Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

When looking at the ingredients (only 9!) for these flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies, you’ll find the glaring absence of baking’s 2 main players: butter and flour. That’s right, these naturally gluten-free cookies come together with peanut butter, eggs, and oats as the base, plus delicious flavorings and chocolate chips. They’re so flavorful and soft that you won’t miss a thing!

. I’ve also made a few small updates to the recipe so the cookies aren’t nearly as crumbly and the peanut butter flavor shines. These changes are reflected in the printable recipe below.

The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is pretty hard to beat, and I’m not even bothered if I’m getting the fix from a spoonful of peanut butter with chocolate chips dotted on top. (You do that too sometimes, right?)

But… cookies are much more enticing.

A batch of today’s gluten-free flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies rival any traditional peanut butter cookies, yet they don’t contain flour, butter, or added oil. They’re always a crowd-pleasing treat, boasting the same great flavor and texture that I love in my butter- and gluten-containing peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. A cookie miracle if there ever was one.

Here’s Why You’ll Love These Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies:

• Packed with hearty oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips
• Chewy on the edges with soft centers
• Made from only 9 simple ingredients
• Quick and easy to prepare—only 30 minutes of dough-chilling time
• No mixer required!
• Gluten-free recipe if using certified gluten-free oats
• Dairy-free recipe if using dairy-free chocolate chips

Grab These 9 Ingredients

With only 9 ingredients, it’s important to follow the recipe closely for the best results. Don’t get nervous, I’m not replacing the flour and butter with anything crazy. These are all simple ingredients that you may already have on hand.

• Oats: Just like I recommend for classic oatmeal raisin cookies, it’s best to use old-fashioned whole rolled oats. Quick oats are more powdery and can leave your cookies tasting dry. (If you only have quick oats, you could try my chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies instead. They’re great with either type of oats, and are also gluten free!)
• Cinnamon: Just 1/4 teaspoon adds a subtle warmth.
• Baking Soda: To help the cookies rise.
• Salt & Vanilla: Flavor enhancers, always appreciated!
• Eggs: Eggs provide structure and bind the ingredients together.
• Peanut Butter: I know there are tons of peanut butter options out there. Be sure to review the next section, Choosing Your Peanut Butter: Dos & Don’ts, before you get started.
• Brown Sugar: For a little bit of sweetness. You can use regular granulated sugar in a pinch, but you’ll lose that cozy molasses flavor (and some moisture!) that brown sugar provides.
• Chocolate Chips: I reach for semi-sweet here—my go-to for chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and double chocolate chip cookies. Feel free to use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter chips, or your favorite kind of baking chips/add-ins instead.

Did you know? Oats are naturally gluten free, but if you have dietary restrictions, be sure they are certified gluten free because oats can be packaged in a facility with gluten.

Choosing Your Peanut Butter: Dos & Don’ts

While processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) typically makes for the best classic peanut butter cookies, feel free to use natural-style peanut butter here. Personally, I love making these cookies with natural peanut butter! Here are some Official Peanut Butter Dos & Don’ts that apply today. 😉

• DO: stir in any excess oil. If the oil has separated to the top of the jar of natural peanut butter, stir it back in before measuring out the peanut butter.
• DON’T: use super-cold peanut butter. If it’s too cold, it will be really difficult to mix into the other ingredients. Room-temperature peanut butter is the sweet spot here!
• DO: gently press the dough balls down with the back of a spoon or a flat spatula before baking, to initiate the cookies spreading, if using natural peanut butter.
• DON’T: press down on the cookies before baking, if using processed peanut butter.

The cookie dough and baked cookies are a little darker when using natural peanut butter.

FAQ: Can I Make These Cookies With Almond Butter?

Yes! You can try these flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies with the same amount of almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or another nut butter/spread. Or try my flourless almond butter cookies instead. (Or dark chocolate almond butter cookies for you chocolate fanatics! I see you!) A note about using sunflower seed butter: Be prepared for the inside of the cookies to turn green, which is a reaction between the chlorophyll in sunflower seeds and the baking soda. It’s totally harmless and doesn’t affect the taste of the cookies, and it doesn’t mean your cookies went bad! (This also makes for a fun baking science project for kids, or a St. Patrick’s Day recipe!)

Chill the Cookie Dough for Just 30 Minutes

This cookie dough benefits from a quick 30-minute chill time before baking. A short rest in the refrigerator helps the cookies to keep their shape (one of my top tips to prevent cookies from spreading). Don’t skip this step! It’s just enough time to preheat your oven, wash the mixing bowls, and line your baking sheets. If you’re short on time and need a no-chill cookie recipe, try my snickerdoodles or shortbread cookies.

Use about 1.5 Tablespoons (or 30g) of dough per cookie. I like to use this medium cookie scoop. Using the back of a spoon, gently flatten the cookie dough rounds, to help encourage spreading.