These Protein Oatmeal Cookies are easy oatmeal cookies packed with 14 grams of protein and a delicious banana, peanut butter, and chocolate flavor. Plus, these crunchy cookies are also vegan, gluten-free, and super easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
These protein oatmeal cookies are my kid’s favorite cookies. They are inspired by my protein oatmeal raisins cookie recipe, and this new version is a hit. They have a delicious texture and are also great for grown-ups to recharge after a workout.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You don’t need fancy ingredients or kitchen appliances to make tasty, crunchy homemade protein cookies for your breakfast.
All you need to make high-protein cookies are:
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – or quick oats if you prefer.
- Vanilla Protein Powder – We use plant-based pea protein powder flavored with natural vanilla and naturally sweetened with thaumatin, a natural sweetener found in plants. Since it has only 3 ingredients, this protein powder is very healthy, has no additives, and is perfect to bake protein cookies or make protein shakes.
- Maple Syrup or any liquid sweetener you love like brown rice syrup, agave syrup, or date syrup.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – I like 70%+ cocoa powder chocolate chips, but you can use your favorite ones.
- Peanut Butter or almond butter. For a nut-free options, use sunflower seed butter.
- Mashed Banana or unsweetened applesauce.
- Melted Coconut Oil, avocado oil, light olive oil, or any vegetable oil you have on hands.
How To Make Protein Oatmeal Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the dry ingredients together: oats, protein powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl, add peanut butter, melted coconut oil, mashed banana, and maple syrup. Whisk to bring the ingredients together into a smooth batter.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir to combine and form a cookie dough that sticks well together.
- Fold in dark chocolate chips and stir to incorporate evenly.
- Using a mechanical ice cream cookie scoop, scoop some batter, and press firmly in the scoop to pack the cookie dough.
- Release on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until 9 cookies are formed.
- Use your fingers to gently press down each cookie dough ball. It will lightly crack on the sides, that’s ok use your hands to pack and smooth the edges.
- Bake in the center rack of the oven for about 17 minutes until golden brown on top.
- These cookies must cool down for a good 15 minutes on the baking sheet at room temperature before being transferred to a cooling rack. They firm up as they cool on the cookie sheet.
Storage Instructions
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. These peanut butter protein cookies are also freezer-friendly, perfect to meal prep healthy protein snacks.
Simply pop the cookies in sealed zip-lock bags and store them for up to a month. Thaw the cookies at room temperature the day before serving.
Variations
You can use this peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe to create a range of cookie flavors.
Try some of the options below to make delicious flavors:
- Chocolate Protein Cookies – Use chocolate protein powder and use chocolate-flavored nut butter to enhance the chocolate flavor of the cookies.
- Apple Raisins – Swap the mashed banana for apple sauce, stir in dry raisins instead of the chocolate chips.
- Pumpkin Protein Cookies – Replace the mashed banana with canned pumpkin puree. Use pumpkin pie spices instead of cinnamon. You can use half dark chocolate chips and half chopped pecans or walnuts to add fall flavors.
- Protein Oatmeal and Seeds Cookies – Replace the chocolate chips with a combo of 1/4 cup of hemp seeds, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds.
Allergy Swaps
If you have some food allergies, try some of the options below.
- Nut-Free – Use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
- Gluten-Free – Pick a gluten-free oat brand.
- Pea-Free – Use any other plant-based protein powder like soy, hemp, or peanut protein powder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are my answers to your most common questions about this recipe.
Protein powder is highly liquid absorbent, and it makes cookie batter dry, resulting in powdery cookies.
To add protein powder to cookies, you must increase liquid, especially the binder, like flax egg, mashed banana, or apple sauce.
This is the key to cookies that hold together and to avoid dry and fragile cookies.
Protein cookies are cookies with added protein powder to create a n healthy post work out snack or filling breakfast on the go.
Protein cookies are usually made from healthier ingredients like healthier fat and less sugar.
More High-Protein Snacks
If you like these protein oatmeal cookies, you’ll love these other high-protein snacks.
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Protein Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rolled Oats
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons Protein Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Peanut Butter - unsalted
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
- ⅓ cup Mashed Banana - or unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil
- ⅓ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the dry ingredients together: rolled oats, plant-based protein powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until all the dry ingredients are evenly combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add cooled, melted coconut oil, unsalted peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and mashed banana. Whisk all the wet ingredients together until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Stir to bring the ingredients together into a moist cookie dough.
- Fold in chocolate chips and stir again to evenly incorporate..
- Use a cookie dough scoop to grab some of the cookie dough.
- Use the palm of your hand to press and pack firmly the batter in the scoop.
- Release the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until you form 9 large cookies, leaving half a thumb of space between each cookie.
- Use your fingers to press down and lightly flatten the cookies. If the sides crack, use your hands to smoothen the edges and pack the cookies.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) on the center rack of your oven until golden brown on the edges – about 17-19 minutes.
- Cool down on the baking sheet without touching the cookies for 15 minutes. They need to rest on the cookie sheet to firm up, don't touch them, or they may fall apart when warm.
- Slide a spatula under each cookie to gently transfer it to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely at room temperature before storing.
Storage
- Store the protein oatmeal cookies in a cookie jar or airtight sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature.
I used peanut butter powder for the 2 tbsp of protein powder and used sugar free peanut butter. So delish.
These are delicious! I will definitely
be making them again!