These easy 4 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal cookies are quick, hearty, and filling and made with simple pantry ingredients you probably have on hand — no flour, brown sugar, or baking soda needed!
The best part about making cookies is, in my opinion, eating the dough. I know it’s not right. Or safe for that matter.
That’s why I love these cookies: They taste like peanut butter cookie dough. And they only contain four ingredients–all of which you probably have right now in your kitchen.
Want a version that’s safe for peanut and tree nut allergies? Get my recipe for The Best 4-Ingredient SunButter Cookies
These are also so hearty, even just one little cookie is really satisfying.
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What is natural peanut butter?
Natural peanut butter contains either just peanuts or peanuts and salt. Other peanut butter contains additional ingredients like oil and sugar. If you’re using natural peanut butter, these are best made with a variety that has salt. But you can also use regular peanut butter in this recipe.
Which kind of oats are best to use in these cookies?
You can use either quick or old-fashioned oats in this recipe.
I can’t eat eggs. Now what?
You can make these cookies without using the egg. As a substitute, use a flax egg. How to make a flax egg: Combine one tablespoon ground flaxseed with three tablespoons water, stir, and let it sit for at least five minutes to thicken. Use the mixture in place of the egg in this recipe.
Are these cookies gluten free?
These peanut butter cookies are gluten-free as long as you buy oats labeled “gluten free”. Oats do not naturally contain gluten but may have cross-contact with gluten if they’re processed in a facility or on equipment that also makes gluten-containing products. If you need to avoid gluten, look for oats labeled “gluten-free” such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Oats or Quaker Gluten-Free Quick Oats.
Are these cookies Low-FODMAP?
Yes! If you are following a Low-FODMAP diet, which limits or eliminates certain carbohydrates, these cookies are a great choice for you.
Can you add chocolate chips to these cookies?
Sure! Some readers have added chocolate chips or crushed chocolate bars to the batter (or on top of the cookies before baking).
Easy 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
These easy 4 ingredient peanut butter oatmeal cookies are quick, hearty, and filling and made with simple pantry ingredients you probably have on hand -- no brown sugar or baking soda required!
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter (regular or natural both work)
- 1 egg (or one flax egg; see recipe note below)
- 1/2 cup oats (old fashioned or quick)
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Roll into 1-inch balls or drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet (I use a cookie scoop).
- Press the tops of the cookies with the back of a fork (dipped in sugar) to make a crisscross design.
- Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until the tops start to look dry.
- Cool 1-2 minutes, then remove from baking sheet and place on cooking rack.
Notes
You can use a flax egg in place of the egg in this recipe. To make a flax egg, combine one tablespoon ground flaxseed with three tablespoons water. Stir to combine and allow it to sit at least five minutes to thicken. Add to mixing bowl and combine with other ingredients.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 51mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 4g
these sound amazing!!! and my kind of recipe – 4 ingredients!
I love them. If you try them, let me know how you like em!
Hello Gypsy here…they were wonderful but instead of 1/2 cup of oats, I used one cup. Thank you for your easy and equally delicious cookie recipe.
I made them for my boyfriend and OMG
He loved them. No time for cool… Thanks for the easy mix..
Also for gotnto say I made a bouble batch and used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar yummy
Their good!
Do we use brown or white sugar?
These cookies are really tasty, but kind of crumbly. Would adding an extra egg hold them together better? Or maybe a little flour (I’m ok with gluten)?
The only things I did different with the recipe is use swerve instead of sugar and add a splash of vanilla.
Hi Alice–I haven’t had the experience of these being crumbly, so I’m wondering if it was the Swerve. Sugar does add moisture in addition to sweetness, so replacing it with a sugar substitute may have caused them to be crumbly.
I’m making these today! Yummo!!
I made these for my boys today. They are delicious!! My boys enjoyed them too.
Amanda–so glad to hear that! My boys love them too.
Can I make them without the sugar?
I have made them with honey–and while they do come out okay, the texture is much different.
I made them with coconut sugar and they disappeared right before my eyes :))
Sally can I use quick oatmeal in the peanut butter cookies recipe?
Hi Lou–I haven’t tried it but I think that you could!
i tried this and it came out crumbly , fell apart in my hands . what could be the problem
Hi Dee–You might be overbaking them. They will seem raw when the time is up, but as they cool they will solidify but should still be soft.
Hmmm… I wonder what 50-50 nutella/peanut butter mix, or chocolate chip would do to this…To the bat kitchen !!!
Andy–I’ve tried the Nutella/PB mix (and eliminated the sugar). It’s good but definitely changes the texture to eliminate the sugar. And they aren’t quite as sweet. Haven’t tried chocolate chips yet though. Let me know if you come up with something good!
I try not to use any sugar in recipes, I sub honey. How do you think the texture will be if I use honey with this recipe?
Hey Tracy–I’m pretty sure someone told me they used honey in it and had success. You may need to add a bit more oats to get a dough-like texture.
