No-bake Cookies Without Peanut Butter (super quick, easy!)
These no-bake cookies without peanut butter are incredibly chewy, are super chocolaty and are so easy to make. You can make a totally traditional version with butter and granulated sugar, or a healthier and/or allergy-friendly version!
I’ve had a few requests for seed-free and nut-free no-bake cookies. I already have these No-bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies which use almond butter or sunflower seed butter. I find that nut/seed butter adds great taste and complexity to no-bake cookies, so I didn’t think I could come up with a version that was just as delicious without that addition.
I’m happy to say that I was successful!
Before I came up with this recipe, I had tried several other no-bake chocolate cookies and they were all SO sweet. I have a big sweet tooth, but those cookies were just ultra-sweet concoctions with some chocolate flavor.
So I decreased the sugar and increased the cocoa powder. They’re just as tasty as my nut butter no-bake cookies mentioned above!
By the way, if cookies aren’t your thing but you want something sweet and it’s too hot to bake, check out my other No-bake Recipes.
Ingredients
I’m pretty sure you have everything in your kitchen right now!
- Butter (or coconut oil for vegan)
- Milk (dairy-free milk for vegan)
- Vanilla
- Sugar (granulated or coconut sugar)
- Cocoa powder
- Oats (quick or rolled)
Key to success
Another issue I have with some no-bake cookies is that they’re too chewy. I love my cookies chewy, but not when they’re like… hard to chew.
So in this recipe, you let the mixture boil for a minute, stir in the oats, and then you let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. That softens up the oats a little bit, making the cookies easier to chew.
Healthier version
I’ve tried these cookies with coconut oil instead of butter and coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar.
If you use unrefined coconut oil, there is some coconut taste to the cookies, but it’s not strong. I normally really dislike the taste of coconut in my goodies, unless they’re coconut-flavored, but I loved it in these.
If you prefer not to have any coconut flavor, be sure to use refined coconut oil.
If you’ve followed me for a while, then you know I usually decrease the coconut oil when using it in place of butter. That’s because butter is 80-82% fat, and coconut oil is 100%.
Â
If you add a bunch of extra fat to a recipe, then the result is often greasy, and in the case of pie crusts, just won’t work at all. But in this recipe, no reduction was necessary! I tried it both ways and preferred the cookies without any reduction of fat.
And for another healthy no-bake dessert, try this Healthy Peanut Butter Ice Cream. I absolutely loathe ice cream that tastes healthy, but this is not one of those recipes! It’s insanely rich and decadent.
Allergy-friendly options
I really wanted everyone to be able to enjoy these cookies because I really do love them so much. Unfortunately, there’s no keto or paleo option (as there are no subs for the oats).
You could try these Paleo Peanut Butter Bars (that actually use sunflower seed butter), Paleo Energy Balls, or this Chocolate Chia Pudding for some other super-easy, no-bake treats.
If you want to make today’s recipe and you’re gluten-free, vegan, or dairy-free, I’ve got you covered!
Gluten-free
Just make sure to use gluten-free oats. Easy! Most full-sized grocery stores have them.
For more info about gluten-free oats, check this out → Are Oats Gluten-free?
Vegan and dairy-free
Use vegan butter or coconut oil in place of the butter.
Use dairy-free milk in place of regular milk. I loved cashew milk in these, but you can use whatever you’d like.
If you want to use canned coconut milk, I recommend watering it down slightly to make it thinner, similar to other types of milk. I think 50% water and 50% canned coconut milk would work well. And of course, it’ll add a bit of coconut flavor.
You could use the leftover coconut milk in one of these recipes:
Or you can freeze leftover coconut milk in silicone baby food trays and use the frozen cubes in smoothie-making.
Substitution questions about these cookies?
Can I use something instead of butter or coconut oil?
Vegan butter would work. I don’t believe that canola oil, olive oil or any liquid oils like that would work.
Do I have to use milk?
