When looking at the ingredients (only 9!) for these flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies, you’ll find the glaring absence of baking’s 2 main players: butter and flour. That’s right, these naturally gluten-free cookies come together with peanut butter, eggs, and oats as the base, plus delicious flavorings and chocolate chips. They’re so flavorful and soft that you won’t miss a thing!
The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is pretty hard to beat, and I’m not even bothered if I’m getting the fix from a spoonful of peanut butter with chocolate chips dotted on top. (You do that too sometimes, right?)
But… cookies are much more enticing. I originally published this dessert recipe in 2014, and have made a few slight updates since. The cookies aren’t nearly as crumbly, and the peanut butter flavor shines! The recipe below reflects my updates.
A batch of today’s gluten-free flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies rival any traditional peanut butter cookies, yet they don’t contain flour, butter, or added oil. They’re always a crowd-pleasing treat, boasting the same great flavor and texture that I love in my butter- and gluten-containing peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. A cookie miracle if there ever was one.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies:
- Packed with hearty oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips
- Chewy on the edges with soft centers
- Made from only 9 simple ingredients
- Quick and easy to prepare—only 30 minutes of dough-chilling time
- No mixer required!
- Gluten-free recipe if using certified gluten-free oats
- Dairy-free recipe if using dairy-free chocolate chips
Grab These 9 Ingredients
With only 9 ingredients, it’s important to follow the recipe closely for the best results. Don’t get nervous, I’m not replacing the flour and butter with anything crazy. These are all simple ingredients that you may already have on hand.
- Oats: Just like I recommend for classic oatmeal raisin cookies, it’s best to use old-fashioned whole rolled oats. Quick oats are more powdery and can leave your cookies tasting dry. (If you only have quick oats, you could try my chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies instead. They’re great with either type of oats, and are also gluten free!)
- Cinnamon: Just 1/4 teaspoon adds a subtle warmth.
- Baking Soda: To help the cookies rise.
- Salt & Vanilla: Flavor enhancers, always appreciated!
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure and bind the ingredients together.
- Peanut Butter: I know there are tons of peanut butter options out there. Be sure to review the next section, Choosing Your Peanut Butter: Dos & Don’ts, before you get started.
- Brown Sugar: For a little bit of sweetness. You can use regular granulated sugar in a pinch, but you’ll lose that cozy molasses flavor (and some moisture!) that brown sugar provides.
- Chocolate Chips: I reach for semi-sweet here—my go-to for chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and double chocolate chip cookies. Feel free to use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter chips, or your favorite kind of baking chips/add-ins instead.
Did you know? Oats are naturally gluten free, but if you have dietary restrictions, be sure they are certified gluten free because oats can be packaged in a facility with gluten.
Choosing Your Peanut Butter: Dos & Don’ts
While processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) typically makes for the best classic peanut butter cookies, feel free to use natural-style peanut butter here. Personally, I love making these cookies with natural peanut butter! Here are some Official Peanut Butter Dos & Don’ts that apply today. 😉
- DO: stir in any excess oil. If the oil has separated to the top of the jar of natural peanut butter, stir it back in before measuring out the peanut butter.
- DON’T: use super-cold peanut butter. If it’s too cold, it will be really difficult to mix into the other ingredients. Room-temperature peanut butter is the sweet spot here!
- DO: gently press the dough balls down with the back of a spoon or a flat spatula before baking, to initiate the cookies spreading, if using natural peanut butter.
- DON’T: press down on the cookies before baking, if using processed peanut butter.
The cookie dough and baked cookies are a little darker when using natural peanut butter.
FAQ: Can I Make These Cookies With Almond Butter?
Yes! You can try these flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies with the same amount of almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or another nut butter/spread. Or try my flourless almond butter cookies instead. (Or dark chocolate almond butter cookies for you chocolate fanatics! I see you!) A note about using sunflower seed butter: Be prepared for the inside of the cookies to turn green, which is a reaction between the chlorophyll in sunflower seeds and the baking soda. It’s totally harmless and doesn’t affect the taste of the cookies, and it doesn’t mean your cookies went bad! (This also makes for a fun baking science project for kids, or a St. Patrick’s Day recipe!)
Chill the Cookie Dough for Just 30 Minutes
This cookie dough benefits from a quick 30-minute chill time before baking. A short rest in the refrigerator helps the cookies to keep their shape (one of my top tips to prevent cookies from spreading). Don’t skip this step! It’s just enough time to preheat your oven, wash the mixing bowls, and line your baking sheets. If you’re short on time and need a no-chill cookie recipe, try my snickerdoodles or shortbread cookies.
Use about 1.5 Tablespoons (or 30g) of dough per cookie. I like to use this medium cookie scoop. Using the back of a spoon, gently flatten the cookie dough rounds, to help encourage spreading.
More Gluten-Free Favorites
- No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Oat Bars
- Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
- Homemade Granola Clusters
- Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
- Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars
- Flourless Monster Cookies
For more gluten-free dessert inspiration, here are 40 gluten-free dessert recipes everyone loves. 🙂
Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.7 from 34 reviews
- Author: Sally
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 14 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Save Recipe
Description
You won’t miss the flour and butter in these 9-ingredient flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies! Be sure to chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (85g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (250g) natural peanut butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (120g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs. With a rubber spatula, mix in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined. (Takes some arm muscle!) Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If you let the dough chill for more than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to soften up—the cookies won’t really spread otherwise. Scoop the dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons or 30g each (I use this medium cookie scoop), onto prepared baking sheets. With the back of a spoon, gently press down on the dough rounds to slightly flatten them.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the edges are set. The centers will look very soft.
- Cool cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. During this time, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies. (This is optional and only for looks.) Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Oats: Oats are naturally gluten free, but if you have dietary restrictions, be sure they are labeled “certified gluten free” because oats can be packaged in a facility with gluten.
- Peanut Butter: You can use natural or processed peanut butter, but keep in mind the texture will be a little different depending on which type you use. If using natural peanut butter, be sure to stir in any oil that has separated in the jar before measuring it out to use in this recipe. If using processed peanut butter, no need to press down on the cookie dough mounds with the back of a spoon before baking because I find the cookies spread nicely as is.
- Sugar: I’ve successfully made these cookies with coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.
- Updated in 2023: I updated the recipe so the cookies are less crumbly, rise a little more, and have even better flavor. The recipe above includes my changes. If you’d like to make the older version, reduce the oats to 3/4 cup (64g), the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon, use only 1 egg, and leave out the vanilla.
