The most delicious Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies only 4 ingredients, made in 1 bowl, gluten-free and ready in 20 minutes! These are so easy to make, soft and chewy with a crispy exterior, thanks to a rolled coconut sugar coating. They are also gluten-free and oil-free.
*This post was originally published on 1-21-2013 and has been updated with better instructions and new photos.
4 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
I love peanut butter and I love these vegan peanut butter cookies, even more. It should be illegal how delicious and easy these cookies are. No, really…they can be yours in 20 minutes. If you love peanut butter as much as I do, then be sure to make these Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies as well, they are divine!
I used to be obsessed with the peanut butter cookies at Subway. Believe it or not, Subway happens to have some really good cookies. Well, these have replaced those….and you only need 4 ingredients! If you are allergic to peanut butter, make these Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies instead, which are a variation of these.
Basically these vegan peanut butter cookies are perfection. They are crispy, golden, sweet and absolutely delicious. The coconut sugar gives them that extra flavor and crunch. In other words, the perfect cookie texture. By making them with almond flour and maple syrup, it keeps them super moist and oil-free, as well as gluten-free. Most peanut butter cookies are made with eggs, however, these you can safely eat the raw dough, no eggs!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
All you need to make these cookies are:
- Superfine blanched almond flour: I like the Honeyville, King Arthur, Wellbee’s and Nuts.com brands best.
- Peanut butter: Use one with no added oils or sugar. Mine only has added salt.
- Maple syrup
- Coconut sugar: To roll the cookies in. This makes these vegan peanut butter cookies more unique than traditional peanut butter cookies. It adds a crunchy layer and a sweet taste. It is so good!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Step 1: Add the ingredients to a large bowl, except the coconut sugar.
Step 2: Mix until a thick, cohesive batter forms into a stiff ball.
Step 3: Use a cookie scoop to get even cookie sizes and roll into balls with your hands.
Step 4: Place each cookie into the coconut sugar and roll them around to coat them well.
Step 5: Place each ball onto the pan, spaced about 2 inches apart.
Step 6: Flatten each ball with a fork, going in both directions, in a criss-cross pattern.
Step 7: Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
MORE VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES
- Almond Butter Blossoms
- Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Crispy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Grain-free Chocolate Coconut Cookies
- Grain-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with cashew butter)
- Vegan Thin Mints
*This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies (4 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (112g) superfine blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup (128g) creamy natural peanut butter, with no added sugars or oils (mine contains a trace amount of salt, if yours doesn't, then add a 1/4 tsp salt)
- 1/4 cup (80g) pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar to roll the cookies in
NOTE
- When measuring almond flour, it is a good idea to use a scale for accurate measurements. Otherwise, scoop out an overflowing cup from the bag and gently pat it down, then level off with a knife or your finger.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the almond flour, peanut butter and syrup. Stir for a few minutes until the dough comes together into a very thick ball.
- Add the coconut sugar to a separate bowl or plate. Roll the batter into small balls, 10-12. I used my cookie scoop and got exactly 11.
- Roll each ball well in the coconut sugar until coated all around.
- Place each ball on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart. Press down each cookie gently with the back of a fork in a criss-cross pattern.. Don't completely flatten, they should be about a 1/2 inch thick, as in the picture.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the tops have slightly cracked. Do not over-bake or they can turn dry. I took mine out at 9 minutes. They should be slightly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Cool for 10 minutes, they will crisp up as they cool.
- Use a thin metal spatula and transfer each cookie to cool completely on a cooling rack. If you try to remove them while still warm or with your fingers, they will fall apart.
I used coconut flour instead of almond. They didn’t hold well together so I added a little avocado oil
Still cooling down.
Yes, unfortunately coconut flour is not a sub for almond flour, or any flour for that matter, in a one to one ratio. Coconut flour is 5 times more absorbent than other flours, especially almond flour. Coconut flour makes things very very dry, sucks all the moisture from batter and bakes up very dry, crumbly and almost leaves a sand-like texture. It can only be used in conjunction with other flours and in very small amounts, for it to work properly. Almond flour provides the amazing texture and a ton of moisture here for the cookies, there isn’t a sub unfortunately for cookies that rely on almond flour as the main ingredient.
Are you kidding me! These are incredible! We made them tonight and I am amazed at what just a few simple ingredients can do. Brandi you keep amazing me!!
Aww so happy to hear it Samantha, thank you so much for making them and the kind words!
Of making these with almond butter how much almond butter should I use since you stated that an even swap doesn’t work as well. Also why do you roll the balls in coconut sugar? Do they still turn out good workout rolling them in coconut sugar?
Hi! See the 2nd paragraph in the post, I linked to the almond butter version there. I used coconut sugar because it gives a wonderful texture to the outside of the cookies compared to every other peanut butter cookie recipe. It really adds that extra oomph in flavor and texture. There is not a lot of sweetener in the cookie base, so I think it tastes really good with the sugar coating.
