Vegan No-Bake Cookies [Easy, Quick, and Gluten-Friendly]

Who needs an easy, chocolatey, vegan dessert? (Don’t we all??)  

Growing up, my family made no-bake cookies all the time. So of course, I just HAD to make my own version! Even though I don’t eat a lot of sugar these days, I cannot resist the chocolate/peanut butter combination in these easy vegan no-bake cookies.

This recipe is completely vegan!

It isn’t completely healthy, though; it does have cane sugar in it, but I substituted some of it with coconut sugar.

As we’ve already discovered in my vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe, I like using coconut sugar because of the flavor and the health benefits—but for this recipe, it couldn’t be a 1:1 substitution like I wanted it to be. 

When I tried making my version of vegan no-bake cookies with coconut sugar as the only sweetening ingredient, the cookies never really set. They stayed sticky and fudgy, even days afterward. I think that happened because coconut sugar doesn’t crystallize like cane sugar does. 

So as a compromise, I used a combination of the two sugars to add the health- and flavor-enhancing properties of coconut sugar, but still get the cookies to set well.

Peanut butter vegan no-bake cookies may be easy to make, but they aren’t quite fool-proof.

For instance, if you boil them too long, they often become dry—and if you don’t boil them long enough, they’re typically sticky (which really just means you need a spoon to eat them, and hey, that’s never stopped me from eating chocolate before)!

So to get vegan no-bake cookies that you’d actually want to bring to your next social gathering, it’s important to keep a few things in mind when making these delicious-but-high-maintenance treats: 

1. The boiling time is crucial!

Do not start the timer on the two-minute “boiling” phase until your mixture is at a rolling boil. You want to boil them long enough that the sugar has time to thicken enough for the cookies to stick together, but not so long that the sugar becomes crumbly. 

2. Do not turn up to high heat to make it boil faster.

Be patient and allow the mixture to come to a boil on medium heat. If you use high heat, the mixture will cook a little too fast and your cookies will be too dry.

3. Do not stir the vegan no-bake cookies mixture while it is boiling.

Stir to incorporate the ingredients and make sure everything is melted before it reaches the boiling point. Then, stir again after the two minutes of boiling are over. If you stir it while it is boiling, it could affect the sugar and cause the cookies to have a different consistency than desired. 

4. If you’re in a humid part of the world or it’s a humid day, boil these for 15-30 seconds longer.

These cookies have a similar problem to divinity candies where the moisture in the air affects how they turn out. If boiling them longer still doesn’t work, try making them on a nice, clear, sunny day and see if they turn out differently.

5. The temperature of the mixture matters.

If you have a candy thermometer (definitely not me over here…) the goal is for the cookie mixture to be between 235-245 degrees Fahrenheit (112-118 degrees Celsius).
If you don’t have a candy thermometer, the goal is for the boiling mixture to be at the ‘soft ball’ stage of candy making (candy making is an art, y’all). You can judge this by dropping a small spoonful of the boiling mixture into a bowl of ice water. If it forms a soft ball in the ice water, then it’s the right temperature! Honestly, I’m way too lazy to do this when making no-bake cookies on an average day, but if you’re industrious, this is the way you KNOW the mixture will cool the way you want them to. 

6. To make forming a ‘cookie’ shape easier, use the rim of a mason jar lid.

Set the lid on your parchment paper and drop a spoonful of the hot cookie mixture into the lid. Then lift the lid and voila! You’ve made a cookie shape.

A few other notes on this vegan no-bake cookie recipe: 

The great thing about these cookies is that they are super minimal and affordable to make—and they’re very customizable to your preferences and dietary needs! To make this recipe gluten free, for instance, just make sure your oats are gluten free certified.

And if you don’t love peanut butter, feel free to substitute almond butter or the nut butter of your choice.

Most recipes call for butter instead of coconut oil. I substituted coconut oil to make this a vegan no bake cookie recipe, but you should be able to substitute vegan butter if you don’t eat coconut oil. We haven’t tried this, so let us know if you try it in the comments!

I used a natural creamy peanut butter that had added salt. If you are using a no-salt peanut butter, I recommend adding a pinch of salt to the initial ingredients to enhance the flavor.

And finally, using old-fashioned rolled oats is important. If you use quick oats or a combination of quick and rolled oats, it will change the texture of the cookie. While this isn’t the end of the world, I haven’t tried it and can’t verify what the results would be. So basically, try other types of oats at your own risk!

Bonus: this is a kid-friendly recipe.

One of the best things about these no bake oatmeal cookies is they are kid-friendly! As a feeding therapist, I can tell you that it’s essential to get your kids in the kitchen to help them grow into adventurous eaters. So if you have kids, grab them and make this recipe! 

That’s it, y’all! We hope you love this healthy take on vegan no-bake cookies as much as we do. If you decide to try it, don’t forget to rate and review in the comments and tag us on Instagram @plum_savory to let us know what you think!

Cheers,
Elana

Vegan No-Bake Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate? Um, YES PLEASE! These cookies are super minimal and affordable to make—and they’re very customizable to your preferences and dietary needs!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Setting time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 cookies

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup oat milk
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup peanut butter*
• 1 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats*

Instructions

 

• Heat cane sugar (1/2c), coconut sugar (1/4c), coconut oil (1/4c), oat milk (1/4c), and cocoa powder (3Tblsp) over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir frequently as ingredients melt and combine.
• Once boiling (make sure it is *already* boiling), set timer for 2 minutes, and allow to boil for the entire 2 minutes without stirring.
• Remove from heat and add peanut butter (1/4c) and vanilla (1tsp). Mix until peanut butter is melted.
• Add old-fashioned rolled oats (1.25c) and mix well.
• Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto parchment paper to form cookies, using a mason jar lid to shape cookies.
• Allow to dry for 30-45 minutes then enjoy!

Notes

*Can use almond butter instead of peanut butter

**Use gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten-free

Keyword gluten-friendly, healthy dessert, vegan, vegetarian