Vegan 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies that are incredibly easy to make and use common pantry staples. They also have no egg, no refined sugar, no dairy, are gluten-free and keto-friendly, just like my almond flour shortbread cookies!
Why you'll love these cookies
DIFFICULTY: These vegan 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies come together in one bowl. You can make them in less than 30 minutes!
TASTE/TEXTURE: These cookies are rich and 'buttery' as they use almond flour and a higher ratio of liquid ingredients compared to other recipes. They melt in your mouth and are more delicate than typical chocolate chip cookies as they're high in peanut butter.
Alternatively, if you want to make peanut butter cookies with vegan butter, check out my classic vegan peanut butter cookies.
3 ingredients to make peanut butter cookies
A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Smooth natural peanut butter. I used creamy peanut butter which has no additives and is made of only roasted peanuts and a pinch of salt. The cookies will also work with processed peanut butter.
Almond flour adds moisture which makes the cookies feel rich and 'buttery'. You may use other flour such as oat flour or fine white rice flour, however, they make the cookies drier and crumblier.
Maple syrup as our sweetener and partial binder. I don't recommend replacing it with granulated sugar as they won't bind the ingredients.
Normally, 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies rely on eggs. However, with the addition of maple syrup (to help bind the ingredients) and almond flour (which adds fat and richness), you can make peanut butter cookies with no egg!
Step-by-step: How to make peanut butter cookies
Simply add the 3 ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. I recommend using a sturdy wooden spoon as the cookie dough is thick!
Initially, the cookie dough will be very soft and feel like a very thick paste. However, the mixture will quickly thicken up and have the consistency of soft and tacky cookie dough.
The more moist and tacky your cookie dough, the less crumbly your final cookies will be!
Use clean hands (or a small ice cream scoop) to roll the soft cookie dough into balls. The cookie dough may look too soft to handle, but it will still work!
To get 20 cookies, each ball of cookie dough should weigh around 24 grams... if you don't eat any of the raw cookie dough (which is delicious so I will not judge)!
Place the cookie dough balls on a lined baking/cookie sheet then gently flatten them with a fork. You can make them as thin or thick as you like! The dough may stick a little to the fork, but with a bit of patience (and gravity), this step is easy.
I could fit all of my cookies on 2 cookie sheets. The cookies don't spread much in the oven so you can place them 1 inch (2 cm) apart.
Baking these 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies
If you'd like your cookies to have crisp edges and a soft chewy center, I recommend baking them for around 10 minutes. For cookies that are crisp throughout, bake them for around 15 minutes.
These vegan peanut butter cookies are ready when they start to change in color. They will be very soft when you take them out of the oven. However, they will continue baking on the baking tray and will firm up a lot!
If you love peanut butter desserts, check out my vegan peanut butter chocolate muffins or peanut butter jam pie!
Expert Tips
This recipe is super versatile! To the cookie dough, you can also add:
- vegan chocolate chips
- vanilla extract
- spices, such as cinnamon
You can also dip the cookies in chocolate and sprinkle them with crushed peanuts or flaked salt (pictured below)! Or make them into thumbprint peanut butter jelly cookies.
I haven't tested this recipe with other types of nut butter but readers have told me it works! Remember that peanut butter is a little more oily than other nut butter so any variations may be drier.
More easy vegan cookie recipes
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3-ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (no egg + vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) smooth natural peanut butter
- 1 ¼ cups (125g) almond flour / blanched almond meal, spooned and leveled (note 1)
- ⅓ cup (115g) maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Preparing the cookies:
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. Allow the mixture to sit for around 2 minutes to thicken up. The final cookie dough should have the consistency of a soft and slightly tacky paste that is thick enough to roll into balls. (note 2)
- Using clean and damp hands or a small cookie scoop, divide the cookie dough into around 20 balls (~24g each). Place the balls on the lined baking trays.
