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!
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
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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.
The first 4 times I made this recipe it was fabulous. The last 2 times the mixture was so crumbly I could not form shaped balls . I did not substitute any ingredients- any thoughts ?
Hi Debbi! Next time, I would add more peanut butter to get the consistency you would like. :)
Half of mine fell apart :/ I used maple syrup instead of honey and when I was having a hard time shaping them into balls, I added some honey to try to help. But they were still hard to shape, and then they started to fall apart when I removed them from the fridge and transferred them to a container.
I really liked these! Quick. Easy. And delicious! I used the pampered chef granola pan and it worked really well! I did the base recipe (3T chia) plus 3T flax and 3T shredded unsweetened coconut. Very good! Thank you for the recipe & inspiration, Mama!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Is there a way to do this without using a microwave?
Hi! You could definitely do it on the stove instead of the microwave.
Love that this is so easy to make. Thanks for sharing this.
Tasty and easy to make. I used sunbutter instead of peanut butter as I’m allergic to peanuts. I also added dried cranberries. What I like about this recipe is it’s versatility in addition to being tasty and easy to make.
I’m so glad it turned out well for you with your substitutions. Thank you for leaving a comment and review Sheryl. I know it will be so helpful to others with peanut allergies!
These were super easy to make, tasty and even hubster loved them!
Made these and loved them! As a bartender working 13 hour shifts, these are great to keep me going!
I’m so happy to hear that! Love that they help you power through your shifts :)
It would be great to know how many carbs are in this being that as a diabetic I need to know my carb count
When it comes to the mix-ins do u put a 1/4 cup total of all this ingredients? Or a 1/4 cup of each ingredient? Or a 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and then add the others to taste preference?
I would add 1/4-1/2 cup total of add ins to keep the consistency. :)
Haven’t made the cookies yet but I will. Just wanted to say when I freeze or store bakery items I wrap them in CutRite Wax Paper. That particular wax paper works to keep the bakery item fresh longer, both in the freezer and sitting on the counter.
Thanks for the tip!
Do these have to be refrigerated? I’m wanting to send some to my daughter in college, she has a fridge to store in once she gets them.
Yes, these should be stored in the fridge!
Hi Jamielyn!
My name is Mandy and I am a Registered Dietitian for the Oklahoma WIC Program. We have a program called Live Well in which we send out health tips each week to our Health Department employees. For the month of September, we are focusing on breakfast foods. I really want to share your video and recipe but will need your permission to do so. Thank you for your consideration.
Mandy
Yes, that is totally fine. Thanks for reaching out!
Can flax seed be used in place of chia seeds?
Yes, that should be fine!
I made these cookies for the first time and they were a hit, so delicious and healthy, already going on my second batch.
Tasted amazing, my family loved it! They literally fight over the last piece. WIll definitely make again. Can’t wait to try out more recipes.
I’m so glad to hear they loved it! Thanks so much for your comment. :)
Love this recipe! I add mini chocolate chips and my husband loves them. Have made with dried cranberries and coconut and they are delicious also. Shared with my niece, who is a nutrition major, and she thought they were delicious!
I’m so glad you hear you enjoyed them! :)
Awesome cookies! My husband and I loved them! We will be making them multiple times over!
I’m so happy to hear you loved them! :)
Do they need the oats? Trying to make these keto.
Hi Joni! I don’t have a good substitute for the oats unfortunately!
Can you use quick oats instead of old fashion?
Also I’m allergic to peanut butter, would Sunbutter ( sunflower base) work do you think?
Yes you can use old fashioned and sunbutter. You may just need to use a little more sun butter and honey.