Easy to make in just 1 bowl, these Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies are soft, chewy, and melt in your mouth delicious! Ready in under 30 minutes and freezer-friendly.
Calling all peanut butter lovers! These are the best vegan peanut butter cookies, ever! Each bite of the crunchy outside and soft inside will melt in your mouth and have you running back for more.
I love that these cookies are made in just 1 bowl. There’s barely any clean up! Plus, they’re ready in under 30 minutes, meaning you can have cookies in no time.
Make a batch of these and my chocolate chip cookies to welcome new neighbors, bring to the office, or to enjoy as a fun after school treat!
Ingredients Needed (with substitutions)
- Vegan butter – Make your own or use a store bought version like Miyokos or Earth Balance. You could also sub in softened coconut oil or use applesauce for an oil free recipe.
- Creamy peanut butter – I like using creamy “non-natural” peanut butter in this recipe. Feel free to use crunchy peanut butter or natural if that’s what you have at home (the cookies will still be delicious!). My favorite brand is Trader Joe’s creamy peanut butter because the added palm oil is sustainable.
- Granulated sugar – Feel free to use coconut sugar instead. The sugar will be used in the dough as well as a sugary cookie coating.
- Brown sugar – Don’t have any at home? Mix 1/2 cup of granulated white sugar with 1/2 tablespoon of molasses together.
- Almond milk – You can use any dairy-free milk you’d like.
- Vanilla
- All purpose flour – They work quite well using a gluten free all purpose flour as well, such as King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cornstarch – You can substitute this for arrowroot or tapioca starch if you desire.
- Salt – Only if the peanut butter is unsalted.
Do I have to use peanut butter?
You don’t have to use peanut butter in this recipe if you have an allergy or another preferred nut butter. Almond butter will also work, or use sunbutter as a nut free alternative.
How to make Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter, peanut butter, and sugars using a handheld or standing mixer. You can even just use a spoon if needed. Mix in the almond milk and vanilla until they’re well combined.
- Next, to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
- Mix until just combined and a dough is formed. The dough will be thick and very sticky.
- Use your hands to roll balls of dough (about 1.5 tablespoons worth). Give each one a gentle roll in a small bowl of sugar, then place the balls on the baking sheet.
Use a fork to press down on the dough balls and to make the classic criss-cross pattern. The cookies will flatten a little more in the oven. Bake for 10 to 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. If you do over bake them a little, they will just be crispy instead of soft and chewy.
Do I need to chill the dough before baking?
Most peanut butter cookie recipes involve chilling the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes so the cookies don’t spread out too much in the oven. This step isn’t necessary for this recipe, however, if your house is very warm, the dough could benefit from a few minutes in the fridge beforehand.
Tips for success
- When making the criss-cross pattern on the dough balls, your fork could stick to the dough. Avoid this by dipping the fork in a little flour each time.
- This recipe makes about 20 to 24 cookies but feel free to double or triple it if you’re feeding a crowd or want leftovers.
- Do you like your cookies extra crunchy? Simply bake them for 2 to 3 minutes longer.
- Chocolate and peanut butter go hand in hand, so feel free to add chocolate chips to the cookie dough or try dipping half of the baked cookies in melted chocolate (SO good!).
- If that’s not enough chocolate for you, follow my recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies instead.
How to store
No time to bake? Roll out each cookie ball from the dough, place them on a prepared baking sheet, and freeze. Once they’re solid, add the dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Pop them in the oven when you’re ready and bake!
After they’re done baking, store the cookies in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze the baked cookies by storing them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. Leave them to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Want more delectable cookie recipes?
- Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan No Bake Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
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 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 1/4 cup sugar to a small bowl and set aside (for rolling the cookies in).
- 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, stand 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 (or use the mixer) until just combined and a dough is formed. The dough will be thick, yet sticky.
- Roll balls of dough (about 1.5 tablespoons) and then roll in the sugar until coated. Place each one 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.
Notes
- Makes about 20-24 cookies.
- Gluten free? Substitute a gluten free all purpose flour instead.
