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Sometimes you just need a cookie. And when that craving hits, these vegan peanut butter cookies totally deliver. They’re soft, chewy, and taste indulgent, but they’re made with feel-good ingredients.

finished vegan peanut butter cookies on a baking sheet, surrounded by shelled peanuts.

Instead of processed sugar overload, I use coconut sugar and maple syrup for natural sweetness. Oat milk keeps things dairy-free and smooth, and there’s no butter, no eggs, and no weird additives. Plus, peanut butter adds protein and healthy fats, so these cookies satisfy without the crash. This is a cookie you can feel better about sharing with your kids—or sneaking after bedtime.

These easy vegan peanut butter cookies are fun to make and even more fun to eat! They also make the perfect companion to my morning cup of healthy coffee.

labeled ingredients for vegan peanut butter cookies including vanilla extract, oat flour, cinnamon, creamy peanut butter, sea salt, baking soda, unsweetened oat milk, coconut sugar and maple syrup.

The ingredients for these delightful treats are pretty straight forward, with a few fun twists. I’m using coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, maple syrup instead of granulated sugar and oat flour instead of regular flour. Read why below:

  • Creamy peanut butter: I use natural peanut butter for this recipe and mine turn out great every time. Just make sure that dough is thoroughly mixed before forming it into balls. Natural peanut butter often separates in the jar, so give it a good mix even before measuring out the necessary amount to ensure you get all those needed oils.
  • Coconut sugar: This darker sugar acts similarly to brown sugar and brings depth to this recipe.
  • Unsweetened oat milk: Non-dairy milk is always a winner– and oat milk helps the cookies fluff up a bit.
  • Maple syrup: This is my natural sweetener of choice in all baked goods.
  • All-purpose flour: You can use bleached or unbleached. If you’re gluten free, use oat flour of a GF flour.

Ingredient Swaps

If peanuts are an issue, you can easily turn these into sun butter, cashew, tahini or almond butter cookies by using the seed or nut butter of your choice. Just adjust the oil amounts to ensure they don’t dry out too much while baking.

If you are a peanut butter + chocolate lover like my husband then feel free to mix in up to a cup of vegan chocolate chips. You won’t be able to flatten the dough balls with a fork, yet they should still turn out great.

Swap out oat milk for whatever dairy-free milk you have on hand.

How to Make Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

This peanut butter cookie recipe is pretty quick to make and takes an oven, parchment-lined baking sheet, two mixing bowls and a fork. 

Step 1: Set the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peanut butter cookies are more oily than other varieties, yet can still stick to a pan if there is no paper down.

white measuring spoon adding salt and baking soda to bowl of ingredients, ready to be combined with a black spatula.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix peanut butter, coconut sugar, oat milk, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Feel free to use a standing mixer or a hand mixer to get the creamiest results.

stainless steel whisk in a bowl of oat flour and other ingredients in gluten-free peanut butter cookies.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon until well combined. 

white mixing bowl of ingredients and a black spatula.

4. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir until combined. I like using a spatula to combine, so that I don’t over mix. It should be crumbly.

caramel colored cookie dough getting mixed in a white mixing bowl by a black spatula.

5. Drizzle the oat milk over the cookie dough then use a spatula or your hands to combine. The dough will be a bit sticky. If it doesn’t hold together add more oat milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together. 

a fork pressing down on cookie dough to form the criss cross pattern of traditional peanut butter cookies.

6. Shape the dough into 1″ round balls then set them on the prepped baking sheet. You can use a cookie scoop if you want, yet I find I get a better ball shape just using my hands. Use a fork to create the classic crisscross pattern on the top of the cookie dough balls to flatten it. 

baked vegan peanut butter cookies up close with criss cross lines.

7. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is just set. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

When testing this recipe, I tried both chilling the dough in the fridge/freezer as well as just baking right away. I didn’t notice a difference in how the cookies turned out, so I didn’t include that extra step in my recipe.

You know those classic criss-cross fork marks on peanut butter cookies? They’re not just for looks (though they do make them instantly recognizable). Pressing the dough with a fork before baking actually helps the cookies bake more evenly and keeps them from puffing up too much. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference!

stack of eggless peanut butter cookies on a white counter top next to a glass jar of oat milk, surrounded by shelled peanuts.

More Vegan Desserts

If you’ve tried this vegan peanut butter cookies recipe then don’t forget to let me know what you think in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

stack of vegan peanut butter cookies on a white plate on a white counter.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

These vegan peanut butter cookies are soft, chewy, and loaded with rich peanut butter flavor. Made with plant-based ingredients like coconut sugar, oat milk, and maple syrup—no eggs or dairy required!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Total: 23 minutes
Serves: 24
Author: Jen Hansard
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Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a mixing bowl, mix peanut butter, coconut sugar, oat milk, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth and creamy. If you have an electric mixer, I'd use that.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon.
  • Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir until combined. It will be crumbly.
  • Use a wooden spoon to combine. The dough should be a little sticky. If it doesn't stick together, add a little more oat milk, one teaspoon at a time, until dough comes together.
  • Shape dough into 1" dough balls and set on baking sheet.
  • Using a fork, create the crisscross pattern on top of each ball to slightly flatten (yet don't make it too flat).
  • Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown around edges and set in the center.
  • Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

Helpful Tools

Notes

  • You can store these cookies in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. 
  • To make your own oat flour for this recipe: blend rolled oats in a high-powered blender or food processor until finely ground.
  • Swap peanut butter for cashew butter, sunflower butter, almond butter, etc.
  • Swap oat milk with the dairy-free milk of your choice.
  • Swap all purpose flour for oat flour or gluten-free flour blend.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 122 kcal | Carbohydrates: 16 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g | Sodium: 203 mg | Potassium: 75 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 7 g | Vitamin A: 5 IU | Calcium: 12 mg | Iron: 1 mg

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Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies FAQs

Why are my peanut butter cookies breaking apart?

I find it’s easier to overcook peanut butter cookies since they are already brown in color. So if you want to keep them from getting crumbly, try slightly undercooking them then leaving them on the tray to cool (after removing from the oven) until they are safe to touch. Another reason for crumbly cookies is a lack of moisture. Make sure the dough is a bit oily when you scoop it onto the baking tray.

Can a vegan eat peanut butter?

Yes, vegans can enjoy all the peanut butter they want. As always, read your labels in case some company is trying to sneak weird ingredients into your peanut butter, yet there shouldn’t be any animal products needed.

Why are there lines on peanut butter cookies?

Some cookies bake more evenly if you help to flatten them a bit before putting in the oven. Peanut butter cookies fall into this category, so while the lines may be iconic, applying that fork pressure pre-baking also helps you get an evenly baked result!

How do I make these cookies gluten free?

Swap all purpose flour with gluten-free baking flour at a 1:1 ratio if making these peanut butter cookies gluten-free. You can also use gluten-free rolled oats (and blend into a fine powder) and use that as your flour.

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About the Author

Jen Hansard

I’m a mom who swapped Lucky Charms for green smoothies and shares plant-based recipes that reach millions. My husband and I live in Oklahoma City with our teenagers. Fav things include running, traveling and tacos.

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