3 Ingredient Healthy Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies (No Flour, Refined Sugar, Butter or Eggs)
These applesauce oatmeal cookies are so easy to make and healthy enough to eat for breakfast. It takes less than five minutes to prepare the cookie dough. The cookies are soft and chewy and can be customized with mix-ins of your choice.
I love easy cookie recipes and this one is definitely one of the easiest. It took me about 3 minutes to mix the dough. This recipe is similar to my 2 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies, but made with applesauce instead.
Ingredients
- Applesauce
- Quick Oats
- Mix-In of your choice (dried fruit, chocolate chips)
You will want to use quick oats rather than steel cut oats or rolled oats for this recipe because quick oats cook faster and don’t require as much liquid to soften.
Cookie Sweetness
The cookies are barely sweet on their own because the recipe uses unsweetened applesauce. Yes, unsweetened applesauce is still sweet but it’s not really sweet enough once you add in the oats. Of course, if you are looking for a low sugar recipe or don’t mind that the cookies are only a little bit sweet, you can make them without any mix-ins.
To add sweetness to the cookies, you’ll want to include a sweet mix-in like dried fruit or chocolate (use a refined sugar free chocolate to keep the cookies free of refined sugar). I usually use dried cranberries or raisins but I used some chopped chocolate for the ones in the photos. If you don’t want to add any mix-ins but you want sweeter cookies, you can also add in about 1 tbsp of maple syrup to the cookie dough (I did that for some of the cookies in the photos).
Cookie Texture
These cookies are not classic oatmeal cookies. Instead, they are soft and chewy and taste like baked oatmeal in cookie form.
More Healthy Cookie Recipes
- 2 Ingredient Banana Bread Cookies
- 2 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Healthy No Bake Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
3 Ingredient Healthy Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup mix-ins of your choice, chopped dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add applesauce and oats. Mix with a spoon until evenly combined and all oats are moistened. Stir in mix-ins (you can add them onto the cookies right before baking instead for a prettier presentation. See notes for more details).
- Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop and scoop dough balls, placing them onto prepared baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart. Using the back of your spoon or the palm of your hand, press down on dough balls to form thick round disks (about 3/8 inch thick). The cookies will not spread or change shape during baking so shape them as needed until they are how you want them to be.
- Bake cookies about 13-15 minutes or until they are set. If you are unsure if the cookies are set, use a cookie spatula and try to lift a cookie off of the baking sheet. You should be able to lift the cookie off of the sheet in one piece when they are done. Let cookies cool before removing and eating. Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge or freezer for longer.
Notes
- The cookies are barely sweetened on their own which is why I recommend adding a mix-in. I liked to use chopped dried fruit though I used chopped chocolate for the ones in the photos. If you want to keep the cookies refined sugar free, there are several chocolate brands that sweeten their chocolate without refined sugar.
- The mix-ins can be stirred into the dough (easiest method), but if you want a nicer presentation, make the dough without the mix-ins . After you flatten the dough into disks, press the mix-ins over the surface of the cookies and then put them into the oven to bake.
- I use a Nordic Ware aluminum baking sheet pan* to bake these cookies.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Nutritional information does not include mix-ins since the information will vary widely depending on what mix-in you add.
I used dried Persimmons as the mix-in, chopped in a blender first. For the oats I used an instant oatmeal with cinnamon already added. For someone watching saturated fat and needing more fiber in their diet, this is a great recipe. I look forward to experimenting with other add-ins!
Yum! We’re so glad you enjoyed these!
Iwant to send these to the middle east to my son who is deployed. Will they keep for over 2 weeks in an airtight container?
We recommend to store these cookies in airtight container at room temperature for only 1-2 days so we don’t think they would be good to ship for 2 weeks. They likely would spoil because of the applesauce
I just saw the answer to my question. It makes 9 cookies. Can’t wait to try!!! Giving it a five becsuse I know they will be delicious!!!
Let us know how you like them!
Couldn’t be more delighted with this recipe, so very simple and surprisingly delicious. Will be sharing them with friends at work tomorrow, thank you.
Thank you! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Wonderful easy recipe. I’m not allowed to have chocolate so I used carob chips. My husband and I love them. Making more tomorrow
We’re so glad you loved these cookies!
I’m no specialist but when I see a K it means thousand, so I read that as 38,000 Calories and had to go on a deep dive of ingredients to find out its actually just 38 Calories per cookie. The heck is the K all about, very misleading imho. 1 Cup of Applesauce is 300 Calories and 1/2 Cup of Quick Oats is 50 Calories, 350 Calories divided by 9 equals 38.8~ round up safely to 39 at that point, especially since they’re not exactly measured out and a safe margin is to go above actual Calories instead of under.
