Healthy No Bake Cookies

Name: Healthy No Bake Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut milk (or regular milk); 1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened); 1/2 cup coconut oil (ghee, or butter); 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar (see notes); 2 tsp vanilla extract; pinch sea salt (add to taste when using coconut oil); 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (omit the coconut below); 2 cups finely shredded coconut (unsweetened); 1 cup big flake coconut (unsweetened); 1/2 cup peanut butter (unsalted, unsweetened or almond butter, or 1/2 cup chopped nuts)

Jump to Recipe

These Healthy No Bake Cookies come together in 10 minutes or less and are just like the childhood classic that many of us grew up with. They’re easy to make with a reduced amount of natural sweetener. They’re also gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, and I’ll show you how to make them paleo as well. These cookies also keep really well at room temperature and even better in the freezer.

Healthy No Bake Cookies on a marble background with a wood spatula scooping one up.

I’ve been eating no-bake cookies all my life, and I love them! They’re so easy to make, and I never get tired of this childhood favorite. Our family recipe for No Bake Cookies probably isn’t the healthiest, so I came up with this healthier version to satisfy my sweet tooth.

The original cookie is awesome just as it is, but once you mix the almond butter in, they become insanely good (don’t say I didn’t warn you!). It has the perfect trio going on: chocolate, coconut, and almonds!

Also, these are fantastic with peanut butter or cashew butter too. You can’t go wrong with any nut butter you would choose to add.

Side view of Healthy No Bake Cookies with a wood spatula scooping one up.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Rolled oats, milk, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla, sea salt, peanut butter in containers on a wood cutting board.

Old-fashioned rolled oats – if you need these to be gluten-free, be sure to check the label to make sure your oats are certified gluten-free. Bob’s Red Mill has gluten-free oats that work well. If you don’t have any allergies you don’t need to worry about this.
Coconut sugar – is the natural sweetener I like to use in place of regular cane sugar and it gives these cookies a bit of a caramel flavor as well.
Milk – the classic recipe my mom made called for milk, but canned coconut milk works really well as a dairy-free and vegan option.
Coconut oil – ghee or butter all work here, use whatever works best for you. Coconut oil does give these cookies a slight coconut flavor, but it’s really yummy.
Cocoa powder – regular unsweetened cocoa powder works here, you don’t want hot chocolate mix as it already has sugar and dairy in it.
Nut butter – is optional in no-bake cookies. You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or even sunflower butter for nut free. Or you can also leave it out to have a deeper chocolate flavor.
Salt – a pinch or more to taste is necessary to bring out the flavor of these cookies if you use coconut oil. If you use the classic salted butter, you don’t really need any extra salt.

Make these Healthy No Bake Cookies recipe step by step

Mixing together the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and milk together in a large white pot.

Step 1: The first step is to mix together the coconut sugar, coconut milk, coconut oil, and cocoa powder. When a lumpy mixture forms, start bringing it to a boil while stirring frequently.

Adding the oats to the chocolate mixture in a large white pot.

Step 2: After the chocolate mixture comes to a boil, it will turn thicker like in the picture above. Once it thickens, remove it from the heat and mix in the coconut or oats, and any add-ons that you might want.

Portioned out Healthy No Bake Cookies on a marble background.

Tip: Sometimes it’s nice to have more that one kind of cookie, so I spoon out half the batch and then add almond butter or walnuts to the other half.

Ways to serve this

Our family’s favorite way to eat these is to spoon the still-warm cookie right out of the pan and pile it like hot fudge over scoops of Best Vanilla Ice Cream or Homemade Coconut Ice Cream.
These are also great served with coffee or tea anytime you have company over.
These cookies are perfect with anything creamy like dunked-in milk, or with whipped cream or ice cream of any flavor you like paired with chocolate. Raspberry Ice Cream or my Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream would be good options.

FAQ’s

Why didn’t my no-bake cookies set up?

This happens occasionally when you haven’t cooked the chocolate mixture for long enough. Try boiling it a touch longer next time around. The mixture should reach the soft ball stage which on a candy thermometer reads 235ºF.

Why are my cookies hard or dry?

