This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more info please check out my Disclosure Policy. Appreciate your support!
Say hello to these incredible Oat Cookies (or healthy oat biscuits, if you prefer)! These delicious cookies are super easy to make using 3 simple ingredients that you’ll already have in the house. Plus with just 5 minutes of prep they are baked and ready to eat in under 25 minutes! If you love oats for breakfast too, try my Baked Oats.
Oat Cookies at a Glance
James's tipUse bananas with plenty of brown spots, and press each cookie flat before baking. They do not spread in the oven, so the shape you press is the shape you get.
Key ingredients
- Ripe bananas
- Oats
- Peanut butter
Why you'll love it
- About 180 kcal a cookie
- About 4g of fibre a cookie
- Sweetened with ripe banana
Quick summary
These oat cookies mix 2 ripe bananas, 125g of oats and 65g of peanut butter, then bake for 20 minutes. They take 5 minutes of prep, make 6 cookies and are about 180 kcal each.
Table of Contents
Save this recipe!
I'll email you a shopping list plus helpful tips to make the best version of this recipe
Why this recipe works
These healthy oatmeal cookies are going to be a total crowd pleaser your family will love! They use ripe bananas as a natural sweetener, there is no flour, butter or egg, and each cookie is about 180 kcal with 4g of fibre. They also happen to suit most diets: there is no dairy or egg in them, and they are gluten free if you use oats labelled gluten free.
As this healthy cookie recipe is so versatile it’s perfect as a quick breakfast, snack on the go, or even a simple dessert!
Oh and if you have kids, the best part is these baked cookies are the perfect healthy snack and because it’s such an easy recipe they’ll totally love making and sure to become their new favourite cookies.
I added this recipe into my Best 33 Vegan Desserts and 35 Gluten Free Desserts and 10 Healthy Baking For Kids Recipes round up!
Ingredients to make Oat Cookies
- Ripe bananas: the riper the banana the better! Frozen bananas work too, once defrosted. Got more ripe bananas? Try my Eggless Banana Bread.
- Peanut butter: the hero ingredient! I love the texture that crunchy peanut butter offers to these peanut butter oatmeal cookies, however smooth peanut butter would also work.
- Oats: I have opted for gluten free oats, however standard rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, instant oats or quick oats would also work perfectly well in these 3 Ingredient Oat Cookies. If you need them gluten free, use oats labelled gluten free.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Bananas: If you don’t like bananas or have an allergy to them, you could try substituting them for apple sauce instead.
- Peanut butter: If you have an allergy to peanuts or don’t have any in the cupboard you could substitute this for other nut butters such as almond butter. For a nut free version, tahini works too.
- Oats: Oats in this recipe could be substituted for buckwheat flakes.
Variations
- Kid-friendly: If you have kids these chewy Cookies are the perfect baking recipe for them to make either on their own or with your guidance. Add in chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to make them into healthy chocolate chip cookies.
- Deluxe: You could easily add extra ingredients to make these the best oatmeal cookies. Seeds, vanilla extract, orange zest, sea salt, hemp seeds or raisins would make them into delicious oatmeal raisin cookies that everyone will love.
How to make Oat Cookies
Step 1: Firstly, preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C conventional, gas 6). Then peel and mash the ripe bananas in a large bowl.
Step 2: Now add in the oats and peanut butter to the mixing bowl.
Step 3: Mix together the oat mixture until it’s sticky and well combined.
Step 4: Finally roll into 6 ball shapes (or use a cookie scoop) and place them onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Press the balls down with a fork into round cookie shapes. They do not spread in the oven, so press them to the size you want. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown but still with soft centres. Allow to cool (on a wire rack if you have one) at room temperature for 10 minutes before tucking in!
Leftovers
Allow these banana Oat Cookies to cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, or in the microwave in short bursts if you are on the go.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Bake them, let them cool completely, then freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, or in the microwave in short bursts.
