Chocolate, cinnamon-y, maca-goodness! These balls are no-bake, totally plant-based (aka vegan) and have been made a gazillion times in the McJordan home.
If you remember the first version of this recipe, I'm impressed, because that means you've been reading my blog for six years! These Sexy Maca Balls were so popular that they even made it into my first book Joyous Health and they are as loved as my Carrot Cake Balls.
I have to admit, I was kinda over balls and haven't made them in about a year but I recently shared the recipe on a segment I did on The Goods (airing in February) and everyone on set was in love with them! My segment was about smashing sugar cravings and these sexy maca balls were the featured recipe. This inspired me to give them a remake and film a video! See below for that :)
The key ingredients in this recipe that make them sexy are maca, raw cacao and goji berries.
If you're not a fan of goji berries (they have a distinct flavour), no problem, just swap with dried blueberries or cranberries instead.
The most noteworthy ingredient in my recipe is definitely maca. Have you ever used it before? I used to put it in my smoothies all the time when I was a personal trainer with the intention of boosting my energy.
Maca is a well-known and loved adaptogen. Adaptogens are natural substances derived from plants or botanicals that help the body adapt to stress, anxiety and fatigue.
Maca has been used traditionally in South America for over two thousand years to help with stamina, energy and libido. It has also been said to be hormonally balancing and shown promise for improving sexual function in research, hence the name Sexy Maca Balls, teehee! If your sex drive has taken a nose dive, I don't know that maca is the answer. I would say, do everything you can to limit stress first including addressing lifestyle factors that may be contributing to your stress.
Before I share it with you, I already know what kinds of questions you're going to ask me, so here are my answers ahead of time.
Can you eat these if you're pregnant or breastfeeding?
Yes, the amount of maca you're likely consuming over the course of day by eating two or three of these balls is not a concern, in my opinion. And yes, I consumed maca when I was pregnant but I was not using it as a natural health supplement.
Should you have maca every single day if you're pregnant or breastfeeding?
Probably not. There's not enough research to support the safety of maca root during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
What maca brand do I recommend?
I used Navitas Naturals in this recipe. You can find it on Amazon here.
Okay here's the video and recipe. Enjoy friends!
Ingredients
- 1.5 tsp maca powder
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup raw almond or cashews
- 1/4 cup goji berries or dried cranberries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8-10 soft medjool dates, pit removed
Instructions
- If your medjool dates are dry, I would recommend soaking them for 30 minutes - 1 hour first in warm water.
- Toss all ingredients into a high powder blender or preferably a food processor and blend until crumbly.
- If the texture is lacking moisture, add a very small splash of water and keep adding until it reaches a texture that clumps nicely into balls.
- Rolls into 1.5 inch balls.
Notes
Makes 15-18 balls.
Troubleshooting:
1. Batter not forming into balls easily? Add a few more medjool dates.
2. Not sweet enough? Add 1 tbsp of maple syrup.
3. What brand of maca should you buy? See my post above for a link.
There you have it! Easy recipe right? Make a double batch and freeze them. They will be good for months if you freeze them or about about 7-10 days if you store them in the fridge. They never last that long in the McJordan home though!
If you really love maca, let me know and I will create more recipes with it. Just comment below!
Have a joyous week and be sure to tag me on social media @joyoushealth & #joyoushealth as I love to see what you make!
Joy
Wow you posted it so quick. Thank you! Sooooooo trying this recipe and Maca ;) My life has literally changed since I discovered you a few months ago. I asked my family for both of your books for my bday next week. ❤️
ReplyHey Raquel! Thank you so much for your kind words :) I'll be sure to pass them along to Joy! You are going to LOVE this recipe! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hey Raquel! That's so sweet, I hope all your birthday wishes come true!
I love maca! I put it in my smoothie every morning. I use it for hormone regulating. Didn’t know it was a libido booster but that’s fun too! Haha Xx Gabriella Pastelsandpastries.com
ReplyHey Gabriella, That's amazing! Haha yes, maca comes with many perks ;) Definitely, make use of it wherever you can! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Love the sexy balls! And yes please - more maca recipes! I discovered your blog about a month ago and am so inspired! Thank you for all the delicious recipes and helpful information.
ReplyHey Patricia! Thanks so much for your kind words :) More maca recipes - got it! We're so happy to hear you've been enjoying all things Joyous Health and we're so happy to have you here! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Do you think I can substitute apricots instead of dates? I can't eat dates.
