These super simple and sugar-free cookies with mashed banana, oatmeal and peanut butter are a delicious, healthy snack or dessert. Just 4 ingredients, they're vegan, whole food plant-based, gluten-free, requiring no flour, no egg and no oil.
These easy cookies were inspired by my 3-ingredient banana oat cookie recipe on this site. One of the most popular variations on that cookie is to include peanut butter in the mix! This is the official recipe for adding peanut butter to the basic banana oatmeal cookie.
Adding peanut butter increases the fat content, making these cookies richer and more decadent. But, they are still vegan, whole food plant based and gluten-free.
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🧄 Ingredient notes
- Ripe bananas - Ripe, spotty bananas work best for this recipe (you know, the kind you would use to make banana bread). They are super sweet and make the cookies sweeter, since we are not adding any sugar or sweetener.
- Rolled oats - Use old-fashioned, rolled oats for this recipe. Instant oats can also work. But, do not try to use steel cut oats or oat groats, since they will not soften enough.
- Peanut butter - Creamy or crunchy peanut butter will both work here.
📋 Substitutions and variations
Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:
- Peanut butter - instead of peanut butter, you can use almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut butter you like.
- Vanilla - instead of vanilla extract, use ground cinnamon
- Nut-free - make this nut-free by using sunflower seed butter instead
- WFPBNO - make this whole food plant based no oil by using peanut butter with no added sugar
- SOS-free - make this SOS-free by using a peanut butter with no added salt or sugar
Switch things up with these variation ideas!
- Chocolate peanut butter oat cookies - add chocolate chips to the mix before baking
- Super simple - keep it super simple by making my 3-ingredient banana oat cookies. These are also lower in calories.
- Amp up the fiber - mix in ground flaxseed, whole flax or chia seeds for added fiber
- Peanut butter and jelly cookies - when shaping the cookies on the tray, make them a little bigger, then form a well in the center of the cookie. Drop a teaspoon of jam, jelly or preserves in the middle, then bake. Super yummy healthy thumbprint cookies!
- Add toppings! - these versatile cookies can be topped with all sorts of delicious add-ons: raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, sunflower seed kernels, pistachios, macadamia nuts, dried cranberries, chopped dates, hemp hearts, coconut flakes and more!
🔪 Instructions
Step by step photos and instructions showing you how to make these banana oatmeal peanut butter cookies!
Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and mash bananas in a medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Make sure they are well-mashed, with only small chunks remaining.
Add rolled oats.
Add peanut butter and vanilla extract to the mashed banana and oats.
Stir everything together well.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (Cookies will stick if you skip this step). Drop spoonfuls of batter onto baking tray and then shape with your fingers. Cookies do not spread out while baking, so shape them into the width and height you want them to be. This recipe will make about 16-18 small, 2-inch wide cookies.
Bake cookies for 20 minutes, until the cookies feel firm to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before enjoying.
🧯 Food safety
- Wash hands with soap and water before cooking
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
⭐️ Expert tips
- If your peanut butter is cold and hard, it will be hard to mix it with the rest of the batter. Spoon it out into a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup and heat it up in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time until it is easy to stir and combine with the rest of the ingredients.
🍳 Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat - this is important to prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet.
🥡 Make ahead and storage tips
Store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
🚦 Calorie density score
🟡 This recipe gets a yellow light on the calorie density chart. One of the ingredients (the peanut butter) is higher than 600 calories per pound, so eating richer food like this regularly may prevent you from losing body fat or may even cause you to gain weight. Learn more about calorie density from Jeff Novick, MS, RDN.
Get your own printable calorie density chart for your refrigerator and free ebook explaining calorie density in simple terms.
☕️ Tea pairing
This recipe would be delicious paired with hot black tea or a fruity, berry tea.
❓ FAQ
Yes! Oatmeal and banana goes well together. Top your oatmeal porridge with sliced bananas or even mash ripe bananas with rolled oats to make healthy cookies.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this banana oatmeal peanut butter cookie recipe, check out these other delicious plant-based dessert recipes!
Love this recipe? Please rate it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below in the recipe card. And, if you make it, please tag me on Instagram or Facebook in your posted photos! I would love to see your creations. 😄
📖 Recipe
4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas mashed, 200g
- 1 cup rolled oats old-fashioned, 110g
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter 50g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and mash bananas in a medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Make sure they are well-mashed, with only small chunks remaining.2 ripe bananas
- Add oats, peanut butter and vanilla extract to the mashed banana and stir everything together well.1 cup rolled oats, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (Cookies will stick if you skip this step).
- Drop spoonfuls of batter onto baking tray and then shape with your fingers. Cookies do not spread out while baking, so shape them into the width and height you want them to be. This recipe will make about 16-18 small, 2-inch wide cookies.
- Bake cookies for 20 minutes, until the cookies feel firm to the touch.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before enjoying.
Bethany says
I like the way you show step-by-step how the batter should look
Sometimes I'll make something and wonder if it's too lose or think 🙃
I'll have to make these soon
Abi Cowell says
Thank you so much, Bethany! I'm so glad those step by step photos are helpful to you. I wonder the same thing when I'm making a new recipe and not sure how it's supposed to look!
- Abi
Alma says
This is the first time I have seen your recipes. This 4 ingredient oatmeal peanut butter recipe, is the first I have seen. It seems easy to make, and sounds like it will have a great taste. My family is not anxious to give up all the 'crappy' food. I am hoping your recipes will help change this. Thanks for sharing with us.
Abi Cowell says
Hi Alma,
Welcome! I'm so glad you're here and I hope you enjoy my recipes. I hope your family enjoys them, too. Just keep introducing healthy options and finding your family's favorite plant-based meals and make those over and over again.
All the best,
Abi
Phyllis says
The cookies were wonderful! I tossed others that I thought were good, but yours were better. Keep up the great work! I'm 81 & always looking for healthy simple recipes.🙂👍
Abi Cowell says
Thank you so much, Phyllis, I'm so glad you liked them!
- Abi
Susan Hamilton says
Had 3 old bananas & didn't feel like making muffins, so I tried this recipe. Since I increased to 3 bananas, I increased the rest of the recipe by 1/3rd. I added chopped walnuts and a little bit of honey & salt. I baked for 15 min & made 19 cookies. At 83kcal per cookie, as well as delish, I thank you for this recipe.
Abi Cowell says
You are so welcome, Susan! sounds delicious!
Annette says
OMG, made these for me and my hubby. We LOVED them. I added sea salt to the top and it gave it that extra little kick. These will definitely be on repeat in our house. They were so extremely simple to make and just so yummy. Thank you!
Abi Cowell says
Oh yum!! Love that sea salt addition.