Easy 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies that take right around 15 minutes to make from start to finish! This simple healthier cookie recipe is vegan, gluten-free, flourless, dairy-free and contains no added sweetener.

Have you tried one of my banana-sweetened treats yet?
My 3-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies, 4-Ingredient Healthy Samoa Cookies, Healthy Apple Muffins and 4-Ingredient Flourless Healthy Brownies and now this recipe for 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies all have one thing in common.
They are sweetened entirely with bananas!
The way I see it, this is an excellent baking project for kids as there are so few ingredients and minimal cleanup. Also an awesome recipe for those of us who simply love a healthier sweet treat.

I’m constantly looking for ways to get my sweet fix without going overboard on sugar, and I’ve found fruit, certain vegetables (root vegetables and winter squash in particular), and various ingredients like almond flour and unsweetened coconut to be useful in generating sweet flavor without the need for excess sugar.
So what we’re making here is a refined sugar-free, egg-free, flourless, gluten-free vegan cookie using three simple ingredients.
Of course, we can easily use more than three ingredients in order to change up the flavor profile and make them even tastier (more on that later).
At a minimum, all you need is ripe banana, almond butter (or peanut butter) and rolled oats.
Let’s discuss these ingredients in detail!

Ingredients for 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies:
Ripe Bananas: Be sure you use very ripe bananas that have plenty of brown spots for the best result. The riper the banana, the sweeter it will be, which will ensure these cookies turn out nice and tasty.
As previously mentioned, the banana serves as the sweetener of the cookies and also provides moisture. Can you taste the banana? Yes, absolutely! The banana shines through very well, which is great for those of us who love them. If you don’t like bananas, you won’t like these cookies!
Almond Butter or Peanut Butter: Unsweetened almond butter or peanut butter is the glue that holds these cookies together, eliminating the need for eggs or a leavening agent. It also adds delicious flavor!
If you’re fine with the added sugar, use sweetened peanut butter or almond butter to ramp up the sweetness of the cookies. If you prefer keeping the cookies refined sugar-free, go with an unsweetened nut butter.
Rolled Oats: Rolled oats give that amazing earthy nutty flavor to the cookies with that oaty texture. I use gluten-free oats, but you can use regular oats if you aren’t concerned about the gluten content.
For a recipe for banana cookies without oats, make my 3-Ingredient Nutty Banana Cookies, which are grain-free.
Optional Additions:
- Chocolate Chips
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground Cinnamon
- Sea Salt
These additions, while certainly not mandatory, level up the deliciousness of the cookies quite a bit! I personally like adding them all.
The chocolate chips provide delectable little goo pockets, the vanilla extract provides nice warming flavor, and the ground cinnamon gives the cookies a richness with that iconic oatmeal cookie vibe. Sea salt enhances all of the flavors and makes the cookies taste sweeter without the need for additional sweetener.
If you’re looking to keep the cookies low in sugar, skip the chocolate chips!

Let’s bake a batch!
How to Make 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray it with cooking oil).
Mash the banana into a mixing bowl until most of the chunks are out (it can be a little chunky just not overly chunky).

Add the peanut butter and oats and mix everything together until a sticky dough forms.
If you’d like, add chocolate chips.


Use a spoon to drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet, creating any size of cookie you like (note very small cookies will require less bake time). The cookies won’t spread, so form them into the shape you want them to be in – I stick with round mounds.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are slightly golden-brown around the edges.
Allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before using a spatula to remove them from the baking sheet to serve.

That’s it! A 3-ingredient cookie recipe that anyone can make and everyone can enjoy.
Bake them for a cleaner option any time the desire strikes!
More Delicious Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Crispy Rice Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
- Keto Cowboy Cookies
- Flourless Almond Butter Cookies
- The Best Giant Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Banana + oatmeal + almond butter OH MY!
If you make these cookies, feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag @The.Roasted.Root!
3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas mashed (1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup almond butter or peanut butter*
- 2 cups rolled oats**
Optional Additions:
- ⅓ to ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray it with cooking oil).
- Mash the banana into a mixing bowl until most of the chunks are out (it can be a little chunky just not overly chunky).
- Add the peanut butter and oats and mix everything together until a sticky dough forms.
- Use a spoon to drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet, creating any size of cookie you like (note very small cookies will require less bake time). The cookies won’t spread, so form them into the shape you want them to be in – I stick with round mounds.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are slightly golden-brown around the edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before using a spatula to remove them from the baking sheet to serve.
Alyssa
Sunday 20th of August 2023
How much cinnamon do you add?
Julia
Monday 21st of August 2023
Hi Alyssa! I use about 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon :) Hope you enjoy the cookies! xo
Amy
Wednesday 8th of February 2023
Would KETO friendly granola would work in place of the rolled oats?
Julia
Friday 10th of February 2023
Hi Amy! I've never tried that! My guess is the keto granola may be too dry? I'm not sure how it would work out and I would hate to have you go through all the trouble if they don't turn out. I guess the worst case scenario is the cookies would fall apart - if you're okay with running that risk, I would say go for it. :)
Angela
Friday 17th of June 2022
Great recipe! I made half the recipe with peanut butter and half with applesauce (instead of the peanut butter). Applesauce cookies were softer but yummy. Added dried cranberries to the applesauce variation with some walnuts and a 1/4 cup of shredded coconut! Baked at 350 but for a longer period of time (about 25 minutes).
Julia
Monday 20th of June 2022
OOOOH, all of that sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing, Angela! xoxox
Maxine
Monday 18th of April 2022
These cookies have 5 grams of sugar for 1 cookie. Is that a lot for diabetics.
Julia
Monday 18th of April 2022
Hi Maxine,
I don't have a medical background so I'm not qualified to make that judgement. Can you ask your doctor their opinion? I know some folks with diabetes can eat a small amount of sugar or carbs and be okay, whereas others need to be very cautious. I assume as long as you aren't eating a great deal of additional carbs or sugar the rest of the day it would be fine, but I think it depends on your personal medical situation and what else you'd be eating. I hope that helps!! xo
Cmiska
Sunday 6th of February 2022
Hi...I have to eat a low fat diet because of a health issue. If I substituted half of the almond butter with applesauce, would that still work to bind it? Or could I sub half the nut butter with something else? Thank you!
Julia
Monday 7th of February 2022
Hi there!
Ooh, that's a great question. I'm truly not sure, as I've never tested it myself. It may work by subbing half of the almond butter for applesauce, or you could try to use more mashed banana as well. My only concern would be that they won't hold together very well, but it may be worth the shot. If the "dough" seems too crumbly when you make it, you could try making bars instead of cookies. Let me know if you try it!