Easy to make in just 1 bowl, these Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies are soft, chewy and melt in your mouth delicious! Made without any animal products and no dough chilling time required.
Calling all peanut butter lovers! These are the best vegan peanut butter cookies, ever! They will melt in your mouth, with their soft centers and chewy edges. They are not crispy peanut butter cookies, though if that’s what you’re looking for, simply bake them a few extra minutes. I prefer them soft and chewy.
What do I love most about these cookies? They are made in 1 bowl, with simple ingredients and you don’t need to chill the dough before baking. So honestly, you can have a batch of cookies done in 20 minutes! You don’t even have to make a flax egg. This is about as uncomplicated as it gets!
You can always add some chocolate chips to the dough, or try dipping half of the baked cookies in melted chocolate (SO YUMMY, I did this with some of the cookies.)
How do you make Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter, peanut butter and sugars. Then stir in the almond milk and vanilla until well combined. You can use a large wooden spoon or a hand mixer for this part. I just used a spoon.
Now add the flour, then sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt on top of the flour. Mix until just combined and a dough is formed. The dough will be thick, but very sticky.
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Roll balls of dough (about 1.5 tablespoons) and then roll in the extra sugar. This is optional, but really good! Place the balls on the baking sheet.
Use a fork to make the classic criss-cross pattern, flattening the cookies somewhat. They will flatten a little more in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they look slightly golden brown. The cookies will appear underdone, and very soft in the middle, but they will continue to set and firm up as they cool.
Can I use coconut oil for vegan peanut butter cookies?
Yes, you can sub coconut oil for the vegan butter. I’ve tried it with both, and they work pretty interchangeably. If you absolutely can’t stand the taste of coconut, go with the vegan butter. Either way, it should be softened, but not melted. You can even sub applesauce to make them oil free.
Can these cookies be made gluten free?
I haven’t tried them with gluten free flour myself, but I think they would work with a gluten free flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill. They may work with oat flour as well.
Want more vegan cookie recipes?
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oil Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies (1 Bowl)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, optional for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter, peanut butter and sugars. Stir in the almond milk and vanilla until well combined. You can use a hand mixer or just a large wooden spoon.
- Now add the flour to the bowl, and sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt on top of the flour. Stir until just combined and a dough is formed. The dough will be thick, yet very sticky.
- Add the extra 1/4 cup sugar to a small bowl.
- Roll balls of dough (about 1.5 tablespoons) and then roll in sugar. Place balls on the prepared baking sheet, then press the tops to create the classic criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are very lightly golden brown; they will appear a bit underdone and soft but they continue to set as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. These cookies will stay good at room temperature for about a week.
Recipe Notes
- Makes about 20-24 cookies.
- May sub coconut oil, softened, for the vegan butter. I've tried both and either works well. For oil free, sub applesauce.
- For crunchy peanut butter cookies, simply bake 2-3 minutes longer. I prefer them soft, but I know some people like crunchier cookies.
- You can use crunchy peanut butter if you'd like. This recipe works better using regular creamy peanut butter, not the natural stuff. I like Trader Joe's creamy peanut butter because the palm oil added is sustainable.
Sarah
I made these last night and they were delicious and super easy. The first batch I made with the sugar and the second batch I added an extra tbsp of almond milk to moisten up the dough, which helped perfectly… and I added 1/4 c of choc chips based on family requests haha. Both batches are great! Thanks for another great recipe!
Nora
You’re welcome!
Michelle
Do you know of a substitute for corn starch? Can’t wait to make these and I’ll try with coco oil and oat flour subs. Thanks
Nora
You can just leave the cornstarch out if needed.
Sarah
I always use tapioca starch and it works perfect.
Liah Meliambro
Best nut butter cookies I’ve ever had! I changed it slightly, did a double batch (one lot isn’t enough for 5 kids haha), used wholemeal flour, halved the sugar and used a mixed nut butter instead of peanut butter and they are absolutely delicious. Nora, you are a vegan baking genius! My new favorite with your choc chip cookies coming in a close second.
Nora
Thanks for the wonderful comment! Glad you loved them!
Anna
I decided to try this recipe on my day off. Ashamed to say I ate them all in one day. Yes, these were/are delicious!!!
Thank you soooo much for sharing.
Nora
I totally understand! They are hard to resist. Glad they were good! 🙂
Meredith
Hi! Firstly I want to say, I love this recipe! It’s quick and easy and they taste delicious! Unfortunately I might have messed something up during the mixing process. My dough did not turn out thick and sticky instead it was dry and crumbly. I was just wondering what I did wrong for it to turn out like that? Once I baked them, they turned out decent enough to be considered a success but were a little dry. They tasted good though!
Nora
It’s hard to say without being in the kitchen with you, BUT it could be the kind of peanut butter you used. Some have different moisture levels than others, so maybe yours was on the dry side. Or perhaps you scooped up a little too much flour, and that was the issue. If that happens again, you can always add a touch more milk until it’s thick and sticky instead of dry and crumbly. I hope that helps, and I’m so glad you like the cookies anyhow!
Catherine
Thanks for an awesome recipe, 1st time I ever made peanut butter cookies and these came out absolutely delicious. My family favorite from now on ☮️😋
Nora
You’re welcome! Glad you liked them. 🙂
Rebecca
I think these might be some of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Seriously. You’re the cookie Queen.
Nora
Awww thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Barbara makee
Fantastic cookies! I needed something for my sweet tooth tonight and these fit the bill. The first half I did plain and the second with choc chips. I am gluten free and Bob’s gf flour worked perfect.
Nora
Thanks! I’m so glad they worked even gluten free. Thanks for the feedback!
Asha
I just tried did peanut butter cookie recipe testing as I’ve never made them vegan before. Out of 3 recipes, my kids and I thought this one was clearly the winner! Perfect, chewy texture. Amazing. Better than most peanut butter cookies I’ve ever tried anywhere. Nora does it again. Thank you SO much.
Nora
Thank you so much Asha! I love these cookies and don’t make them often enough!
Alexis
Best cookies, I’ll bake half and save the rest in the freezer. I usually forget they’re in there and it’s always a wonderful surprise. Great undercooked with some vanilla ice cream.
Nora
Oh yeah, cookies in the freezer is one of the best surprises ever! Thank you, glad you are enjoying the cookies!
Bev
Another fabulous recipe from you!! Sooo yummy. Thank you!
Nora
Oh thank you Bev, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Sherrie
Awesome cookies! Melt in your mouth deliciousness. Great job perfecting this recipe.
Nora
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookies, I know I can’t stop myself from eating too many!
Sirma
How many cookies is one serving? It would be nice to add this info for all of your recipes (how much is one serving). Thanks!
Nora
1 cookie is one serving. Thanks!
Alexis
OMG!! I can’t believe how easy these were to make. And so delicious. Like, I can’t stop eating them delicious!! Thank you for a great recipe!