No-bake and easy to make in one bowl, these breakfast cookies are naturally sweetened, gluten-free and delicious! The perfect healthy on-the-go breakfast or snack.
Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Whenever I get a little lazy to make breakfast or know I’m going to have a hectic week ahead of me, I whip up these healthy no bake breakfast cookies. They are gluten-free, refined-sugar free, dairy free and oh so delicious!
I eat a few of them for an easy breakfast and I love snacking on them when I get a mid-afternoon dip. They are a healthy no bake cookie packed with protein that keeps you full! Banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, are two others we love.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hearty and wholesome: No oil, flour, refined sugar or butter! Plus, completely dairy-free. These breakfast cookies are ones you can feel good about eating!
- Easy to customize: Just like my homemade granola bars, mix and match the ingredients to what you have on hand and make your own custom breakfast cookie.
- Simple and delicious: All you need is one bowl and 5 minutes to make these! There is lots of chewy and crunchy texture in each bite and they actually taste so good!
Breakfast Cookie Ingredients
Below are the base ingredients needed for this breakfast cookie recipe. From there, feel free to add in any additional mix-in’s to make the cookies your own (ideas below).
- Peanut butter: I used peanut butter, but other types of nut butter such as almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower butter will work too as long as they’re the CREAMY type. The creamy consistency holds the cookies together.
- Oats: This recipe calls for old fashioned oats. They’re chewy, delicious and are a great source of fiber.
- Honey: You can use honey (or maple syrup if vegan) to sweeten the cookies.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract adds an extra boost of flavor.
- Chia seeds: I love adding these for extra protein, fiber and antioxidants. You can’t really taste them, but they help pack a punch of nutrients!
Optional Mix-in’s
You can stick with the base ingredients above, or add extras to make some fun variations.
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Pumpkin seeds
- Protein powder or collagen
- Ground flaxseeds
- Shredded coconut
- Cinnamon
How to Make Breakfast Cookies
- Combine liquid ingredients: Place the peanut butter, honey and vanilla in a microwavable medium bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. Taste and add more honey or vanilla to reach desired taste.
- Add remaining ingredients: Stir the mixture until well combined, then add in the remaining ingredients and any extra customizations. Stir well and ensure everything is well incorporated. If it’s too runny, add more oats. If it’s too dry, add more honey and peanut butter.
- Make cookies: Roll your cookie dough mixture into 8 balls and place the balls on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the balls flat slightly and add any extra desired toppings.
- Chill: Place them in the fridge or freezer until the cookies are set. Take out a few minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Microwave. After mixing together the wet ingredients (peanut butter, honey and vanilla), give it a quick 20 second nuke in the microwave. It’s much easier to stir together with the rest of the ingredients when the mixture is a bit warm and melty.
- Consistency. You can always adjust the consistency until it’s just right. If the mixture is too runny, add in a little more oats to soak it up. Or if it’s dry and crumbly, add in more creamy peanut butter or honey.
- Taste test. Give the mixture a quick taste before shaping into balls. Add in a little more honey to sweeten if needed or a small pinch of salt or cinnamon for more flavor.
- Shape. These cookies are larger than energy balls, so after rolling them up, don’t forget to press down on the ball to slightly flatten them out. You can use the palm of your hand or the bottom of a cup to do this. This gives them that round cookie shape.
- Let chill. After shaping the cookies, they will need to chill in the refrigerator or freezer in order to set. Although they’ll still taste delicious at room temperature, they might fall apart easier. Giving them time to set helps them keep their shape.
Storing and Freezing
- To store: Simply place in an airtight container or zip top bag and keep in the refrigerator. The cookies will stay for up to 2 weeks if stored properly in the fridge.
- To freeze: I like to flash freeze the cookies first, so they don’t stick together. Simply freeze them on a baking sheet until hard (about 30 minutes to an hour). Then stack in a freezer container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Other make ahead breakfast recipes we love include these oatmeal pancakes, mini egg frittatas, my breakfast bars recipe or breakfast meatballs recipe!
