4-Ingredient Cookies with Chocolate Chips
These Healthy 4-Ingredient Cookies with chocolate chips made with just banana, oats, peanut butter for a quick and healthy snack or sweet treat. Vegan and gluten-free!
I’ve been making a lot of nutrient-dense snack bars lately. First, there was the copy-cat Larabars,. I’ve also made a batch of these grain-free granola bars recently. Besides feeling very satisfied in the snack department, this new granola bar obsession has resulted in tiny amounts of leftover nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, dried fruits, etc.
So last week I went searching for the perfect breakfast cookie recipe, one where I could throw in my remaining tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, and cacao nibs. I found all kinds of great recipes worth trying BUT THEN I started learning about 3 and 4 ingredient cookies and I was intrigued.
So intrigued that I threw out my original plan to make everything-but-the-kitchen-sink breakfast cookies and made the easiest. cookies. ever.
How to Make 4-Ingredient Cookies {Video}
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Through the years, I’ve had many people make these cookies and offer their variations. A few of my favorites are peanuts, vanilla extract, raisins, and chia seeds. The options are endless. I love these chocolate chip cookies just the way they are but when you start making them you will find out they are extremely adaptable.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bananas – Use overly ripe bananas. This gives the recipe more sweetness and flavor while also being easier to mash and incorporate into the remaining ingredients.
- Old Fashioned Oats – I recommend extra-thick old fashioned oats. You want oats that will keep their shape and provide texture against the banana and peanut butter. Old fashioned oats will also work but avoid instant oats. Note: If you are gluten-free, make sure to look for gluten-free thick cut.
- Natural Peanut Butter – 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.
Recommended Equipment
For this cookie recipes, you will need a mixing bowl, basic kitchen equipment, a baking sheet, silicone baking mats, and a wire cooling rack. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to make 4-Ingredient Cookies
Step One – Combine the Ingredients
Place the bananas in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Once the bananas are mashed, add the oats and peanut butter, stirring until everything is well combined.
Now it’s time for the best part – fold in those chocolate chips!
Step Two – Bake the Cookies
Once the cookie batter is made, 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.
Let to cookies cool 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Serving and Storing
Serve immediately as an afternoon snack. These cookies are super healthy and the kids love them.
Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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 1/4–1/2 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.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy vegan chocolate chips
Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Target all have their own line of vegan chocolate chips but if you aren’t near any of them and your local grocery store doesn’t carry their own brands, here are a few to look out online.
- King David
- Enjoy Life (my recommendation)
- Lily’s (<<affiliate links)
If you find any other brands of great vegan chocolate chips, let me know and I’ll add them to the list.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cookies
Healthy 4-Ingredient Cookies with chocolate chips made with just banana, oats, peanut butter for a quick and healthy snack or sweet treat. Vegan and gluten-free!
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and rate it below.
If you made any substitutions, let us know how it turned out!
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips, or mix-ins of choice
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Mash the bananas and combine them with the oats and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop bite-sized spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Until lightly brown. Let the cookies cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Store uneaten cooking in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Recipe Video
Serving and Storing – Serve immediately as an afternoon snack. These cookies are super healthy and the kids love them. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Recipe Tips
- 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 1/4–1/2 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.
- 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.
swag says
Yummy I added cocoa powder and work just fine
Sarah says
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
Heather C says
Thank you! We are not vegan, but I am always on the lookout for gluten free recipes for my niece who is allergic. Me and my kids loved this (I did add some cinnamon and maple flavor)!
Sarah says
Glad it was a hit!
Maria says
THIS IS AMAZING!!! I loved it! Might take the chocolate chips out cause its too sweet for me, but this is amazing! Thank you
Sarah says
Thanks, Maria. You could try adding raisins next time instead of chocolate chips if you’re looking for something a little less sweet.
Olga says
I made them! They were delicious! Even my picky daughter liked them. Thank you!
Sarah says
Glad they were a hit! Thanks for sharing, Olga.
plasterer bristol says
wow these sound awesome. Thanks so much for this recipe. can’t wait to make these.
Simon
Rob says
I just made these – double recipe- added a teaspoon of baking soda and an egg ( not a vegan) nice and healthy treat. We shall see if the teen boys like them but I do:-). Note to the others – don’t over think it – add what you want, refrigerate, etc. use common kitchen since and all will be good:-). Thank you for this simple delicious treat!
Vanessa says
Very very good and so easy to make. Perfect healthy snack for my toddler. It is perfectly sweet and there is not even sugar in it! 15 minutes was perfect for cooking time. I will also try to replace the peanut butter with almond butter and chocolate for coconut next time. No guilt snack 🙂 Definitely my new go to recipe for healthy cookies.
Carly A. Siegel says
I made these tonight with unsweetened tahini, added a bit of cinnamon, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. They are PERFECT! Moist, sweet but not overpowering, and with a slight savory hint of sesame. Yum!
Eric says
These are so yummy. Easy to make and I don’t measure anything…I usually do this with 3 or 4 bananas then add a few huge spoonfuls of pnut butter and oatmeal til it’s thick and a whole bag of dark chocolate chips. A small ice cream scoop works great for making consistent size cookies. I send this recipe to all my family and friends and encourage them to try these. So yummy and healthy, too!
Kate says
So yummy and easy! My 2 year old thinks they are awesome!
Cathy says
OK, I’m typing and eating these warm out of the oven right now! Super Ono! (As we say here in Hawaii.) I added 1 tsp. vanilla, some ground flax and dried cranberries just because I had them. I am sure they would be just as good without. One hint for the bananas once you get a bunch, and they are ripe (and you can’t use them all right away) peel, put in a ziplock and you have frozen bananas for smoothies, cookies, bread, etc. They lose the texture of fresh bananas, but you mash them up to cook them anyway.
K says
Do you think these would still taste okay if you add some pumpkin puree? How much, would you say?
Thanks!xx
Brad says
Anyone know an approximate calorie count per cookie?
MJ says
thank u for this recipe. I did my batch with bananas, oats, peanut butter, morsels, cranberries and walnuts. THEY WERE AMAZING!!!
Lourdes says
I just made these, but since I could not find dates at my local grocery store I substituted them with pitted prunes. They taste sooooo amazing. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Rosa says
i just made these, but since I didn’t have quick oats I used some whole grain oats with crisp rice cereal that I had in my pantry. They look great! But how long should I wait before eating them? Are they supposed to have a soft texture? I used the exact measurements. They just have not hardened completely. I’m scared. I’ve never baked anything before. :-/
Sarah says
They are a soft cookie and a very forgiving recipe, so a great recipe to start baking with!
Tim says
These look great! Would these also work if you refrigerate them instead of cooking them?
Sarah says
I’ve never tried it. It would change the texture, but I’m sure they would still work fine. Let me know how they turn out if you try it.
Carrie says
Oh wow heart eyes. These look simply divine. Making them this afternoon for my family. Thank you.
Sarah says
I hope everyone enjoys them!
Stephanie says
my Mom made these for a party, unsure of how they would be. Not many people liked them for some reason. I on the other hand LOVED them and other than what was eaten at the party, single handedly consumed them all. They are amazing and I love how healthy they are for you. These might be a constant in the house for my overactive sweet tooth to keep me from reaching for the ice cream or other sugary snacks!
Sarah says
I’m so glad it was a hit, at least with you. I know what you mean about the overactive sweet tooth, I’m always looking for healthy alternatives to calm it down.
Sybil says
I am doing the Daniel Fast but I am LONGING for something sweet. I found a crunchy peanut butter with flax seed and chia and I added raisins…….YUM!!!