Packed with healthy ingredients like nuts and dry fruit and refined-sugar free, dairy-free, and gluten-free, these vegan breakfast cookies are a healthy way to start the day (and they taste good!).
Peanut butter breakfast cookies are made with all the good stuff. They take only 5 minutes to mix together and are out of the oven in just 15 minutes.
A healthy breakfast can make all the difference in your day. Maybe a cookie isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think healthy breakfast, but these aren’t your grandma’s cookies (though there’s certainly a time and a place for those!)
I have a big appetite with breakfast, so I usually eat two of these with a cup of yogurt and a big cup of coffee. Or pack a couple of cookies in your lunch box for a heart-healthy snack!
Any time of day is a good time for breakfast cookies.
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Vegan peanut butter breakfast cookies
- Contain 5 grams of protein per cookie
- Filled with unsaturated fats and fiber, which help keep you full
- Are refined sugar-free
- Gluten-free (just choose gluten-free rolled oats)
One breakfast cookie provides around 5 grams of protein and 9 grams of fat- 7 of which are mono- or poly-unsaturated fats. That’s all thanks to plant-based ingredients like chia seeds and peanut butter.
Nutrition-packed breakfast cookies
Rolled oats and applesauce provide more than just the base of this cookie. Rolled oats are complex carbohydrates that contain soluble fiber like beta-glucans, which can help lower cholesterol (1). More fiber = stay full longer!
Creamy peanut butter is made up of nearly 80% mono and poly-unsaturated fats. Intakes of unsaturated fats may help lower risk of heart disease and can lower LDL cholesterol (that’s the “bad” cholesterol) (2).
Pumpkin seeds. These seeds provide zinc and magnesium, as well as heart-healthy fats and fiber.
Walnuts. Choose raw chopped walnut pieces, which are also dense in nutrients and healthy fats. You can also use almonds or pecans.
Dry fruit. I prefer to use dried cranberries, but raisins or pieces of any other dry fruit will work. Chopped dry mango or apricots would be fun to try!
Chia seeds. Just one tablespoon (the amount used in this recipe) of chia seeds provides 2.5 grams of protein, 8% daily value of calcium, and 5 grams of fiber. That’s a lot of nutrition for such tiny seeds!
How to make breakfast cookies
Step 1. In a medium mixing bowl, add the peanut butter and applesauce. Stir, using a whisk or fork, until combined.
Step 2. Add dry ingredients: rolled oats, cinnamon, salt. Stir until combined.
Step 3. Stir in the goodies: pumpkin seeds, chopped walnuts, dried fruit and chia seeds.
Step 4. Use a cookie scoop or 1-ounce measure to scoop cookies onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. If you keep them in this ball shape (that’s what I did) they will stay this way; they don’t flatten out like a traditional cookie. For a flatter cookie, flatten into a disc and reduce 5 minutes from the baking time.
Step 5. Bake on the middle rack in a 350 degree oven for 13-15 minutes. They will still be soft when you remove from the oven, but should firm up as they sit.
Keep refrigerated for up to a week for best results. You can reheat in a microwave or pop into the oven for a minute to warm through.
Looking for more healthy breakfast recipes?
- Vegan Tempeh Hash
- Lemon Blueberry Smoothie
- 15 Minute Savory Tofu Scramble
- Apple Cinnamon Steel Cuts Oats
- Pecan Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Gingerbread Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup optional
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons raw chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup cranberries or raisins
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, applesauce, and optional maple syrup. Stir, using a whisk or fork, until combined.
- Add dry ingredients: rolled oats, cinnamon, salt. Stir until combined.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients: pumpkin seeds, chopped walnuts, dried fruit and chia seeds.
- Use a cookie scoop or 1-ounce measure to scoop 8 cookies onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack in a 350-degree oven for 13-15 minutes. The cookies will still be soft when you remove from the oven, but should firm up as they sit.
Notes
- These cookies don't change shape while baking. If you keep them in the ball shape that a cookie scoop makes they will stay this way. For a flatter cookie, use clean hands or a spatula to flatten into a disc and reduce baking time by 5 minutes.
- Refrigerate for up to a week for best quality. The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge or in the microwave.
- I use natural creamy butter in this recipes. Regular peanut butter will also work. You can also use crunchy peanut butter, if that's your thing, or try almond or cashew butter.
- The add-ins (walnuts, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit) equal 1/2 cup. If making substitutions, just make sure you add a total of 1/2 cup of add-ins.
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