These healthier Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies are the best! They're naturally gluten-free, moist, chewy, soft, and filling. Oh and delicious! This is a simple one bowl recipe that everyone in your home will love. No one will guess that they're both vegan, gluten-free, and made with just 7 ingredients.

This is a healthier peanut butter cookie recipe because it's made without any flour, eggs, or dairy. In fact, it's so simple that you also don't need other common peanut butter ingredients such as baking soda and salt. There's no need to let the cookie dough rest, this recipe is as quick and simple as it is delicious!
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter: To give these oatmeal cookies a delicious peanut butter flavor, use any creamy peanut butter. I prefer natural peanut butter.
- Sugar: Use any granulated sugar such as organic cane sugar or coconut sugar in this peanut butter cookie recipe.
- Milk: To keep this recipe dairy free, we use regular plain unsweetened almond or oat milk. You can also use regular milk if you are not dairy-free.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce is the secret weapon to making these super moist and tender. You won't even taste it!
- Vanilla: Use a little vanilla extract to add a delicious flavor to this easy peanut butter cookie recipe.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the cookies rise and bake properly.
- Oats: I recommend quick cooking oats in this recipe. Quick cooking oats are essentially rolled oats or old fashioned oats that have been broken down to smaller pieces, making them easier to bake with. The quick oats make the texture soft and fluffy. If you don't have quick oats, you can pulse old fashioned oats in a food processor to break them down.
How To Make Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
- Step 1: Preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 2: Mix the creamy peanut butter, sugar, milk, applesauce, baking powder, and vanilla together.
- Step 3: Once the mixture is smooth, add in the oats and mix until a thick cookie dough forms.
- Step 4: Use a spoon to scoop out a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough for each cookie and place it onto the lined baking tray. Bake until golden.
- Step 5: Allow the peanut butter oatmeal cookies to cool on a wire rack before serving.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie Variations and Add-Ins
- Raisins
- Chocolate Chips
- Peanuts (or other nuts)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze this peanut butter cookie dough. Although, it is so simple to make on the spot so because you only need 7 ingredients and about 5 minutes! If you do end up freezing the peanut butter cookie dough, please thaw it completely before baking.
I like to store these oatmeal peanut butter cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the cookies and heat in the microwave before serving.
Absolutely! These peanut butter oatmeal cookies are delicious with raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, or any of your other favorite cookie add-ins.
Other Easy Vegan Cookie Recipes
- 15-Minute Oatmeal Raisin & Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chunky Double Stuf OREO Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 20-Minute Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Easy Vegan Sugar Cookie Recipe
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened almond or oat milk
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cup quick oats
Instructions
- Preheat the to 375
- Mix the peanut butter, sugar, almond milk, applesauce, vanilla, and baking powder together. Then, add the quick oats and mix until a thick batter is formed.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out 18-20 cookies and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until they're golden around the edges.
- Enjoy dunked in oat milk for a healthy(ish) dessert or filling breakfast cookie!
Notes
Nutrition
The recipes on Peanut Butter and Jilly can easily be adapted to fit a vegan lifestyle, a gluten-free lifestyle, or both depending on the ingredients you use. Please review the ingredients lists carefully and refer to our recommendations in the Notes of the recipe card to make this recipe compatible with your needs. Nutrition information provided is an estimate, and will vary based on specific brands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
Paige says
Should we press these down or leave them as little mounds before baking? I’m making them now and pressed down slightly
Jillian says
I leave mine in mounds but you can definitely press them down too 🙂 They flatten a little while baking and resting.
Nina says
Hi, could I use mashed banana instead of apple sauce? How do you make the apple sauce UK (excuse my ignorance on this)
Finally, I have been looking at your cookbook but noticed when I used the Amazon ‘look inside’ the recipes I could see use vegan butter or coconut oil. Would the recipes work using Rapeseed Oil (I think it’s also known as Canola) if the recipes would work with Rapeseed oil, would I reduce the amount in the recipes? I don’t want to purchase your book if the recipes do not work with this oil substitution. Thanks. Stay safe…