Bright Bliss Balls: Citrus, Matcha, and Lavender
Light, fresh, and full of sunshine: four no-bake bliss balls for spring and summer, with coconut and lime, matcha and lime, matcha and pistachio with orange, and lemon and lavender, rolled in pink beet powder.
Yield: 12–20 balls per batch · Active: 10–15 min · Total: 30–45 min, including chilling · Best in North America in spring and summer · Best eaten: mid-morning or early afternoon
New to bliss balls? Start with my Classic Bliss Balls for how they work, plus chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors.
Check out my Hazelnut Cacao Truffles post too!
1. Coconut Lime Ball
Bright, tropical, and summery, like a bite of key lime pie.
1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut (1 cup for the dough, ½ cup for rolling)
½ cup cashews
12 Medjool dates, pitted
Zest of 2 limes and the juice of 1
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Sprouted oat option: Use ½ cup sprouted rolled oats in place of ½ cup of the coconut in the dough.
Pulse 1 cup coconut and the cashews to a coarse meal. Add the remaining ingredients, and process until the mixture holds together. Roll into balls, and roll them in the remaining coconut. Makes about 16.
2. Matcha Lime Ball
Light and refreshing, with grassy matcha and zesty lime.
2 cups cashews
2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut (1½ cups for the dough, ½ cup for rolling)
1 tsp matcha powder
½ cup maple syrup
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Pulse the cashews and 1½ cups coconut to a fine meal. Add the matcha, maple syrup, lime zest and juice, and salt, and process until the mixture holds together. Roll into balls, and roll them in the remaining coconut. Makes about 20.
3. Matcha Pistachio Ball with Orange
Bright and surprising: matcha, orange, and pistachio, with an optional dark chocolate dip.
1 cup blanched almond flour (or 1 cup sprouted rolled oats)
½ cup cashews
⅓ cup pistachios, plus more, crushed, for garnish
1 tbsp coconut flour
¼ cup coconut sugar
1–2 tsp matcha powder
½ tsp vanilla bean powder (or ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract)
2 tsp orange zest
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
2 tbsp raw honey (or maple syrup)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp water, as needed
Optional chocolate dip: 9 oz dark chocolate (75% or darker, ideally sweetened with coconut sugar)
Pulse all the dry ingredients in a food processor. Add the honey, coconut oil, and water, and pulse until the mixture holds together. Roll into 15–20 balls.
To dip (optional): Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water. Dip or drizzle each ball, sprinkle with crushed pistachios while the chocolate is still wet, and refrigerate until set.
4. Lemon Lavender Ball
Creamy cashew and lemon, with a whisper of lavender, rolled in pink beet powder and coconut. These also star in my Raw Lemon Lavender Cheesecake post.
1 cup cashews
2 tbsp coconut flour
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked 5 minutes
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, plus more for garnish
1 tsp dried culinary lavender
½ tbsp coconut oil
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
To roll: ¼ cup beet powder and ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Pulse all the ingredients in a food processor until they hold together when pressed, but still have some texture. Roll into 1-inch balls between damp palms, then roll each ball in beet powder, then in shredded coconut, and top with a pinch of lemon zest. Chill 15 minutes, until firm. Makes about 12.
Turmeric-lavender variation: Process 1 cup cashews, 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, ½ cup maple syrup (or ⅓ cup, for less sweet), the zest and juice of 1 lemon, ½ tsp ground turmeric (for a sunny yellow color), and 1–2 drops food-grade lavender oil, to taste, until it holds together. Roll into balls, then in beet powder and shredded coconut.
A note on lavender: Use only culinary lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, or English lavender), labeled food-grade. Other varieties, like lavandin, have more camphor and taste medicinal. Lavender oil is far more potent than the dried flowers, so add it a drop at a time.
Storage
Refrigerated up to 2 weeks in an airtight container, or frozen up to 3 months. Let them sit 10 minutes before serving. Keep the chocolate-dipped balls in the fridge.
A note on caffeine: Matcha contains caffeine, so enjoy the matcha balls by early afternoon.
A note on "raw": Every cashew sold has been heat-treated to remove the caustic oil in its shell, so "raw" here means no-bake.
A note on honey: The raw honey stays raw, since it's never heated. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Matcha is the powdered green tea of Japan's tea ceremony. Since you eat the whole leaf, rather than steeping it, you get far more of its catechins (especially EGCG) and L-theanine, an amino acid that creates a calm, focused energy and balances the caffeine. Matcha is grown in shade for the last weeks before harvest, which deepens its color and gives it its savory, umami flavor.
Lemon and lime — vitamin C, plus d-limonene, the aromatic compound in citrus zest, which gives these balls their bright flavor.
Culinary lavender has a sweet, floral, slightly herbal flavor, and it's beautiful with lemon, vanilla, and honey. Lavender has long been used to promote calm.
Beet powder does color work, not flavor work. The bright pink powder sticks to the freshly rolled balls and holds its color in the fridge, and in this small amount, you can't taste it. Pitaya powder makes a similar pink, and freeze-dried raspberry powder makes a slightly fruity one.
Cashews — magnesium, copper, and zinc, plus the creamiest texture when blended.
Pistachios — vitamin B6, potassium, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Coconut and coconut oil — lauric acid and fiber.
Medjool dates — potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
As a circadian food, these bright bliss balls are best mid-morning or early afternoon, when your body handles natural sugars most gracefully. Light and refreshing, they're perfect for warm spring and summer days.
For your cycle: These light, citrus-bright bites are especially lovely in the follicular and ovulatory phases.
Sourcing
Cashews — organic (every cashew sold has been heat-treated, even "raw" ones)
Pistachios — organic, California or Sicilian
Almond flour and coconut flour — organic (keep the almond flour in the fridge)
Sprouted rolled oats (optional) — organic, like One Degree Organic Foods
Shredded and desiccated coconut and coconut flakes — organic, unsweetened, and sulfite-free
Medjool dates — organic, soft, and plump, like Joolies
Matcha — organic, ceremonial or culinary grade from Japan, ideally tested for heavy metals
Culinary lavender and lavender oil — organic, food-grade Lavandula angustifolia
Beet powder — organic, with nothing added
Turmeric — organic and non-irradiated
Lemons, limes, and oranges — organic (you're using the zest)
Coconut oil — organic and virgin, like Nutiva
Raw honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar — organic, local, unfiltered raw honey; organic Grade A dark maple syrup; organic coconut sugar
Dark chocolate (optional) — organic, 75% or darker, ideally sweetened with coconut sugar and tested for heavy metals, like Hu
Vanilla — organic vanilla bean powder or pure vanilla extract
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall