These healthier no bake oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy. They only need 3 ingredients and don’t contain any flour, eggs, added sugar, dairy, butter or oil. The cookies don’t require any cooking or baking. They also store well.
A stack of five No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

These no bake oatmeal cookies are great for snacking or a quick dessert. You can also customize them with other mix-ins.

Ingredients

  • Quick Oats
  • Dates
  • Peanut butter

Quick oats: This recipe works best with quick oats which are smaller and thinner than regular rolled oats. Quick oats will bind better and soften more easily. If you only have regular rolled oats on hand, you can pulse them in a food processor until they become the size of quick oats before using.

Dates: The cookies are naturally sweetened with Medjool dates. The dates are turned into a date paste which also helps to bind everything together. Make sure to use Medjool dates, which have more soft flesh, making for a smoother date paste. Other types of dates don’t have as much soft flesh and won’t make a good smooth paste.

Peanut butter: Make sure to use natural peanut butter with no added oils. The cookie dough will not thicken and set if you use peanut butter with added oils. If you don’t like the flavor of peanut butter, you can substitute with almond butter with no added oils or cashew butter with no added oils.

How to Make No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

  • The dates are blended in a food processor until they become a mostly smooth paste. The peanut butter and oats are then added in and mixed until you have a thick dough.
  • Scoop the dough with a cookie scoop and roll into smooth balls. Place the balls onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten the dough balls into thick disks.
  • Place the cookies into the fridge for about one hour to set. The cookies are then ready to be enjoyed.

Texture

These cookies have a soft and chewy texture. They don’t taste the same as a baked cookie. The texture is more like an energy bar in cookie form.
A No Bake Oatmeal Cookie with a bite taken from it

Expert Tips

  • This recipe works best with a fresh bag of Medjool dates. If your dates are a little old and no longer very soft, you can rehydrate them in warm water.
  • You can add mix-ins like chopped nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips.
  • This recipe is very forgiving. If your dough seems too dry and crumbly you can add more dates, peanut butter or a little water. If your dough seems too soft and sticky, you can add more oats.

A flat-lay of No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

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5 from 5 votes

3 Ingredient No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

These oatmeal cookies don't require any baking or cooking. They are just 3 ingredients and don't need any flour, eggs, added sugar, dairy, butter or oil. They are easy to prepare and customize.
Servings: 14 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 (packed) cup (163g) pitted Medjool dates, weight and measurement is after the dates have been pitted
  • 1/2 cup (128g) natural peanut butter with no added oils
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (50g) quick oats

Instructions
 

  • Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add dates to a food processor and blend until a mostly smooth paste forms. A few small specks of date skin in the paste is okay but you want the paste to be mostly smooth. You will need to scrape the sides of your food processor a few times with a spatula to help the processor mix and blend. If your dates are a little old or dry, soak your dates first before using them to rehydrate them. See notes for more details. If your dates are soft and moist, you do not need to soak them.
  • Add in peanut butter and oats. Blend until a thick dough forms. The dough should stick together but should not feel too sticky to roll or work with. If the dough is too sticky, add more oats, 1 tbsp at a time, and blend again. If your dough is too crumbly you can also add a little more peanut butter or a splash of water to make the dough more moist.
  • Using a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough. Roll scooped dough between the palm of your hands until it forms a smooth ball. Place dough ball onto prepared cookie sheet. Press down on the dough ball with the palm of your hand until it forms a smooth round disk, between 3/8 and 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough. This will be the final shape of your cookie so smooth the edges and reshape as needed.
  • Place cookies into fridge for about 30 minutes to one hour to firm up. The cookies will not change much but they will be firmer, making them easier to hold and eat. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • Dates note: If you are using an older package of dates or your dates seem dry, you will need to rehydrate the dates. To rehydrate them, soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Then drain out the water and thoroughly pat dry the dates with paper towels. Then add dates to food processor to make the date paste.
  • Weight and measurement for the dates is after they have been pitted. I used whole dates and removed the pits. I find that dates that have already been pitted are usually more firm and not as soft as whole dates with the pits.
  • Make sure to use natural peanut butter with no added oils. The dough will not set if you use peanut butter with added oils. Peanut butter can be substituted with natural almond butter with no added oils.
  • I used Kirkland Peanut butter,  Joolies Medjool Dates* and Amazon Grocery quick oats.*
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 94kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 19mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, NET CARBS: 10
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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