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Breakfast Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 to 4 Tablespoons honey , more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 3 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 3/4 cup old fashioned oats , more if needed
Optional Mix In’s: 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, chopped almonds, raisins, pumpkin seeds, protein powder, flaxseeds
Instructions
- Microwave liquids. Place 3/4 cup peanut butter, 2-4 Tablespoons honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a microwavable bowl and microwave the ingredients for 20 seconds. Taste and add more honey or vanilla to reach desired taste.
- Add oats. Stir the mixture until well combined, then add in 3/4 cup oats and 1-3 Tablespoons chia seeds (and any extra mix-in's). Stir well and ensure everything is well incorporated. Taste and add any extras if desired. If it's too runny, add more oats. If it's too dry, add more honey and peanut butter.
- Roll the mixture into 8 balls and place the balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Press the balls flat slightly and add any extra desired toppings. Place them in the fridge or freezer until set.
- Take out a few minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe and photography contributed by Jane from Baking-Ginger.
Categorized as: American, Breakfast, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cookies, Dairy-Free, Desserts, Energy Balls + Bars, Make Ahead, Meal Prep, No-Bake, Oatmeal Cookies, Reader Favorites, Snacks, Sweet Breakfast, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I love to cook but baking not so good and I have a sweet tooth. Could not have been more pleased to find this no bake cookie recipe ;-)
I took another’s advice and added a dash of sea salt. Wished I had chocolate chips than decided to use organic dark chocolate peanut butter, cherries, walnuts, chia & flex seeds and walnuts with remaining suggested ingredients. Recipe states will last 2 weeks when refrigerated, doubt will last 2 weeks~Yum!
Thanks for the review!
Has anyone done the calculations for how many WW points?
These Breakfast Cookies sound so yummy, thanks for sharing! Do you think I could use Maple Syrup in lieu of the Honey?
That should work as a 1:1 substitute!
Tastes great. I added protein powder
So glad you enjoyed them!
So easy. I added few extras and turned out fantastic
I added unsweetened coconut, chopped pecans and golden raisins. So good!!!!!!
They look very delicious. If you were to reduce the amount of peanut butter and increase the amount of oats you could turn this into a granola recipe that you can add anything you like to it within reason. Pitted dates, any dried fruits, flax freshly ground, protein powder etc. Bake at a low temperature like 325 for about 20-25 minutes. Let cool and then they will crisp up. I add organic unrefined coconut oil too for some healthy fats.
Thanks for sharing Chris! That sounds delicious :)
Really liked these. So easy to make. I would definitely add more oatmeal.
My favorite recipe for no bake breakfast cookies!!
I’m so happy you enjoy the breakfast cookies Sandee :)
This was very easy to make and delicious!
I used crunchy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Then added 1 1/2 tablespoons of Chia seeds
3/4 cup of oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins
Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed the breakfast cookies :)
SUCH a great flavor!! This recipe is my new favorite!! I used peanut butter powder and they still taste amazing!!!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Have a question…can you use a chia, flax, hemp blended mix in place of the chia seed?
I have Nutvia superseed blend of ground flax, chia &hemp seed.
Thanks for any input
Bev
Yes you can :)
Soo good! I don’t use a microwave so I heated on stove. I added a sprinkle of sea salt to the top of each one. Thanks! They hit the sweet spot quickly! lol! 😝
Thank you! So glad you liked the breakfast cookies :)
Thank you, I do not own a microwave either and was wondering how they will trun out on stove.
Hi. Can almond butter be substituted? I can’t use flax or chia. Will they be okay without either of those? Thanks
Hi Becky! Yes, you can substitute wtih almond butter.
We love this recipe! I make it weekly and add different nuts and dried fruit to change it up. Melt some chocolate chips with the peanut butter for a chocolate delight.
Can I make these as a “bar” cookie?
Yes you can press them in a dish and then slice :)
This is so quick and easy to make and breakfast is ready for a few days! I need to get more grains in my daily diet and this will do the truck!
Can I use quick oats? Definitely going to make these for lactation cookies!! Flax seed, coconut, and protein powder!!
Yes you can :)