Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
on Apr 10, 2021, Updated Jul 24, 2024
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These healthy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies are easy to make in 20 minutes with just 3 ingredients! This simple but tasty recipe is sure to become a new go-to for a quick snack or dessert.
These wonderful cookies are pure magic when it comes to healthy desserts. Made with just 3 whole food ingredients, they’re perfect for kids, those with allergies or anyone looking for a healthier, homemade dessert option.
One of the best things about these, aside from how easy they are to make, is the endless ways you can customize them. From cranberries to walnuts, dark chocolate to pumpkin seeds, anything goes!
Keep in mind that since these have minimal ingredients and no flour, they’re soft, chewy and are more like a baked oatmeal or a dense muffin than a decadent cookie. I love them though and they’re one of my favourite treats and pre-workout snacks. They certainly satisfy a craving for something sweet! I think you’ll love them.
Features
- Dietary Features: Vegan, gluten-free (use gluten-free certified oats), oil-free, can be nut-free and sugar-free.
- Just 3 ingredients: Banana, peanut butter and oats!
- Quick and Easy: Make them in 20 minutes in 1 bowl.
- Customize with your favourite add-ins for a different flavour variation every time.
- Great for kids, snacking, hiking, road trips and a quick pre-workout boost in energy.
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients with amounts is located in the recipe card below.
- Oats: Rolled oats, quick oats or large flake oats all work. The original recipe calls for quick oats since they’re finer and hold together best but any kind works. Can’t do oats? Try quinoa flakes!
- Banana: Ripe or slightly overripe banana is best. They don’t have to be completely brown, just nice and perfectly ripe! A lightly spotted banana is great! If you’re looking for an easy cookie without banana, check out these 3-ingredient oatmeal cookies.
- Peanut Butter: Any nut or seed butter works so feel free to use whatever suits your preference. Peanut butter and banana is always a delicious combo but if you need a peanut-free recipe, almond butter works and if you can’t do nuts, sunflower seed butter, tahini and Wowbutter all work!
Those are the 3 main ingredients that make up the base of this simple recipe. I like to add salt, vanilla and cinnamon to enhance the flavour and I almost always add chocolate chips.
See the recipe card and add-in idea section for how to customize the recipe to your liking.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1. Mash the banana into a smooth paste using a fork or immersion blender.
Step 2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the banana and mix to combine into a thick, sticky dough.
Step 3. Drop 16 spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking pan and shape each spoonful into a cookie shape.
Quick Note: The cookies will not spread or change shape during baking, so be sure to create the shape you want beforehand. You can make them large and flat or leave them as more of a haystack-style cookie.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!
Variations
- Healthiest Option: Leave out the maple syrup and chocolate chips. They’ll just be a tad less sweet but they’ll still be tasty and satisfying. You can always add a few pinches of stevia or monk fruit sweetener if you want them to be a bit sweeter.
- Low-Fat Option: Replace the peanut butter with powdered peanut butter. You can either mix the powdered peanut butter with water first to create “peanut butter” or just add it in as is. If you just add the powder straight into the dough, you may need a little extra banana or applesauce for extra moisture.
- Nut-Free Option: To make these cookies nut-free, swap the peanut butter for Wowbutter, sunflower seed butter or tahini!
- Gluten-Free Option: These are naturally gluten-free but be sure to use gluten-free certified oats if needed.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom work well for added flavour and variation. Keep it simple with a pinch of cinnamon or try 1/2 tsp of each for a warm, spiced flavour. Pumpkin pie spice would also work!
Add-In Ideas
Mix and match up to 1 cup of any of the following:
- chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- white chocolate chips
- corn flakes
- crushed walnuts or pecans
- chopped almonds or cashews
- any seeds such as hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots
- raisins or chopped dates
- shredded coconut
Notes
- The nutrition facts include 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1 tbsp maple syrup. For the basic recipe (oats, banana, peanut butter) with no additions, each cookie is 99 calories with 4 g of fat, 12 g of carbs and 3 g of protein.
- The maple syrup, vanilla, salt and chocolate chips are all optional but help to enhance the flavour of the cookies. The most basic version of this recipe is just the oats, banana and peanut butter. Feel free to add in any or all of the listed options to suit your taste preference.
