This No Bake Lactation Bites recipe is easy to make, delicious, and has three galactagogues to help you boost your milk supply!
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This no bake lactation bites recipe was inspired by these energy bites from Bless this Mess! I just made a few tweaks to “lactify” them by adding additional galactagogues, and they turned out great!
I love the idea of lactation cookies that are EASY – there’s no need to haul out the electric mixer or use the oven for these, and all you need is a bowl! You just add all of the ingredients, mix them together, let the dough rest for a bit, and roll them into balls.
(One note – because the dough is so sticky, I found a cookie scoop really helpful for getting the dough out to roll into balls.)
Some common questions:
Do lactation bites work for increasing milk supply?
Breast milk supply isn’t straightforward, and what works for one woman might not work another. Some women see a supply boost with fenugreek; others see no change. Some women swear by Gatorade; it does nothing for other women.
If a given supply boosting method works, it’s due to one of two reasons:
- The galactagogues in the recipe or supplement, or
- The placebo effect (meaning that the belief something will work helps it actually work)
My thinking – this recipe has oats, brewer’s yeast, and flax seed, and these galactagogues boost supply in some women.
Since nothing is certain to work, what’s the harm in trying something delicious and relatively inexpensive?
Can I use all M&Ms or all chocolate chips?
Yes! You can use either or both, with whatever ratio you prefer.
Does it matter what kind of oats I use?
Rolled, old fashioned, or quick cooking are fine. I would not recommend steel cut oats (just because of texture, not recipe effectiveness).
What if I don’t have brewer’s yeast? Do I have to make these lactation balls with brewer’s yeast?
Brewer’s yeast is easiest to get off of amazon or in a health food store.
I totally understand not wanting to invest it a huge bag of it for one tablespoon in a recipe, and that’s fine. You can use 3 tablespoons of flax seeds instead of 2 tablespoons of flax seed and 1 tablespoon of brewer’s yeast in this recipe.
However, if you think you’ll be making lots of lactation recipes, I think it’s worth investing in a bag, as most of them use it! (You can see more lactation recipes here.)
Can I use a different kind of nut butter?
Yes, you can use any kind of nut butter (almond butter, sun butter, etc.) that you like, though it will change the taste of the lactation bites.
Hands-Free Pumping Bras
How should I store these? Can I freeze these lactation balls?
You can store the rolled balls in the fridge up to for a week.
To freeze, put the rolled lactation bites onto a plate or other flat surface to freeze individually; then transfer to a storage container. They should be fine in the freezer for 1-2 months.
No-Bake M&M and Chocolate Chip Lactation Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup oatmeal quick cooking or old-fashioned
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp flax seed
- 1 tbsp brewer’s yeast
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup mini M&Ms
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir together until well mixed.
- Cover the mixture and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Remove from the refrigerator and roll dough into 1 inch balls.
Comments & Chitchat
Nikki says
How much protein are in these?
Lauren says
Am I doing something wrong? I’ve made these twice and both times it seems like they don’t stick together very well, or a bunchhhh of the mini m&m’s or mini chocolate chips fall out. They taste great, just a pain to get them to shape into balls and not fall apart!
Shelby says
Add a table spoon more of honey and peanut butter
Jasmeen Rosales says
My kids are entrigued by the snack, can they have some??
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Yes! They won’t start lactating!
Brianna says
How much fiber is in these?
Brandi says
I used a package of instant apple cinnamon oatmeal and did a few more regular oats to make the cup, I also added a little more cinnamon and used dark chocolate chips instead. The flavors together were amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Erin says
I accidentally bought flax seed meal, will this work or will it effect the taste at all? Thank you!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Erin! I’m not 100% sure because I haven’t tested it, but I think it would be okay. Let me know how it goes!
Bailey says
Is the honey necessary for the lactation effects? Not crazy about the taste of honey and peanut butter together.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Bailey, no it’s not!
Sonia says
When do you recommend eating these? Before feeding, in between feeds? Also, do you pump with it to build up your milk supply or do you just eat these? Thanks!!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Sonia! You can eat them at any time. If you’re normally nursing you don’t necessarily need to pump, but you could try adding a pumping session a day if you’d like as well. I hope that helps – good luck!
Taylor says
Can you do without brewers yeast?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Yes! Just skip it.
Ashley says
How many calories do you think are in these ?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ashley! there are 126!
Tanel says
This is my go-to recipe. It is so versatile. I added 1/2 a teaspoon of chia seeds and used half mini chocolate chips, 1/2 coco nibs and omitted m&ms. Definitely fuels me up for constant nursing/pumping plus satisfies my sweet tooth. Thank you for sharing!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Thank you so much Tanel!
Jennifer says
How many calories are each cookie?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
126
Emily says
I found these to have an aftertaste of the very bitter brewers yeast so if I make these again may scale back slightly the 1 Tbs. Otherwise, these were so easy to make!
Lauren says
Hi Amanda!! Loving these thank you for the recipe! I was doing some light research on brewers yeast and wanted to double check-using that is ok for breastfeeding right? I’ve some conflicting info online and wanted to make sure. Let me know when possible-thank you!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Lauren! Yes, it’s fine! 🙂
Marissa says
Can you omit flaxseed if you don’t have it? Can more brewers yeast be used instead?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
You can omit the flaxseed! You can *try* more brewer’s yeast but I’m not sure how it will affect the taste. Let us know how it goes!
Noelle says
Do you just eat one a day than?
Amanda Glenn says
It’s different for different people but I think anywhere from 1-3 is good! 🙂
KW says
Can we freeze these?
Amanda Glenn says
Hi! To freeze, put the rolled lactation bites onto a plate or other flat surface to freeze individually; then transfer to a storage container. They should be fine in the freezer for 1-2 months. 🙂
Sidney says
Do you use whole flax seed or ground?
Amanda Glenn says
Ground!
Brittany says
I made them tonight. Word of advice don’t add too much candy, it causes the bites to fall apart while rolling the balls. Other than definitely follow all directions, I love the flavor of this recipe. Hoping for a boost in breast milk soon.
Tanis says
Can i keep them at room temp?
Amanda Glenn says
I wouldn’t keep them at room temp for more than a few hours. 🙂
dogear6 says
I added 1/2 tsp. salt and another 2 tbsp. of peanut butter. I did not use the M&M’s.
The recipe turned out great and my daughter felt it helped with her milk supply. It certainly helped her with being hungry and nursing frequently!
Nancy