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These healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies have chewy edges with soft middles! No eggs or dairy needed, they bake in just 15 minutes.
Love healthy cookie recipes? Try my healthy oatmeal raisin cookies, healthy peanut butter cookies, protein cookies, and low calorie cookies next.
My healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are what I love to make friends and family who hate the word ‘healthy’. I make just enough tweaks to lighten them up without sacrificing on flavor whatsoever, which is super important. I mean, no one wants a cookie that looks and tastes too wholesome.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Ready in 15 minutes. From prep to plate, these cookies take barely any time!
- Made in one bowl. You’ll have minimal clean up at the end of this.
- No eggs or dairy. These are perfect if you follow a vegan, dairy free, and/or gluten free diet.
- Soft, chewy, and delicious. These cookies tick the boxes in the texture and taste department.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“These were the best and easiest oatmeal cookies I have ever had so this recipe is getting printed out and becoming a staple!.” – Megan
Ingredients needed
- All-Purpose Flour. You can use white whole-wheat flour (plain flour) if you’d like an even healthier boost.
- Rolled Oats. Also known as old-fashioned oats.
- Baking soda. It gives the cookies some rise and stops them from flattening out too much.
- Salt. Brings out the sweetness!
- Sugar. I use a mix of coconut sugar and white sugar. The coconut sugar keeps the middles soft and gooey, while the white sugar keeps the edges crisp and chewy.
- Maple syrup. It gives the cookies a little extra sweetness and keeps them soft while also bringing out the classic oatmeal cookie flavor. Only a little is necessary, so it won’t be overpowering.
- Applesauce. Adds extra moisture, and helps cut down on the coconut oil needed.
- Coconut Oil. Gives the cookies a buttery texture, with no butter at all.
- Vanilla Extract. A must for any good cookie recipe.
- Chocolate Chips. I used a mix of dark chopped chocolate and dark chocolate chips (both dairy free!). I find adding chopped chocolate to the batter ensures every bite has chocolate in it. I promise you the dark chocolate chip flavor is so much better than other kinds of chocolate!
How to make healthy oatmeal chocolate chip 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 cookie dough. In a large bowl, mix your sugars, maple syrup, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients then fold through the chocolate chips.
Step 2- Shape. Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, place balls of cookie dough onto the lined baking tray
Step 3- Bake the cookies for 15-16 minutes, or just until the edges brown.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not over-bake the cookies, as they continue to cook as they cool down. Also, these cookies have no eggs, so even if they are underdone by a little, it is fine.
- Avoid over-mixing the dough. Over-mixing cookie dough is the number one reason cookies spread. Fold through the oats and chocolate chips at the very end.
- If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, use any neutral oil, like vegetable or canola oil.
- To ensure there is plenty of chocolate dispersed throughout the cookies, use a mix of chopped chocolate and chocolate chips (see pictures- that is why there is a gorgeous marbled look).
Variations
- To make them gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats and gluten-free flour (with added xanthan gum).
- Cut out the sugar. Use a brown sugar substitute, sugar free maple syrup and sugar free chocolate chips.
- Cut out the dairy. Use dairy free chocolate chips.
- Add mix-ins. Add chopped nuts, seeds, coconut, or even candy.
- For a more robust flavor, you can use whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat all-purpose flour. You can also try using oat flour.
Storage instructions
To store: Place leftover cookies in a sealable container for up to 5 days. You can also refrigerate them, to keep them longer.
To freeze: Place cookies in a freezer-friendly container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike my classic chocolate chip cookies, I don’t recommend freezing the dough. Freezing this dough is difficult as it contains oats, which naturally makes the dough less firm and more crumbly (even before baking!).
There are just 97 calories in each homemade oatmeal cookie.
You can replace the coconut oil with equal parts unsalted butter or shortening.
More healthy desserts to try
- Healthy brownies
- Healthy chocolate cake
- Healthy mug cake
- Healthy smash cake
- Healthy chocolate chip cookies
Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour use gluten-free, if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats use gluten-free, if needed
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Alternatively, use two baking trays, to avoid cookies from overspreading.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your coconut sugar, white sugar, coconut oil, applesauce and vanilla extract, and mix until fully combined. Then, add your flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix well. Finally, fold through your oats and chocolate chips, until just combined. Do not overmix. For thicker cookies, you can refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. If not, they are ready to bake.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, drop balls of cookie dough onto the lined trays, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes, or until just beginning to go golden brown around the sides. Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published May 2022, updated and republished June 2024
Amazing! I couldn’t stop eating these. I did find them super sweet. I may cut down on the sugar the next time I make them.
Thank you!!!
MINE CAME OUT AWESOME!!! Super thick and crunchy on the exterior, chewy inside. I did mine gluten free with Namaste flour blend 1:1 with your recipe. Adding tart dried cherries in one batch, dried apricots in another, both with walnuts next time. FABULOUS RECIPE!!!
I keep a batch of your no bake oatmeal cookies in my refrigerator all the time. I love how easy it is to make the slightly different each time . All your recipes always seem to tempting.Delicious.
Thank you thank you for sharing!!!!
Beverly
You are so welcome, Beverly!
pourriez vous mettre vos mesures en grammes
Hi Arman, wondering if there is an alternative for a healthier (lower sugar/lower carb) alternative? These look soooo good but I’m trying hard to keep sugar and carb content down, many thanks and apologies if this is an annoying question! Love your work 🙂
You can definitely user sugar substitutes 🙂
The best healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ever.
The smaller chocolate chips didn’t melt to get that marble look, what chocolate did you use?
Thank you!!’
EPIC in every way! So glad to have found a healthy cookie that tastes delish!
Subbed mashed banana for applesauce!
I’m curious though … how do you get 24 cookies? I got exactly half and I’m wondering if I made them too big. Not a bad thing, btw!
These will not work with homemade all purpose low carb flour mixes . I also think the problem with not adding an egg doesn’t help either. My cookies never rose, spread, or anything. They just stayed in one small lump.I also think some versions of this might work better using baking powder along with the baking soda to help them rise also. It just depends on what flour you want to use. I just didn’t want to use all purpose white flour with this recipe due to the carb content. I might use oat flour next time. I also used brown monk fruit sugar instead of coconut sugar. The recipe would have been good if it had just worked out right.
With all due respect, this recipe works beautifully as written. I’m not surprised it didn’t work out for you because you completely changed it up.
These were the best and easiest oatmeal cookies I have ever had so this recipe is getting printed out and becoming a staple!
My wife made these last night and they are probably the best cookie I have ever had. We will definitely be making more of these in the future and we always look forward to Arman’s recipes. We Believe he has the best and healthiest recipes that we have found on the internet.
I don’t have any apple sauce, can I leave this out or replace it?
Use mashed bananas 🙂
Absolutely delicious!! I don’t even miss the dairy. Perfection!
Do the cookies need to be pressed down on the baking sheet? Mine stayed in the shape of the cookie scoop and didn’t spread out.
Just slightly 🙂
The cookies are delicious and easy to make (bonus!!) The only problem is my family is constantly asking me to bake them 🙂