You may be interested in…
Your cart is currently empty!
Iron Bites
Course: Health FoodCuisine: SnackDifficulty: MediumServings16
servingsPrep time10
minutesCalories129
kcalIron Bites are nutrient-dense, no-bake snack balls designed to boost iron intake naturally through whole food ingredients. These delectable treats combine the sweetness of molasses, dates, and apricots with the richness of dark chocolate and various nuts and seeds. Each bite is packed with iron-rich ingredients like pumpkin seeds, cashews, and almonds, making them an excellent snack for those looking to increase their iron levels (especially pregnant women). The addition of oats and coconut provides a satisfying texture and additional nutrients. Easy to prepare in a high-performance blender, these Iron Bites offer a convenient, tasty alternative to iron supplements, potentially helping to combat fatigue and boost energy levels. They’re not only nutritious but also versatile, as the recipe allows for ingredient substitutions based on personal preferences or availability.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons molasses
6 whole dates, pitted
¾ cup (120 g) dried apricots
¼ cup (43 g) dark chocolate, bar or chips
¼ cup (38 g) flax seeds
¼ cup (34 g) pumpkin seeds
¼ cup (34 g) raw cashews
¼ cup (35 g) raw almonds
¾ cup (66 g) rolled oats (plus ¼ cup for garnish)
¼ cup (20 g) unsweetened flaked coconut (plus ¼ cup for garnish)
Directions
- Add molasses, dates, and apricots to the high-performance blender container.
- Start blending at variable speed 1, then slowly increase to speed 10.
- Use the tamper to push ingredients into the blades from the corners.
- Blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Pulse on medium speed 15-20 times to combine ingredients.
- Mix additional oats and coconut on a small plate.
- Use your hands to roll golf ball-sized pieces of the mixture.
- Roll each ball in the oats and coconut mixture.
- Enjoy immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week (or freeze for up to one month).
77 responses to “Iron Bites”
Do you know exactly how many mg of iron we would get from these?
We find that because of the availability and range of ingredients for our international audience the best thing to do is put your actual ingredients into an online nutritional calculator. That way your info will be accurate and you’ll know exactly how many mg of iron the balls you made will be!
Haven’t tried these yet, and i know my post is a couple years late : / but do you use the dry vitamix container or wet? Thick stuff is always super tough to scrape out of (and clean) the 64 oz wet container…
If you’re looking to make smaller batches, go for a 48-ounce container. For scraping, we like the under blade scraper, but are in the process of showing how this red scraper is actually better.
Is 1 ball a day enough
I made these for my daughter and she said they were delicious! Thank you
I’m so glad, Manny! They are a delicious little treat 🙂
They look delicious but if you don’t have a Vitamix can you use a blender?
Most of our recipes you can use any blender for. This one you really need a high-powered one and the tamper that’s specific to Vitamix. This recipe works well in a food processor is you have one of those!
Hi, what is the nutrition information of each ball?
Hi Sandy, we find that because of the availability and range of ingredients for our international audience the best thing to do is put your actual ingredients into an online nutritional calculator. That way your info will be accurate.
This is such a delicious recipe – thank you!!
Our pleasure!
I made these today and they were delicious!
I did have to do a couple of alterations though – despite following the recipe, I felt they were too dry to roll into balls so I added 1/4 of water, 1 tbsp of peanut butter and 1 tbsp of coconut oil. That seemed to work super well for the texture and ill definetly be making them again. Thank you for sharing!Interesting, if anything ours sometimes turn out too sticky. Great troubleshooting though, hopefully your comment will help if anyone else finds theirs turn out too dry.
Can I add rice flakes along with this ,which is high in iron that you added in this recipe and also I need your nutritional value for protein, energy,fat,iron and vitamins . Can I use to grind it in mixer grinder or food processor please reply me it will be useful to my project .and also give some more ideas about iron rich food recipes
What’s great about these is that you can really add whatever you want based on your nutritional needs. This is a great food processor recipe!
I thought dark chocolate and oats inhibit iron absorption? I’m confused…I thought you had to wait an hour or 2 before you could eat chocolate or tea after a meal?
Hi Joyce, I am not a trained nutritionist. Just someone that needed more iron in their diet and threw together all of the ingredients that would taste good together and were high in iron. Please consult a professional about absorption levels etc.
How many calories per ball?
Depends how big you make them and which ingredients you include. It’s best to put your own ingredients into an online food calculator (we’ve noticed nutritional value varies greatly country to country).
Small comments:
1. I used a food processor rather than a Vitamix. Proves I need to upgrade … but still worked out. And the burning smell from the food proc motor will disappear soon enough.
2. TOAST YOUR DRY INGREDIENTS. I dry toasted the oats and coconut used for rolling separate to the other dry ingredients (minus chocolate) that I toasted in 2t coconut oil.
3. Wet hands for rolling.I made these for my wife. Unfortunately, I have issues with gout and her need for iron and my need to avoid excess iron conflict, but I snuck a ball. I am an endurance cyclist, and I think these would be awesome for cycling though.
Great ideas, Craig. And yes, these are awesome little bites for endurance sports (or even something like camping).
Leave a Reply