A healthier, more affordable alternative to store-bought protein cookies and bars, these Vegan Protein Cookies are sweetened with bananas and coconut sugar and contain almost 9 grams of protein per 125 calorie cookie!
Mark has always been a sucker for Lenny & Larry's Complete Cookies. So I set out to create a healthier, homemade option, and I have to say, mission accomplished!
Since my protein cookies don't contain enriched wheat flour, palm oil, gums, or lots of refined sugar, they don't taste exactly like any of the Lenny & Larry's varieties, but honestly I think they taste better! These vegan protein cookies taste like real food. They're moist from mashed banana, lightly chocolatey, not overly sweet, and thanks to peanut butter and pure pea protein, they're very satisfying.
Flavor-wise these are similar to my Oil-Free Banana Brownies, which are still one of the most popular recipes on the blog. So if you've tried those before and liked them, you'll probably like these, too!
A Look at the Nutrition Facts
Half of a Lenny & Larry's Complete Cookie is considered 1 serving, and per serving they contain:
- 210 calories
- 6 grams fat (3 grams saturated)
- 8 grams protein
- 30 grams carbohydrate
- 12 grams sugar
For comparison's sake, let's call two of my Vegan Protein Cookies a serving because that's somewhat comparable in calories to Lenny & Larry's. Per 2 cookies, these contain:
- 257 calories
- 10 grams fat (2 grams saturated)
- 17 grams protein!
- 30 grams carbohydrate
- 17 grams sugar
Of course, we all know that macros don't tell us whether a food is healthy or not. It's about so much more than that, but I wanted to highlight exactly how much protein these cookies contain since there are a lot of athletes, bodybuilders, etc, who make an effort to take in more protein than us average folks.
I would certainly rather eat these 9-ingredient wholesome cookies that DON'T contain all of the unwanted stuff but have TWICE as much protein.
Ingredients
To create a delicious cookie that didn't need a lot of added sugar, I opted to use ripe bananas as the base in this recipe. So before you ask me about substitutions, I haven't tested these any other way than with banana.
I did make a completely different version one day with almond flour and applesauce, and they had promise! But I really enjoy the flavor bananas bring, so they won out in the end. If you experiment with a different combination, let us know in the comments below!
- 2 overripe bananas
- peanut butter (sub other nut or seed butter, if needed)
- coconut sugar (sub other granulated sweetener, if desired)
- vanilla extract
- pea protein powder
- rolled oats
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- mini chocolate chips, optional
You can see how thick the dough is. Bananas bind the protein cookies together (the pea protein also helps) and sweeten them naturally.
Making these vegan protein cookies is a breeze! Simply mash the bananas, and then whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter.
In a separate bowl whisk together the pea protein, baking powder, cocoa powder, and oats. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, and fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
Scoop up about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. If you have a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop that makes it easy. Just put two scoops of dough in your palm, squeeze them together, and roll it into a smooth ball.
Gently flatten each cookie into a thick patty shape, then use a fork to flatten them even more, creating a criss-cross pattern on top.
Bake the cookies in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes. And that's it! You just made delicious, healthy vegan protein cookies that you can snack on all week long.
Storage
Store homemade vegan protein cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to keep them refrigerated just to play it safe. But of course they're fine at room temperature for the day if you're taking them with you to work, school, a hike, or out for errands!
You can also freeze the cookies, if needed. They get very hard in the freezer, so be sure to allow time for them to thaw before serving.
I hope you enjoy these healthier Vegan Protein Cookies! If you try the recipe please leave a comment and a star rating below to let everyone know how they turned out.
More healthy vegan sweet treats:
Oil-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Oil-Free Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
Popped Sorghum Balls
4-Ingredient Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
Oil-Free Vegan Banana Brownies
Vegan Protein Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed overripe banana (2 med/large bananas) They should have lots of spots and smell very sweet.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup natural peanut butter, salted If using unsalted peanut butter, add ¼ tsp fine sea salt.
- ¾ cup pea protein powder, plain/unsweetened
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup mini vegan chocolate chips (see Notes) Check for allergens, as needed.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Place bananas in a mixing bowl, and mash with a fork. Whisk in the vanilla, coconut sugar, and peanut butter.
- In a medium-size bowl whisk together the pea protein, cocoa, baking powder, and oats. If using unsalted peanut butter be sure to also add about ¼ tsp fine sea salt.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet, and stir to combine. The dough will be very thick. Mix in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Scoop up about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Using a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop works well. Just put two scoops of dough in your palm, squeeze them together, and roll into a smooth ball. Use your palms to gently flatten each cookie into a thick patty shape. Place on the baking sheet. Use a fork to create a criss-cross pattern on top of the cookie, further flattening it into a rustic cookie shape.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing.