Instead of doing a deep dive into the ingredients, you could have just did a simple search to see what kcal means and you would have learned that kcal is the measurement for a food calorie so displaying Calories as kcal is correct and not in any way “misleading” In the US, food labels display either as Calories or kcal. In other countries, it is usually displayed as kcal.
I cut the recipe in half and added cinnamon, coconut sugar, shredded coconut, and raisins. I baked them in my air fryer for around 11 minutes. I ate the entire halved recipe, which was three cookies as an evening snack. I added a dollop of peanut butter on my plate. These felt like an easy way to make a healthy and quick snack.
YUM! That sounds great! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
My husband and I enjoy these simple cookies! Extremely easy to make and since I am not a baker, this was perfect and easy.
My next batch I am gonna add some peanut butter powder to them and see how they taste. This batch I added raisins which added some slight sweetness which is wonderful.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for sharing!
I add, shredded desiccated coconut. If you want to add some moisture or sweetness, a touch of sweetened condensed milk, will do the trick. Start with a tablespoon and add as needed. Be careful. You want dough, not batter. lol
I love the addition of shredded coconut and the extra sweetness! That sounds delicious.
My cookies fell apart. They do not hold together.
We’re sorry you had trouble – if the cookies fell apart, they might have been baked too long. Overbaking can dry them out and make them crumbly.
Finally! I knew there had to be someone posting oatmeal cookies using unsweetened applesauce and not a ton of other ingredients!! I literally feel blessed. These are delicious. I made a batch with chopped nuts and real maple syrup as suggested. Tomorrow, raisins and chocolate chips, half batch each.
The comments about bland taste are funny. Since every ingredient can be eaten without cooking, why not taste test your batch before you bake it? I did, which prompted me to add the maple syrup.
Excellent recipe and new subscriber!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad you’re enjoying the recipe and thanks for subscribing 🙂
Wasted ingredients.
We’re sorry you didn’t enjoy it! Were you expecting a cookie similar to a traditional oatmeal cookie? If so, we discuss that in the post – these are different, but still should be delicious. Sounds like something might have gone wrong, but without more details we can’t help.
Was out of ripe bananas so thought I’d try unsweetened apple sauce since I have those little cups on hand.
I also chopped up trail mix and added cinnamon and sugar free maple syrup.
I had an older Apple I chopped up fine, too.
Of course oatmeal by itself is too bland. That’s why you add extras.
I will definitely make these again.
The mix-ins you used sound great! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Made these tonight as a healthy snack for a busy on-the-go hockey morning tomorrow. Added rehydrated raisins with chocolate sauce drizzled on top after baking. I liked them. Will see what the kids say tomorrow when they’re hungry! I definitely see why instant/quick oats are necessary for this recipe.
We hope they loved them!
Can I freeze them. Thanks
Yes – that works.
Exactly as described- soft oatmeal cookie, healthy, plain (obviously with 2 ingredients) but a great base to add extras to make them more tasty. Great for curbing cravings or if you want less sugar. I added cinnamon and experimented with 4 batches- 1. just cinnamon 2. cinnamon & chocolate chips 3. cinnamon & unsweetened coconut 4. cinnamon + unsweetened coconut + chocolate chips. Just cinnamon was too bland, coconut was good, adding chocolate chips was the best result. You don’t need much. I made the cookie then pressed a few chips on top. Next time I’ll try a chocolate drizzle after they are baked. Will keep experimenting with flavours (lemon extract + coconut, pumpkin spice) & different add ins (nuts, dates, etc).
Thanks for sharing this! All of those ideas sound great.
Not sure what went wrong, if anything, but I found these to be of a rubber like substance. To be fair, I had no add ins, so I putt sprinkles on top before baking. Husband put left over cake icing on his and said wasn’t to bad. Definitely needs some kind of add in.
They shouldn’t be rubbery – did you use quick oats? If you used old-fashioned (rolled) oats or steel-cut oats the cookies will definitely be chewier. Also, as we discuss in the post, the cookies are barely sweet on their own which is why we recommend adding a mix in.
Hi. Can you substitute rolled oats for quick oats?
You will want to use quick oats rather than rolled oats for this recipe because quick oats cook faster and don’t require as much liquid to soften.
Looking forward to your reipe
We hope you enjoy it!
Very good ? thank you!
You’re welcome!
Loved them… I added dried cranberries to mine and it was the perfect touch.
That sounds great!
