Name: Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted) (natural, creamy, fresh jar); 1/4 cup Maple Syrup; 1/4 cup Coconut Oil (melted (measure melted!)); 1 teaspoon Vanilla; 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder; 1 cup Quick Oats (also called instant oats (note 1)); 1/4 teaspoon Salt; 1/4 cup Chopped Almond

These Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies with peanut butter are fudgy chocolate cookies ready in 15 minutes and full of nourishing ingredients to start the day. Plus, the recipe is refined-sugar-free and gluten-free.

Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies stacked on a table.

No-bake Oatmeal Cookies are simple, healthy cookies made with ingredients that don’t require any baking.

They have a rich, fudgy texture and the oats bring a delicious crunch and texture.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

The 8 basic ingredients you need to start these no-bake oatmeal cookies are:

Ingredients for Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies

Creamy Peanut Butter – You can also use a different type of nut butter in this recipe like almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option. Another option is to use powdered peanut butter. In fact, powdered peanut butter contains less saturated fat, and it will boost the healthy profile of these no-bake cookies. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to re-hydrate your powdered peanut butter using water or almond milk. Then, add the mixture to the recipe in the same amount as peanut butter. Finally, if you like your cookies crunchy, opt for crunchy peanut butter. However, make sure that your crunchy peanut butter jar is fresh and creamy, and runny, or the cookie will end up dry. Find out how to pick vegan peanut butter.
Maple Syrup – Any other liquid sweeteners work, including agave syrup, rice syrup, or date syrup. Since the recipe is vegan, we don’t recommend honey as an option. However you could also use brown sugar or coconut sugar in this recipe, but you will have to melt it in a saucepan with peanut butter and coconut oil.
Coconut Oil – You can’t replace coconut in this recipe as it is the key ingredient to get crunchy cookies after you refrigerate them. In fact, coconut oil solidifies under 23°C, and it’s what makes no-bake cookies harder than their baked counterpart. Note that refined coconut oil has no coconut flavor compared to unrefined coconut oil.
Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
Instant Oats – Also known as quick oats, are the best choice for this recipe. In fact, old-fashioned oats are thicker and don’t make a soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookie as instant oats would. Instant oats are very natural too. It is a precooked, dried, and slightly finer oatmeal than rolled oats. Its thin texture makes no-bake oatmeal cookies tastier, less coarse, dry, or dense. If you prefer to use old-fashioned oats, I recommend you pulse them a few times in a food processor to get a finer texture.
Cocoa Powder – I prefer to use unsweetened cocoa powder to make it easier to balance the sweetness. Use a high-quality option for a strong chocolate taste.
Almonds – This is optional and can be replaced by many other ingredients like vegan chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chunks), chopped nuts like walnuts, pecan, or even shredded coconut.

How To Make No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies

It takes just 10 minutes to make these no-bake oatmeal cookies, and it’s the perfect recipe to meal prep your vegan snacks or breakfast.

First, you need to gather and measure all your ingredients.
Combine the maple syrup with vanilla and fresh runny peanut butter. You must use natural peanut butter with no added oil or added sugar. In fact, added oil will make the cookies softer, and they won’t crunch. Also, added sugar would make this recipe too sweet, and it wouldn’t be a healthy no-bake peanut butter cookie recipe with so much sugar in it. If your peanut butter jar has been opened for a while, it can be a bit hard and less oily.

Combining peanut butter and maple syrup.

To easily combine all the liquid ingredients, you can stir them in a small saucepan under medium heat or microwave the bowl for 20 seconds. The heat will help the peanut butter dissolve with the melted coconut oil and vanilla, creating a shiny paste.

Combining Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies ingredients in a bowl.

Add all the dry ingredients into the previous mixture and stir with a spoon until it forms a thick chocolate cookie batter. The batter will be sticky, and that’s normal.

Forming Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies with a cookie spoon.

Choose a tool like a standard measuring tablespoon or an ice cream scoop maker. Next, oil slightly the inside of the tool to prevent the cookie batter from sticking to it.
Then, scoop the raw cookie dough and place each cookie dough ball on a plate covered with parchment paper.
Repeat these steps until no more cookie batter is left.

Flattening Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies.

You should form 16 cookie balls. Finally, oil your fingers and press each raw cookie dough ball into a thick cookie.
There are two options to set no-bake cookies. First, you can pop the plate with your no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes. This is the fastest option to set the cookies and get a nice crunchy cookie to enjoy straight away. But if you have time or don’t have a freezer, pop the plate in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.

Storage Instructions

There are two options here. First, you can store these no-bake oatmeal cookies in the fridge, preferably in a sealed container to keep them fresh and moist. The no-bake chocolate cookies last up to 1 week in the fridge, then the texture gets moist, but they will still be delicious.

The second option is to freeze the cookie in a sealed box or in silicone bags. They will defrost in 1 hour at room temperature on the countertop.

Add-Ons

Here are some ideas to add to your no-bake peanut butter cookies and make them even more delicious!

Chia Seeds – for a boost of plant-based protein and healthy fats.
Chocolate Drizzle – melt some dark chocolate and add a chocolate drizzle on top of your cookies just before you refrigerate them. The melted chocolate will harden in the fridge and add a delicious crunchy texture to these healthy no-bake cookies.
Shredded Coconut – replace the almonds in the recipe with coconut.

Serving Suggestions

An oatmeal cookie is a delicious breakfast or snack. Since these no-bake peanut butter cookies are vegan, the best way to serve them is with:

A glass of nut-free milk – almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk
A protein shake – the healthy slow carbs from these refined sugar-free cookies will complement the protein powder’s nutrients well. It will result in a perfectly balanced vegan breakfast. And, if you are a peanut butter lover, why not using peanut butter powder in your shake? Peanut butter powder is vegan and marries very well with peanut butter chocolate cookies.

Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies stacked with the top one half-bitten.

More No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies

I love healthy no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies and bars for breakfast because they are easy, healthy, and perfect for busy mornings. Below I listed my favorite peanut butter oatmeal cookies that you may want to try!

No-bake Peanut Butter Cookies

No-Bake Protein Cookies

No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies

No-Bake Vegan Cookies

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