This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
These are the best no bake oatmeal cookies made with just three ingredients! No butter, no milk, and no sugar needed, this healthy dessert take less than FIVE minutes to make.
Love no bake cookie recipes? Try my unicorn cookies and chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies.
As someone with a raging sweet tooth, I often make no-bake desserts.
They require minimal preparation and usually few ingredients. While I have a handful of favorites on rotation, nothing beats my famous 3 ingredient no bake oatmeal cookies.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Wholesome ingredients. Traditional no bake cookies typically contain butter, sugar, and milk, but not these… they taste just as good!
- 3 Ingredients only. All you need are oats, peanut butter, and maple syrup.
- Easy to customize. These cookies act like a blank canvas, so you can fold through your favorite mix-ins, like chocolate chips, coconut flakes, raisins, and more.
- Perfect texture. Thick, chewy, and stable at room temperature. They are naturally sweetened and satisfy the sweet tooth!
Ingredients needed
- Rolled oats. Also called old-fashioned oats, they provide the chewy texture we love in a good oatmeal cookie! You can use quick oats if you like, but it will have a softer texture.
- Peanut butter. Smooth and drippy peanut butter works best, as it is the easiest to mix into the dough. Try to avoid peanut butter with added sugar or ones with a crunchy texture.
- Maple syrup. A refined sugar free sweetener that not only adds sweetness but helps bind the cookies together. You can also use agave nectar or honey.
How to make no bake oatmeal cookies
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the batter. Start by adding your oats into a large mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and syrup and mix well until combined. Fold through your mix-ins of choice using a rubber spatula.
Step 2- Shape. Next, lightly wet your hands. Form small balls of the cookie mixture and place them on a lined plate. Press down to form a cookie shape and refrigerate them for 20 minutes to firm up.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use quick cooking oats. Most no bake oatmeal cookie recipes call for these oats as they are softer and smoother in texture.
- Boil the mixture. Sometimes peanut butter can be a little firm, so I like to combine that and the maple syrup in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the oats, mix, and shape into drop cookies.
- Add mix-ins. Like any good no bake cookie, be creative by adding in nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, vanilla extract, coconut flakes, or even candy buttons.
Dietary swaps and substitutions
This recipe is very forgiving and easy to adapt to fit most diets out there. Here are some suggestions:
- Keep it vegan. While the original recipe is naturally vegan, if you opt to use honey as the sweetener, some consider that not to be vegan-friendly.
- Keep it gluten-free. I used certified gluten-free oats. If you use other brands or makes of it, this is often not the case.
- Swap out the peanut butter. If you have a peanut allergy or don’t like the taste of peanut butter, you can use almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini.
- Add protein. Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder to make these cookies even more satisfying (just like in classic protein cookies).
Storage instructions
To store: Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered. They will keep well for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Either wrap cookies individually in parchment paper and place them in a ziplock bag, or place them all together in one ziplock bag (no parchment paper needed). They will keep well frozen for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your no-bake cookies are gooey, it means your oats are too fine in texture and/or you added too much maple syrup. To rectify this, simply add more oats to the mixture.
You need to refrigerate your cookies for at least 30 minutes to allow them to firm up properly. Enjoying them straight from the bowl will yield softer cookies.
You can bake these cookies in the oven at 180C/350F for 10-12 minutes or until firm around the edges.
No, these cookies need a nut or seed butter to bind everything together. Using butter or margarine will yield a greasy cookie that will fall apart. It also isn’t the healthiest option.
More no bake desserts to try
No Bake Oatmeal Cookies (3 Ingredients!)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats Can use quick oats
- 1 cup peanut butter * See notes
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips of choice optional
Instructions
- Line a large plate with parpchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all your ingredients and mix well, until combined. Fold through your mix-ins of choice.
- Using your hands, form into 12 small balls and place on the lined plate. Press each ball into a cookie shape.
- Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, before enjoying.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published January 2016, updated April 2023, and republished April 2024
Loved this! They turned out delicious! Do you think it would still work if I halved or quartered the amount of syrup?
Hi Shama! I haven’t personally tried it that way, but let me know if it works out 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I mixed in mint chocolate bits and these are absolutely addictive! I’ll never buy another mass produced version again!
Love this!!! Thank you 🙂
I definitely need to make these! Still laughing at “pepperoni candy” 🙂
Please do, Elise! lol, don’t eat that candy.
the only syrup i have on hand is that fake maple syrup. i don’t think i would like peanut or almond butter w/ maple. i don’t have any nut butters or marshmallow cream. could you suggest a substitute for nut butter? btw, bars seem easier than cookies..lol!
Hi Sandy! You could use sunflower seed or soy nut butter 🙂
Oh my soul, these are “baking” in my fridge right now. Can I tell you that my 3 year old son & I each ate our cookie in dough form before putting the rest into the fridge?? These are incredible!
I can’t wait to try out the rest of your no-bake recipes.
Perfect for Summer when you don’t want to use an oven…. And great for my daughter & husband’s lunch boxes! 😀
😀 YAY! This makes me so happy, Eden- I hope you all enjoy it and confession- Eating the batter while baking is non-negotiable 😀
Hi. Im doing low carb. What’s the net carb content please per cookie? ☺
Hi Natasha! If you add the ingredients to a calorie calculator, it will provide that information for you! 🙂 Enjoy!
Looks good, but am I missing something? Where’s the nutritional info? Seems that most people that would be interested in these would want the nutritional info.
Hi there- You aren’t missing anything actually- I don’t include nutritional information as it’s easily able to be calculated using a calorie calculator for those interested- I focus on ingredients. Have a great day!
Just a quick q–How many do these serve/ how many cookies per batch if sized like those in your picture?
Hi Jacqueline! I got around 8-9 cookies from it 🙂 Cheers!
I do this all the time with my loaf recipes. I always prefer loaves to muffins but most people I know prefer muffins. So I give them to my taste testers in muffin form and if I’m making it for myself, it’s a loaf. Strange AF but it works LOL
p.s. These look awesome. Pinned!
🙂 Thanks G! 😀
LOL STRANGE AF.
Raisins and cinnamon? Yum!
ooo sound like a fun addition!
I was happy to see that these did not include bananas, I love bananas but this is a great variation! The less ingredients the better I say! On the whole bar or circle debate, I have to say that a bar pleases me more, it’s as if my mind thinks a bar is more filling then a cookie, and would prefer that! However, to say that I am opposed to cookie shapes is totally false!
🙂 Thanks so much, Stephanie! Actually, my mind thinks the very same way too!
Interesting that the bran had a different texture!
Cookie shaped things always catch my attention. NOM.
Right? You gotcha!
I love either cookies or bars, and how quickly this recipe comes together! In my cupboard I have two bottles of light Agave, so will try it with these cookies.
Oh yes! Let me know they turn out- I love the light flavor of agave 🙂