These vegan no bake cookies are soft, chewy, and need just 5 ingredients to make! No dairy and no eggs needed, they can be made with or without peanut butter!
Vegan No Bake Cookies
Everyone needs a classic dessert on hand that uses simple ingredients and doesn’t need any oven to be turned on. Enter no bake cookies.
Growing up, no bake cookies were something that we enjoyed very regularly. Whenever a dessert craving hit, my mom would let us kids help her whip up a batch of them and more of the batter made it into our mouths than in the refrigerator to firm up.
Now, traditional no bake cookies contain butter and dairy. Luckily, you can easily enjoy a vegan version with just a few swaps. These vegan no bake cookies are thick, soft, chewy, and full of peanut butter flavor. They take 5 minutes to prep and the hard part is waiting for them to firm up.
Bonus? These can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free oats!
How do you make vegan no bake cookies?
The Ingredients
- Oats– I used quick cooking oats, but you can use a mix of rolled and quick oats.
- Sugar– White or brown sugar. If you use brown sugar, your cookies will be darker in color.
- Vegan butter– Use butter from a block and not from a tub. The former has fewer additives in it which can often be difficult to melt well.
- Almond milk– Or any milk of choice!
- Peanut butter– Smooth and creamy peanut butter.
The Instructions
Start by adding the sugar, butter, and milk into a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Once it begins to heat up, stir very well until the sugar has dissolved. Once it begins to simmer, reduce to low heat and whisk well, until smooth.
Now, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the peanut butter. Whisk the peanut butter into it, until melted. Add the oats and mix very well, until a thick dough remains. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out portions of the mixture onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Refrigerate the cookies for at least an hour, to firm up.
Tips to make the best peanut butter no bake cookies
- Do not worry if your batter is too thin, they will firm up nicely once set.
- For chocolate no bake cookies, fold through 1/4 cup of cocoa powder.
- Feel free to add shredded coconut, nuts, seeds, or other mix-ins of choice into it.
Can I make vegan no bake cookies without peanut butter?
Yes, if you want to make these cookies without peanut butter, simply replace them with almond butter, cashew butter, or even tahini.
Storing and freezing no bake cookies
- To store: No bake cookies can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 weeks. Store them in the refrigerator if you’d like them to keep longer.
- To freeze: Place leftover cookies in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More vegan dessert recipes to try
Vegan No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup sugar white or brown
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablepoons vegan butter
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk of choice I used almond milk
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 1/4 cups quick oats gluten free, if needed
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the sugar, butter, and milk, and place over medium heat. Once the sugar dissolves, stir regularly. When it starts to simmer, mix several more times for an extra two minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the peanut butter and whisk well, until melted. Add the quick oats and mix very well, until a relatively thin cookie dough remains.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out portions of the dough and place them onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least an hour, to firm up.
Jenny says