Behold: the no-bake cookie of my dreams. Peanut buttery, chocolatey, fudgy, and ready in 1 pot and 25 minutes!
The base for this cookie is maple syrup, coconut oil, and cocoa powder, which are cooked down into a thick chocolate sauce.
Then it’s time to add the vanilla, peanut butter, oats, and dark chocolate! Dark chocolate not only helps these cookies set and harden, but also adds fudgy flavor and texture.
To keep this recipe naturally-sweetened, simply use bittersweet or naturally-sweetened dark chocolate (such as Eating Evolved).
Once your cookie dough is formed, scoop into cookies and let cool. The hardest part was not eating one (or three) while they were cooling. But be patient! They’re worth the wait.
We hope you LOVE these cookies! They’re:
Rich
Fudgy
Salty-sweet
Studded with oats
Easy to make
& Seriously delicious
These cookies would make the perfect healthier treat to have on hand during the week. They would also be a great road trip snack! Personally, I prefer freezing a batching and pulling out one whenever a sweet craving strikes.
For more cookie inspo, check out our Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cookies, Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies!
If you try this recipe, leave a comment, rating, and tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Vegan Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp almond milk (unsweetened // or other non-dairy milk)
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil (use refined for a less intense coconut flavor | or sub vegan butter)
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder
- 1 ¼ cups rolled oats (gluten-free for GF eaters)
- 1/3 cup salted natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy // or sub other nut butter)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate*
- Chopped roasted peanuts or shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet or serving platter with parchment or wax paper.
- Add maple syrup, almond milk, coconut oil, and cocoa powder to a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Once bubbling, let boil for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and add oats, peanut butter, vanilla, salt, and dark chocolate and combine and fully incorporate all ingredients.
- Drop heaping Tablespoon amounts (I used this cookie scoop!) of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet or serving platter and sprinkle with crushed peanuts and/or additional flaked coconut (optional).
- Transfer baking sheet or serving platter to the fridge and allow to cool and harden- about 15 minutes. (Or, you can let them cool at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes.)
- Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month, though best when fresh.
The Vegan Goddess says
Another wholesome oatmeal cookie hit! The batter was sticky and messy but didn’t take long to firm up in the fridge for a nice decadent treat. We enjoyed it. I left off the optional coating to save calories.
I recently made and love the chai-spice oatmeal cookies and the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
Nice to have so many wonderful options!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying them! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
June Siegel says
I made these cookies this weekend and wow, they were great! For the nut butter, I used the Nuttzo tahini/flax/chia seed butter and they are delicious.
I feel like they could use some dried cherries to the mix, so will try that next time! This cookie really satisfies your sweet craving. It’s also the kind of cookie that would be easy to experiment with. Thanks for posting this tasty treat. Cannot wait till my son comes home from college and gets to sample them.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, June!
Anna says
These are DELICIOUS. Whipped up a batch with my kiddo tonight, and they’re going fast. Rich, chocolate flavour, and so quick to make. Going to be a favourite. 🤗
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Anna. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Pam says
What a treat these were! I didn’t add the nuts or coconut to the top and used Myokos vegan butter. They tasted similarly to old fashioned no bake cookies. A tad too sweet for me, but delicious! I used the large sized Pampered Chef scoop and got 14 cookies, if that helps anyone. I will definitely make these again.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Pam!
DW says
These are seriously delicious for sure!
I used non-dairy pea milk and vegan butter. Everything I’ve made from this site has been so good.
This was my first time making a no bake dessert and it was like eating an amazingly scrumptious dessert without all the added sugar and calories.
Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Kayla Stewart says
These type of cookies have been my favourite since I was a child! I’m so happy to have found a vegan version. These cookies are SO easy to make. I often run to the kitchen once baby is asleep to make them. Once finished, they certainly don’t last long! I typically sub the cocoa powder for carob powder. It works great!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Kayla!
Nicole says
Loved these! Very similar to the coconut no-bake cookies on the blog, which I also love. Mine needed much long than 15 minutes in the fridge to cool to the point of hardening. I agree they’re better and worth the wait once fully cooled but dang it’s hard to resist them beforehand!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Nicole! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Jude says
I’m wondering if chocolate peanut butter would work? It is sweetened, and I happen to have some on hand. Thank you.
Hi Jude, possibly, but they’ll be quite chocolatey! Maybe start with slightly less cocoa powder and add more oats to dry it out a bit, if needed. Hope that helps!
Jude says
Thank you, I’ll try that! Too chocolatey is probably a good thing, anyway. :) I’m also thinking maybe a little less maple syrup, so they’re not too sweet.
Yes, good idea! We’d love to hear how it goes!
Clara says
It’s the third time I’m making these and it seems like they get more delicious with each time. Please, if you can, post more no-bake recipes — I recently moved out of my childhood home and don’t have an oven yet.
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Clara! Added to our requests list =) P.s. if you haven’t already seen our no-bake recipes round-up, you can check it out here. Hope that helps!
Jolie says
These are so good! I have made them with fresh almond butter. I have made them with creamy pb and desiccated coconut. I for sure add dark chopped chocolate. Quick, easy, and I am in love!
Yum! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Jolie!
