bites are a relatively modern invention – a combination of paste-style ingredients like peanut butter and honey alongside protein-dense ingredients like oats and nuts. They’re great to prepare in bulk, but how do you then store them?
Can You Freeze Energy Bites?
Yes, you can freeze energy bites for up to 6 months, depending upon what youāve added to them. High protein ingredients such as nuts will freeze better, which can be handy for your home.
Do Do Energy Bites freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Energy Bites? Yes
How to Freeze Energy Bites
To get started freezing energy bites, you need to wait for them to cool down if youāve made versions that need to be cooked. If theyāre no-bake options, then youāre good to go straight away.
- Spread Onto a Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with a large sheet of baking paper, and then place the energy bites onto the baking paper at equal distances. Ensure that no two bites are touching since those bites will freeze together, which can be messy and frustrating down the line.
- Freeze: Transfer the bites on the tray into the freezer, and allow them to freeze on the tray. This should take around one or two hours, after which theyāll be entirely frozen solid.
- Bag Up: When frozen, transfer the energy bites to an airtight freezer bag. Press as much air out of the bag as possible, and seal it closed along the top.
- Label and Freeze: Then, label the bag with the correct date, and place it into the freezer – they should keep there in the freezer for around six months.Ā
3 Tips for Freezing Energy Bites
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing energy bites to have the best results:
Avoid Porous Ingredients
Porous ingredients such as oats or other similar options likely to soak up moisture from the air are more susceptible to freezer burn than protein-heavy ingredients. For this reason, we recommend avoiding them to keep the energy bites in the freezer for a little longer.
Beware of Dried Fruit
Dried fruit such as raisins or sultanas will make a wonderful addition to energy bites, but the problem with freezing dried fruit is that it becomes exceptionally chewy. This may be something you donāt mind, but itās worth considering if someone in your home has braces or similar dental considerations.
Chocolate Chips Can Be Tricky
Chocolate is essentially a lattice of sugar and fat molecules. This isnāt important, normally, but when frozen for a long period, condensation can form on the surface of the chocolate, dissolving the sugar from the structure of the chocolate itself.
This presents a problem when the bites are thawed, as the chocolate can become extra sticky. Be aware of this, and perhaps cut down on the number of chocolate chips in your energy bites.
How Long Can You Freeze Energy Bites?
You can freeze energy bites for up to 6 months.
After this point, itās not that freezer burn would set in since thereās so much protein and sugar present in the food. Instead, itās more likely that condensation and frost would impart some moisture to the oats, protein powder, or similar dry ingredients in the energy bites.
After 6 months, the energy bites would start to lose an awful lot of their consistency which is part of why you eat energy bites in the first place. You don’t want them to be dry or slimy!
How Do You Defrost Energy Bites?
The best way to defrost energy bites is to remove them from the freezer and place them on the counter in the kitchen for fifteen to thirty minutes. Make sure theyāre uncovered, as any frost will melt and evaporate in that case.
You can also eat the energy bites directly from the freezer if your teeth arenāt too sensitive to the cold. They will be a little chewier but perfectly safe to eat.
Can You Refreeze Energy Bites?
Yes, you can refreeze energy bites.
Since they have so little water in them, the inherent worries about freezer burn or water swelling and bursting cells within the ingredients are nonexistent. Instead, they stand up to being frozen very well.
Do Energy Bites Freeze Well?
Yes, energy bites freeze very well.
As we said in the above section, energy bites have little water in them, with most of the liquid being fat in the nut butter or intensely sugary in the honey – this means that the energy bites donāt degrade much in the freezer at all, which is great news for keeping them good for a long time.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing energy bites or energy balls in general, then these may help:
Energy balls will keep in the fridge for around 2 weeks, when stored in an airtight container. This is quite a bit shorter than how long you can keep them in the freezer.
Although energy balls do not need to be refrigerated, they tend to last longer and retain their firmness if kept in the fridge, so it’s a good idea.