Brandi, these are better than conventional peanut butter cookies, which can be so heavy. Perfect flavor and consistency. Thank you for sharing.
Yay, so glad to hear this, thank you Jackelin!
I make these ALL the time! So good and easy to make. I actually ran out of almond flour this last time. I had about half of what was called for and I’d already added it to the peanut butter so I had to sub in some oat flour. I was scared I ruined them but they still came out delicious!
These are yummy. I added a dash of vanilla and used almond butter. Careful, you can eat these really FAST!
Thanks.
Haha, that is what I did for my almond butter version here, check out the recipe! https://thevegan8.com/almond-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies-vegan-gluten-free/
This recipe looks so good.
Is it possible to swap the coconut sugar for a different alternative granular sugar?
Yes, you can use any sugar you like!
These cookies are so easy and quick to make and taste delicious. I wish I had made two batches. I will make them
again and again. Thank you very much….
LiLo
Lovely to hear, thank you Lilo!
Just made those yummies, I’m not crazy about just peanut butter so I mixed almond butter and cashew butter then rolled them in a mix of coconut sugar and date sugar plus added dairy free chocolate chips on top. They came out so moist inside and crispy outside just like you said. Thanks again for a easy and quick preparation for a super delicious treat.
Awesome to hear Diane!
This recipe is genius!!! So delicious, healthy and quickly prepared.
Thanks!
Can’t wait to try these but I wanted to get a cookie scoop first. Could you tell me what size/brand you use?
Love all your recipes so far. Thanks
Hi Kathy! So sorry for the delay. I have a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop by Kitchenaid that I’ve had for a few years and I love it! I do not recall where I got it, but I think Bed Bath & Beyond.
This recipe is genius! So easy and I think the best peanut butter cookie I can remember having. I over cooked them, so they had kind of a shortbread texture, but that didn’t stop me from eating 5 of them after only giving them a few minutes to cool. I’m really going to have to watch myself next time! Thanks again, Brandi
So awesome to hear Kat, thank you!!
Brandi! These are absolutely delicious! I have been craving a peanut butter cookie lately and not only are these delicious, they are super easy to make. BTW, I made a quadruple batch and froze half. They freeze/thaw very well. Thank you, once again for your creativity and hard work!
Are almond flour and almond meal the same thing?
No, blanched almond flour is skinless almonds that have been blanched, dried and ground into a fine flour. That produces moist, fluffy results. Almond meal is just whole almonds ground up into a flour. They don’t perform the same in baking.
Three words: Peanut Butter Heaven! <3
Can I sub all purpose flour in the recipe?
No, the almond flour is crucial to the recipe for texture and moisture. Ap flour would make them very dry.
How long does these keep for? Can I freeze them?
They stay moist for a week, I’ve never tried freezing them, but imagine they’d be fine.
My husband and I just made these and he said “Oh my gosh, these are the beer vegan cookies we’ve ever made!” They are so tasty!
Best*
That is so awesome to hear Jenna, thank you!
Love this recipe…and so does my grandson! This is now my third time making in two weeks. Thanks again Brandi for an easy and tasty treat! ,😋
So happy to hear that Mary, it’s been one of my most popular cookie recipes for years on the blog now. So glad y’all enjoyed them!
These are wonderful and so easy to make. I make my own peanut butter and used organic cane sugar to roll the dough in so they were a little different but definitely a recipe to repeat again and again. Thanks for a great recipe.
Yay, so glad you loved these Marilyn!
I used a small cookie scoop and made 21 cookies. Great recipe! When first mixing the batter I was worried that it was going to be sticky and difficult to use a cookie scoop. But the dough got thicker with mixing and lost its stickiness.
Awesome! Yes, exactly, that’s the nature of peanut butter and why I say to mix it until it gets thick into a ball basically. Glad you enjoyed them!
I made it! Super easy and just what I was looking for. Next time I need to make some almond milk to really bring it home!
That is amazing to hear, thanks so much for making these Chase!
I just made these tonight after seeing them on Instagram yesterday. I’m glad you post some older recipes that folks like me who are new to your blog might not have seen. Holy moly these really really really hit my happy button! :-). They were super duper fast & easy to make, with ingredients I always have. Mine looked just like yours and tasted just amazing. Just like. “normal” peanut butter cookie should. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! 🙂
Aww yay so glad to hear this Kimberly, thank you for the amazing feedback!!
These look so good.I can’t wait to make them. Thank you.
Wonderful Julia, let me know after you try them!
Can I omit the sugar at the end? Trying to cut back on sugar
Hi Donna! Sure! They will lose that extra crunch factor and the sweetness will be much more mild, as the cookies themselves are mildly sweet, so keep that in mind, but technically they still totally work!