These healthy no bake banana cookies are very easy to make. They are just 3 ingredients and don’t need any flour, eggs, added sugar, butter or oil. The cookies are chewy and full of banana flavor. They take only about five minutes to prepare and store well.
Seeing all the back-to-school things has inspired me to make some easy healthy no bake snacks and desserts. These banana cookies are one of my favorites. They are so quick and easy to make.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bananas
- Peanut Butter
- Shredded Coconut
Bananas: This recipe is made with very ripe bananas. Bananas are naturally sweet and provide the sweetness for these cookies. This recipe works best with very ripe bananas which will provide more sweetness and are easier to mash.
If you need a substitute for bananas you can use applesauce. I would recommend using sweetened applesauce though because unsweetened applesauce won’t provide enough sweetness for the cookies. In addition, if you use applesauce, you will need to use less of it (reduce by about 2 tbsp) or add more coconut (increase by 1/4 cup) because applesauce has more liquid than mashed bananas.
Peanut Butter: Make sure to use natural unsweetened peanut butter. It is important to use natural peanut butter. This is peanut butter that has no added oils. When you look at the ingredient list on the label, the only items that should be listed are peanuts and salt. There are some brands of peanut butter out there that label their peanut butter “natural-style” but if you look at the ingredient list, you’ll find oil listed in the ingredient list. If this is the case, then that peanut butter will not work. When peanut butter is mixed with oils, the oils are added as a stabilizer to help the peanut butter keep its creamy spread form. We don’t want that for this recipe. The peanut butter to stiffen and firm up more to become a cookie dough, which is why you need to use natural peanut butter.
Natural peanut butter can be substituted with natural almond butter or natural cashew butter. For a nut-free substitute, you can use natural sunflower seed butter.
Shredded coconut: I used unsweetened shredded coconut. You could use sweetened if you prefer a sweeter cookie, but I found the combination of unsweetened coconut and bananas provided just the right amount of sweetness for a healthy no added sugar cookie. Shredded coconut acts as a binding agent. It also helps provide a chewy texture for the cookies.
Shredded coconut can be substituted with quick oats.
How to Make No Bake Banana Cookies
Mashed bananas and peanut butter are mixed together until uniform. The shredded coconut is then mixed in until the dough thickens enough that you can scoop it out and shape it.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookie dough and place it into a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then use your fingers or the back of a spoon to shape the dough into thick round disks.
The dough is then placed into the freezer until firm. Once firm, the cookies can be enjoyed right away.
No Bake Cookie Texture
If you eat the cookies straight out of the fridge, they have a firm and chewy texture. If you let them sit out a few minutes or you put them in the fridge, the cookies will be soft and chewy.
More No Bake Cookie Recipes
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Lemon Cookies
3 Ingredient No Bake Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 g) mashed bananas (see note)
- 1/2 cup (128 g) natural unsweetened peanut butter
- 1 cup (74 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add mashed bananas and peanut butter. Stir with a whisk until mixture becomes uniform and bananas are fully incorporated into the peanut butter.
- Stir in the coconut until it is evenly incorporated and the mixture thickens into a dough. The dough should be just thick enough that you can scoop it out and shape it.
- Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop out dough balls and place onto the prepared cookie sheet, spacing the balls about 1 inch apart. Press down on each dough ball with the back of a metal spoon until it forms a round disk (about 1/2 inch thick). Cookies will not change shape so shape them as you would like your final cookies to be. You can use your fingers to smooth the edges.
- Place cookies into the freezer until cookies are firm. This should take about 30 minutes but you can just continue to leave them in the freezer until you are ready to eat them. The cookies can be eaten straight out of the freezer and will have a firm and chewy texture. If you prefer a softer texture, let the cookies soften a few minutes at room temperature. Store uneaten cookies in the freezer (or fridge if you want a softer cookie).
Notes
- Make sure to finely mash the bananas until there are barely any visible lumps. The 1/2 cup is measured after the bananas are mashed. I like using a whisk to mash instead of a fork.
- This recipe will only work with natural peanut butter (only peanuts and salt in the ingredients). See post for a more detailed explanation.
- These cookies are only lightly sweetened. For sweeter cookies, you can use sweetened shredded coconut or add a sweet mix-in like chocolate chips or dried fruit.
- I use this oxo 1 tbsp cookie scoop.*
- I used Let's Do Organic unsweetened coconut.*
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- For substitution questions, see the "Ingredients and Substitutions" section of the post.
- The cookies will be firm and chewy straight out of the freezer. If you let them sit out for a few minutes, they will become soft and chewy but they will also be a little more difficult to hold because they do become softer. If you prefer softer cookies, I recommend adding another 1/4 cup of coconut to the dough and then putting them in the fridge instead of the freezer. The cookies will have a stronger coconut flavor if you do this.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Hello, this would be a great recipe for our aging father as he does not need the added sugars at his age. He likes his oats, so I was wondering if you could either post the recipe with added measurement info for replacing coconut with oats. Or if easier please send it to the email provided.
Kind regards
RM
It is a 1:1 substitute with quick oats
I love recipes like this!!! Simple, low carb and low sugar!!!
We’re so glad you’re loving the recipes!
I wanted to comment on the way this recipe was written. The attention to detail is on point for all of the humans that feel it A MUST to change things up for whatever reason, you covered it. Thank you. Well done. I plan on trying these. AS I ABSOLUTELY DISPISE SHREDDED COCONUT. At the same time, coconut any other way, all day everyday. Good day
Thanks for your nice comment!
I wonder what would happen if dough was placed in a dash waffle maker?Â
We’re not sure. please let us know if you try it
I will have to try. They look great! Any thoughts about a substitute for the coconut? 1 family member won’t eat any coconut.
You can use quick oats