Before I had Sidney, I knew I wanted to breastfeed, so I set out to make the best lactation cookie recipe that I could to stash in the freezer. I heard tales of women having supply issues, so I thought, why not make a really freakin’ good, healthy cookie that helps with milk production!
It took me a couple of tries, but I can confidently say that these lactation cookies are truly the BEST! They taste like chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and are both vegan and gluten-free, so ALL mamas can have them. Bonus: I even include the option of making them thick or thin for a truly customizable cookie.
With baby #4 almost here(!!), I have a few batches already frozen and ready to go. Honestly, they’re an amazing treat whether you’re breastfeeding or not, so bake a batch or two and enjoy!
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What are lactation cookies?
Some of you might be wondering what makes these cookies “lactation” cookies. It’s all about the milk-boosting ingredients, which have been known to help increase breastmilk supply, including:
- Flaxseed meal: flaxseeds contain phytoestrogens that can help boost breast milk production.
- Whole oats: oats contain iron, which is known to have a positive effect on breast milk supply. This lactation cookie recipe uses both rolled oats and oat flour for double the oat love.
- Brewer’s yeast: this nutritional supplement is high in complex B vitamins, protein, and selenium, which are all nutrients new moms need. Please note that not all brewer’s yeast brands are gluten-free, so if you are GF, be sure to check the label. The one I have linked is gluten-free!
Ingredients in these homemade lactation cookies
Along with the nutritious ingredients above that make these perfect for nursing mamas, you’ll also need:
- Coconut sugar: we’re naturally sweetening these lactation cookies with coconut sugar — making them the perfect treat.
- Coconut oil: a little coconut oil gives the cookies the perfect amount of moisture.
- Flavor boosts: you’ll also be adding vanilla extract and cinnamon for a warm, cozy flavor.
- Dark chocolate chips: who doesn’t love a little chocolate in their cookies? Feel free to use dairy free chocolate chips if you need to.
- To top: I like to sprinkle a little fancy sea salt on top for that sweet & salty combo.
Customize them, mama
These vegan and gluten-free lactation cookies are one of the best snacks to grab and nourish you, especially while glued to the couch breastfeeding (my current reality!). One of the best parts about these lactation cookies is that they are easily customizable. Here are some suggestions to make them your own:
- Make them with almond flour: I’ve successfully made these with almond flour instead of oat flour! Here’s how to do it: use 1 2/3 cup fine blanched almond flour (instead of oat flour) and 1 cup of oats (instead of 3/4 cup oats). You’ll need to bake these just a few minutes longer, and they’ll be softer, but they will be delicious!
- Add in additional healthy fats: feel free to add in ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Add in coconut: adding ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut is delicious and adds a unique texture. If you do, I suggest reducing the oat flour to 1 ½ cups total.
- Mix up the add-ins: feel free to use chocolate chunks instead of chips, or use any type of chocolate chip you’d like. You can also add in dried cherries, dried cranberries, or dried blueberries!
Make your own oat flour for cookies
You can easily make your own gluten-free oat flour by simply placing gluten-free oats into a blender and blending/pulsing until they’re smooth and resemble a fine flour. This is probably the cheapest option.
For this recipe, you’ll most likely need 1 2/3 cups of gluten-free rolled oats to make the same amount of oat flour. Always measure the oat flour to ensure the proper amount called for in the recipe, and check out my tutorial with all of my best tips & tricks.
How to make lactation cookies without brewer’s yeast
I realize that not everyone is likely to have brewer’s yeast in their pantry, so I’m including a few options for making these cookies without brewer’s yeast. You only need to pick one of these options to replace the brewer’s yeast in this recipe:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- Or 1/2 cup fine blanched almond flour
Storing & freezing tips
These easy lactation cookies are the perfect treat to freeze for later and enjoy whenever you need a snack or sweet treat.
- To store: feel free to keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: make sure the cookies are completely cooled, and then transfer them to an airtight container lined with wax or parchment paper or freezer-safe bag before storing them in the freezer for up to 2 months. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy! Alternatively, learn how to freeze the dough with these tips & tricks!