ReplySounds great! Could I make these with Matcha powder, or do you have a similar "ball" recipe using that?
ReplyHey Judith, We don't have a matcha energy ball recipe on the blog yet but I'm sure swapping the maca for matcha would be a lovely addition! Let us know if you end up trying it :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
This sounds delicious! Is there a substitute for nuts though?
ReplyHey Jessica, We've only ever made it with nuts, but I'm sure you could make use of seeds like sunflower seeds and maybe shredded coconut? The texture and taste may vary though. Rachel - Joyous Health Team
I love the original recipe, and this revamped version looks terrific! I would love to see more recipes with maca, as other adaptogens (particularly ginseng) make me feel sick :( I have a pile of stressors in life right now but none of them are things that can be resolved I'm afraid. Tiny meditation moments and nutritious eating are getting me through!
ReplyHey Nicole, Thanks so much for your kind words! We're so happy to hear you're a fan. We love this recipe too and we'll definitely keep your feedback in mind since we love maca around here too :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Can you share with us why you decided to give these sexy little balls a makeover? Has the nutrition increased? Still yummy as ever!
ReplyHey Katie-Ann, It was more so a make over in the photo department ;) but the measurements have changed slightly. There's a bit more cacao powder in thes ones compared to the old ones and the amount of nuts used vary. But they still taste like the same old Sexy Maca Balls you know and [hopefully] love! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Really sticky, any suggestions?
ReplyHey Sharon, Sticky isn't a bad thing necessarily! Did you add too much water or medjool dates? You could always add a bit more cashews or almonds but if you followed the recipe, they should be more of a dough-like texture. Rachel - Joyous Health Team
I did the Sexy Maca balls recipe before seeing the video and my splash of water was way too big. The mixture was way too sticky to make balls so I made a spread. I will try again and keep them in the freezer for my sugar craving. Please remind me of the brand you used and please make more recipies with the Maca Powder.
ReplyIf this happens again, just add more nuts and/or raw cacao. It will help to dry out the mixture. That's the great thing about raw recipes. If you make a mistake, you can very easily correct it. Hope that helps!
Calories per sexy Maca ball?
ReplyI'm not sure, as I don't count calories myself, I really don't know. My philosophy is to eat whole foods and not calorie count. I hope you can still enjoy them!
What type of maca did you use? I have black but the flavor is so strong and really over powers (not in a good way).
ReplyRecently I've been using New Chapter's fermented organic maca. It has a really nice flavour.
I've made these twice now, the really yummy, the second time I rolled them in shredded coconut.
ReplyMmm! That sounds amazing Rachel! Good addition :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Do you let your daughter have the Maca balls? My guess is they are safe, I'm just not sure my kids need any extra energy!
ReplyHey Emily, Yes, Joy will give them to Vienna because she will be consuming the maca in such small doses that it won't effect her little body as much :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hey, thank you for this great recipe. It sound delicious. I discover you 6 mounth ago and all your videos help me changing my life. Yesterday i received your book Joyous detox and i can't wait to read it all. Please tell me if in this recipe i must hydrate raw cashew or raw almond before ? Thank you very much for all.
ReplyHi, can I not use the chocolate chips? Will this change the texture? Or can I use sunflower seeds instead of the chocolate chips?
ReplyHey Grace, You can definitely use the chocolate chips or sunflower seeds! :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
We love these! I add a scoop of chocolate multi collagen powder as well.
ReplyGreat idea!
Oh, man, these are GOOD! The cinnamon makes them spicy. I used goji berries and I found they didn't add a strange flavour at all. Please, more maca recipes - I quite like the taste of it.
ReplyGlad you love these Andrea! Try my Maca Hot Chocolate -- it's incredible too! https://www.joyoushealth.com/27275-blog-maca-hot-chocolate
Just made these and they are wonderful! Great recipe! How do I store them? On the counter or in the fridge?
ReplyThey will last longer in the fridge. A solid week refrigerated or up to a few months in the freezer.
Hi Pls make more MACA roles i love it.
ReplyHave you tried my Maca Freezer Fudge? https://www.joyoushealth.com/27240-blog-maca-chocolate-hazelnut-freezer-fudge
Or my Maca Hot Chocolate? https://www.joyoushealth.com/27275-blog-maca-hot-chocolate
Both delicious!!
Had all the ingredients but didn't know what to do... THESE were the perfect answer.... they are AMAZING!!!Thank you!!
