Healthy No Bake Cookies

These easy no bake cookies are naturally vegan, gluten-free, low in sugar, and made with just a handful of pantry ingredients. You’ll make this irresistible family favorite again and again!

It always seems like my kids want to make cookies at the worst times…like when the oven is already full or when it’s 90+ degrees outside or when I’m in the middle of several other projects.

I hate saying no, so I went out searching for a good no bake cookie recipe that my kids could make on their own, and that was healthier than most.

We made some tweaks and settled on these easy no bake cookies, which we’ve had pretty much on repeat since then!

HEALTHY NO BAKE COOKIE RECIPE

While testing recipes for this healthy no bake cookie recipe, I came across several recipes that LOOKED good…

• Some only had 3 ingredients
• Others were made with a lot of brown sugar
• A few were made without milk…
• And I found some that were made with banana (which just seems weird for a cookie recipe to me)

None of these things are BAD, per se. But I didn’t want a cookie that was super sweet and honestly, I didn’t want to use bananas.

I like bananas in my Caramelized Banana Bread and in my 5 Ingredient Banana Bread Muffins and especially in my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Ice Cream…but not in my cookies!

CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE COOKIES

After some tweaking, we ended up with no-bake cookies that are:

• Made without butter
• SUPER easy and fast to make
• Use a lot less granulated sugar (with the option to increase the quality)
• Naturally vegan + gluten-free
• Made with 8 ingredients you likely already have on hand, and they’re all from the pantry (no milk, eggs, or butter necessary!)
• Just sweet enough, without the guilt!

Both my kids and my husband requested that we make this sweet treat again, and I have to say yes because they’re so good!

HEALTHY NO BAKE COOKIES INGREDIENTS

I regularly keep everything for these cookies in my pantry, and I bet you do too!

• Peanut Butter. Use crunchy peanut butter if you like the texture, or creamy peanut butter if you like it smooth. If you use natural peanut butter, make sure you’ve poured off the excess oil. (See my note below.)
• Coconut Oil. You want virgin coconut oil here, the kind that is solid at room temperature. This will help your cookies firm up once they’re mixed together.
• Granulated Sugar. I chose to use coconut sugar, but you can use any kind of granulated sugar, including white or brown. (Psst! Here’s how to make homemade brown sugar!)
• Dark Chocolate Chips. Mini dark chocolate chips are perfect for this recipe.
• Honey. Just a little bit goes a long way! (I use this brand)
• Coconut Flakes. These add texture and flavor to the no-bake cookies.
• Quick Cooking Oats. You can easily make these with old fashioned oats instead of quick oats if that’s what you keep on hand.
• Cinnamon (optional). You only need a pinch here, and the cookie won’t taste like cinnamon! Cinnamon tricks your taste buds into thinking something is sweeter than it actually is (vanilla extract and coconut flakes do the same thing!).

If you’re looking for a Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies Recipe, use this one! It’s SO GOOD!

USING NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER IN CHOCOLATE NO BAKE COOKIES

The oil in natural peanut butter tends to separate, so here’s what I do to keep this from happening:

1. Open a new jar of peanut butter. Pour the whole thing (oil and all) into a food processor (I have this one) or blender (I have this one).
2. Blend the peanut butter until the oil is well incorporated into the solids. You may have to do this in batches. The peanut butter is super thick, and you don’t want to overheat your appliance!
3. When you’re done, scoop the peanut butter back into the jar.
4. Store the jar in the FRIDGE, upside down.

The Harvard School of Public Health says that natural peanut butter contains healthy fats, as well as vitamins and minerals, which are important for our health. A definite win-win!

HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE OATMEAL COOKIES INSTRUCTIONS

These healthy no bake oatmeal cookies come together SUPER fast and require no baking at all. You can even skip the stove!

Step 1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, wax paper, or a silpat mat.

Step 2. Melt the peanut butter and coconut oil together in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Alternatively, melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.

Step 3. Stir in all the other ingredients until everything is well combined.

Step 4. Scoop the mixture onto prepared baking sheets with a cookie scoop. Flatten slightly and chill in the fridge. When they’re solid, enjoy!

UNBAKED COOKIES FAQS

MORE HEALTHY COOKIE RECIPES

• Chocolate Unbaked Oatmeal Cookies
• Molasses Breakfast Cookies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• Healthy Thumbprint Cookies
• Shortbread Cookies
• Pumpkin Cookies with Naturally Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting