Healthy vegan cookies are made with just 4 ingredients - banana, oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips for a quick and healthy snack you can feel great about giving the kids. Vegan and gluten-free!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
This post was sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
You're going to love these healthy vegan cookies! They are chewy, sweet, and filled with flavor in every bite. They are so good, you're not going to believe that they are made with just 4 easy ingredients!
Yep, these cookies are made from a combination of peanut butter, oats, bananas, and chocolate chips for a delicious and healthy treat that you can feel great about eating.
And best of all? This vegan cookie recipe is highly versatile! Feel free to swap out the chocolate chips for peanuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, or cranberries. Whatever you do you are going to love these easy vegan cookies.
Step-by-Step Recipe Video
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Nothing fancy to see here! This vegan cookie recipe requires only 4 easy-to-find ingredients; most of which you probably already have on hand! And this recipe offers a ton of variation!
Here is everything you'll need:
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Old Fashioned Oats - Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to brand of rolled oats and the only one I recommend. They offer a great selection of non-GMO whole grains to support healthy lifestyles for all. Read all about why I love Bob’s Red Mill below. Note: If you are gluten-free, make sure to look for Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats.
- Bananas - Use overly ripe bananas. This gives the recipe more sweetness and flavor while also being easier to mash and incorporate with the other ingredients.
- Natural Peanut Butter - Allergic to peanuts? No problem! This can be replaced with any nut or seed butter.
- Vegan Chocolate Chip - Feel free to swap these out for raisins, cranberries, or a variety of nuts and seeds.
My Go-To Oats
Bob’s Red Mill is a 100% employee-owned company, one of only 8,000 companies in the US to achieve this spectacular feat. If that weren’t enough to celebrate, they also have one of the largest lines of organic whole grain foods in the country.
For over three decades, the company has been committed to providing people everywhere with the best quality, whole grain foods available. All of their products are certified Kosher and made with ingredients grown from non-GMO seeds. Their minimally processed foods are about as close to nature as you can get, and they package everything in clear bags so you can see the quality of their products for yourself!
And you can taste the difference! These oats are thick, rich in flavor, perfectly textured, and simply the best on the market.
Find Bob’s Red Mill at your local grocery store to see why I’m such a huge fan of their fabulous product line.
Recommended Equipment
For this cookie recipe, you will need a mixing bowl, basic kitchen equipment, a baking sheet, silicone baking mats, and a wire cooling rack. (<<affiliate links)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Mash the Banana
First, place the bananas in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until mostly smooth. A few lumps are okay!
Pro Tip: Use overly ripe bananas. This gives the recipe more sweetness and flavor while also being easier to mash and incorporate into the remaining ingredients.
Step Two - Combine Ingredients
Next, add the oats and peanut butter. Stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips or your preferred mix-ins.
Taste and adjust. If the dough is too dry, add a little more peanut butter. If the dough feels too wet, add ¼ cup more oats.
Step Three - Bake the Cookies
Finally, drop spoonfuls of batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until they are golden brown on the outside with a thin crust.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Serve immediately as an afternoon snack or evening dessert. These cookies are healthy, delicious, and kid-approved!
Storing - Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let thaw for 30 minutes before enjoying.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to use very ripe bananas. This adds sweetness to the recipe. Ripe bananas are also easier to incorporate into the batter.
- I use natural peanut butter which tends to be looser than conventional peanut butter. If you are using conventional peanut butter, consider adding ¼--½ more banana.
- These cookies are delicious on their own but also make a great base for so many add-in options. A few of my favorite add-ins are raisins, chia seeds, nuts, and vanilla extract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! For a gluten-free cookie, use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Oats which are certified gluten free!
For sure! If you have a peanut allergy, or simply don't like peanut butter, you can swap it out for any other kind of nut or seed butter.
Because all nut butters have slightly different consistencies and bananas are different sizes, you may just need to make minor adjustments to get the right texture of the dough. If the dough is too sticky, add extra oats. If it's falling apart, you will need to add a little more nut butter. In the end, the dough should hold together easily without sticking to your fingers.
