These banana oatmeal peanut butter cookies are gooey, chocolaty and irresistible! They are made with only a few healthy ingredients and come together quickly and easily. These healthy oatmeal cookies with banana and peanut butter are the perfect grab and go breakfast or snack!

Stack of banana oatmeal peanut butter cookies

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These banana oatmeal peanut butter cookies are soft, gooey and delicious!
  • They are flourless and naturally sweetened.
  • This simple recipe takes only minutes to prepare.
  • Perfect for everything from breakfast, afternoon snacks and dessert.
  • These cookies are soft baked and taste like banana bread!
  • They are made without flour, without sugar, without oil, without butter, and without soy.
  • This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and Vegan.
  • Check out this Paleo Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and these Banana Muffins with Almond Flour for two more great banana breakfast recipes!
Ingredients for banana cookies

Ingredients & Substitutions

Use ripe bananas for best results. Ripe bananas are more naturally sweet and are easily mashed. Unripe green bananas will not work!

All natural creamy peanut butter is best. The only ingredients should be peanuts and salt. Regular peanut butter (such as Jif) has added sugars and/or oils and is much thicker than all natural. For this recipe, I used Teddie’s creamy salted peanut butter.

A tablespoon of pure maple syrup adds the sweetness. This is optional! Without maple syrup, these taste like less sweet breakfast cookies. Honey can be used in place of maple syrup.

Old fashioned oats are at the heart of these cookies! They are much better than quick cooking oats. They have a great texture. I used gluten free old fashioned oats to keep these cookies both gluten free and Vegan.

The dark chocolate chips are the best part! For a healthier cookie, feel free to omit these or use a lesser amount. I used Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips which are both gluten free and dairy free.

Healthy breakfast cookies with chocolate chips

Sweetener

Pure maple syrup is used to sweeten these cookies. These cookies are not overly sweet and have a breakfast cookie feel. Honey can be used in place of maple syrup.

If desired, omit maple syrup entirely. These cookies will be less sweet and taste like true breakfast cookies.

In addition, the ripe bananas add a nice natural sweetness!

The Best Oats to Use

There are several different types of oats sold in grocery stores. For these peanut butter banana oatmeal breakfast cookies, use old fashioned oats.

The reason for this is due to their texture and size. These oats are larger than quick cooking oats. Additionally, old fashioned oats become chewy when baked. This helps the texture of these cookies!

I used gluten free old fashioned oats to keep these gluten free.

Gooey banana oatmeal cookies

Taste & Texture

These chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies taste like banana bread with a hint of peanut butter! The strongest flavors are banana and dark chocolate. They are not overly sweet.

These cookies do not have the typical cookie texture, but that is why I love them! They are gooey, slightly chewy and have so much texture. They resemble a much softer version of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

How to Make

Step 1

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

Add mashed bananas to a large mixing bowl.

Mashed bananas in bowl

Step 3

Then, add in all remaining ingredients.

Peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chips in bowl

Step 4

Stir to combine.

Healthy banana cookie dough

Step 5

Use cookie scoop to drop balls of dough onto lined pan. Use fingers or spatula to press down on each cookie. They should be about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.

Raw cookies on pan

Step 6

Next, bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until middles are just set and edges are golden.

Pan with peanut butter banana oat cookies

Step 7

Finally, remove from oven. Cool on pan for 5 minutes before carefully moving to a cooling rack.

Expert Tips & Tricks

Use ripe bananas for the best texture and flavor. It is much easier to mash ripe bananas than unripe bananas.

All natural creamy peanut butter is vital! This yields a gooey and chewy cookie rather than dense and dry. Moreover, creamy peanut butter is made with healthier ingredients.

Press down balls of dough before baking. Since these cookies do not spread, whichever shape they enter the oven is the final shape.

Bake until cookies are just set in the middle. Do not over bake!

How to Serve & Store

Serve cookies once cool enough to handle.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Since they are all natural and made with bananas, they spoil rather quickly at room temperature.

Store in fridge for up to 5 days. Or, freeze for up to 2 months.

Banana oatmeal breakfast baked good

Variations & Add Ins

These banana oatmeal peanut butter cookies are delicious as is! If desired, here are some fun variations and add ins. Add these to the batter before baking.

White chocolate chips

Mini chocolate chips

Peanut butter chips

Butterscotch chips

Dried cranberries

Finely chopped walnuts

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of ground ginger

Raisins

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze these?

Yes! Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw before eating.

Which peanut butter should I use?

All natural creamy peanut butter is best. The ingredients list should only contain peanuts and salt.

Can I make these nut free?

Sure! Replace peanut butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini.

What do they taste like?

These taste like oatmeal and banana bread. The banana and chocolate are the strongest flavors.

Are they supposed to be soft?

Yes, these cookies are much softer than normal cookies.

Pan with desserts

You May Also Like

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on InstagramFacebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along!  For more ideas, check out these Vegan Recipes.

Stack of banana oatmeal peanut butter cookies

Get the Recipe: Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

These healthy banana oatmeal peanut butter cookies are so easy and delicious! They are soft, gooey and chocolaty. These gluten free cookies require only a few ingredients and they are great for breakfast and a snack!
5 from 30 votes

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Add bananas to bowl and mash completely.
  • Then, add in all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.
  • Use cookie scoop to drop balls of dough onto parchment paper. Flatten cookies with fingers or spatula. They should be about 2 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. They do not spread while baking.
  • Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until middles of cookies are set. They will start to turn a light golden color.
  • Finally, remove from oven. Allow them to cool on pan for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

  • Use ripe bananas for best results.  Completely mash bananas.
  • Maple syrup can be omitted for a slightly less sweet option.  Honey can also be used.
  • Use all natural creamy peanut butter.  It should only contain peanuts and salt.  Any extra oils or added sugars will alter the texture.
  • I highly recommend old fashioned oats.  They yield the best texture.  I do not recommend quick cooking oats.
  • The texture of this dough is pretty thick and sticky.
  • Flatten cookies before baking.  They do not spread at all so they will come out of the oven how they went into the oven!
  • Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.  Since they contain bananas, they do not stay fresh at room temperature for very long.
  • Store in fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 2 months.
Calories: 163kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 56mg, Potassium: 221mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 13IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 1mg

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