No Bake Coconut Cookies
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My no bake coconut cookies are soft, chewy, and perfectly sweetened. Made with just 3 ingredients and ready in minutes.
Why I love this recipe
As much as I love coconut chocolate cookies, sometimes the coconut deserves its moment in the limelight, and this is how these no bake coconut cookies were born.
Essentially, they are the same cookie but without the chocolate coating. I had to tweak the mixture a little to make them sturdier by adding more powdered sugar, so they don’t soften too much on their own. Here’s why they’re a hit:
- Just 3 ingredients. All you need is coconut, condensed milk, and powdered sugar.
- No fancy kitchen equipment. There’s no electric mixer, no food processor, and no oven (provided you use fine coconut flakes). Just mix everything in a bowl and shape the cookies on a baking sheet.
- Not overpowering. Coconut has a bad rap for tasting like sunscreen when overdone, so I balanced the coconut with enough condensed milk so they taste refreshing and sweet.
- Naturally gluten-free and egg-free. And if you use coconut condensed milk, they can be dairy-free.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“The coconut cookies were delicious! Quick and easy recipe for sure. I thought my first try was a little sweet, so in the second batch, I omitted the powdered sugar and added one tsp of almond extract. This worked equally well without the extra calories. I love this recipe!” – Cori
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below:
- Unsweetened shredded coconut. Try to use finely shredded coconut flakes (sometimes referred to as desiccated or macaroon-style coconut), as they help the cookies hold their shape. If you only have the large flakes, blend them down into a fine texture.
- Condensed milk. Binds the cookies together and gives them that gorgeous chewy texture. If you need these to be dairy-free, use coconut condensed milk. The one I use is Thai Kitchen.
- Powdered sugar. Adds extra sweetness and structure.
How to make no bake coconut cookies
Step 1- Prep. Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
Step 2- Mix. In a large mixing bowl, stir the wet and dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough.
Step 3- Shape and chill. Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, scoop small cookie dough balls and place them on the lined tray. Press each ball into a cookie shape and refrigerate until firm.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Freeze them. When time is of the essence, I’ll pop the cookies in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up quickly. This means you get to dig in faster!
- Cut the carbs. Swap the condensed milk for sugar-free condensed milk and use a powdered sugar substitute. I used to make it this way when I was watching my carbs, and they taste almost identical and have that firm, chewy texture.
- Add mix-ins. Fold in chocolate chips, almonds, pecans, candy buttons, or dried fruit. I really love the combo of nuts here!
Storage instructions
To store: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Place leftover cookies in a Ziploc bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
No Bake Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup condensed milk
Instructions
- Line a large plate or baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the shredded coconut, condensed milk, and powdered sugar, and mix well, until a sticky dough remains.
- Using your hands or a cookie scoop, form small balls of dough and place them on the lined plate or tray. Press each ball into a cookie shape. Refrigerate until they firm up.
Notes
Nutrition
More no bake cookie recipes
Originally updated November 2022
I. Hope these cookies are good cause I will be baking them all the time.
Hi Linda, this is a no bake recipe so I’m not sure they’ll be very good if you do bake them.
Haven’t tried it yet, but I’m going to! How much allulose would you substitute for the powdered sugar?
Thanks for such a great recipe site!
Our son is gluten, dairy and soy free, and we try to keep sugar low… I will be checking your site for more recipes with those restrictions. My son has autism and found the cookies himself – he clearly likes the look of them. So now I’m ordering ingredients – not all so readily available in the uk.
Hi Julie- aw, thank you so much for sharing this with me, I hope your son enjoys them.
What I’d recommend doing is blending down the allulose into a powdered sugar texture and then measuring out from there. I know it’s an extra step, but these cookies work best when the sweetener is a powdered form, as it seamlessly mixes into the condensed milk.
I love coconut 🥥 and hope to try the recipe soon
Let us know how you go with it Ellen!
They look delicious and I will make these for Christmas 🎄 😋 Thank you so much and Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ❤️ 😊
Have a safe and delicious one, Karen!
Have been following for a while now and am very impressed with most of your recipes
Thank you.
Thanks so much, Glenda- I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes!
I love to get new recipes because I do alot of baking and cooking and I love anything with coconut in it. Thank you for this recipe
It’s crazy how versatile coconut is as an ingredient!
This is perfectl example of summer dessert. For me coconut is the best for summer!
Imstead of coconut shredded I want to put instant oats coconut flavour. What you think?
Only three ingredients for this amazing coconut taste? Great. I love coconut so much.
The coconut cookies were delicious! Quick and easy recipe for sure. I thought my first try was a little sweet, so in the second batch, I omitted the powdered sugar and added one tsp of almond extract. This worked equally well without the extra calories. I love this recipe!