For sure! This recipe is highly versatile! Feel free to swap out the chocolate chips for raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cookies
Healthy Vegan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill Old Fashioned Oats
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup chocolate chips, or mix-ins of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the bananas in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Mash them until the bananas are mostly smooth. A few lumps are okay.
- Once the bananas are mashed, add the oats and peanut butter, stirring until everything is well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Taste and adjust. If the dough is too dry, add a little more peanut butter. If the dough feels too wet, add ¼ cup more oats.
Notes
- Make sure to use very ripe bananas. This adds sweetness to the recipe. Ripe bananas are also easier to incorporate into the batter.
- These cookies are delicious on their own but also make a great base for so many add-in options. A few of my favorite add-ins are raisins, chia seeds, nuts, and vanilla extract.
- If you have a peanut allergy, you can swap it out for any other kind of nut butter
- For gluten-free cookies, make sure to look for gluten-free oats.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Anna says
Do you refrigerate these after making them? Or how long do you think they stay good for?
Sarah says
They don't last very long - two or three days max. I would keep them out at room temp.
Stephanie says
We had ours in an air tight container for a week (just finished them today, were made last Friday) and they were still perfect!
mounira elsamra says
When I use this recipe I love to puree the bananas and put the oats through a coffee grinder before using them it really gives the dough a completely different texture.Also if you like your cookies a little bit more on the sweet side add agave its a much more healthy alternative then suger or honey.
Sarah says
Thanks for sharing your variation, sounds great!
Patrick says
Just made these with almond butter, cinnamon oatmeal, and a dash of Nutella instead of chocolate chips! They are delicious! Thank you
Renee says
Just wondering if its okay to use natural peanut butter in this recipe...
Sarah says
Yep!
Gigi says
Great to know! I never buy any peanut butter; just peanuts in my vitamix! My grandson licks the tamper of warm fresh peanut butter like a popsicle! lol. Can’t wait to try these!!!
Sarah says
Homemade peanut butter is the best 🙂
Victoria says
These sound so amazing, and healthy...going to make some for my family right now:)!
Jon says
Hey Sarah,
Arianne just made these and they're already almost gone. Our GF family members were very appreciative and everyone loved them!
-Jon
Sarah says
So glad they were a hit, Jon!
Veggie Loops says
Just made my second batch of these and they are fantastic! As a novice in the kitchen, they were not intimidating at all and they turned out wonderfully. Thank you!
Sarah says
Thanks! I'm glad you have been enjoying them!
Nicole says
These are wonderful! I just made a batch and they're about 1/2 gone already. Thanks!
Heather says
Hell yeah! can i say that here? These look so freakin' good and incredibly easy- dangerous easy!
Sarah says
Thanks Heather. They are so healthy that there is no such thing as dangerously easy with these cookies. 🙂
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
I love how easy these are! I've baked the 2 ingredient oats and banana cookies before and loved them so I know I will love these - they might just be the perfect snack! 😀
Sarah says
I love them for snacking. They are so easy and full of only good stuff!
ELLEN says
I wonder if it would work if I substitute almond meal for the oats and almond butter for the peanut butter? I'm going to give it a try 🙂
Sarah says
Cool! Let me know how it turns out.
Richa says
they look gorgeous and super easy to not make!
I Ziller says
I just made these. Heaven is in my mouth ^_^
Sarojini says
Love this simple recipe- going to make these for sure, thanks 🙂
Otilia says
These cookies are soooo good! You can also freeze them for a on the go energy bar ????
Laura Black says
These look brilliant! I love simple recipes. If I see a long list of ingredients on a recipe I am interested in, I won't use it. I'll make these this weekend for my grandkids. They are low-sugar vegans. Thanks! 🙂
Caitlin says
these look so moist and delicious! i love that you went the opposite route and instead made minimalist cookies- that's my kind of recipe! i think i'm going to go home and make these tonight! i wonder how they'd taste with tahini...
Sarah says
Oh if you try it with tahini, let me know how it tastes!
Carly A. Siegel says
i'm about to try with tahini....