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If you make these lactation cookies, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. We’d also love if you would leave a comment below and rate the recipe. We appreciate you! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
The Best Lactation Cookies (for nursing mamas!)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (30g) flaxseed meal
- ½ cup (120g) water
- 1 cup (154g) coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup (75g) virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups (158g) oat flour, gluten-free if desired*
- ¾ cup (71g) old fashioned rolled oats, gluten-free if desired
- ¼ cup (33g) brewer’s yeast** (get the debittered kind if possible)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup (120g) dark chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- Maldon sea salt, for sprinkling the tops of the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make a flax egg: In a medium bowl, mix together flaxseed meal and water; let it sit for 5 minutes while you get all your other ingredients ready.
- Mix the wet ingredients: After 5 minutes the ‘flaxegg’ will be ready and you can add in the coconut sugar, melted and cooled coconut oil, and vanilla extract to the bowl; whisk together until smooth and well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: Next add in the oat flour, rolled oats, brewer’s yeast, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough: Use a medium cookie scoop and place dough on a prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. You should get about 20 cookies. If you want thicker cookies, leave as is. If you want slightly thinner cookies, very gently push ONLY the top of the cookie down a bit. Don’t over flatten.
- Bake: Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes until edges are just slightly golden brown around the edges. Once cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle the tops with fancy sea salt.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leaving them on the baking sheet will help them settle up, harden and hold together. Makes 20 cookies.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on February 11, 2020, republished on May 3, 2021, and republished on January 22nd, 2026.
Hi! Looking forward to trying these – can I sub in an egg rather than using a flax egg, or is that part of the texture/flavour/lactation properties?
You can use a regular egg, no problem!
Can I substitute brewers yeast with nutritional yeast?
I wouldn’t recommend it, as nutritional yeast has a savory, almost “cheesy” flavor.
Hi there,
I would like to make and ship these for my friend, who is a new mother. As such, I’m curious as to how long they will last without refrigeration ? It would be a shame for her to open up a box of mouldy cookies, so definitely trying to avoid that !
Thank you in advance for any insights regarding this subject 🙂
Hi! They should last up to 5 days at room temperature!
Not sure what happened. I followed the recipe to a T using the weighted measurements. Ended up with a giant puddle of a cookie. Disappointed and was really looking forward to this for after my baby is born.
This cookie recipe hasn’t changed, and we’ve been making for years, so I’m not sure what could have happened!
My favourite lactation cookie recipe! Hands down! So many recipes are too sweet or bitter but this one is so well balanced
So happy to hear that!
Mine definitely did not turn out as pretty as Monique’s but that’s probably because i made the oat flour myself and it could’ve been more fine than i made it. Regardless, these cookies taste amazing! I love that they have ingredients to help my milk supply too!
The taste is all that matters! Perfect for new moms 🙂
These are the best lactation cookies Ive ever made and tasted. I opted for organic AP flour instead of oat flour and dark brown coconut sugar for a deeper flavor and they came out amazing. Thank you!
So glad you love them! They’re my go-to!
Thanks for the recipe! Turned out great, just what I needed, and so delicious! None of the stores near me had oat flour so I substituted with coconut flour. Maybe add a note for subbing because I read too late that the sub is 1 cup to 0.25 cups? Woops! The coconut flour absorbed all the liquid so I had to use more water which turned my cookies into soft muffins. Will definitely try this recipe again but with the right flour or ratios.
So glad you enjoyed! Coconut flour is VERY absorbent — did you see a swap for that in this post? I have a recommendation for swapping almond flour (1 2/3 cup) but not for coconut flour, so want to make sure I have the recommendation written correctly.
Thanks for the recipe! Turned out great, just what I needed, and so delicious! None of the stores near me had oat flour so I substituted with coconut flour. Maybe add a note for subbing because I read too late that the sub is 1 cup to 0.25 cups? Woops! The coconut flour absorbed all the liquid so I had to use more water which turned my cookies into soft muffins. Will definitely try this recipe again but with the right flour or ratios.
These are absolutely delicious…even if you totally mess up the instructions. I set all of the ingredients out and was about to make the cookies with my 4 year old when my newborn woke up and wanted to eat. So instead, my husband made the cookies with both our 4 year old and 2 year old. He didn’t follow any of the instructions but just threw all of the ingredients together with the kids. It totally worked, though! The cookies were delicious! I’m super glad we doubled the batch.
