Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Soft + Chewy)

Ingredient and Substitution Notes

Rolled Oats - Use only old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe so your result has the correct texture and structure. Quick-cooking / instant oats / quick oats, will not work (they are too soft) and steel-cut oats cannot be used since they are too hard. Use certified gluten-free rolled oats if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.

Oat Flour - You'll need a little oat flour to also help with the texture and structure of the cookies. You can use either store-bought oat flour or homemade oat flour.

If you make the oat flour yourself, make sure to sift it before measuring or weighing it. If it's not sifted, the texture of your cookies will be grainy. Also, make sure to buy certified gluten-free oat flour (or certified gluten-free oats for homemade oat flour) if you need the recipe to be 100% gluten-free. I have not tested this recipe with any other type of flour.

Smooth Natural Peanut Butter - You'll need unsalted natural peanut butter that only has one ingredient: roasted peanuts (no added oil, salt, sugar, or preservatives). It's the type that needs to be stirred to incorporate the naturally separated oil after opening it for the first time, that's runny and pourable at room temperature, and needs to be kept in the fridge (I use Kraft Only Peanuts Unsalted All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter).

Before using it, make sure it has been stirred well and that it’s fresh. I haven't tested this recipe with crunchy natural peanut butter, but it should work.

NOTE: When baking, measuring your flour accurately is so important to get the best results, even when using almond flour. Check out my article about how to measure flour correctly before you start.

Coconut Sugar - The recipe made as written is free from refined sugar since coconut sugar is unrefined. If you don't have any, you can use light brown sugar instead. I have not tried making this recipe with liquid sugar (such as maple syrup or agave), white sugar, or any alternative sweeteners.

Flax Eggs – Since this is a no-egg recipe, the flax egg act as a binder. If you can’t have flax, use ground chia seeds as a replacement.

Vanilla Extract - Vanilla is used to enhance flavour and is an essential ingredient in most cookies.

Baking Powder - This ingredient is needed to help them rise a little and for the texture. It cannot be substituted with baking soda.

Salt - Just a little is needed to balance the flavours!

Chocolate Chips - You'll need vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips or vegan dark chocolate chips (use the type you prefer as long as they're vegan) but if you don't want to use chocolate, you can use a different add-in that you like. See the "Variations" section below for a few suggestions.

Not sure which brands make vegan chocolate chips? Read this article to find an extensive list of choices: "Are Chocolate Chips Vegan."

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Add the chocolate chips and mix again until they have been incorporated into the cookie dough evenly. The cookie dough will be thick and stiff, that's exactly how it's supposed to be.

5. Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (like I am using in the picture below) or a tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet(s). If you are using a tablespoon, roll the cookie dough into balls before placing them on the cookie sheet.

6. Using a long-pronged fork, press the fork into the top of each cookie so they flatten slightly and leave indents (don't press too hard).

7. Turn the fork and press it into each cookie again, just slightly to create the crisscross pattern. If the fork is sticking to the cookies, dip it in water before pressing it into the top of the cookie.

8. Repeat until all cookies have been flattened and indented.

Bake and when the baking time is complete, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to sit for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

When you take them out of the oven, they will be very soft and will break apart if you try to transfer them right away, so don't skip this step! They will firm up while resting on the cookie sheet.

Making Ahead

To Freeze Unbaked Cookie Dough for Baking Later

You can make the cookie dough ahead and freeze it until you are ready to bake them. To do that, scoop the dough, place the balls of dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, create the criss-cross indents, and place the cookie sheet in the freezer.

After the cookie dough balls are frozen, store them in an airtight freezer-safe bag or container. Place parchment paper between each layer of cookies so they don't stick together. They can be stored in the freezer for up to two months.

When you’re ready to bake them, remove them from the freezer, place them on a prepared baking sheet, and bake. You can find more details about this in the recipe notes below.

Want more vegan gluten-free cookie recipes? Then look through this list of delicious vegan gluten-free cookie recipes!

Tips for Success

• Measure your oat flour correctly. Too much will make your cookie dough too dry which will result in crumbly cookies. Please read my article about how to measure flour correctly. This tip also applies to all other ingredients, make sure to measure them accurately to get the best results. I highly recommend using a scale (this is one I have (Amazon Link) and my weight measurements.
• If you are making homemade oat flour, sift it before measuring or weighing it. Homemade oat flour does not get as fine as store-bought oat flour, not sifting will give your cookies an incorrect texture.
• Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.
• Be sure to use natural, runny peanut butter. It should have just one ingredient: roasted peanuts! Nothing else.
• Make sure your peanut butter has been stirred well so there is no more oil floating at the top of the jar. Also make sure that you're not using any of the grainy, dry, hard parts that are sometimes found at the bottom of the jar if it wasn't stirred well.
• Use a cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough. This will result in uniform-sized cookies so they all bake evenly. Using a scoop also makes this step quicker and easier.
• Don't skip the resting time after you've removed them from the oven. You must wait for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. These cookies are very soft and fragile right after baking, so resist the urge to grab and devour one right away or it will fall apart. They will firm up as they cool.
• Read this post from top to bottom before you start. I’ve included a lot of tips and tricks so you get things right. Also, read through the actual recipe before getting started.
• Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.

Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!

Recipe FAQ

This post was updated in May 2023 to provide step-by-step images and more helpful info.