Remember these flourless peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? I first made them back in 2013 and slowly but surely they took over Pinterest and won your hearts. Now they’re one of my most popular cookie recipes OF ALL TIME.
So say hi to my ridiculously good-looking, chewy, thick, healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies with puddles of chocolate in every bite. Here’s the secret: they’re made without flour or butter!
Wait… WHAT? I swear this isn’t a joke.
First, I need to confess that I LOVE LOVE LOVE peanut butter. I’m definitely one of those people who feels like it completes me in some way. Some of you may feel this way about Nutella and I totally get it; nut butters are creamy, addictive, and awesome spread on just about anything. I usually do it animal-style aka straight out of the jar with a spoon.
Anyways, these cookies? Perfect for people who are explicitly in love with peanut butter.
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What makes these peanut butter oatmeal cookies healthy?
These are truly the most magical peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies because they’re filled with sneaky, nutrient-dense ingredients but still taste oh-so indulgent. They’re also:
- Made without any flour! We’re just using nutrient-dense, whole grain oatmeal for the perfect cookie texture. This keeps the cookies gluten free (if you use gluten free oats) while adding a boost of fiber.
- Dairy free because there’s no butter involved.
- Made without any extra oil. Just the natural oils and healthy fats from peanut butter!
- Packed with a protein punch thanks to peanut butter & eggs. Cookies for breakfast, anyone?
Ingredients in these healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies
Because these cookies contain no butter or flour, they’re packed with true peanut butter flavor. Plus they use just 7 key ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Peanut butter: I used all natural creamy peanut butter, but chunky peanut butter will also work. If you do happen to be allergic to peanuts, almond butter will also work well.
- Sweetener: I love using brown sugar in this recipe. If you prefer an unrefined sweetener then I suggest using coconut sugar. I’ve also made these with 1/2 cup of brown sugar instead of 2/3 cup and they still came out great but just taste a little more oatmeal-like.
- Vanilla: for that cozy flavor we know and love. Learn how to make your own here!
- Eggs: you’ll need two eggs for these healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
- Oatmeal: make sure to use regular old fashioned rolled oats in this recipe. And remember to purchase certified gluten-free oats if you are baking for someone who is gluten-intolerant.
- Baking soda: to make sure these peanut butter oatmeal cookies bake up thick & chewy.
- Chocolate chips: I love adding chocolate chips to these cookies but they’re optional. You can also use fewer chocolate chips if you’re trying to watch your sugar intake. I think 1/2 cup chocolate chips would be perfect too!
- Optional: a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for that sweet & salty combo.
Customize your peanut butter oatmeal cookies
- Choose your nut butter. Feel free to use any nut butter you’d like. Almond butter would also be delicious.
- Try new mix-ins. Have fun with your favorite add-ins like nuts, chocolate candies, raisins, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips. Or maybe try a chocolate drizzle! You can also omit any chocolate to keep them strictly peanut butter. If you’re craving monster cookies, try my healthy monster cookie recipe.
- Go refined sugar free. Use coconut sugar and omit the chocolate chips to make them fully refined sugar free.
Can I make them vegan?
I haven’t tested this recipe with flax eggs but let me know if you do!
How to make healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies
The best part about these healthy peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies is how easy they are to make. You’ll have warm, thick & chewy cookies in under 20 minutes!
- Prep your pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl mix together the oats and baking soda.
- Make the dough. In a separate, large bowl mix together the wet ingredients until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Roll & bake. Roll cookies into 2-inch dough balls, place them on your baking sheet, and just BARELY flatten the tops of the cookies with your hand. Bake them up until the edges barely begin to turn a golden brown.
- Cool & enjoy! Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle each cookie with flakey sea salt and enjoy!
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: feel free to keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, then transfer to the fridge or freezer.
- 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! You also freeze the dough itself — get all of our tips for doing so here!
More cookie recipes you’ll love
- Grain Free Snickerdoodles
- Damn Good Paleo Chocolate Chunk Tahini Cookies
- Blow Ya Mind Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free, too!)
- Healthy Soft Banana Bread Cookies
- Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Get all of my cookie recipes here!
If you make these healthy peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients:
- ¾ cup (71g) rolled oats (gluten-free if desired)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup (256g) natural creamy peanut butter (just peanuts + salt)
- ⅔ cup (142g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup (120g) chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- Flakey sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In small bowl mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl mix together peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Make the dough: Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in chocolate chips.
- Roll the dough: Roll cookies into 2-inch dough balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. BARELY flatten the top of the cookie with your hand. The dough should be pretty sticky so if you find this method annoying, simply use a cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. The cookies may not be as round in shape and perhaps a bit thicker, but that's okay, they will still be delicious!
- Bake: Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown. The cookies may look a little underdone, but they will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle each cookie with flakey sea salt. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Makes 16-20 cookies.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on March 5th, 2013, republished on December 26th, 2018, republished on August 30th, 2020, republished on January 16th, 2023, and republished on August 17th, 2025.