- Rolled or old fashioned oats are totally fine to use in this recipe but quick oats just hold together a little better since they’re finer. I usually just use rolled oats because that’s what I tend to have on hand.
- These have a soft, baked oatmeal or dense muffin-like texture and do not get hard or crunchy. Made with just banana, peanut butter and oats, they are a healthy snack or treat, and definitely not a decadent dessert. I recommend adding at least the chocolate chips, to make them sweeter and more of a treat.
Storing
- Let cool completely on a cooking rack or directly on the baking pan before storing.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
- If frozen, thaw briefly at room temperature or warm in the microwave before enjoying.
Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
- Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork until they form a thick, smooth paste.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until everything is combined into a dough.
- Drop 16 spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, shaping each spoonful into a cookie shape. The cookies will not change shape during baking, so make sure you create the cookie shape you want beforehand. You can make them larger and flatter or keep them as more of a haystack-style.
- Bake for 15 minutes. They should be firm and slightly browned when done.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published March 5, 2017. Updated on April 9, 2021 with new photos and text. No change was made to the original recipe.
My container of oats says 1/4c is 40 g. So 2c would be only 160g. I’ve already measured the 225g into my bowl so hope this is the correct measurement.
If you followed my measurements, it will be correct. That seems to be a very low measurement for oats. Typically, for rolled oats, 1/2 cup is 50 grams and with quick oats it’s just a tad higher.
if your container says 1/4 c is 40 g. , then I think you meant 2 c would be 320g. : )
Can you please tell me if you can adapt this recipe using lfetover oatmeal that is already made? This recipe sounds great and I have a lot of leftover oatmeal that I would like to use in it, or in a simple, healthy recipe just like this. Thanks so much.
Hi Anne…I answered your comment from last week but to reiterate… I think it would probably be okay but you may need to adjust the amounts used to account for the extra moisture from the cooked oats. I can’t say exactly how much of each to use but as long as you have a cookie dough-like consistency, I think the recipe would work. I haven’t tried it though! Let me know if you give it a try.
Delicious. I’ve made these twice now and they are super tasty. Followed the instructions exactly and used chocolate chips the second time, which I would recommend. I found these worked best with overripe bananas.
Mmmm, sounds so good! I wish I had some right now! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the feedback.
1/2 teaspoon is WAY too much salt. 1/8 makes more sense. I like salt, too. But 1/2 teaspoon ruined my batch. I tasted before cooking and had to double the other ingredients to effectively reduce the proportion of salt by 50% and it was still too salty. Thus, use 1/8 teaspoon or none at all.
What kind of salt did you use? I find 1/2 tsp of a really nice quality sea salt is perfect for me. It is an optional ingredient though and to be added to taste. Thanks for the feedback, it’s helpful for others.
I found these to be very bland, despite all the additions as suggested. If I make these again, I’ll probably add some cinnamon or other spice to give them more flavor.
How ripe and sweet your bananas are definitely makes a difference too. That being said, they are a 3-ingredient healthy cookie and we can only ask for so much from that 😉 so they might seem a little bland to some! Cinnamon is great though. Thanks for the feedback. You might like my 3-ingredient tahini date cookies better, they’re on the sweeter side with the dates in them: https://runningonrealfood.com/vegan-tahini-date-cookies/.
I made these cookies. They are very good. There are two instructions missing. Do I store the cookies in the refrigerator and how long should you keep the cookies?
Hi Sandra, these can be stored at room temp for a few days, in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy.
This is a great recipe, so fast and easy to make. I’ve made these a few times now (without chocolate chips). My picky-eater 1 year old enjoys eating these with me for breakfast or snack. Thank you!
That makes me so happy!! So glad you and your family have enjoyed them. Thanks for the comment!
This is my go to cookie recipe. It is so easy and delicious. My kids love them and I don’t feel guilty feeding them these for breakfast.
That’s awesome, so happy to hear it! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Great recipe. I used PB2 peanut butter powder which cut a ton of calories and doesn’t compromise date. Next time I’ll add dried cranberries or nuts for some additional texture. Thank you for sharing!!
You’re welcome. So glad you enjoyed them! I have a PB2 cookie recipe too, here: https://runningonrealfood.com/healthy-peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookies. But good to know this one worked with it as well. Thank you for the comment!
Yummy.