Healthy No Bake Cookies
on Dec 05, 2018, Updated Mar 20, 2025
These lightened up No Bake Cookies are made with cacao powder, pure maple syrup, and natural peanut butter. A delicious twist on the classic favorite cookie!
Our favorite no bake cookies
Everyone has had a classic no bake cookie. They are easy to make and always a nostalgic favorite.
These lightened up no bake cookies taste every bit as good as that classic favorite, but are made with lighter ingredients.
They are the perfect dessert: easy to prepare, naturally sweetened, chewy, and full of rich fudgy, chocolatey flavor.
I have been making these healthy no bake cookies for years and they do not disappoint.
They are also naturally dairy free, gluten free, and vegan!
How to make healthy no bake cookies
- Combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, salt, and coconut oil in a sauce pan. Melt the mixture over medium heat until combined.
- Stir in the cacao powder and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed in.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the quick oats.
- Drop the batter by scoops onto a wax paper lined baking sheet.
- Chill the cookies until set in the refrigerator or freezer.
For a softer cookie, you can store these no bakes in the fridge.
But my favorite way to keep these no bake cookies is in the freezer. I love the texture this way!
More Easy Desserts
Healthy No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter, the only ingredients should be peanuts and salt
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, measured solid
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups quick oats
Instructions
- Combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, salt, and coconut oil in a sauce pan. Stir the mixture over medium heat until melted and combined.
- Stir in the vanilla and cacao powder.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the quick oats.
- Use a mini cookie scoop or spoons to drop cookies onto a wax paper lined baking sheet.
- Chill the no bake cookies in the refrigerator until hardened. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
I modified these a little.. I used half cocoa half chocolate protein powder and I mixed PB2 with the coconut oil before adding instead of peanut butter. I noticed after 2 cups of oats that my batter couldn’t take any more. I realized later that I forgot to add my almond milk so that’s probably why but the cookie was still good and held together well. And my cookies ended up higher in protein, and lower in fat and carbs. No bake cookies were a favorite when I was a kid so Im super happy I found this recipe!
Bottom line: a huge hit in this gf, dairy-free, low-sugar household! My husband loves them. Pretty much… that’s the most important thing about these cookies. Rich flavor. Trying to provide him with fresh & healthy grab-n-go foods in order to have fewer less-healthy processed food items in the house.
Super easy to make! That’s the next-important thing! Easy clean-up. Love that there aren’t a guhzillion ingredients, and no obscure ingredients, either (for our household, at least). Found a huge bag of organic, fair trade cacao as well as huge bag of glysophate-free, organic, gluten-free rolled oats at Costco, so I can now make these cookies on a regular basis for pennies per serving! Much less pricey than similar processed snack foods. I used Maranatha brand raw organic almond butter and Kirkland real maple syrup. Because one commenter used butter successfully, I used 1/2 butter & 1/2 coconut oil because my husband prefers butter over coconut oil.
A wonderful treat! Thank you, Joy!
Is the cacao powder just for flavor or is it necessary for binding the cookie together? I’m wondering if I can leave out the cacao and put raisin or cacao nibs in instead.
It is what will give it the chocolate shape and color.
I’ve made these twice now and love them! I used ghee the first time and butter the second, it’s what I had, and they were great! I highly recommend using maple syrup as it compliments the chocolate flavor!
There’s are the best!!! Thank you!!!
These are delicious. I was skeptical, but one taste and I was hooked. Has a little coconut flavor, which I think is great. Will make these again! Great find! Normally the original no bake cookies has like 4 cups of sugar. You will not miss any of that sugar in these!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Heather!
Looks yummy! Pinned for later