I love making these when you want something tasty, quick and easy! It really is quick for a cookie and I know I always have these ingredients on hand. Great for any PB lover
Absolutely! So glad you love these!
I love this recipe! I make these cookies all the time and they are always a hit. People love them and want the recipe sent to them. They are so easy for me to whip up and my go to cookie recipe when taking cookies somewhere. Highly recommend!
So happy to hear that! One of my favs, too 🙂
I make these cookies all the time except the only thing for me is I turn them into bars I put them in an 8 x 8 square pan and then I melt chocolate on top and sea salt. Great recipe cause I’m gluten-free.
Perfect!!
I followed the recipe exactly, using grams, but used the suggestion to use coconut sugar instead of dark brown sugar. I think they would have tasted better with dark brown sugar, but thought coconut would be “healthier”. The grams for coconut sugar are different, so keep that in mind – you can Google the correct weight. The cookies were very soft and did end up looking like the pictures – which I thought there was no way they would with how dark they were going into the oven. Taste was great, but they did taste healthy with the coconut sugar. The amount of chocolate chips, while nice, I think is slightly too much for the recipe – chocolate chips were falling off the dough and hard to incorporate so many. 1/2 cup, like the recipe note is probably a better ratio.
I’m glad they were still delicious! Let me know if you give them a try with brown sugar, too 🙂
These were perfection. I made them tonight and am so glad I opted for a double batch. I used a larger cookie scoop so a double batch made 24 cookies but they’re so thick and chewy! Will definitely be making these again!
Amazing! Glad you loved them!
Delicioso! I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to roll the dough despite it being sticky. It doesn’t stick to fingers. They turned out nicely raised, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.
Thank you for the somewhat healthy cookie recipe that I will make again.
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed!
The biscuits in the photo don’t have oats but the recipe does so a little confusing
The recipe is correct as written! The oats my photographer used may have just been smaller.
These turned out really delicious! I was a bit skeptical of the oatmeal, but they just added a bit of texture to the cookies. I used natural peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips, a little bit of silvered almonds, and chia seeds,
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
The cookies turned out amazing, thank you! I am wondering if you have tried making them with honey or maple syrup as the sweetener and how they turned out.
I haven’t tried it! I’m afraid the dough might come out a bit too wet.
These come together so quickly & are delicious! I did have to bake them for closer to 20 minutes – that might have been due to my oven, though!
Such a great dessert!
These are so quick and easy to make, they’re also super delicious- not too sweet. I also love that they use 2 eggs so I don’t have an odd number of eggs in my carton 🙂
Yes, so easy and delicious!
So easy and fam approved! Will make again!
So happy to hear that!
Wow! This cookie is one of the best cookie recipes I’ve baked in awhile. Leaving the review right after baking and eating, that’s how good it is. It’s so easy, comes together quickly, and no wait time to bake! Crispy on the outside, thick, and gooey on the outside. The ingredients are always on hand in our house, which made it even easier. It also had the right amount of chocolate. Must bake now!
The best kinds of cookie recipes are the crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside ones 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this one!
So easy to make and delicious! Double the recipe, they will disappear quickly.
So delicious!
If I used regular peanut butter do I need to add less sugar? I don’t have natural.
Hi Dee, you’ll want to use natural peanut butter as other brands are too thick!
I made these cookies a few times and my husband and I love them. The only cookie recipe I found that’s flourless that we enjoy. Thank you
Love everything about this cookie recipe! Easy and healthy for guilt free snacking ❤️
I’m so glad!
I have made these twice now. My husband loves them and so do I. I use natural, unsalted peanut butter, bittersweet chocolate pieces and add walnuts and pecans.I shape them with a sturdy metal tablespoon and a small silicone spatula as the batter is very sticky. I love that they are so moist and chewy and stay fresh for several days covered tightly on the counter. Not that they last long anyway! Thanks for the recipe.
Perfect! So glad you both love these 🙂
Are you blending the oats because mine don’t come out looking that smooth. You can see all the oats in them. Still delicious though!
I don’t blend the oats! Different brands can vary in size. Glad they were delicious!
Hi, I’ve got a quick question. I’m using a no-salt peanut butter, so can I add salt to the recipe and how much should I put?
I’d suggest about 1/4 teaspoon!
These are awesome!!!!! Will be making again and again!!!!!!
Yum!!! So easy to make. I was craving some oatmeal cookies but was out of flour. These exceeded my expectations, and I will be making them again. I recommend chilling the dough in the fridge for 30 mins before baking.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
I had a previous copy of this recipe (printed out) that said NOT to use natural peanut butter – why the change? (In my pantry rn I only have Jif…)
I personally love using natural peanut butter in my recipes and found it actually did work well upon retesting. Feel free to use what you have on hand!
So yummy! I made a batch around noon and they were gone by the evening. Lots of chocolate chips per cookie and very peanut buttery. I also didn’t have any dark brown sugar so I used light and added a bit of molasses and that seemed to work fine. Loved this recipe will be making again!
So glad they were a hit! And great idea to make your own dark brown sugar 🙂