Yes, any nut butter works in this recipe. If you have a nut allergy, try tahini instead.
Each cookie is about 180 kcal with 4g of fibre and 6g of protein. They are sweetened only by the ripe banana (about 6g of sugar a cookie, all from the fruit, oats and peanut butter), with no flour, butter or egg.
I haven’t tested them in an air fryer myself, but it should work: aim for 10 to 12 minutes at 180°C, on a liner, with the cookies pressed flat, until golden. Air fryers vary, so check them after 10 minutes.
Yes. Defrost them first, then drain off any liquid and mash as normal. Very ripe or frozen bananas give the sweetest cookies.
Let them cool for about 10 minutes first. They firm up as they cool and the texture becomes chewy. They stay soft in the middle, more like a soft cookie than a crisp biscuit.
More Oatmeal Recipes
- Breakfast Banana Bars
- Banana Oat Pancakes
- Baked Oats
- Overnight Protein Oats
- Oat Crumble Topping
- Chocolate Flapjacks
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
Oat Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas , mashed
- 125 g oats , rolled oats, labelled gluten free if you need it (1.5 cups)
- 65 g peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (¼ cup)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C fan (200°C conventional, gas 6). To a large mixing bowl add the 2 peeled bananas and mash with a fork.
- Now add the oats and peanut butter and mix together.
- Mix together the oat mixture until it’s sticky and well combined.
- Finally, roll into 6 ball shapes (or use a cookie scoop) and place them onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Press the balls down with a fork into round cookie shapes; they do not spread, so press them to the size you want. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before eating. This helps them to firm up more!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
These were so easy to make! I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and added a bit of cinnamon powder in too. Thanks for the recipe James, it’s so helpful to have a healthy snack to make so quickly with ingredients you tend to have in your cupboard anyway!
Thanks Melody 🙂 pleased you enjoyed them!
I made these yesterday and I was craving something sweet and easy to make. I always trust James’recipes and have followed him for a long time now. I added in some dairy free chocolate chips which made the cookies amazing! Going to try nuts and chocolate next time super super easy and sorted my craving out
Thanks Aimee 🙂
I made these cookies when I was bored one Sunday morning….and I’m glad I did. They are so easy to make and so tasty and lucky for me I’m the only one in the house who likes peanut butter or can eat peanuts so I will definitely be making lots more of these. I added a little melted chocolate on top as I am a chocolate addict and they were delicious…
I have baked those cookies a couple of times now. Everytime they are amazing!!! My boyfriend loves them. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Thank you Victoria 🙂 so pleased you both love them!
So tasty. As well as this recipe I made an apple & cinnamon version (I whisked 240g stewed apple (instead of the banana) with 1tsp of cinnamon & cashew butter (instead of peanut), then stirred in the oats & a few raisins(optional)).
Sounds delicious Isabel 🙂 glad you enjoyed!
Really enjoyed making these! So easy and quick to do, really impressed with how many cookies you can make!
Thank you Fleur 🙂
Easy and tasty!! What to say thank you so much for your recipes. You are my number one to search recipes!!!
Thank you Mariana 🙂 appreciate the great feedback!
Loved this simple but yummy recipe, James did warn us they wouldn’t last long and between two of us, they were finished within two days of making!
Really enjoyed them and my partner loved them too, definitely going to play around with different nut butter to see which ones our fave and maybe add some pumpkin seeds or chia.
We didn’t have any chocolate so left it out altogether and they were still delicious. Thanks again, James!
Yay glad you enjoyed them Katie 🙂 thanks for sharing your feedback!
Quick and easy! I don’t like banana cooked, so I substituted them with 1/2 cup of applesauce with a teaspoon of vanilla essence. 😀
Thanks James 🙂 glad you enjoyed with applesauce!
Hi James, very easy to make and very delicious …even my son can make it and he is 10 years old …so happy to find a healthy treat for my boy/family.