Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies are made with only 6 clean, real food ingredients and they’re vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, no-bake and contain no refined sugar.
These super easy Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies take about 5 minute to prepare and then all you have to do is wait for them to harden up in the freezer to enjoy.
I am so excited to have finally taken the time to re-make these classic no-bake Christmas cookies that I have enjoyed since I was a child.
My mother has been making these every year for our family Christmas get-together and of all the desserts there were to choose from, I would always go for these.
Even though I eat clean desserts now, it doesn’t mean I’m never tempted by the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) desserts, especially when you’ve grown up with them, like this one.
Now I don’t have to miss out on one of my favorite childhood dessert anymore.
All I did to clean this traditional, classic recipe up is substitute the butter with coconut oil, cocoa with raw cacao powder, the sugar with maple syrup (a natural, real food sweetener) and vanilla extract with 100% vanilla bean powder. That’s it!
I also omitted the milk and salt because I didn’t feel like it needed it, and if I would have used it, I would have used homemade almond milk and Himalayan pink salt instead of regular dairy and white refined salt.
Here’s the ingredient list from my mother, which she got many, many, many years ago (like way over 30+!) from a neighbor (I love the title she gave the recipe lol):
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) “Real Good Chocolate Cookies (for a busy day)” aka Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients: 2 cups sugar, 1 stick margarine, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ cup milk, ¼ cup powdered cocoa, ½ cup peanut butter, 3 cups oatmeal
They were indeed “real good”, but full of refined sugar, margarine?! and milk.
This healthier version is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, contains no refined sugar and…tastes just as good!
Want more healthy dessert recipes? Check out Crunchy Raw Protein Balls, Healthy Peanut Butter Cups, Clean Eating Peanut Butter Fudge or my Clean Eating eCookbook with an entire chapter of 20 healthy, clean eating recipes just like this one that you will love!
5 Fast Facts About Oats:*
- provides significant fiber
- helps control blood sugar levels
- can reduce hypertension and high blood pressure
- increases appetite control hormones
- lowers bad cholesterol
5 Fast Facts About Raw Cacao Powder:*
- super high in anti-oxidants
- promotes cardiovascular health
- contains essential fats
- can help to decrease blood pressure
- contains over 300 compounds including protein, calcium, copper, zinc and iron
5 Fast Facts About Coconut Oil:*
- super high in lauric acid
- rich in antioxidants
- contains natural microbial and anti-bacterial agents
- helps to improve metabolism
- improves cholesterol levels
5 Fast Facts About Maple Syrup:*
- contains manganese and zinc
- super high in anti-oxidants
- helps with inflammation
- 1/4 cup contains more calcium than the same amount of milk
- 1/4 cup contains more potassium than a banana
5 Fast Facts About Peanuts (Peanut Butter):*
- excellent source of vitamin E
- high in folate
- contains tryptophan which helps fight depression
- good source of fiber
- excellent source of vegan protein
*These statements have not been evaluated by Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Where to Buy: If you have trouble finding any of the ingredients to make this recipe, you can order online from Amazon and have them delivered straight to your door:
Tip #1: The only difference between these and the original version is these will not keep their shape at room temperature like the traditional version. They will need to be kept in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve or they will get soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature. Keep this in mind if traveling with them or serving them at a party or get together.
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, No Refined Sugar)
Print recipe | www.thehealthyfamilyandhome.com | The Healthy Family and Home |
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic quick rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
- 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
- 1/2 cup organic maple syrup
- 1/4 cup organic raw cacao powder
- 1/4 teaspoon organic vanilla bean powder
Directions
| Step 1 | Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, peanut butter, cacao powder and vanilla bean powder to small saucepan and gently melt everything together on low heat, stirring until it is smooth and well combined. Add the oats to a medium sized bowl and pour the melted mixture in and gently stir everything together until it is evenly distributed. Drop a spoonful at a time onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place the pan in the freezer for approximately 1 hour, or until they become hardened and firm. Important: Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve because they will become soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature. Enjoy! |
Note
This recipe will make approximately 18 - 20 cookies.
The recipe and photographs for "Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies" by The Healthy Family and Home are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and cannot be used without my written permission.
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I was just thinking about making the standard no-bake cookies with all the sugar; now I’m looking forward to trying your recipe instead. Which to make first… these or the Healthy Peanut Butter Bon Bons? I’m glad that I have all the ingredients for both!
