Easy, rich, irresistible vegan peanut butter cookies that are FREE from added oil, refined sugar, and gluten. But no one will ever guess they're so wholesome!
Somehow, a sunbutter cookie recipe made it onto this blog before a peanut butter cookie did. As much as we LOVE peanut butter in this house, I can't really explain this oddity. So today I'm finally giving this vegan recipe collection the peanut butter cookie it deserves!
Considering there are about 101 ways to make a peanut butter cookie, I wanted to do one that reflects my cookie philosophy best - secretly healthier than most cookies but so tasty no one will care!
I think these are the perfect peanut butter cookies because they're:
- oil-free and suitable for those following a whole-food, plant-based diet (WFPB)
- gluten-free but versatile; if you don't need GF, a variety of other flours also work!
- deliciously sweetened with a combination of maple syrup and coconut sugar (other granulated sweeteners work, too)
- sweet, salty, and perfectly peanutty
- soft and chewy with a lightly crisp exterior
- made in 1 bowl
- super quick
- ridiculously easy!
How to Make 1-Bowl Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Okay, I've promised you these are ridiculously easy to make, so now I'll prove it! Be sure to check out the video for a quick glimpse of the process.
- In a mixing bowl cream together the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda to the bowl, and stir until everything is fully mixed.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop up about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll the dough between your palms, and place each ball of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern on each cookie, which also flattens them a bit (dip the underside of the fork tines in a small amount of sugar to keep it from sticking to the dough).
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottoms.
Since cookies are very soft straight out of the oven, it can be tricky to check the bottoms. But just do you best!
Let the cookies cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
The recipe makes exactly twelve cookies, and I'm gonna be honest with you... they disappear way too easily. So depending on the number of people in your household, you might want to double the recipe right off the bat!
Pair these vegan peanut butter cookies with a cold glass of almond milk, a scoop of vanilla-maple oat ice cream, or a bowl-full of creamy banana nice cream!
Notes and Tips for the Best Cookies
I tested these peanut butter cookies five times just to play around with different flours and levels of sweetness. The cookies you see in the video and photos had a touch more maple syrup than I decided on for the final recipe. So what that means is that your dough may not look quite as sticky as the dough in the video. Also, your cookies will spread a bit less and be thicker.
All of the testing showed me that this recipe is actually pretty foolproof. No matter which flour I tested and how sweet (or not sweet) they were, they were always delicious. So just know that a little bit of variance in flour/moisture doesn't make or break the results. If you want a sweeter cookie, add another tablespoon of maple syrup.
For a softer cookie, err on the side of a shorter bake time. For a crispier cookie, just 1 to 2 minutes more does the trick.
Keep in mind that oven temperatures can vary quite a bit. If you often have trouble with consistency, or baked goods don't turn out as expected (require significantly more or less time in the oven), your oven temp might not be accurate. It's easy to test this with an inexpensive oven thermometer, and then your bakes will be much more successful!
Can these cookies be frozen?
You bet! You can freeze the baked cookies or the unbaked dough. Just make sure they're well-protected from air.
To freeze the cookie dough:
After rolling the dough into individual balls, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then transfer the dough to an airtight container and keep frozen until ready to use. Bake the cookies from frozen, adding 1 or 2 minutes to the total bake time.
I hope you enjoy these Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies! Be sure to drop a comment and a star rating below if you give them a try.
And if you’re on instagram tag a photo of your dish with @myquietkitchen. I always love to see what you’re baking!
More vegan cookie recipes:
Vegan Protein Cookies
Spelt Cookies with Peanuts and Chocolate (OF)
Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies (OF, GF)
Rosemary Cookies with Roasted Honeynut Squash
Sunbutter Cookie Nice Cream Sandwiches (OF)
1-Bowl Orange Tahini Cookies
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free & Oil-Free)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted natural peanut butter, creamy If using salted peanut butter omit the salt listed below.
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar plus 2 tsp, divided Sub brown sugar or cane sugar, if desired.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup oat flour (60 g) OR 1/2 cup 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (70 g) If not using a scale, whisk flour before measuring. Then spoon into measuring cup and level off the top.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt If you like a saltier cookie, use a scant 1/4 tsp.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, maple syrup, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt (if using), and stir until fully combined. Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop 1.5 Tbsp dough into your hand. Roll the dough betwen your palms to smooth it out, and place on cookie sheet 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Place the 2 tsp sugar in a small bowl. Use the underside of a fork to create a criss-cross pattern on top of one ball of dough, gently pressing down to flatten it into a cookie shape. Now dip the underside of the fork tines in coconut sugar (this will help it not stick to the dough). Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will be very soft when removed from the oven. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Useful Equipment
Notes
Hi, I'm Lori. I share approachable vegan recipes, everything from gluten-free and oil-free recipes to decadent, veganized classics!