Hearty and healthy breakfast cookies are naturally gluten free, vegan, low in sugar, and not only taste good—they 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 allergies—nut, gluten, dairy, egg! I’ve made them so many times I’ve lost count… ★★★★★”
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. ★★★★★”
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! 🙂
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 you’d 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 substitutions—here are a few I’ve tested with success:
- Oats: Use either type of oats—quick 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 325°F (163°C). 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 16–19 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: 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. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Apple Butter: 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 love this recipe so much. I’ve been using it all the time and making tweaks just to experiment. I usually add in some chocolate chips (cause I need my chocolate fix), and some chia seeds for a little extra crunch. In my last batch I replaced the banana and cinnamon with pumpkin and pumpkin spice, to make it more autumnal.
Adding these to my postpartum freezer stash. I doubled the recipe and used honey and maple syrup but left out the flax and cranberries. I also used my immersion blender to blend the wet ingredients before adding to the oats and I think that helped a lot with ease. These are SO beyond delicious and filling too! Will definitely be making these again.
I need extra protein, can I add cottage cheese? If so what alterations should I make?
I was also wondering about adding protein powder??
Hi Robbin, we’re sure you could, although it may take some slight adjustments of the other ingredients to account for the change. Some readers have reported adding protein powder or chia seeds to these, but we haven’t tested it ourselves. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Excellent taste! I use unsweetened cranberries for a nice tart, chewy bite. The pumpkin seeds add a nice crunch. The problem is how to stop from eating them all at once!
Looking forward to making these today whats their fridge life like?
Hi Dee, you can cover leftover cookies and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Nutrition facts (according to the My Fitness Pal App) for the following recipe:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/8 cup walnuts
1/8 cup pecans
My recipe scooped 16 cookies.
1 cookie=1 serving
1 serving= 192 calories, 20.5 carbs, 11.6g fat, 5.2g protein, 3.3g fiber
These are the best breakfast cookies I have had! They do actually taste good!
Can you sub coconut butter for apple butter?
Hi Leelee! We don’t have any experience baking with coconut butter, but we don’t think it would be a 1:1 substitute for the apple butter. It seems like it is a thicker, richer ingredient than is needed here. If you do any experimenting, let us know!
These are great but I haven’t done them in a few years. Can I use natural peanut butter?
Hi Lydia, yes, you can use natural peanut butter no problem. Give it a good stir before using. Enjoy!
How can I add more protein into these cookies? Can I use Greek yogurt instead of the apple butter?
Hi Julie, we’re sure you could, although it may take some slight adjustments of the other ingredients to account for the change. Some readers have reported adding protein powder or chia seeds to these, but we haven’t tested it ourselves. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
These were delicious! I love how many substitutions you can make. I used pumpkin butter instead of apple butter and they turned out great. I also added the brewers yeast to make these lactation cookies.
These look amazing! Sadly (for me), I am not a fan of banana baked into things. Is there something I could use as a substitute for mashed banana? Thank you!
Hi Laura, Instead of mashed banana, you can use 1/2 cup of apple butter or applesauce (or any other fruit butter).
I love all your recipes I’ve tried so far – excited to try this one. How many days will they last after baking (if I don’t freeze them?)
Such a fabulous recipe-I make the Breakfast Cookies every week. Thank you
Wow! These are soooo good! I used chopped dried apricots and sunflower seeds instead of the cranberries and flaxseed. Texture is so nice with the pepitas and sunflower seeds. Meant to throw in some sesame seeds but will do that next time. Hope you love them as much as we do! Thank you Sally!
Can you add a scope of protein powder?
Hi Jasmin, we’re sure you could, although it may take some slight adjustments of the other ingredients to account for the added dry protein powder. Let us know if you do any experimenting.
My husband loves your Blueberry Banana cookie. I want to try your first recipe with cranberries and papayas, but I don’t see the nutritional info listed. Could you give me that information?
Thanks!
Hi Lynn, We don’t 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
Right now this is all we can get my 2 year old grandson to eat. I’m going to look at your site and see if there’s anything else similar. I’ve made this recipe with the raisins, carrots, and apples. It all works great!
Thanks, Sally
Love these! I doubled the recipe and will serve them at a family gathering this weekend. Love that they freeze easily. Thanks!
Do you have the nutrition data? I’m diabetic and could use the carb and sugar inc fruit data. These look really good.
Hi Patricia, we don’t 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
These are a STAPLE in our household, thank you! I add unsalted sunflower seeds as well for extra plant power. Def the best healthy/flourless cookie recipe I’ve made to date!
What is the nutritional information for this recipe please? Protein, fat, carbs, fiber, etc.
Hi Darcy, We don’t 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
Thanks for another great recipe! I have made these multiple times and try to always have some in the freezer. For those who might be interested I find them to be sweet enough without the added maple syrup. There is enough sugar from all the fruits. I prefer them with almond butter and I use unsweetened applesauce. If you’re using salted nuts or seeds you can cut back the salt a little bit too.
Love these, Sally – I’ve made them several times for my 2 year old twin grand babies and they love them! I’m always looking for recipes to make for them – any other suggestions? TIA!
Hi there, you could try making them these baby apple banana oat muffins!
I use Agave Syrup instead of maple syrup. It’s just as good in a recipe like this, it costs less than maple syrup and is also vegan, unlike honey.
I just have a question. Do these have the texture of a classic oatmeal cookie? I made another recipe with similar ingredients recently and it was awful, not like a cookie at all. It was like rubbery pancakes with oats.
Hi Tylah, they are similar to an oatmeal cookie, yes, but a a bit thicker. The texture will vary slightly depending on the add-ins you use.
In my experience it’s better to use rolled oats rather than whole grain oats.
How any calories?carbs?
Hi Lori, We don’t 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 just tried these and they were delicious. I used 1 cup of the naturSource salad topper mix and a handful of raisins and they came out great. I will definitely be making these again for post-workout snacks.
Do we have a breakdown of nutritional values on this recipe .
Hi Yogi, We don’t 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
Theoretical Rating: 5 stars
I have been looking for a recipe like my WW 2 great grandpa used to make. He was a cook in the Navy, and boy was he good at his job! He made cookies like these ones for Sailors. He would never give out the entire recipe to the family, but between my sister and I, we figured out it for sure had applesauce, craisins, banana, eggs, and no salt. Grandpa couldn’t have salt.
I made this recipe fairly close to how it is written, so my theoretical rating is based on instructions and reasoning for ingredients more than the specific flavor.
I used quick cooking oats, 2 tsp of cinnamon, (Grandpa loved cinnamon), no salt, 3 eggs, honey, applesauce, banana, dried cranberries, dried apples, and raisins. I baked for 20 minutes because my oven just takes its sweet time to do anything. The cookies came out more like a banana bread with yummies in them.
Just like Grandpa’s!!
How I have missed him and his cooking. Thank you for filling in the missing parts so we could have a piece of him back.
So happy to read this, Jay!