I make these sugar-free oatmeal cookies whenever I have a couple of overripe bananas sitting on the counter. Instead of letting them go to waste, they turn into soft, naturally sweet cookies that everyone in my family happily reaches for.
With just a handful of simple ingredients, these cookies come together in minutes and are perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a healthier dessert. I almost always make a double batch because they disappear much faster than you'd expect.
Key Ingredient Tips
- Bananas – The riper they are, the better. I actually wait until they're covered with brown spots because that's when they're the sweetest. Whenever my bananas get too ripe, I freeze them whole so I'm always ready to bake a batch of these cookies.
- Peanut butter – I like using natural creamy peanut butter made with just peanuts and salt. If the oil has separated, give it a good stir before measuring. Crunchy peanut butter works too if you like a little extra texture.
- Rolled oats – Old-fashioned oats give these cookies the best chewy texture. Quick oats work in a pinch, while oat flour creates a much softer cookie.
- Vanilla extract – A little vanilla brings all the flavors together. Since there are so few ingredients, I think using a good-quality vanilla really makes a difference.
- Chocolate chips – I usually use dark chocolate chips, but raisins, chopped dates, cacao nibs, or dried cranberries are all delicious. If you want completely sugar-free cookies, choose sugar-free chocolate chips or simply leave them out.
👩🍳 You'll find the complete list of ingredients below the recipe card.
If you don’t like cookies chunky, use oat flour instead. You can make your oat flour at home in two easy steps. Take your favorite rolled oats and pulse them in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder until they turn into a fine powder. That’s it!
How To Make Sugarless Oatmeal Cookies
How to make sugar-free oatmeal cookies from scratch:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Step 1: Add mashed bananas, peanut butter, vanilla, and oats to a large bowl. Mix well with an electric, stand, or food processor on low speed until combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Step 3: Prepare a small bowl with warm water. Dip your hands in water and shape 15 balls about the (size of a walnut). Spread the cookie balls in a single layer on the cookie sheet leaving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie dough ball.
- Step 4: Press down the cookies to flatten them and shape them (these cookies won't spread as much during baking).
- Step 5: Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before eating. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and let it come to room temperature.
Rita's Best Tips
- Double the batch – These cookies freeze wonderfully, so I usually make extra for quick snacks throughout the week.
- Use very ripe bananas – I've found this is the biggest secret to naturally sweet cookies. The darker the bananas, the sweeter the cookies.
- Wet your hands before shaping – The dough is sticky, so I dip my hands in warm water between cookies to make rolling much easier.
- Flatten the cookies – These cookies don't spread very much while baking, so I always gently press them down before they go into the oven.
- Let them cool completely – They continue to firm up as they cool. I know it's tempting, but they're much easier to handle after a few minutes.
- Customize them – Raisins, chopped dates, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, cinnamon, or even a little orange zest all work beautifully here.
- Freeze ripe bananas – I almost never throw away overripe bananas anymore. I freeze them whole and simply thaw them whenever I'm ready to bake.
Peanut butter and mashed bananas are essential in this recipe as these wet ingredients act as binding agents. They are important since this recipe doesn't require an egg, vegetable oil, or milk.
Storing Leftovers
- To Store. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because they're made with bananas, I don't recommend leaving them at room temperature for long.
- To Freeze. Freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before enjoying.
- To Make Ahead. The cookie dough can be mixed a few hours ahead and refrigerated until you're ready to bake.
Easy Baking Recipes
Craving more healthy baking recipes? Try my peanut butter blossoms, cottage cheese cookies and carrot cake muffins.
Take a look at our Baking archives to find even more tasty treats.
📖Recipe
Best Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies With Peanut Butter (5 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 2 large overripe bananas, mashed
- ⅓ cup peanut butter, creamy
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips, or cacao nibs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add mashed bananas, peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Mix well with an electric mixer, stand mixer, hand mixer, or food processor on low speed until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.2 large overripe bananas, ⅓ cup peanut butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips
- Prepare a small bowl with warm water. Dip your hands in water and shape 15 balls, about the (size of a walnut).
- Spread the cookie balls in a single layer on the cookie sheet leaving about 1 ½ inches in between each cookie dough ball. Gently press down the cookies to flatten them and shape (these cookies won't spread as much during baking).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before eating. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and let it come to room temperature.
Notes
- I wet my hands before rolling the cookie dough, which helps to prevent the dough from sticking to my hands.
- Don’t leave these cookies out for long at room temperature, as they have bananas in the cookie dough. To reduce the sticky texture, you could also chill the cookie dough before rolling it.
- For a more healthy cookie leave the chocolate chips out.
- You can easily double the ingredients to make an extra batch of oatmeal cookies and store them in the freezer to enjoy whenever you like.
- These cookies will become firmer as they cool. I like to warm up the cookies in the microwave or low temp warm oven, just to make them softer.
- These cookies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight for up to a week. You can even freeze the cookies for a couple of months.
- Why are my sugar-free cookies not soft and chewy?
These cookies are not meant to be chewy because they contain 0 refined sugar which is the ingredient that makes the cookies chewy during baking.
Nutrition
If you like raisins, try our moist banana bread (with raisins) and oatmeal raisin cookies next time.
FAQ
These sugarless cookies are approximately 99kcal per serving.
The best way to make your oatmeal sweet is to add mashed bananas, sugar-free chocolate chips, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and dried fruit (without sugar addition).
Homemade sugar-free cookies are healthier than store-bought ones -it's a fact. Packaged cookies are loaded with unhealthy artificial sweeteners and flavor enhancers.
Baking without sugar is easy, with little trial and error. Add natural sweeteners, applesauce, and mashed bananas to your baked goods.
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Rachel
Just saw your recipe and immediately went to make them!! They are delicious!! I used raisins instead of chocolate and let them bake about 5 minutes longer because I like a crunchy cookie!! They are awesome and I will be making them often, at least once a week! My husband loves them too!!
Rita
thank you Rachel, these are the best!
Charlotte
I like the sugar free stuff
Yvonne Herbst
Add these cookies and they were gone in one eeek. Can I add chopped walnuts and can I use frozen bananas
Rita
Hi Yvonne! Yes you can use frozen bananas, make sure to thaw them well and bring to room temp. You can add a couple of tablespoons of walnuts in addition or instead the chocolate chips.
Anita
These cookies are fantastic
Easy to make
I store them in the freezer and sometimes eat them frozen very delicious and quite filling one is plenty