5-Ingredient Almond Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies made with wholesome, simple ingredients! These gluten-free vegan no-bake oatmeal cookies are easy to toss together at a moment’s notice!
Imagine a cookie that not only requires zero baking experience, but also no baking!
That’s what we’re about to dive into with these almond butter no-bake oatmeal cookies.
With just a handful of ingredients, we’re granted a delicious rich and chewy oatmeal cookie that takes minimal effort and hardly any time to make.
Plus, the recipe can easily be made gluten-free or vegan by following the instructions in the recipe card.
This recipe for no-bake oatmeal cookies is strikingly similar to my 6-Ingredient No-Bake Cookies. The main difference being this recipe doesn’t contain chocolate.
That original recipe contains cocoa powder, which many people love; however, I’ve had more than a few individuals ask me over the years for a chocolate-free version.
Which is what we’re getting into today!
For those who aren’t into chocolate or have a chocolate allergy, this easy no bake cookie recipe is here to support your tastes.
You can easily customize this easy cookie recipe by using peanut butter instead of almond butter, add chocolate chips or chopped nuts, and more!
The best part is you can find all of the ingredients for no-bake oatmeal cookies at any grocery store, as they are all straightforward basics. You may already have them on hand!
All you need is a large saucepan, a cookie sheet and
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for no-bake oatmeal cookies!
Ingredients for No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies:
Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter): Creamy almond butter or peanut butter serves a couple important roles here. It not only provides rich and delicious flavor, but is also the glue that holds everything together.
Pick your favorite nut or seed butter, just as long as it is thick and well stirred (without a lot of oil separation). Sunflower butter and cashew butter work too.
Crunchy almond butter, creamy peanut butter, crunchy peanut butter, and natural peanut butter are all great options.
Pure Maple Syrup (or Honey): To sweeten the cookies, we use pure maple syrup or honey. Both versions taste great! For a vegan option, stick with pure maple syrup.
Coconut Oil (or Butter): The part of the recipe that skyrockets the flavor and makes the cookies so addictive! We need fat in the form of coconut oil or butter, because once cool both types of fats cool to a solid state.
In this sense, a different oil like avocado oil or olive oil cannot be used as a replacement as the cookies won’t set up.
Both coconut oil and butter taste amazing in this simple cookie recipe, so you can pick your preference. Use coconut oil for vegan cookies.
Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of pure vanilla extract gives the cookies a warm and inviting flavor. You can skip it if you don’t normally keep vanilla extract on hand.
Quick Oats: Use old-fashioned oats, quick oats, or instant oats for these delicious no-bake oatmeal cookies!
Quick cooking oats yield the best results because they make for the perfect texture.
Old fashioned oats work just fine but the firmer texture makes the cookies a bit harder to chew, whereas quick-cooking oats makes for a softer texture.
Use gluten free oats if you need the recipe to be gluten-free. Just be sure the package of oats specifies that the oats are certified gluten-free. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Sea Salt: A pinch of salt turns up the volume on all of the flavors, enhancing the deliciousness. Don’t skip it!
Want to customize these easy no-bake oatmeal cookies? Here are some options.
Optional Additions:
- ½ to 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- ½ to 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
- ½ to 1 cup chocolate chips
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for these easy no bake cookies recipe, let’s make them!
How to Make Almond Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies:
Add the coconut oil (or butter), almond butter, and pure maple syrup to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat or medium-high heat.
Stirring continuously, heat the wet ingredients until the oil (or butter) is melted and everything is combined into a thick creamy substance.
Avoid heating the ingredients too quickly over high heat so that they don’t burn.
Once the wet ingredients are melted together, stir in the vanilla extract, followed by the oats and sea salt.
This mixture will be very thick and gooey and won’t resemble normal cookie dough. This is normal.
Drop mounds of oatmeal cookie dough onto a serving platter or a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper in a single layer. You can make any size cookies you like.
If you have a cookie scoop, feel free to employ it here. Just note that the cookies will stay in the exact same form you put them in, so if you’re looking for round cookie shapes be sure to form the dough in this way.
Transfer the cookies to the refrigerator (or freezer) and refrigerate until they have set up, about 1 to 2 hours.
Once the cookies have set up, go ahead and serve them! After the cookies have set up in the refrigerator or freezer, you can store them at room temperature as long as your home isn’t too warm. If your house stays relatively warm, I recommend keeping them refrigerated.
Store oatmeal no-bake cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. You can also freeze the cookies in a large ziplock bag or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
And that’s it! A no-frills basic recipe for oatmeal cookies that doesn’t require you to turn on the oven.
The way I see it, this is the perfect project for kids because the steps are super simple and the process is fun.
Plus, humans of all ages absolutely adore these cookies. Fair warning: they are addictive!
BOOM! The easiest cookie recipe with the dreamiest taste and texture!
The next time your sweet tooth is raging, make this easy dessert!
If you’re looking for more delicious no-bake desserts, I’ve got you! Check out some of these popular no-bake dessert recipes.
More No-Bake Dessert Recipes:
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs
- 3-Ingredient No-Bake Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- No-Bake Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Crunchy 4-Ingredient No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- No-Bake Paleo Lemon Bars
- Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake
The chillest cookies you’ll ever make!
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy almond butter, well-stirred*
- ½ cup pure maple syrup**
- ½ cup coconut oil or butter***
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- ½ tsp sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Transfer the cookies to the refrigerator for 1 hour ot until they are set up, or freeze for 15 minutes or until the cookies have firmed up and are solid.
- Once the cookies have set up, go ahead and serve them! After the cookies have set up in the refrigerator or freezer, you can store them at room temperature as long as your home isn't too warm. If your house stays relatively warm, I recommend keeping them refrigerated.
Notes
Nutrition
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Agnes
Monday 28th of August 2023
Could one use coconut butter instead of oil for this recipe?
Julia
Tuesday 29th of August 2023
Hi Agnes! I haven't tested the recipe myself using coconut butter, but in my limited experience with coconut butter, it is much thicker than coconut oil. For this reason, I think the consistency will make it difficult to melt to incorporate in with the peanut butter and I also think the cookies would have a chalky texture. For this reason, I think it would be best to stick with coconut oil or butter although please do let me know how they turn out if you end up trying coconut butter :)
Kels
Tuesday 1st of August 2023
These are DELICIOUS- thanks for sharing!
Julia
Tuesday 1st of August 2023
My pleasure, Kels! I'm so happy to hear you enjoy them. We've been loving them in different variations all summer long :) xo
LR
Saturday 8th of July 2023
These are delicious! I used creamy peanut butter, butter, honey, and quick oats. It came together quickly, but was quite runny. I added more oats until it thickened up (around a cup - give or take). I used a cookie scoop and flattened the tops. I froze them for a faster set. The young adult (ie: bottomless pit) devoured 3 before saying “These are really good “.
Julia
Monday 10th of July 2023
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I'm thrilled you enjoy them! I think using quick oats was the culprit for the thinness, as they can condense down more than rolled oats. I'm happy you were able to work it all out by adding more! Thanks so much for following up with your experience :) xo
Nadz
Friday 7th of July 2023
Would it be possible to include metric equivalents for your recipes? They look delicious, but without metric measurements, not very user friendly for those of us on the other side of the Pond.