This happens when no bake cookies are overcooked. I’ve found a 2-minute

cook time to yield a more consistent result than the original 1-minute cook time I grew up learning. If you cook the chocolate mixture too long, it reaches a temperature closer to the

hard crack stage which will produce a drier harder cookie with a grainy texture from the sugar crystallizing.

Allergic to coconut?

You can sub in any milk of choice, regular or vegan butter for the coconut oil, and cane sugar in place of the coconut sugar. Also this recipe works perfectly with rolled oats instead of shredded coconut.

Do the paleo no-bakes taste like coconut?

YES! They definitely taste like coconut since the paleo version of the recipe is almost entirely coconut based.

Are these no-bake cookies gluten-free?

Only if your rolled oats are certified gluten-free – Bob’s Red Mill is what I use.

Storing leftovers

To store – store any leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. The cookies will get drier as time passes, so I like to freeze mine.
Make ahead – these cookies are the best the 1st day, but you can make them in the morning to serve after dinner, or even the next day.
To freeze – place your leftover cookies into an airtight container and freeze for 1 month.

Healthy No Bake Cookies with a small bowl of peanut butter in the center.

Tips & Tricks

No bake cookies without peanut butter – simply leave out the peanut butter and go for a chocolate cookie. If you want the nut butter flavor and richness, add almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter for nut free.
No bake cookies with peanut butter – use peanut butter that is unsalted and unsweetened. These cookies are very sweet, so unsweetened peanut butter is a must.
Be sure to boil the chocolate mixture for the time listed. If you boil it too long the cookies are more crumbly and if the mixture isn’t boiled enough the cookies will be very soft. If either happens, don’t worry the cookies will still taste good.

Dietary Options & Substitutions

Dairy-free – these cookies are dairy free made with coconut milk and coconut oil. I sometimes use butter but I haven’t tried dairy-free butter.
Paleo – be sure to use the coconut oil, and coconut milk, and use the coconut flake option in the recipe.
Vegan or Vegetarian – use coconut oil and coconut milk to make sure these are vegan.

Portioned out no bake cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

I sure hope you get a chance to make these Healthy No Bake Cookies soon, and if you do, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here in the comments.

5 from 4 votes

Author: Kari Peters

Total Time 15

Yield: 15 cookies

Course: Dessert

Print PIN RECIPE RATE THIS RECIPE!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup coconut milk - or regular milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder - unsweetened
1/2 cup coconut oil - ghee, or butter
1 1/2 cups coconut sugar - see notes
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch sea salt - add to taste when using coconut oil

Classic version:

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats - omit the coconut below

Paleo version – use in place of the oats:

2 cups finely shredded coconut - unsweetened
1 cup big flake coconut - unsweetened

Optional Additions:

1/2 cup peanut butter - unsalted, unsweetened or almond butter, or 1/2 cup chopped nuts

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the coconut milk, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and coconut sugar in a larger saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil, then boil this mixture for 2 minutes.
Remove the mixture from the heat, whisk in the vanilla and sea salt. Then add either the coconut flakes or the rolled oats depending on which kind of cookie you're making.
From here, you can spoon the cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool, or you can either the peanut butter or chopped nuts.
These keep at room temperature in a sealed container for 4-5 days. They also freeze perfectly in a well sealed container for at least 1 month.

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NOTES

I have reduced the coconut sugar to 1 cup before, but be aware this can sometimes cause the oil to separate from the cookies while they’re cooling. It’s barely noticeable when it’s happened to me, but it’s never happened with the full amount of sugar listed.

If you’re using rolled oats, be sure to check the label to make sure they’re truly gluten-free.

Also, the amount of coconut or oats can vary a bit from batch to batch due to evaporation during cooking. If it looks too loose, or not as thick as the pictures, add more coconut or oats.

The nutrition facts were calculated with dairy-free options, oats, and the optional peanut butter.

Category: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keywords: Best No Bake Cookies, No Bake Cookie Recipe, No Bake Cookies, Vegan No Bake Cookies

nutrition facts

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This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2020 & 2023 with new photos, more information and tips.