That’s what these are for! Easy to whip up at all times 🙂 So glad you enjoyed!
Can’t wait to try this!
Quick question can we substitute brown sugar for coconut sugar ?
Can we substitute unsalted butter for coconut oil
Yes, those swaps should work!
These lactation cookies are so delicious and nourishing! They’ve been a perfect snack while breastfeeding and/or pumping. I’m already on my 2nd batch and plan to make more soon! Highly recommend!
So happy to hear that!!
These turned out great as written! I made two batches for my sister-in-law, and they shipped beautifully. Thank you for a vegan-friendly lactation cookie recipe!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
These cookies are amazing! I’ve probably made about 15 batches over the last few years. I typically substitute Brewers Yeast for Nutritional Yeast as it’s easier to find and then my toddlers can eat them too!
Perfect! So glad you and the kiddos love them!
Excellent recipe ! Followed it exactly substituting shredded coconut for the brewers yeast. Delicious, easy to make, solid snacking cookie for breast feeding!
Perfect!!
These were pretty good. I did sub some of the oat flour for shredded coconut (just because I love coconut), and the chocolate chips for dried cranberry (no reason besides too much chocolate in this house lately lol), using the exact measurements that are written in the post. I feel like I can still taste a tiny bit of the brewer’s yeast but besides that these are a cookie I”d just eat as a dessert. I might make them without the brewer’s yeast just to see what that’s like, too. They went into my freezer since I’m more than likely giving birth in a couple of days and wanted to have them ready. I crunched the numbers about their nutritional value and just in that alone they are absolutely out of this world.
Perfect! So glad you found these – such a great snack or treat to have on hand in the coming months 🙂
These are amazing!!! Made for my niece/goddaughter who’s due any day. I wasted time making another recipes that has crazy high ratings and i was so disappointed. I found and tried yours and they are WAY better. Thx so much!!!
Amazing! So glad you found these!
I made these for my daughter who is a brand new mom as of this past weekend to a beautiful little boy. Her milk just came in. These remind me of the oatmeal cookie in a Little Debbie oatmeal crème pie. I love that these are science . with ingredients that enhance milk supply. So much healthier than empty calories. Thanks for another fantastic recipe, Monique!
Huge congrats to your daughter! These are the perfect snack or treat for her – I loved these while breastfeeding!
I made this and substituted the yeast for the almond flour but they are a bit crumbly and no where near as soft as i would like a cookie. not sure if theyre meant to be hard but i followed the recipe to a T.
Hi! So strange – these shouldn’t be hard. Did you by chance pack one of the flours? It sounds like there was too much of a dry ingredient.
Can you use chickpea flour ?
I haven’t tried it! Let me know if you do 🙂
I love these cookies! Made them multiple times for myself and I always make a batch for new nursing mommas. I like to add cranberries or dried cherries to add some chewiness.
So happy to hear that!
These are amazing! So delicious.
Glad you enjoyed!
Hi there,
Can you swap the coconut sugar for honey or maple syrup? If so what quantities would you suggest?
Hi! I haven’t tested it, but I think maple syrup should work. I’d suggest using a bit less than 1 cup.
I have made these several times, following the recipe as is and also with almond flour instead of oat, They are soo good and great to make extras of so I can freeze and have on hand for a quick snack or dessert. Perfect for busy nursing moms!
So happy to hear that!
I’ve tried several different lactation cookie recipes and this one is FAR AND AWAY the best. They are so moist and delicious and I really don’t mind the brewers yeast in here (in fact I added a bit more than the recipe calls for). 10 of 10!
So glad you found this one! I still make them all the time 🙂
Hi Monique! I’m making these for my SIL who is expecting TWINS! I have everything except the brewer’s yeast…curious if you have a preferred sub of the three offered??
Hi! Amazing! I like all of them, so it just depends on what’s accessible to you 🙂 The coconut will add extra flavor, but the oat or almond flour are very easy. Oat flour is probably the easiest option because you’ll already be adding it to the recipe 🙂