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Date and Nut Energy Bites Made in a Sana Juicer
Short answer. Date and nut energy bites come together quickly on a Sana horizontal juicer. Fit the homogenising (blank) screen to a Sana 707, 727 or 929, feed soft pitted dates and nuts in turns, and the auger presses them into a thick, sticky dough that you roll into balls or press into a tin. Powders such as cacao and cinnamon are stirred in by hand afterwards, because both manuals keep spices out of the juicer. Check every date for pips first. The hands-free 878 and 818 aren’t designed for this.
On this page
- Which Sana juicers make energy bites?
- Preparing dates, dried fruit and nuts
- How to make date and nut energy bites
- Date, cashew and cacao bites
- Apricot, prune and walnut bars
- Lemon and cashew bites
- Coatings and variations
- Energy bites as festive gifts
- Storing energy bites
- Cleaning up after sticky ingredients
- Frequently asked questions
Which Sana juicers make energy bites?
Energy bites use the same screen as nut butter and sorbet. It has no holes, so the auger crushes everything together and pushes it out of the end of the drum instead of separating juice from pulp.
| Sana model | Energy bites | Screen |
|---|---|---|
| Sana 707 | Yes | Homogenising (blank) screen, included |
| Sana 727 Supreme | Yes | Homogenising screen, included |
| Sana 929 Ultimate | Yes | Stainless steel homogenising screen, included |
| Sana 878 | No | Its blank screen is for sorbet |
| Sana 818 | No | Juice only |
If you have already made our peanut and cashew butter, the feel is very similar. The dates simply make the mixture stickier, so it holds together as a dough rather than a spread.
Preparing dates, dried fruit and nuts
Most of the work is in choosing and checking the ingredients. Get this right and the juicer does the rest.
- Use soft dates and check for pips. Soft, moist dates press easily. Even “pitted” dates sometimes hide a pip or a fragment, so tear each one open before it goes in. The 727 manual is clear that pits must be removed before processing, and a hard pip is exactly what damages an auger.
- Choose plump dried fruit. Soft, ready-to-eat apricots and prunes work well. If yours are hard and leathery, chop them small and feed them between dates rather than soaking them, because the 727 manual lists soaked fruit among the things not to process. Skip glacé fruit and sugar-coated fruit too: the 707 manual asks you not to use fruit preserved in sugar, honey or alcohol.
- Raw or cooled roasted nuts. Cashews and walnuts are the easiest, and the 707 manual names both among the nuts that work best. If you roast nuts for flavour, let them cool completely first. The 727 manual asks you not to expose the juicer to high temperatures.
- Keep powders and seeds out of the chute. Both manuals list sesame among the things not to process, and the 727 manual adds spices such as cinnamon and black pepper. Cacao powder, cinnamon, oats and seeds all get stirred in by hand.
How to make date and nut energy bites
- Set up. Fit the homogenising screen and put a bowl under the end of the drum. A little oil from the nuts may run from the juice outlet, so put a small container there too.
- Feed in turns. Add a few nuts, then a date, then more nuts. Nuts on their own turn to butter; dates on their own can pack the drum. Alternating keeps the mixture moving.
- Pass again if you want it smoother. One pass gives a slightly rough, crumbly dough. Tip it back in for a second pass if you prefer a fudgy texture.
- Stir in the rest. In a bowl, mix in the cacao, cinnamon, zest, salt or oats by hand.
- Roll and chill. Wet your hands slightly and roll heaped teaspoons into balls, then roll them in coconut or seeds. Chill for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
Sana’s overview of the 929 Ultimate shows cashews going through the homogenising screen, which is the same motion you’ll see here.
Date, cashew and cacao bites
This is the one we make most. Dark, fudgy and not too sweet, with a little salt to bring out the chocolate.
Date, Cashew and Cacao Bites
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Fit the homogenising screen. Put a bowl under the end of the drum and a small container under the juice outlet.
- Feed a few cashews, then a date, and keep alternating until everything has gone through.
- For a smoother, fudgier texture, tip the dough back into the chute for a second pass.
- Scrape the dough into a bowl and stir in the cacao, salt and vanilla until evenly dark.
- With slightly damp hands, roll heaped teaspoons of dough into balls of about 20 g.
- Roll each ball in the coconut and set it on a lined tray.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within about a week.
Notes
Apricot, prune and walnut bars
Tart apricots and dark prunes make a chewy, fruit-forward bar. Pressing the mixture into a tin rather than rolling it saves time when you’re making a big batch, and the bars travel well in a lunchbox or a cooler bag.
Apricot, Prune and Walnut Bars
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Check every prune for pips. If the apricots are hard, chop them into small pieces.