- May sub coconut oil, softened, for the vegan butter. I've tried both and they both work 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.
- To store: Leftover cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a covered container at room temperature, and they can also be frozen.
Nutrition
*Last updated August 10th, 2020 with better writing and new photos. Was first published March 2019.
just made them because I needed something sweet. I usually decrease the sugar when I bake but I didn’t with these. They came out very sweet- I did use unsweetened peanut butter. Next time I will reduce the sugar by half.
Otherwise, they were easy to make and delicious.
Perfect peanut butter cookies. They are a little crunchy outside but soft inside. I won a blue ribbon in our county fair with this recipe so I would definitely recommend this recipe!
I love these cookies I make every 2 weeks when I run out. I add a cup of oatmeal and less 1/4 cup of flour for the crunchy taste. They taste good. These or my substitute for sweets.🥰
Hi Della. I’m so glad you are loving the cookies! I love your idea and appreciate you sharing it! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Everyone loves these peanut butter cookies! If I want a peanut butter cookie that is a little less cakey and more buttery & chewy, can I just cut back on the flour?
I haven’t tried less flour, but that might work. I feel like these are not cake-like at all myself. If you cut back too much the cookies will be flat though, so watch for that. I’m so glad everyone loves these cookies!
Delicious recipe, easily doubled. I reduced both sugars to 3/4 cup, used natural peanut butter, 12 minutes baking time was perfect for texture. Letting them rest and cool for 5 minutes really helps them keep their shape. I haven’t made peanut butter cookies since I was a teenager, and they certainly were not vegan!, and these taste just like I remember. Looking forward to our kids coming home and enjoying them after school.
Hi Kim. I’m seeing the kids joy as I type – love it! I’m so glad the cookies turned out delicious for you, and taste like you remember! Nothing beats a delicious peanut butter cookie! Wishing you happy cooking!
My 9 year old made this recipe last night as her first cookie recipe baking on her own. They were absolutely fantastic. We were amazed. Her older sisters regularly bake using your recipes and love your website! Many thanks.
You are so welcome. How fun for your daughter! I’m glad her cookies turned out wonderful! Thanks for your stellar review! Happy cooking to all of you!
These hit the spot! I used natural peanut butter and they were perfect. I would probably just cut back the sugar a bit next time. I got exactly 22 cookies, too. I love it when the recipe yield is accurate!
My husband kept asking for peanut butter cookies. I have made them over the years, but they never made his eyes go WOW. These made his eyes go WOW and he says “these are the peanut butter cookies I always wanted”.
Thank you!
My eyes are going WOW! Thank YOU for sharing these encouraging words and fabulous review!
These are the best peanut butter cookies! And so easy to make. I’ve also made them with almond butter. I have to make double if I plan to bring these anywhere because my boys will eat half of the batch right out of the oven! But they are even better the next day.
Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
I made these tonight and they were VERY good! I doubled the size because I wanted a thicker and larger cookie, so I cooked them for 2 minutes longer and they still came out soft just like I wanted. After they cooled they kept their shape and texture very well. I will definitely be using this recipe again, thanks!
Thank for your wonderful review and feedback! I’m so glad you loved the cookies!
Hi Nora!!! I just got done baking these peanut butter cookies! They are the best pb cookies I have ever had! I ate two and my husband has eaten about 5 already!! I’m so happy I found you a few years ago. I know I can always make one of your recipes and they will always turn out delicious!!
Hi Shannon. Your feedback is so encouraging! Thanks for your using my recipes, and for sharing your wonderful review and feedback!
Can I use caster sugar in place of granulated? Or use more brown sugar?
Yes, caster sugar is fine and I think it’s nearly identical to what I call granulated sugar in the U.S. at least. Like a fine sugar, right?
I’ve made these several times and they are always well received. My doctor (I work in a medical office.) has mentioned these twice in the past two weeks. I don’t make them as big, or bake them as long, and I add extra vanilla, but otherwise keep pretty true to the recipe.
Can the dough be refrigerated for a few days before baking?
Yes, the dough should be fine if you make it 1 to 2 days in advance. Happy baking!