Are theses cookies no bake. Thanks
Yumm 💕
The header says that these are vegan. They have condensed milk in them
You can use coconut condensed milk, Schmook.
Can I use almond milk or evaporated milk
Not for this, Jo. It needs to be coconut or regular condensed milk.
Very tasty and quick to make,
How can I make these into chocolate coconut nobakes
I suppose you could add cocoa powder to it.
When you can’t make cookies….make bars…. Flatten in pan freeze . Even add toppings
Could I substitute oat flour for almond flour?
Not that I’ve tried.
These sound so good but I have an issue with the texture of coconut. Do you think I could use coconut butter instead of the shredded? It’s just coconut ground into a butter. 🤞
That won’t work. Best for you to make another recipe instead.
I just made these cookies and they turned out amazing. I used (sugar free) choc zero caramel syrup with mine. Omg yummy yummy! I just used gloves and my cookies shaped perfectly.
Love to hear that, Jamie! 🙂
Hey arman can I use the fresh grated coconut…
I wouldn’t Reji- it will spoil very, very quickly.
Well and again, this is not sugar free, sugar substitutes of any kind is still a sugar and its processed by our body exactly the same way as regular sugar, even honey. Sugar is sugar, Stop subsidizing it and then call it sugar free!
Kari, I call any recipe made without sugar (including sugar substitutes) sugar free.
These are sugar free, enjoy.
These are incredibly good and incredibly easy. To save time, I even spread the “batter” in corning ware with a plastic lid for storage. I just use a butter knife to break off a piece. Not as pretty; but still as yummy.
Thanks for the lovely feedback and review, Cindy. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and found a workaround.
Cook time 10 minutes? How do we cook them?
That is an error, it is prep time.
Is there supposed to be half the coconut oil left in the bowl after forming the balls? I think I messed up?
Hi there! It can sometimes be the brand of coconut oil- As long as they formed cookies 🙂
Why does it say cook time 10 minutes?
time to firm up!
No way these cookies will hold together! Used 1/4 5th up maple syrup. Pure crumbs, any ideas? I’m about to throw some almond flour in with them.
Joanne, these have been made by hundreds successfully- You need to wet your hands lightly before forming into cookie shapes and refrigerating immediately.
Same thing. They wouldn’t hold together. Might work better if coconut oil wasn’t fully melted. There is no way I could shape these anything close to the picture. They smell delicious and will likely be delicious but they do not hold their shape. Or any shape.
If you freezeit, it should be fine!
Do you think pure liquid stevia could be used, or does it need he other sweetener to hold together/ texture? My daughter is only alowed to have pure stevia.
Hi Grace! I don’t think it would form with that.
Wow, $10 for a bottle of syrup! Is there a budget-friendly substitution you can think of? I know you say you can only use 1/4 cup but that bottle isn’t even a full pint.
Hi there! you can use traditional maple syrup or honey!
Oh my gosh! My Dad LOVES coconut, but can’t have a lot of sugar in his diet for health reasons. Can’t wait to make these for him during the holidays. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
You are SO welcome, Olivia!
I definitely want to make these, they look great! However, I want to caution you about advertising them as sugar free. Since they have maple syrup in them they are not sugar free. “Sugar” does not just refer to cane sugar, but any carb based sweetener. Thus, maple syrup, cane sugar, honey, corn syrup and agave nectar are all “sugars.” A lot of people avoid cane sugar because they mistakenly think that’s what is meant by eating low sugar. While processed cane sugar is definitely to be avoided, unprocessed whole cane sugar like Sucanat is an acceptable natural sweetener with about the same carbs per volume as honey and maple syrup.
Liz, with all due respect, these are 100% sugar free. As mentioned in the recipe card and within the post, it states that I used monk fruit maple syrup, which has no sugar. Maple syrup/honey are mere suggestions for those who can tolerate those. Enjoy.
WHOA! Mind blown. These look incredible!
I love that they are no bake! This is an awesome recipe!
Cheers, Carolyn!
So easy!
Thanks, Paul!
I like this recipe a lot. If I could make a suggestion, toasting the coconut flakes before using them in the cookie will add a lot of flavor. Yes, it’s an extra step and maybe 7-10 minutes, but it gives the cookies a deeper, richer taste.
That sounds fabulous, Miles!
Gimme dat!! Love these!
Good looking cookie that’s good for your health!!
Such an easy recipe! And healthy!
HI ARMAN! Missing you a lot xxxx
These cookies look so amazing! I never tried a Mound bar, but I bet it tasted lovely–ALMOST as lovely as these cookies would taste!
What a clever idea! Great option for those with food allergies.