Emma says
I’ve made these a few times, they are the perfect chocolate hit! I made them for our first yoga class back after lockdown, and they vanished super fast! Everyone loved them. I may try a tweak next time round, probably a bit less chocolate and oil. I keep them in the freezer as I have no self control!
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Emma! Thank you for sharing! xoxo
Vivian says
We did like these and I made them with two changes that most likely made them lower fat and healthier. I substituted apple sauce for the coconut oil (since that is so high in saturated fat) and I used date paste in place of the maple syrup (mostly because I had some I wanted to use up.) They turned out perfectly. I plan to use them when I make the chocolate blizzard recipe from this website this week. Thanks for the great recipe.
Yum! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Vivian!
Rebecca says
I made these the other night because I’ve been wanting a healthy-ish vegan treat to have with my lunches. THESE ARE SO GOOD!!!! They are so fudgy and the dark chocolate flavor is amazing. These are definitely going to become one of my staple treats!!
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Rebecca! They’re one of your favorites too! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Shay says
Can you use agave nectar instead?
Yes, that should work!
Kerry says
Fudgey-licious and easy to make. These and the trail mix cookies are on frequent rotation at our house. I double the recipe and it makes about 36 cookies.
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoy both recipes. Thank you for the lovely review, Kerry! xo
Cara says
I was looking for a dupe of a local restaurant’s no-bake cookies, and decided to give these a try. The texture isn’t what I was looking for, but they’re delicious and I love them! I used half oats, half sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and peanut butter that I’d previously thickened with ground flaxseed. I was a little worried about the flax in the PB making it too thick or changing the flavor but it was fine!
I like that they’re not overly sweet, and they’re very fudgy, almost like brownies. 10/5, will definitely make again.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them even though they weren’t what you were looking for! Thank you for the lovely review, Cara! xo
Joy says
Writing this review as I lick the cookie scoop clean, need I say more? YUMMM. Left out the 1/2 cup chocolate and halved recipe because I have no self control. 😇
Ha, love it! Thanks so much for sharing, Joy! xo
Patricia says
Like all of your recipes, amazing. So easy, quick and yummy. I always have one of your energy balls or brownie balls in the fridge as a go to snack or dessert. Will add this one to the list. Thanks for your blog, I love it!
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review, Patricia! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! xo
Caitlyn says
Added flaky sea salt on top. Amazing!
Yum! Love that idea. Thanks for sharing, Caitlyn!
Marissa says
Hello!
Can the cocoa powder be left out ?
Sure! We’d suggest this recipe as a guide.
RK says
Holy Leaning Tower of Pisa! If I had socks on, this recipe would have knocked them off. 100% delicious and eaten in record time, because YUM! Thank you!!
HA! Love that. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Jean says
I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy these pieces of deliciousness, because I did. I just prefer the coconut no-bakes more. I wonder if the additional chocolate in these might have put me over the edge, as they were super rich. Anyway, recipe was spot on – easy to follow and came together quickly.
Thanks for sharing, Jean! Two different cookies, but similar style! Glad you enjoyed them.
Kelly says
Can’t. Stop. Eating. These! I keep them in the freezer – SO GOOD. Thank you so much for all of your delicious vegan/gluten free recipes!!
Whoop! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kelly!
Terri Barber says
Wow are these good!!! My Grandma would make the no bake cookies when I was little. Of course they were full of sugar!! Next time I will make sure to have all my ingredients ready to go. I was scrambling a bit so the mix wouldn’t harden. Lol Anyway they turned out delicious!!! I used cacao nibs and cacao powder and coconut flakes. Yum Thank you so very much for all the woefuller recipes you have. May God Bless you!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Terri! Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Megan says
As a child, my mom always made coconut peanut butter balls or no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, but they were packed with butter and processed sugars. I felt like some oats and cocoa and my daughter has been there asking about cookies for days. I came across this recipe. (Among 30-40 other MB recipes that I put in my favorites tab because my household lives off of Minimalist Baker recipes! Haha!) These are a hit! I used agave nectar for sweetness and I also added a tbsp of tahini just for some added calcium and iron. Also, I added 2 tiny squares of the Hu dark chocolate brand and omitted the rest of the 1/2 cup of dark chocolate. I scooped them out with a tablespoon so we ended up with 21 cookies. This felt quicker than 25 minutes to make and the clean up was super easy! Making these was much quicker than making baked cookies! They’re not overly sweet and they’re very filling. Maybe next time, I’ll add hemp seeds for added omegas. My toddler is double fisting these cookies as we speak! Thanks again, MB!
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed them! Thanks so much for sharing, Megan!
Barbara says
Everyone in my house loves these.
Camile says
These are ridiculously easy to make, and ridiculously delicious! I was shocked how quickly they came together. They’re the perfect nugget-sized snack when you have a sweet tooth craving. I subbed TJ’s mixed nut butter instead of peanut butter, and it worked great! Will definitely be making these again.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Camile!
Diana Demco says
Insanely easy to make and so decadent and fudgy, almost like a brownie. Made them exactly as instructed, with crushed peanuts on top. Perfect as a quick snack throughout the week. Yum!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Diana! xo
Clara says
Made these twice so far and they are going to be my go-to cookie recipe! They’re so good sometimes I just take little bites for snack throughout the day. Love to keep them in the freezer for a treat anytime.