Hearty and healthy breakfast cookies are naturally gluten free, vegan, low in sugar, and not only taste goodโthey taste incredible. Made in 1 bowl and ready in 30 minutes, these easy oatmeal cookies will become your new favorite healthy breakfast. I share plenty of substitution ideas below, too.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips.
We’re having cookies for breakfast! Not chocolate chip cookies, but we’re making wholesome breakfast cookies that are made with good-for-you ingredients, taste great, and are super simple to make. Knowing I’m having cookies for breakfast certainly gets me out of bed in the morning and I have a feeling you’ll be the same.
I keep a batch of these in the freezer at all times. We all love them, my toddler included! And I certainly appreciate that they’re healthful. For delicious variations, try banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies and blueberry banana breakfast cookies.
One reader, Joan, commented: “These breakfast cookies are one of my favorite recipes to make because they’re a ‘choose your own adventure’ cookie! Choose your binder, choose your add-ins, choose your sweetener! They’re also great because you can modify to address any types of allergiesโnut, gluten, dairy, egg! I’ve made them so many times I’ve lost count… โ โ โ โ โ ”
Another reader, Kathryn, commented: “This is one of my favorite recipes! I discovered it after having my baby (they make great lactation cookies!) and now always have some in my freezer for a quick breakfast. I love how customizable, easy, and nutritious they are. โ โ โ โ โ ”
What You’ll Love About These Breakfast Cookies
- Easy 1 bowl recipe
- Naturally vegan and gluten free (if using certified GF oats)
- No refined sugar, oil, or butter
- Hearty, wholesome, & satisfying
- Plenty of room for ingredient customization
- They actually taste good
- Lots of texture in each bite
- …cookies for breakfast!!!
How to Make Breakfast Cookies
- Combine all of the ingredients together in 1 bowl. Add them all to a bowl and mix them up. It’s that easy. I like to use a mixer for ease.
- Use 1/4 cup of dough per cookie. Arrange on 2 lined baking sheets. This recipe yields 12 large cookies, so place 6 on each.
- Slightly flatten the tops of each cookie. Using the back of a spoon, slightly flatten the tops to make large discs instead of tall mounds. The cookies won’t spread, so this helps give them some shape.
- Bake. These cookies take about 15-18 minutes. But don’t use a timer, use your eyes. When the edges are lightly browned, they’re done.
*I increased the amount of apple butter/applesauce in this recipe to 1/3 cup. Ignore the 1/4 cup in the photo below! ๐
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes, frozen and thawed bananas work in this recipe and you can read more about How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking if youโd like. Two important things to remember:
- The riper the banana, the better. When you bake with bananas, you want to use brown, spotty super-ripe ones.
- Strain off excess liquid. As bananas thaw, they let out a lot of liquid, which can throw off the wet ingredients in any baking recipe. I always recommend draining off most or all of that excess liquid before mashing and measuring them for your recipe.
Substitution Ideas
You’ll appreciate how forgiving this recipe is. Use your favorite ingredients and customize these breakfast cookies based on what you have and/or what you love. You can make A LOT of ingredient substitutionsโhere are a few I’ve tested with success:
- Oats: Use either type of oatsโquick or whole. Over the years I’ve found that there’s no difference in the outcome. If you are gluten intolerant, make sure you are using certified gluten free oats.
- Nut Butter: Instead of almond butter, try peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter for a naturally nut-free option. I love using this homemade almond butter!
- Apple Butter: While apple butter adds unbeatable flavor, you could also use the same amount of unsweetened applesauce. You can find apple butter in the peanut butter or applesauce aisle of practically all grocery stores. Other options include mashed banana (there’s already banana in the recipe, too!), mango butter, or pumpkin butter.
- Banana: Instead of mashed banana, you can use 1/2 cup of apple butter or applesauce (or any other fruit butter).
- Sweetener: In addition to apple butter and banana, we use 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup to sweeten the cookies. You can use honey instead of maple syrup, keeping in mind these cookies would no longer be vegan. You use maple syrup to sweeten these healthy apple muffins, too.
- Add-Ins: Up to you! Use about 1 and 1/2 cups total of your favorite “extras.” Some of my go to add-ins are dried cranberries, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, honey-roasted peanuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, dried apples, or chocolate chips. In today’s recipe, I used dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and regular raisins.
Turn Them Into Lactation Cookies
When I was nursing both of my daughters, I turned these healthy cookies into lactation cookies. I added 3 Tablespoons of this (affiliate link) Brewers Yeast, kept the flaxseed in the recipe (it’s optional, but flax is excellent for lactation), and 2 Tablespoons of milk to help soak up that brewer’s yeast. Same bake time. They’re awesome and they WORK.
Easy to Freeze and Make Ahead
While called breakfast cookies, they’re great all day, every day! I love them as an afternoon snack, for breakfast on the go, or even dessert. Each batch yields 12 cookies depending how large you make them; sometimes I make a double batch in advance and keep them in the freezer for readily accessible healthier options.
To freeze these cookies, let the baked cookies cool completely. Place them in an airtight container or zipped-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving, or microwave for a few seconds. I absolutely love them cold!
More Healthier Breakfast Recipes
So many options!