ReplyOh I love when that happens!
Yes please! more recipes using maca powder would be great.
ReplyHave you tried this Maca Freezer Fudge? https://www.joyoushealth.com/27240-blog-maca-chocolate-hazelnut-freezer-fudge
Or this Maca Hot Chocolate? https://www.joyoushealth.com/27275-blog-maca-hot-chocolate
Both delicious! Enjoy!
great, now that warmer weather weather is coming (finally) to Toronto area, I will give the fudge a try. BTW, I have made the Maca Balls so many times and took them to a girls cottage weekend and they all wanted the recipe! I also keep them stored in tupperware in the freezer and have one when I'm needing a sweet fix. They don't freeze. Served them again last night for dessert and yup, they want the recipe. Keep up the great work, you do such a fantastic job in making eating clean a) not uber complicated and b) taste good!! Thanks!
ReplyAwesome! So happy to hear you're loving this recipe! It's one of my faves too. thanks!
Hi Joy. You've mentioned two different brands of Maca in this blog/comments section. The first one mentioned was Navitas and when I checked it out on Amazon.ca, it said gelatinized maca powder. Is that the one? I think I read the gelatinized is easier to digest? The other was the New Chapter's fermented organic maca. Is one preferred over the other? Your raw carrot cakes balls are the perfect fix for my sweet cravings but I wanted to find something to fix my chocolate cravings as well. Thanks!!
ReplyI've used both but lately I've been using the New Chapter maca because the fermentation makes it super easy to digest and the nutrients are amplified when it's fermented. Hope that helps! I don't think I meant to link to "gelatinized".
I would like to get your newsletter etc.
ReplyHi Michelle, you can add your email here to get my newsletter: https://hi.joyoushealth.com/news/
I was super skeptical about trying these. I am new to eating healthy, so I was not sure whether I would like these or not. I have to say, these are so amazing! I absolutely love them! I am so happy I have found a super simple snack I can take with me on the go. I cannot wait to make more Joyous Health recipes! (:
ReplyHurray! So glad to hear you love them. Try my carrot cake balls: https://www.joyoushealth.com/15652-blog-my-famous-raw-carrot-cake-balls-recipe or carrot cake cookies next: https://www.joyoushealth.com/27276-blog-carrot-cake-cookies
So easy and delicious! I'll definitely make these again!!
ReplyGlad to hear it!
Joy, I can’t wait to make the sexy maca balls and have everything but the dates just used them for the banana muffins. Substitute idea so I can avoid the grocery store. Thanks. Your recipes are amazing. Are all these in your new cookbook? I have your first, bought the second for a friends and need to buy myself the new one
ReplyYou definitely need dates for this recipe because they are the glue that holds everything together. If you have dried figs that might work because they are also sticky. Glad you love this recipe! Only a max of 20% of the recipes in each of my cookbooks are recipes you'll find on my site, otherwise they are all new! You can get my new book right here: https://www.joyoushealth.com/24215-product-the-joyous-cookbook-real-food-nourishing-recipes-for-everyday-living
And I will sign it for you! :)
I am a huge fan of maca and whipped these up for the first time last night! I 100% agree that these are a sugar craving crusher! My husband likes sweet things from time to time, and these were perfect to make. I'm going to make another batch for some girlfriends that are swinging by the house in a few weeks as a parting gift!
ReplyThat's so nice of you to make this for your hubby and girlfriends. I love these balls too! I was just thinking about them the other day. Thank you for the reminder - I need to whip up a batch!!
I have the joyous cook book and decided to make these today. Have a batch in the fridge as we speak can't wait to have one with a cup of tea in the afternoon. I glad I found this video even though it's after the fact.Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Patricia Smith
ReplyEnjoy this recipe Patricia! It's super tasty!
These are yummy! I did hydrate my dates and goji berries before hand as they were really dry, so it did make the mixture a bit sticky. I was able to get them into balls though and they taste great. Thank you for all the fabulous recipes!
ReplyYou're so welcome, I love making this recipe around the holidays. One of my forever faves!
Where do i buy maca and what is it? Never heard of it.But i want to make it saunds healthy.
ReplyAny health food store will sell it. You can also buy it on amazon. Here is a good brand: https://amzn.to/3qsnSgE
These are so TASTY!!! Perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and satisfying. Rolled them in coconut at the end.
ReplyGlad you found this recipe and love it! Rolling them in coconut is a great idea!