Healthy No-Bake Cookies
Posted Aug 15, 2016, Updated Jul 14, 2024
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Healthy no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies! Made with 8 nutritious ingredients, these healthy no bake cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan & refined sugar free!
I remember the first time I ever tried no bake cookies…I was in heaven. I hunted down the maker of those cookies and begged for the recipe. They were easy to make, but I wasn’t a fan of the nutritional profile.
Since my first encounter with these little bits of chocolate/peanut butter heaven, it became my mission to create a healthier version! I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count, which means I’m very glad that these healthy no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free and vegan-friendly!
These Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies are made with only 8 good-for-you ingredients, all of which you probably have on hand right now – yay!
Healthy No-Bake Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few potential substitutions for this recipe!
- Peanut butter. Any nut or seed butter works well in this recipe.
- Coconut oil. Butter or ghee are great substitutes for coconut oil.
- Honey. Use maple syrup for a vegan version of this recipe.
- Shredded coconut. If you don’t care for coconut, simply replace it with an extra 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats.
How to Make Healthy No-Bake Cookies
These healthy no bake cookies are so easy to make! Start by melting together the coconut oil, peanut butter and honey!
Stir or whisk the wet ingredients together over medium-low heat until the mixture is smooth.
Add the dry ingredients – cocoa powder, quick-cooking oats and coconut.
Stir until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout).
Then, use a 1 TBS measuring spoon or cookie scoop to portion out the no bake cookies, and place them onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Let them harden at room temperature or in the refrigerator or freezer.
Serve
These healthy no bake cookies are best served cold because the coconut oil is soft at room temperature.
Store
Store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Healthy No Bake Cookies FAQs
If you over-cook these healthy no bake cookies, simply add a TBS of each: honey, peanut butter and coconut oil by melting them together and then mixing them into the dry cookie batter. This should help. If you burnt them, you will have to start over.
If your no bake cookies don’t harden it means you didn’t cook the mixture long enough.
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Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup)
- ¼ cup coconut oil (or butter)
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut (shredded)
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, set aside.
- Combine peanut butter, honey salt and coconut oil in a saucepan and heat, stirring continuously, until melted and well-combined.
- Stir in vanilla and cocoa powder.
- Add quick-cooking oats and mix well.
- Add coconut and stir until completely combined.
- Drop 1 TBS portions of mixture onto your prepared baking sheet. Continue until you’ve used all your cookie mixture.
- Let cool in the refrigerator or freezer until hardened.
- Serve cold or frozen!
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator!
Video
Notes
- Peanut butter. Any nut or seed butter works well in this recipe.
- Coconut oil. Butter or ghee are great substitutes for coconut oil.
- Honey. Use maple syrup for a vegan version of this recipe.
- Shredded coconut. If you don’t care for coconut, simply replace it with an extra 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you think I could make these in the microwave? I don’t have a cooktop currently. Thanks!
Yes you can!
I will be making these again! I like them better than the original sugar-filled version. Has anyone tried with PB 2?
Hi! I made these and they were wonderful! However mine turned out a bit dry and I think maybe it was because I kept them in the heat too long. I’m not sure though. They just got Too crumbly. Can you advise me in when’s a I am supposed to remove from heat and what to do if they get too dry? Note: they got dry after mixing all ingredients, almost like an energy ball texture.
Hey! Yes over-heating them would cause that issue! I actually made a batch of a different no-bake cookie recipe and had that exact same thing happen! Remove it from the heat sooner and you should be good!
I have tried a TON of healthy no bake cookies, and these are by FAR the best I’ve ever had. They honestly taste like regular no bake cookies! My husband couldn’t even tell they were a healthy version 😂
I will say, I added Agave instead of Honey just out of personal preference. These are perfect!
I just made these and they were complete perfection!! I’m so glad I read the reviews so that I knew to just go ahead and double the recipe ;). Thank you so much for such a great alternative to sugar-filled cookies! I really appreciated the substitution list. I made it with sunbutter instead for my son, and it’s still absolutely delicious!!
These were delicious! My family are them up in no time!
How many cookies are in a serving size? They are delicious!!
How long to they take to set? I’m a newbie in the kitchen and would love to try these!
Very good. A family favorite. Love a healthy treat!
Thank you Rachel!
I’ve made these twice now and they are the BEST! The second time around I was out of coconut oil and substituted it with avocado oil. They still set up perfectly and the taste was still delicious! I leave mine in the freezer because I like them extra cold on hot days.