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread & Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Blueberry Almond Power Muffins
- Baked Oatmeal
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Cups or Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Whole Wheat Waffles
- Applesauce Muffins
- Pumpkin Granola
- Crustless Veggie Quiche (only 110 calories per serving)
- No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Oat Bars
- Easy Frittata Recipe
And for even more inspiration, see my complete list of 30+ healthy breakfast recipes.
Breakfast Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These healthy morning cookies are so simple to throw together and taste amazing, too! They’re whole grain, all-natural, gluten-free, and vegan. Made without refined sugar, oil, or butter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (170g) quick oats or old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (250g) almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter
- 1/4 cup (60ml) pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 1/3 cup (60g) apple butter*
- 1/2 cup (115g) mashed banana (about 1 large banana)
- 1/2 cup (75g) dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup (70g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup (75g) raisins
- optional: 1/4 cup (28g) ground flaxseed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF (163ยฐC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer). Mix until all of the ingredients are combined. The dough is thick and heavy.
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion 1/4 cup mounds of cookie dough (about 70g each) onto prepared cookie sheet. Use the back of a spoon to slightly flatten out into a cookie shape. (The cookies will not spread in the oven.)
- Bake for 16โ19 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cover leftover cookies and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cooled cookies can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature or warm in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 1/4-cup Measuring Cup | Cooling Rack
- Frozen Bananas:ย You can use thawed frozen bananas in this recipe. Thawed bananas are extra wet, so drain off as much of the excess liquid as you can before mashing. Seeย How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Apple Butter:ย I love using apple butter in these breakfast cookies, but 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce works in its place. No other changes needed to the recipe.
- Double Batch: The recipe can easily be doubled to make a bigger batch.
- Substitutions: Need more substitution ideas? See the blog post above.
- Gluten Free: Use certified GF oats for gluten free cookies.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I never write recipe ratings but these were amazing. I used almond butter, unsweetened applesauce in place of apple butter, and for mix-ins I used walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and raisins. I didn’t have any flaxseed so I didn’t add any. They tasted and smelled like a cross between oatmeal raisin cookies and banana bread! I love nuts and seeds so this was perfect for me. This is now one of my favourite cookie recipes. Super tasty, especially with some plain yogurt (use the cookie as a granola of sorts) and a cup of hot coffee ๐
Made per recipe, using options of peanut butter, roasted and salted pepitas, apple sauce and flax meal. Without trying, I got 16 cookies from a single batch. Very easy, very tasty. Probably not a cookie for a kindergarten class treat. Thanks to reviewer who suggested freezing in individual bags for quick grab and go. Delicious and dare I say sophisticated!
Can always count on Sally for an amazing cookie recipe! I switched/added up a few things and they turned out so delicious and hearty!
Used ~60g shredded apple instead of apple butter, subbed around 50 of the 250g of PB for softened butter, subbed sunflower seeds for pepitas, added 50g flour, 1 egg, 80g whey protein powder, 50g chocolate chips chips, splash of vanilla. Made into 9 large cookies and baked at 350F. A lot of oat/PB/banana โhealthierโ recipes I found online were no bake or seemed too plain but this recipe was the perfect base to tweak into exactly what I was hoping for! Thanks Sally!
I made these this morning using wow butter because we have a nut allergy. Used bananas and apple sauce in the measurements suggested. Mine are dry and fall apart and certainly not shiny as depicted in the image. If I was making again I would add some oil to compensate for the lack of oil in the nut butter.
Will try one more time with peanut butter just to try the recipe as stated.
Otherwise will look for another recipe.
I use sally,s baking recipes.I do baking a lot and I really enjoy using your recipes.
Delicious! I used dried fruit I had in the house and did add the ground flaxseed. Other then that, I followed the recipe exactly. Be sure to flatten out the cookies per the recipe as they don’t spread at all. I’m going to add mini chocolate chips next time!
Could I add an egg? Mine keep crumbling.
Hi Ali, that shouldn’t be a problem and will help add a bit more moisture to the cookies.
Hi Sally, this is a lovely recipe. I always get great reviews when I bake them! Do you know if these could be baked in an air fryer? Also, do you have any ideas of a refined sugar free glaze that could be drizzled on top? Thank you.
Hi Tori! We have not tested baking these cookies in an air fryer and are unsure of the results. Let us know if you find a glaze you love!
Really delicious recipe. I think I will try to add some protein powder.
What are the nutritional facts of your basic breakfast cookie?
Hi Beth, We donโt usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Any idea of the carb/calorie count on these?
Hi Robin, We donโt usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I love these cookies! My favorite morning go-to! I added 1/4 cup coconut sugar for a touch of sweetness, and one cup dark chocolate morsels.
I cannot eat seeds. Is there an alternative to pepita seeds?
Hi Mary Ann, you can use nuts instead for crunch, or simply leave them out. Enjoy!
I live in a part of the world where applesauce is not readily available in supermarkets. Short of making my own, what would be good substitutes?
Hi Zoe! See the post above for a few options: Other options include mashed banana (thereโs already banana in the recipe, too!), mango butter, or pumpkin butter.
I make these every week and freeze them for a healthy snack at work!
Very, very delicious. The breakfast cookie in its truest form! Exactly what I was looking for
I switched out raisins with chopped fig and dried cherries for cranberries. I also added a cup of vanilla protein powder. I had one with my coffee this morning and really liked it!
Easy to make and easy to share!
I love these, they are moist and delicious! These are great for a quick breakfast. My family loves these, too, and I now make them regularly.
These are awful.