I added about 1/2- to-3/4tsp cinnamon. They are great to replace a sugary cookie. I sill make again trying chunky homemade app!esauce
We’re glad you liked the cookies!
Made these yesterday. Was not overly excited. They were easy to make but tasted bland. I had put in chocolate chips but raisins or dried cranberries probably would be better plus adding them to the flattened cookie would make shaping them easier
The taste and sweetness are discussed in the post – since they are low in sugar, we do recommend adding dried fruit to make them sweeter. We hope you try that!
Pretty good !
So good.
Thank you!
Made these cookies for my family, one of my kids has a serious egg allergy and I am struggling with gestational diabetes and this was the ultimate snack I quadrupled the recipe and got a baker’s dozen of large cookies. Topped with miniature Reese’s Pieces, and added two tablespoons of dark brown sugar to the recipe. All I have to say is ? mwah mwah ? chef’s kiss! An absolute delicacy and so simple to make. The consistency was similar to a muffin style cookie. No crunch or crisp and absolutely delicious, melt in your mouth. WILL BE MAKING AGAIN 🙂
We are so happy to read this! Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
I doubled the recipe and made some larger cookies. They are just what my husband and I need at 3:pm with a cup of tea or coffee. Thank you for the recipe.
We’re glad it worked for you doubling the recipe!
Made it with packets of flavored quick oats but measured according to recipe instructions. Very good does taste like oatmeal but is a soft cookie. Also put in chopped medium pieces of walnuts plus dark chocolate chips. Fast making cookies very good for quick breakfast or anytime, sweet but not too sweet.
Thanks for sharing your adjustments!
Taste likr an inner tube. Worst cookie I’ve ever tasted.
Hm, that’s strange. By inner tube, do you mean the cookies were too chewy? They definitely have a chewy texture, but not so much you can’t eat them. Wondering if you used steel-cut oats instead of quick oats – they would definitely have a chewier texture if you did.
I’m gonna have to try these I am a diabetic
These are great tasting and easy to make. I like to have these mid morning or afternoon with a cup of tea. I have decided I am making them and sharing with all my neighbors this Christmas.
I’m so glad you enjoy them! I hope your neighbors will too
I was skeptical that this recipe would work…but I was so wrong! Just made these with mini dark chocolate chips and they are deee-lish!!!
So glad you loved it! The chocolate chips sound like a great addition.
Easy Peasy. Brilliant, delicious
Thank you so much
You’re welcome!
Great and so easy. I also added some nuts and berries.Thanks
We’re happy you liked it – thanks for sharing the mix-ins you used.
My personal trainer recommended that I try these cookies as a treat. I love them and my teenage boys love them too! I’m going to have to make an extra batch to freeze next time!
That’s great! We’re so glad you like the cookies!
Can I use pumpkin puree instead of applesauce?
Sorry, but we haven’t tried that and can’t say how the cookies will turn out.
Kirbie, if this works with bananas or apple sauce then it should work with pumpkin puree!
We can’t say for sure but if you give it a try let us know how it works!
I don’t have quick oats, would rolled oats also work if I let the oats soak with the applesauce?
We haven’t tried that – the applesauce may soften the oats. Let us know how it turns out.
I tried these and they were great. I might add a little cinnamon next time ! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Thank you SO much for a great and easy recipe!! My husband, 1 year old daughter and I love it.
I’m so glad your husband and daughter love it!
I really like these. One or two is just enough to get me past a sweet craving. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you are enjoying them!
These were delicious! I love how simple they are. I put chocolate chips on mine. I saw the link to the banana ones and I’m excited to try those next. Do you think it would work to do a combo of applesauce and banana?
yes that should work!
Can you use regular oats?
Regular oats won’t cook as well because there is not that much liquid in the mix
To use regular oats, mix 1 cup oats with 2 bananas and cook for 15 minutes at 325 degrees (instead of 350). For variety, I will add vanilla, cinnamon and chopped walnuts and lately have added a tablespoon of nut butter.
Thank you! I only have old fashioned oats and apples and bananas! Turned out great with cinnamon and vanilla! Such a fantastic recipe!
So glad you loved it!
Looks great
hope you enjoy!
Made your almond flower. Banana cookies with dark chocolate. They were really good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
How much almond flour did you use?
They are pretty good ! I madthem again with instant oatmeal that has raisins and also walnut instant oatmeat.
I’m glad they worked out for you
So happy to try cookies
Thank you for the recipes.
hope you enjoy
Any chance of some simple GF recipes as I have Ciliac. Thank You.
This recipe is gluten free
Only gluten free if you use gluten free oats. Not available in Australia unfortunately.
Thanks for sharing that info.