These Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies take just 5 minutes and a couple ingredients, and if you can believe it, they're just as tasty as they are easy to make. I love using this recipe when my kids want to help in the kitchen. It's super forgiving, quick, and the results are both healthy and delicious!
Do you ever hesitate to turn the oven on when the temperatures rise? I love the sunshine of summertime, but it feels like I should be saving the warmth and comfort of the oven for the colder seasons! To satisfy my sweet tooth without touching the oven, I love making these Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies. They're made with just a handful of ingredients and require no baking, which also makes them perfect for getting little helpers involved in the kitchen!
Ingredients in Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies
Here's what we're cooking with! I love that these are ingredients I always have in my kitchen, so I don't need a special trip to the grocery store to make a really yummy treat.
- Oats - I prefer quick cooking oats for texture, but old fashioned whole oats work as well. Oats are an important ingredient because they bind the cookies together as they set!
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - I think a high-quality cocoa powder makes a big difference in recipes like this one.
- Almond butter - Raw, creamy, and unsalted almond butter is my favorite nut butter to use. You can swap for sun butter to keep this nut-free, or use any nut or seed butter you happen to have on hand!
- Maple syrup - This keeps our Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies free of refined sugar!
- Vegan butter - My favorite brand of vegan butter is Miyokos, which melts, bakes, and tastes just like traditional butter. You could also use melted coconut oil, I just preferred the taste with vegan butter. Grab a jar of refined coconut oil to avoid a coconut-flavored cookie!
- Baking essentials - Just a splash of both salt and vanilla are going to perfectly balance the flavors in these cookies!
All About Almond Butter
These Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies get tons of protein from almond butter, which also adds the most perfect subtle nutty flavor. I love the Trader Joe's creamy raw almond butter, but I also like making my own! It only requires one ingredient and some time in the food processor. Almonds are low in carbohydrates and high in protein. They also offer a good source of fiber, healthy fats, vitamin E and magnesium. They also provide iron and calcium.
Naturally Sweetened Healthy No-Bake Cookies
One of the things that makes these cookies so much healthier than traditional recipes is that they're naturally sweetened. Rather than using refined sugar, I opted for pure maple syrup. This is made from one ingredient: the sap of maple trees. It is a seriously magic ingredient that I buy in bulk! It works wonders in both sweet and savory recipes to perfectly balance flavors and add just a bit of sweetness.
I hope you make and love these easy cookies! They would be perfect for getting little ones involved in the kitchen. These Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies are gluten-free, vegan (no dairy or eggs!), soy-free, and can easily be made nut-free. Make sure you check out all of the No-Bake Desserts on Eating by Elaine, and subscribe to my newsletter for fun, seasonal, and plant-based recipes sent to your inbox each week!
More Vegan No-Bake Desserts
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
- No-Bake Almond Butter Chocolate Crunch Bars
- Creamy Chocolate Fudgesicles (vegan + gluten-free + nut-free)
- Easy 5-Ingredient Vegan Peppermint Patties (gluten-free + paleo)
- Chocolate Coated Almond Butter Crunch Balls (vegan + gluten-free)
- No-Bake Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cheesecake (Paleo + Refined Sugar-Free)
- The Best Vegan Ice Cream Cake (paleo + gluten-free + refined sugar-free)
- No-Bake Fudgy Hemp Bites (vegan + refined sugar-free + gluten-free)
- Easy No-Bake Frosted Vegan Rice Crispy Treats (refined sugar-free)
- No-Cook, No-Avocado Vegan Chocolate Pudding (refined sugar free + gluten free + nut free)
Easy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies take 5 minutes and they're filled with so much more nutrition than most no-bake cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats (I prefer quick cooking oats for texture but old fashioned whole oats work as well), use GF if desired
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup raw creamy unsalted almond butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter (or melted coconut oil)*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk together all dry ingredients (oats, cocoa powder and salt) in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients (almond butter, maple syrup, melted vegan butter [or coconut oil] and vanilla) and stir until well incorporated.
- Use a 2 tablespoon retractable cookie scoop to form the 8 cookies. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours to set. Enjoy straight from the freezer.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in your freezer for up to three months.
Notes
You can use any nut or seed butter but I prefer the taste of almond butter here.
You can use old fashioned oats if you do not have quick cooking oats. I prefer the texture of quick cooking oats but either will work fine! You can also pulse old fashioned oats a couple of times in a blender or food processor to get a texture more similar to quick cooking oats.
*I prefer the flavor with the vegan butter over the coconut oil. If you want to avoid the coconut flavor you could use refined coconut oil.
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezer
Keywords: easy no-bake chocolate cookies
Amy A says
These are so yummy
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Amy! So happy to hear you enjoyed them 🙂
Maggie says
I made these with fresh ground peanut butter and real butter and they are delicious!! The perfect snack. Thanks for the recipe!
Elaine Gordon says
Aw, yay! Thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed!
Karen says
These are legitimately so delicious!!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Karen! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed these so much! Best, Elaine
Blair says
Delicious and decadent! Will they survive a holiday cookie box for teachers since they will be out of the freezer for hours after delivered during school? Thanks!!
Elaine Gordon says
Hey, Blair! Good question... probably not this one unfortunately. You can find most of my cookie recipes here: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/recipes/?fwp_categories=cookies - my favorite for the hoidays is: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/soft-baked-vegan-gingersnap-cookies-gluten-free-refined-sugar-free/ or https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/vegan-snickerdoodles-gluten-free-refined-sugar-free/ - LMK if you have any questions 🙂