- Fit the homogenising screen, with a bowl under the end of the drum and a small container under the juice outlet.
- Feed the walnuts, apricots and prunes through in turns so the mixture keeps moving.
- In a bowl, work the oats, orange zest and cinnamon into the fruit and nut mixture with a spatula or your hands.
- Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined tin, about 2 cm deep.
- Chill for at least 1 hour, then lift out and cut into 10 bars.
- Keep in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within about a week.
Notes
Lemon and cashew bites
Pale, fresh and zesty, with coconut through the mixture as well as on the outside. A good one for Christmas gift jars.
Lemon and Cashew Bites
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Fit the homogenising screen, with a bowl under the end of the drum and a small container under the juice outlet.
- Feed the cashews and dates through in turns. Pass the dough through a second time if it is still crumbly.
- Stir the lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut and salt into the dough. If it feels too soft to roll, chill it for 15 minutes.
- Roll heaped teaspoons into balls of about 20 g and roll them in the remaining coconut.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within about a week.
Notes
Coatings and variations
Rolling the bites gives them a finish and stops them sticking together in the container.
- Desiccated coconut. The classic. Toast it lightly in a dry pan for extra flavour, then let it cool.
- Sesame or chia seeds. Roll the finished bites in them by hand. Seeds never go through the juicer.
- Finely chopped nuts. Pistachios look lovely against the dark cacao bites.
- Cacao powder. A light dusting makes the cacao bites look like truffles.
For variations, swap cashews for walnuts in the cacao bites, add orange zest instead of lemon, or stir a spoonful of our homemade nut butter into the dough. If you have carrot or apple pulp left over from juicing, our juice pulp recipes cover ways to use it.
Energy bites as festive gifts
A jar of homemade bites makes a thoughtful December gift. Layer them between squares of baking paper in a clean glass jar, tie on a label, and keep them in the fridge until you hand them over.
- List the ingredients on the label. Nuts, coconut and sesame are common allergens, so say clearly what’s inside.
- Keep them cool. In a hot South African December, bites soften quickly at room temperature. Ask whoever receives them to put them in the fridge.
- Make them close to the day. We make gift batches no more than a few days ahead.
For more present ideas, see our gift ideas for people who love juicing and home cooking.
Storing energy bites
Keep the bites in a sealed container in the fridge. We eat them within about a week, and they firm up nicely when cold. They also freeze well: freeze them on a tray first so they don’t stick together, then move them to a container and thaw them in the fridge.
They have no added sugar, but dates and dried fruit are naturally very sweet, so think of them as a small sweet snack rather than a meal.
Cleaning up after sticky ingredients
Clean the screen and auger straight away, before the date mixture dries on. Scrape out what you can with a spatula, then rinse and brush. The 727 manual says no dishwashing liquid and no hot water, while the 707 manual allows warm soapy water. Our guide to cleaning a Sana juicer covers each model. If someone in your home has a nut allergy, clean the juicer thoroughly before you use it for their food.
Made with a Sana juicer
Sana 707 Juicer
R9899,00
Sana 727 Supreme Juicer
Price range: R12999,00 through R14999,00
Frequently asked questions
Can I make energy bites in any Sana juicer?
No. The Sana 707, 727 and 929 make them with their homogenising screens. The 878’s blank screen is meant for sorbet, and the 818 makes juice only.
Do I need to soak the dates or dried fruit?
No, and the 727 manual lists soaked fruit among the things not to process. Use soft, moist dates and ready-to-eat dried fruit. If the fruit is hard, chop it small and feed it between softer dates.
Can I put cinnamon or cacao powder through the juicer?
Stir them in by hand afterwards. The 727 manual lists spices such as cinnamon and black pepper among the things not to process, and powders mix in easily once the dough is made.
Why do I need to check pitted dates?
Pitted dates sometimes still contain a pip or a piece of one. A hard pip can damage the screen or auger, and the 727 manual asks for all pits to be removed before processing. Tearing each date open takes a minute.
Can I use roasted nuts?
Yes, once they have cooled completely. The 727 manual asks you not to expose the juicer to high temperatures, so never feed nuts straight from the oven or pan.
How long do homemade energy bites keep?
We keep them in a sealed container in the fridge and eat them within about a week. They also freeze well if you freeze them on a tray first and thaw them in the fridge.
Sources
- Sana 727 Supreme user manual (English), Sana Products: items not to process (dry ingredients such as sesame seeds, spices, canned or soaked fruit, pits), high temperatures, feeding slowly, cleaning. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 707 user manual (English), Sana Products: nuts that work best, fruit preserved in sugar, honey or alcohol, sesame, cleaning. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 707, 727 Supreme and 929 Ultimate product pages, SanaStore: homogenising screen uses. sanastore.co.za