Hi there Monica! I think you will be very pleased with the cleaner version and am glad to hear you’d like to give it a try! I found once I stopped eating processed white sugar, I didn’t like it anymore..it was too sweet to me once I broke my addiction to it. Once you switch over to natural sweeteners (and less of them) the cravings and taste for white sugar will go away. And the good news is you don’t have to be deprived because you can still enjoy the bad desserts with cleaned up recipes.
And, I think you should make both lol! They are both really good and really easy to make.
I’d love to know how you like them 🙂
This recipe looks fantastic and perfect for the holidays! 8 was wondering if you had a specific brand you use for the vanilla bean powder.
Thanks so much!
Hi there Kelly! Yes, I had to make this healthier version so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat the ones my mother makes every year during the holidays that are loaded with butter, white sugar, etc. lol 🙂
This is the brand of vanilla bean powder that I buy: affiliate link —> http://bit.ly/2g8gF5Y <— affiliate link and it will last you a good while since you only need to use 1/2 of what you would normally use when using vanilla extract. The general rule is 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract = 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder. Thanks for your question!
Is there something I can use in place of the coconut oil? I am doing an elimination diet, and coconut is {unfortunately} on my list. Thank you!
Hi there Nicole! In the traditional S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) recipe, normally butter is used, in which I substituted with the coconut oil. I haven’t tried this before, but you could try organic butter or vegan butter (maybe even organic ghee) in place of the coconut oil.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Hey there! This sounds amazing but i don’t have a liking for peanut butter sadly, what can i do to substitute the peanut butter in this recipe?
Hi there Shivon! What…no peanut butter?! Just kidding!! 🙂 🙂
I haven’t tried this, but if I were to use a substitute for the peanut butter I would try either cashew butter or almond butter. You could also make them without any nut butter at all, they just won’t have the extra creamy consistency.
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Since I found the recipe, I’ve made these about 4 times in the last 2 weeks. My husband can’t get enough of them. These no bake cookies are fabulous.
Hi there Renee! I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying the recipe – especially your husband!
Thank you for trying it out and for taking the time to let me know how much you like the cookies…I really appreciate it 🙂
Am I able to use vanilla extract instead of the powder? I have some on hand but do not have the powder. Will this mess up the consistency?
Thanks!!
Hi there Jessica! Yes, you can substitute vanilla extract for the vanilla bean powder, using the same amount.
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
These are soooo good!! Growing up, my grandmother and my mom used to make the original version all the time. Never thought any other recipe could come close but yours is actually better!! So creamy and I love the coconut oil which gives them such a nice taste. Will definitely be making these again…Like tomorrow 😉 thank you!
Hi there Hayley! I grew up eating these too (probably way too many!) and I also prefer this cleaner version than the original. When I take a bite of the ones my mother makes with the original version, they are ~so~ sweet! Like nauseating sweet.
Thanks for trying out the recipe and for taking the time to let me know you liked it, I really appreciate it 🙂
This might sound crazy but could you possibly bake these? My boyfriend cannot have oats uncooked, but all of the healthy oat cookie recipes I’ve found that you bake also contain “flax eggs”, he can’t have seeds so these are also no good. TIA
Hi there Sophie! On this particular recipe, you could not bake them due to the coconut oil, which is what “holds” them together. If you were to bake them, the coconut oil would turn into liquid and you would have a big mess 🙁
I do have this recipe that might help: https://thehealthyfamilyandhome.com/gluten-free-vegan-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies/
It does not have flax eggs and it’s a baked cookie so the oats would be “cooked”. It’s also flourless, gluten-free and vegan. If you wanted them to be chocolate, you could probably add 1 – 2 tablespoons of cacao powder and it should work (I’ve never tested it though).
Thanks for your question and I hope that helps 🙂
I’ve made these 2 or 3 times in the past, just as directed, but today I got the idea to sub date sugar (dried, pulverized dates) for the maple syrup. Then I decided to just sub half of the maple syrup for date sugar this first time. Well, it definitely is not as sweet as with 1/2 c maple syrup and it’s a bit dry (probably should have used 2 scant cups of oats) but it still satisfies that craving for a treat. Next time I’ll either make it as directed or pull back a little on the oats. I will say, making it the way I did was firm enough that even at room temp the cookies stay fairly well shaped and can be eaten that way. It’s a great recipe, exactly as is, was just trying to make it a more “whole food” treat.
Hi there Mary! Thanks for the feedback and for sharing your adaptations…love them! 🙂
These were AWESOME!! Made them twice, but I cut the coconut oil to 1/3 cup. Worked. Thx for sharing.
Hi there Edward! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for sharing the tip about reducing the coconut oil…that was very helpful!
I appreciate you trying it out and taking the time to let me know you liked it 🙂