Soft vegan banana oat cookies with have an old-fashioned taste but a healthy, modern profile. Easy-to-make with ingredients you have on hand, they are gluten-free, oil-free, and perfect for sweet treats, snacks, breakfasts or workout fuel.
Homestyle & Healthy Banana Cookies
Today, I’m sharing a recipe that tastes like your favorite banana bread in cookie form. In fact, I probably should have called them banana bread cookies (in my defense, it is Monday, and I have only had one cup of coffee).
No matter how hectic your Monday turns out to be, I suspect you will want to grab a bowl later today and make a batch of these soft, satisfying, and sweet (but not too sweet) cookies. They are great for packing into lunches, satisfying a sweet tooth, and fueling up before or after a workout. All that from one humble cookie!
Recipe Benefits
In addition to being delicious, the cookies are also:
Vegan (egg-free & dairy-free}
Oil-free
Gluten-free
Low in calorie (56 calories per cookie)
Packed with 100% oats
Low in sugar (3.3 grams per cookie)
Easy to make (and customize, too!)
What You Need for the Banana Oat Cookies
These cookies are so satisfying–any time, for any reason–and very simple to make. If you love, soft, old-fashioned cookies, you will love them. The basic cookie is made with very humble ingredients, but you can add any number of extras, if you feel inclined.
Here is what you need, most (or all) of which you likely have on hand:
The 5 key ingredients are:
Rolled Oats. Old-fashioned or quick-cooking, & certified gluten-free as needed. Ready-to-use oat flour can also be used.
Very Ripe Bananas.
Smooth Nut or Seed Butter. Any smooth nut or seed butter (e.g., peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter) will work in the recipe. I used my DIY sunflower seed butter.
Coconut Sugar. Brown sugar, or the granulated sweetener of your choice, can also be used.
Ground Cinnamon. Feel free to use the spice, or combination of spices, you prefer.
Salt. A bit of salt enhances the flavors and sweetness of the cookies, but it can always be omitted.
Step by Step Instructions
The dough for these cookies comes together quickly, so before you mix and whisk, preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: Combine the Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, stir or whisk the mashed bananas, nut or seed butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla until blended and smooth.
Jam, jelly or preserves (make an impression after scooping the dough, fill with jam for thumbprint cookies)
Chopped dried fruit or raisins
Press ingredients directly into the surface of the unbaked cookie dough portions before baking in step 4. Alternatively, stir 1/4 to 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit into the dough in step 3 , before portioning.
Happy baking, everybody!
More Vegan Gluten-Free Oat Cookies to Try (& Love)
Soft vegan banana oat cookies with have an old-fashioned taste but a healthy, modern profile. Easy-to-make with ingredients you have on hand, they are gluten-free, oil-free, and perfect for sweet treats, snacks, breakfasts or workout fuel.
Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the mashed bananas, nut butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla until blended and smooth.
In a food processor or high-speed blender, process the oats until they resemble a fine flour. Add the baking powder, cinnamon and salt; pulse to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, stirring until completely blended.
Drop by heaping tablespoons (I use a medium cookie scoop) on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes until golden brown, puffed and just set at the centers.
Remove from the oven transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Storage: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ready to Use Oat Flour: You can use pre-ground oat flour if you have it on hand! Use the same weight (200 g), which is about 1 and 2/3 cups of oat flour.
Sweeteners: Use an equal amount of brown sugar or granulated sweetener of choice in place of the coconut sugar.
Banana Alternative: Use an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce in place of the banana. You may want to increase the amount of sweetener by 1 tablespoon.
Hi, these sound great! Was wondering if I can turn them into muffins or even a mini banana bread loaf? If so, will the baking time vary?
Camilla
Tuesday 23rd of March 2021
Hi Minoo! I think mini muffins, and muffins that are not overly full (i.e., fill the standard size muffin cups 1/3 to half full with batter) would work well, and would be a good test to determine whether they would work well as a loaf (all oat flour loaves tend to droop...but I am actually working on one right now, so stay tuned!). I would go 375 for the muffins, 7 to 8 for minis, 11 to 13 for standard muffins :)
I’m Camilla, food writer, author, runner, and spin instructor. PowerHungry® is where I share my easy, minimalist, plant-based recipes, designed for living a healthy, delicious, empowered life.
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Minoo
Tuesday 23rd of March 2021
Hi, these sound great! Was wondering if I can turn them into muffins or even a mini banana bread loaf? If so, will the baking time vary?
Camilla
Tuesday 23rd of March 2021
Hi Minoo! I think mini muffins, and muffins that are not overly full (i.e., fill the standard size muffin cups 1/3 to half full with batter) would work well, and would be a good test to determine whether they would work well as a loaf (all oat flour loaves tend to droop...but I am actually working on one right now, so stay tuned!). I would go 375 for the muffins, 7 to 8 for minis, 11 to 13 for standard muffins :)