These Vegan No Bake Cookies are seriously addicting and a chocolate and peanut butter dream! So easy to make using simple ingredients only, it will be hard to make just one batch. A perfect Summer dessert since you don’t have to turn on the oven!
If you’ve never had the luxury of eating these chocolate peanut butter oat cookies before, prepare yourself for a simple, no-hassle treat. You’ll love how easy they are to make. They’re so low maintenance and use pantry-staple ingredients you probably have on hand right now.
The winning combo of chocolate and peanut butter makes these cookies taste magical. They only get better and delightfully chewy with the addition of quick oats. Better yet, the recipe can instantly become gluten free by using gluten free oats instead.
If you love the combo of peanut butter and chocolate, check out any of these recipes: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls or Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.
Ingredients Needed (with substitutions)
- Sugar – Substitute coconut sugar if you need to.
- Cocoa powder – Any brand or quality of cocoa powder will work in this recipe, but I prefer natural instead of dutch processed.
- Vegan butter – Make your own vegan butter if you don’t have any at home. Coconut oil will also work as a replacement. Use virgin coconut oil to add a hint of coconut flavor to the cookies.
- Almond milk – Or your favorite plant-based milk.
- Creamy peanut butter – In order for the cookies to set properly, you need to use no stir creamy peanut butter. If you use the natural kind that needs to be stirred, they won’t set up correctly. Another nut or seed butter may work, but I haven’t tested it.
- Vanilla extract
- Quick cook oats – Rolled oats work just as well in this recipe but will make the cookies chewier. Use certified gluten free quick oats to make gluten free cookies instead.
How to make Vegan No Bake Cookies
- Add the sugar, cocoa, vegan butter, and milk to a medium pot over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter melts, then increase the heat to medium. Stir constantly and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute exactly, then remove the pot from the heat and keep stirring for 30 seconds.
- Add the peanut butter and vanilla to the pot. Stir until well combined.
- Pour in the oats.
- Stir in the oats until they’re coated in the mixture.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons worth of cookie “dough” onto the prepared parchment/wax paper.
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 20 to 30 minutes until they are hardened. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for success
- I love how flexible these cookies are. You can add plenty of other ingredients to suit your taste, like coconut flakes, chopped peanuts or chocolate chunks.
- Add a pinch of salt into the mixture if your peanut butter is unsalted.
- Need cookies right now? Once you’ve scooped the cookies onto the parchment paper, pop them in the fridge or freezer to help them harden faster.
- Double or triple this recipe to serve extra cookies on a road trip, at a picnic, or for treats throughout the week.
- Better yet, keep a batch in your freezer at all times. You never know when a craving might hit!
How to store
Store the finished cookies in an airtight container once they have cooled down and hardened. They can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to a month.
Leave them to thaw in the fridge overnight or enjoy them chilled.
More Cookie Recipes
When you actually feel like baking, try these delicious and always vegan cookie recipes:
- Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
Vegan No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (8 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter must be no-stir!
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups quick cook oats
Instructions
- Line a counter or two cookie sheets with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Add the sugar, cocoa, vegan butter and almond milk to a medium pot over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter melts, then increase the heat to medium. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute exactly, then remove from heat and keep stirring for 30 seconds.
- Add the peanut butter and vanilla and stir until combined well. Stir in the oats until they are coated in the mixture.
- Drop the mixture by about 2 tablespoons each onto prepared parchment/wax paper. You can leave them rounded at the top, or flatten them slightly if you prefer.
- Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before serving, until they are hardened. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- These cookies set up best using no stir peanut butter, NOT the natural stuff that you have to stir first.
- May lower the sugar as desired for less sweet cookies, probably down to 3/4 cup. Or substitute coconut sugar.
- I prefer natural cocoa powder here instead of dutch processed, but that is fine to use as well. The cookies will be very dark in color if you use dutch cocoa powder.
- May substitute coconut oil in place of the vegan butter if desired.
- Any non-dairy milk will work here, so use your favorite.
- You can use regular rolled oats but the cookies will be chewier and a bit different. I prefer quick oats.
- To store: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for a few days, up to 5 days in the refrigerator or longer in the freezer.
For the no bake chocolate cookies, instead of sugar, how much honey or maple syrup should I use?
I’ve never tried using honey or maple syrup so I’m really not sure. You’d have to test it out. I’m a little afraid they won’t set up correctly without real sugar.
Two questions. One, can I omit the butter or oil? Two, what about using maple syrup instead of sugar. Thanks so much!
They would be entirely different cookies if you do those things, and I don’t think they will turn out but you can always experiment if you want!
I haven’t seen this question posted:
Can I use pourable Splenda or Stevia (the dry kind that can be used as a substitute for sugar)? Or will it change the chemistry?
I’m sorry to say I don’t think it will work well here, and sugar is rather integral in the chemistry of why these work. You could always try it and let me know, I could be wrong!