- Use a fork to flatten each ball and mark each cookie with a criss-cross pattern. You can make them as thin/thick as you like! Alternatively, you can just flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
Baking and storing the cookies:
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are very slightly golden brown. Cookies baked for less time will be soft and chewy whereas cookies baked for longer will be crisp throughout.
- Allow the cookies to completely cool on the baking tray. Initially, the cookies will be very soft but will firm up a lot as they cool.
- For the best texture, enjoy the cookies on the day of baking either warm or at room temperature. Alternatively, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, in the fridge for 2 weeks or up to 2 months in the freezer.
Notes
- For the best results, I recommend using the grams measurements. Alternatively, use the spoon and level method to measure the flour where you fluff up the flour in the container, use a spoon to add it to a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Using a measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the container will pack it in the measuring cup and make the cookies crumblier.
Instead of using almond flour, I've had success with using 100g oat flour OR 50g fine white rice flour. After you mix your cookie dough, let it sit for a few minutes as it will thicken up. I prefer the cookies with almond flour as they're less dry and crumbly. I haven't tested this recipe with any other flour. - The softer your cookie dough, the richer and more 'buttery' your final cookies will be. If you'd like softer cookies, feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter or maple syrup. If you'd like drier cookies, add 1-2 tablespoons of almond flour.
Nutrition
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Shawn says
So easy and delicious—Making my second batch today; my husband is also a fan!
Anthea says
Hi Shawn, aw that's great news!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review here!
Sağlıklı Mutfak Rehberi says
I tried this recipe and I really want to fall into this recipe🫠💛👌
Anthea says
Hi Sağlıklı, that's so lovely to hear!!! Thanks so much for your lovely feedback x
Disha says
These cookies are simple and quick to make, I used my airfyer at 160 for 6- 7 mins and they looked great..
Its working well as my midnight snack for my hunger cravings while I'm nursing ..
Goes very well with tea & coffee too.
Anthea says
Hi Disha, aw it's great that these cookies worked in an air fryer for you! And I'm so glad that its providing some nourishment while you're nursing. Thanks so much for your feedback and your time!
Elly Venkova says
Can I use cashew flour?
Anthea says
Hi! I imagine so but I haven't tested it myself.
Daniela, Hortolândia, SP Brazil says
These cookies are as simple to make as delicious and nutritious. My kids loved them. And, they are perfect to go with a cup of coffee or any other hot beverage.
Great recipe!
Anthea says
Hi Daniela, I'm so glad that you found these cookies easy to make and tasty!! And I agree - they're definitely lovely with a hot beverage :). Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here!
Priscilla Casalino says
What chocolate did you use for the dipping?
Anthea says
For these, I used Callebaut dark chocolate.
Zainab says
Hey.. This recipe looks really good. Can I use honey instead of maple syrup? If yes, then how much? Thanks.
Anthea says
Hi! Technically it should work in the same amount, however I haven't tested it with honey as I only use vegan ingredients. Hope that helps!
Seach Hwee says
I used crunchy peanut butter without added salt or sugar and it tasted great too.
Thank you for the recipe.
Anthea says
Hi Seach, good to hear that you enjoyed these cookies with natural crunchy peanut butter! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Gladys says
Wondering, can you flash freeze, before baking?
Anthea says
Yes you can!
Luciana says
Me encantaron!! Muy deliciosas... yo incluso las hice sin endulzar, sólo con la pasta de maní y la harina de almendra, y quedaron riquísimas!! A la mitad de la mezcla, le agregué cacao amargo, e hice unas de chocolate! Todas excelentes!! GRACIAS POR LA RECETA!!🤗🥰
Anthea says
Hi Luciana, it's great to hear that you enjoyed these cookies, even without the maple syrup! And the addition of cocoa sounds lovely. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Danielle Bennett says
These cookies look beautiful! I have an almond allergy, I am wondering if you would recommend a different flour to use that could work? Thank you so much 😊
Anthea says
Thanks Danielle! I've had the most luck with oat flour (see note 1 in the recipe card), though the cookies are definitely drier. You could also add a little oil/vegan butter to it, if you prefer! I hope that helps 🙂