I haven’t tried water, but it could work; however, I really recommend using milk. You can use whatever type of milk you’d like!
Can I omit the vanilla?
You could replace it with water. Or maybe use 1/2 teaspoon almond extract + 1/2 teaspoon water. Or another type of extract.
I recommend using only 1/2 teaspoon of almond (or coconut or orange or whatever) extract because I think they’re quite a bit stronger than vanilla.
Can I use something other than granulated or coconut sugar?
You need to use a type of granulated sugar, but not a liquid sweetener. You could experiment with using a liquid sweetener like honey or maple, and then reduce the milk, but without trying it myself, I have no idea how much you’d need to reduce the milk.
I’ve seen the recommendations on how to sub liquid sweeteners for granulated, but I’ve never found them to be accurate. So I recommend sticking to a granulated one!
Do I have to use Dutch-process cocoa powder?
No, but your cookies will be more chocolaty if you do. Hershey’s Special Dark is easier to find and cheaper and you’ll get similar results with that.
What can I use instead of oats?
There unfortunately isn’t a good sub for oats in no-bake cookies. I’ve tried shredded coconut but the results are always greasy and not at all tasty.
Â
No-bake Cookies Without Peanut Butter (super quick, easy!)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter or coconut oil for vegan
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk use dairy-free milk for vegan
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp (27 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups (230 grams) quick oats or rolled oats (if gluten-free, use GF oats)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add everything except the oats. Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a roiling boil. Let it boil for 1 minute, stirring occassionally, and keeping the heat at just the right level (you don’t want it to burn) and then remove from the heat.1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, 3 tbsp (27 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Stir in the oats until totally combined.2 1/2 cups (230 grams) quick oats
- Let sit for 5 minutes to let the oats soften a bit so they’re easier to chew.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out cookies and place them on a piece of parchment paper.
- Refrigerate them for about an hour or until firm and set. They freeze great and can be frozen for a few months.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
Nutrition
Categories:
Cookies, Dairy-free, Desserts, Gluten-free, Gluten-free Cookie Recipes, Gluten-free Desserts, Gluten-free Vegan Desserts, Gluten-free Vegan Recipes, Healthy No-bake Cookies, Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipes, Picnic and BBQ Recipes, Special Diets, Vegan, Vegan Cookies, Vegan Desserts, Whole Grain,
Substituted 1/2 cup honey for the 3/4 sugar and left out the milk so as it wasn’t too liquid. Turned out great, texture was still soft an chewy! Honey has an amazing flavour too!
That’s great! I’m so glad that they came out well. :) Thanks so much for your feedback and for sharing your changes! I’d love to try your honey version.
Substituted the coconut oil with vegetable oil. The flavor is delicious. Can’t wait to see the texture after they cool. My husband is obsessed with nobakes but our daughter is severely allergic to peanuts. Hopefully these do the trick!
Hi! I hope that they worked out. As I said in the post, I don’t think any liquid oil will work. :/ The fat (I believe), needs to be a solid one for the cookies to set. But I hope I’m wrong and that they worked out well!
The cookies turned out absolutely delicious. Had to grind old fashioned oats so they are chewable. Other than that, followed the recipe to T and my kids loved the cookies. Can these be stored at room temperature?
These came out so good! They couldn’t be easier, and they had that perfect chewy texture I love.
You had me at no-bake! These look so delicious and packed! A perfect sweet treat for the season :)
I love making no-bake cookies, especially when it’s so hot outside, like this week. Cannot wait to try your recipe, it looks absolutely delicious!
Healthy, filling, and guilt-free. I just love such recipes. Coconut is my go-to flavor when I want something sweet. Perfect. Evening snack with milk for kids sorted. Thanks for the lovely share.
Love no-bake cookies and these sounds amazing! I am going to make these asap :)
These are SO great! You dont even miss the peanut butter, and they have great chocolate flavor.
I love all the different allergen-free variations you provided. These will certainly be on the list soon, because it’s too hot to be baking.