These peanut butter cookies are super easy to make. No cooking or baking required. And they are only 3 ingredients. The cookies come out soft, fudgy and full of peanut butter flavor.
These peanut butter cookies are my new favorite no bake cookie recipe. What I love about this recipe is that it is very forgiving, unlike most cookie recipes. If you add a little too much of one ingredient, you can easily adjust to make the cookies work again. They also taste very much like the classic baked version of 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies.
Ingredients
- Natural creamy peanut butter
- Sugar-free maple flavored syrup
- Coconut Flour
Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for full set of ingredient quantities and directions.
Natural creamy peanut butter
Make sure you use natural peanut butter. This is the kind that only contains peanuts and salt in the ingredient list, is very liquidy and requires stirring. If you use regular peanut butter, it will be too thick for mixing.
Sugar Free Maple Flavored Syrup
Choose a keto-friendly syrup that is thin in consistency. There are ones on the market that are thick like honey but you want the syrup to be very thin for this recipe. I used Lakanto maple flavored syrup.
Coconut Flour
The key to the cookies holding together and tasting like cookies is coconut flour. I do not have another flour substitute at this time.
No Bake Cookie Texture
No bake cookies rarely taste anything like a classic baked cookie. They usually taste similar to energy balls flattened into a cookie shape. These cookies are soft, fudgy, creamy and slightly crumbly. They do break apart a little once you bite in. What surprised me is that they actually taste very similar to the baked version of 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies. They have a similar creamy and slightly crumbly texture.
How Much Coconut Flour to Add
- For this recipe, you will need between 4 to 7 tbsp of coconut flour. This is quite a big range, especially when working with coconut flour. I tested the cookies using different amounts of coconut flour and really enjoyed all the versions so I wanted to share them with you and let you choose depending on your personal taste preference.
- 4 tbsp (or 1/4 cup) coconut flour is the bare minimum amount of coconut flour you can use for the cookies to hold together. When using 1/4 cup coconut flour, the cookies come out very fudgy. However, they don’t hold together as well and do break apart once you start eating them (or if you leave them out too long at room temperature).
- 7 tbsp coconut flour is the maximum coconut flour you can use before the dough becomes too dry to hold together. The more coconut flour you add, the more cookie-like in texture and taste the cookies become. With 7 tbsp, I had some difficulty forming the dough balls but the cookies held together better and they taste like they contain flour so they taste more cookie-like.
- My recommendation is to start with 1/4 cup of coconut flour and then add more as needed, 1 tbsp at a time.
More No Bake Keto Cookie Recipes
Or if you prefer the taste of baked cookies, I have a baked and keto-friendly version of 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies.
Keto No Bake 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter unsweetened
- 1/4 cup sugar free maple flavored syrup I used Lakanto maple syrup
- 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) coconut flour or up to 7 tbsp total (see notes for details)
Instructions
- Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, add peanut butter and maple syrup. Stir together with a spatula until it is evenly combined. It should thicken and be a paste-like consistency.
- Stir in the coconut flour. Start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed. See notes where I discuss the texture differences for the different amounts of coconut flour.
- Using a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop up cookie dough. Press the dough into the cookie scoop so it compacts it before releasing the dough ball onto cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Press dough balls with palm of hand until they become thick round disks, between 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch thick. Use a large fork to make criss cross indent pattern on surface of cookies.
- Place cookie sheet into fridge and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until cookies are firm. You should be able to peel the cookies off of the parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Store uneaten cookies in the fridge.
Notes
- Adapted from The Big Man's World
- Make sure to use creamy natural peanut butter because regular peanut butter is too thick. I discuss the importance of each ingredient in further detail near the beginning of the post under "Ingredients"
- Use a thin sugar-free syrup (not a thick, honey-like consistency), otherwise your paste will be too thick. I used Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup*
- The cookie texture changes depending on how much coconut flour you add. If you add 1/4 cup, the cookies will be very soft and fudgy, but they also will not hold together as well. If you add 7 tbsp, the cookie dough will be dry and harder to form but the cookies are sturdier and taste more cookie-like. See my section on "How Much Coconut Flour to Add" for more details.
- If you find your dough is too dry, just add a little more syrup or peanut butter.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra charge to you).
- The estimated carbohydrates count excludes sugar alcohols. The net carbs exclude both fiber and sugar alcohols.
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.
When I looked it up, several sites said that Natural Peanut butter can be used on keto diet because it is mostly fats and protein. You just have to count the carbs which are fairly low anyway.
These are very good and easy. Whole family liked them. Thank you!
That’s great! So glad your family loved them.
Loved them!!! Super easy to make! I’m a messy chocolate dipper but I had fun making them. Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed!
I can’t get sugar free maple syrup where I live, or any other keto friendly syrups, are there any possible substitutes?
you can use regular maple syrup if you are not on keto
Made these last night! The texture is PERFECT and the no-bake process was so EASY! I added Lily’s dark chocolate chips and ommgggg. I like them straight out of the fridge and also warmed for about 10 seconds in the microwave (especially with the chocolate). This is going to be my go-to for the indefinite future. Fat Snax cookies who?? Such a winner, thanks!
I’m so glad you liked them!
Love!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
I couldn’t find the ‘baked’ version even washing through the ads twice, frustrating. Can you please send it, printable form to my email. So sweet, (sugar free friendly of you)
the baked version is linked where i discussed it both at the beginning and end of the post. https://kirbiecravings.com/3-ingredient-keto-peanut-butter-cookies/
Oh my God it tastes so good!!!! My kids loved it. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy to hear that!
Love to hear more about Keto baking and food dishes. Thanks.
Can you substitute maple syrup for honey. I only use sourwood honey.
I’m not sure. I haven’t tried with honey
I just made them with a watered-down honey… and they were delicious!
That’s great! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Haven’t tried the recipe yet but I will soon but I have never had a bad peanut butter cookie, and the easiest recipe the better I like it. Thank you for giving me something new to try
I hope you enjoy!
Peanuts aren’t keto!
I think you need to recheck your facts
Love to see more recipes
i have a lot of recipes on the blog