These no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies are easy to make and just 3 ingredients. They don’t contain any flour, eggs, added sugar, or oil. They don’t require any cooking or baking, though they can also be baked for a different texture. They make a great snack.
These no bake cookies are such an easy snack. These are quick to make, and they store well. Keep in mind that no bake cookies do not have the same texture as traditional cookies. Instead, they have a texture similar to an energy bar. They are chewy and soft.
Readers sometimes ask if they can bake my no bake cookie recipes so for this version, I did test a baked version. You might like to try it if you prefer a baked cookie – the texture will be more like a traditional cookie. Whichever version you try, you only need three ingredients.
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter
- Dates
- Oats
Peanut Butter: Make sure to use natural peanut butter for this recipe. This is the kind of peanut butter you need to stir before using and contains only peanuts and salt in the ingredient list. If you are looking for a substitute for peanut butter this recipe will also work with natural sunflower seed butter, natural almond butter or natural cashew butter.
Dates: These cookies are naturally sweetened with Medjool dates. Though this recipe doesn’t have added sugar, the dates contain a lot of natural sugar so these cookies are fairly sweet. This recipe uses Medjool dates which are the larger type of dates. If you don’t like dates, you can try my version using bananas. Please note though that the banana version is very low sugar and the cookies will not be as sweet as the dates version.
Oats: This recipe uses quick cooking oats. You can use regular old fashioned oats but you may want to pulse them in the food processor a few times before using them. Quick oats will soften easier. They will provide some texture for the cookies but not too much. Whole rolled oats will not soften as much and will add a lot of texture to the cookies.
Recipe Tips
Baked version: These are no bake cookies which means you don’t need to bake them. But if you don’t like the texture of no bake cookies, you can actually bake these to make them more like traditional cookies. Baking these cookies will make them firm on the outside and chewy on the inside. The instructions for baking these cookies are in the notes section of the recipe card below.
Dates: If your dates are not as fresh, you might want to soak them before using them in the recipe. This will rehydrate them and make it easier to blend them.
Storage: If you make no bake cookies, they should be stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them. They will keep in an airtight container for a few days. If you bake the cookies, you can store them at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
More Easy No Bake Desserts
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup (165 g) pitted medjool dates
- 1/2 cup (128 g) unsweetened natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup (44 g) quick oats
Instructions
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Add dates to food processor and blend until a paste forms. If your dates are a little old and no longer super soft, you should soak your dates first before using them to rehydrate them. See notes for further explanation. If you are using a newly opened package of dates you should not need to soak them.
- Add in peanut butter and oats. Blend until a thick dough forms and ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Using a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop dough and place onto prepared baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart. Press down on each dough ball with the palm of your hand so that it forms a thick round disk (about 1/2 inch thick). This will be the final shape of your cookie so smooth the edges and reshape as needed.
- Cookies can be eaten as is. However, I recommend placing them into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour which will help them firm up and will let the oats soften.
Notes
- Make sure to either use pitted dates or remove the pits from your dates before measuring them for the recipe.
- If you are using an older package of dates or your dates seem dry rather than plump and moist, 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 pat dry the dates. The dates are now ready to go in the food processor.
- These are no bake cookies which means they don't need baking. They will not have the same texture as baked cookies. See post for more details on the kind of texture to expect.
- If you would like to bake these, preheat oven to 350F. Bake for about 10 minutes or until tops look dry. Cookies will not change in size during baking. Baking the cookies will produce cookies that are firm on the outside and chewy on the inside.
- Rolled oats can be used instead of quick oats but I recommend you pulse them in the food processor a few times before using them. Whole oats will not soften as much in cookies so you will taste the chewy raw oats. Quick oats are small enough that they do soften so they don't have as much texture.
- The oats do not need to be cooked before using.
- Natural peanut butter can be substituted with cashew butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter. Just make sure they are all in their natural form (no added oils in the ingredient list).
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.
tried them wow amazing I’ve enjoyed them! Many thanks
So glad you loved the cookies!
Can I use Splenda instead of the dates ?
splenda will not work in place of dates
Super easy! I added a few more oats to make the dough stick together. So easy, I also made the no bake chocolate cookies too! Simple, healthy and easy to make! A+
So glad you liked them!
Excellent
Looks very healthy ?
We hope you give them a try!
Wonderful idea
Thank you!
Great cookies
Thanks so much!
I love no bake oatmeal cookies.
We’re glad you love them!
Wonderful. Thanks. I subscribed.
Thanks so much for subscribing!
I will try there for my grandchildren
We hope they love them!
Great to have vegan cookies that are not too sweet.
What would happen if you did use regular jiff peanut butter?
You dough won’t form right. Regular peanut butter has oils added to it to keep it stable in its spread form, so it doesn’t thicken to a dough consistency the way natural peanut butter does
Can I use a blender if I don’t have a processor
It might be harder to blend the dates if you use a blender.
Trully Lovely innits quickness and delish esness! but on No Sugar candida diet. Substitute for dates?
Sorry, we don’t have a sub for the dates.
Figs maybe?
Love these! I turned them into protein bars instead of cookies and they came out perfect using the original recipe.
Thank you!
We’re glad they worked as bars! Thanks for letting us know.
Your peanut butter cookie was delicious love them ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Will try making these cookies. Hope they really work since I’m in a low/cero sugar, no egg, no gluten vegan diet and oil makes my tummy grigle.
Thank you for all these recipes.
We hope you try them soon!
If you choose to use bananas, how much do you use and how do you mix it in the cookie? Also how or can you use raisins in lieu of dates! Again, how much is used and how do you incorporate into cookie? Lastly, I’m on a pretty strict low sodium diet, do you know an approximate sodium count. It seems like it would be far less than other cookies. Thanks!
You should try our No Bake Banana Oatmeal Cookies instead. Also, the ingredient amounts and nutritional information are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
3 ingredient cookies were delish!
Easy, easy, easy!!!
I’m so glad you liked them!
Love this with raisins!! Thank you for these!!!
Adding raisins sounds great. I’m glad you liked them
Thank you so much for all you do. You make my life so much easier and delicious with your wonderful recipes.
Thank you so much for the kind words
I do not own a food processor, what’s the next best chopper? I’m on a cardiac diet low sodium n I don’t like really sweet food. So the banana will be my other option?
You can try a blender, but it will be harder to blend the dates. You might want to try our No Bake Banana Oatmeal Cookies instead.
Super easy, tasty, I made a log and also small balls keep making trips to the kitchen for more!
Thanks
Gabriela
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I use bananas instead of dates and they were very tasty I had to add Stevia to it to get some sweetness good recipe I also used peanut butter that have no sugar or salt in it just peanuts
Thanks for sharing your changes! We’re glad you love the recipe.
This would be great if you like dates
We like dates 🙂