FODMAP saved me!! I was diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis, and no amount of medication was helping. I’d had 2 colonoscopies in 2 years to rule out more urgent problems. I’d have days where leaving the house was difficult, and I was having trouble working out, running, sleeping, sitting through kids events, etc. How miserable. The doctor told me I could try FODMAP, when I brought a copy to an appointment, but he doubted it’d help, as this colitis is so tricky. It quickly became obvious I had developed an intolerance to onions, and I ate onions in EVERYTHING!! I am doing so much better, am on just a base level of meds for small flares, and can eat without fear of discomfort or embarrassment. Good luck!
That’s great to hear Tracy. I’m glad you were able to pinpoint exactly what was bothering you. I’m still trying to figure that out for myself, but this story does give me hope. Thank you for sharing!
Hey we tried these and they were all gone in a day. I had been making the 3-ingredient version for snack time for years because it is a great way to extra calories and protein into my non-eating son (until peanut allergies put a stop to all that nonsense this year.)
The original recipe I found in Ryan’s grandmother’s cookbook. I even blogged about it:
http://lizzieschocolatecake.blogspot.com/2012/02/cookie-du-jour-five-star-peanut-butter.html
So maybe it is an unfair bias, but Ryan says he still prefers the unhealthier version. 🙂 But I love cramming more nutrients in with the oats!
Hey Kate–I love that blog post! Thanks for letting me know you tried them and that they were a hit! Tell Ryan the extra oats are good for him. 🙂
Made them. Loved them!!! So peanut buttery!!!
Glad you liked them!
Hi there. I made these with my 4-year-old and our whole family loved them. My daughter wanted PB&J cookies, so before I popped them in the oven, I gave her a cork to make the “thumbprints”…I cooked for 6 minutes, then took them out and added a dollop of blueberry jelly. Cooked for 6 more minutes and they were delicious! I’ve been a reader of your blog for a while now and just want to say thank you for sharing everything you share. From recipes to nutrition, etc. Your pizza dough is my go-to. And as a mom of two, I appreciate your insight on food matters and children. Basically, I’m a superfan! Thanks for doing what you do.
Vikki–I’m so glad to hear the cookies were a hit! And what a creative twist on the recipe by adding blueberry jelly. And thank you so much for your kind words about my blog, you made my day! Glad to have you as a “superfan”. 🙂
I’m planning on making these for a camping trip. Can I use Apple Sauce instead of the egg?
Kelly–You could certainly try but I don’t think you will get the same results.
Insta cookies! (if you keep nut butter in your house lol)
Im just using stevia glycerite for the sweetener and adding some salt, vanilla and cinnamon but I love how they’re mostly nutbutter balls 🙂
What kind of oats do you recommend? These look/sound delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
I use regular old-fashioned oats from ALDI. Nothing fancy. 🙂
OMG they are so ggood.My Husband and kids loved them.I had to make them like four times.Thanks so much for the recipe.
Laronda–I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
Just made these for the family and they are a hit! My husband is gluten free, so I love finding recipes like this that work for everyone. And it was easy enough for my almost 3 year old to help me. Thanks for posting!
Lizzie–that’s great to hear!
Okay…as possibly the only Dad to comment on this recipe, I must tell you this is a good cookie. I am NOT a baker. However, the recipe you provided was simple, and the outcome was/is GREAT.
Having a “sweet tooth” this evening and getting prepared for the kids coming, I decided to research a cookie recipe that combined two of my favorites: oatmeal and peanut butter. Your recipe won the coin toss, and now I am a happy camper who will need to extend his workout to offset the pounds I may have added. (LOL)
Thanks!
Fred–hooray! So glad you enjoyed them, and thanks so much for letting me know. Rock on, Real Dad!
I made them with the flax egg because I was out of eggs and sadly they came out crumbly and the flax didn’t taste great. I’m sure the egg holds it together much better because egg solidifies when cooked. I’ll have to try again with egg next time. I tasted the batter before adding the flax egg and it tasted great, so I’m sure they’re amazing when they turn out right.
Hi Marie, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get good results. If you decide to try them again, try adding a tablespoon or so of additional peanut butter if the batter feels too dry. They shouldn’t be crumbly.
We absolutely loved these! So easy and simple, and I love that they are gluten free too. They are extremely peanut buttery, but not overpoweringly peanut-buttery – they still have a lot of flavor and a great texture. We used quick oats, and I look forward to trying these again with old fashioned oats. We baked them for about 10 minutes – they seemed unbaked, but 15 minutes of cooling yielded perfectly chewy, soft cookies. I also did a batch to experiment a little, so I added 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of honey. LOVED this flavor combo!!! These are one of my favorite cookies yet!
Jillian–So glad to hear that! And yes, they do look a bit unbaked at first but then cool into a nice soft cookie. I like your flavor additions, I’ll have to try that.
Third time using this recipe, LOVE it!!! Thanks for sharing it, I like the simplicity, yet big taste in it. Has become a family favorite in my house
Could you post the nutritional information?
IJust made these I added one cup of oatmeal instead of a half cup They are very good
We made these today and they required a much longer bake time than the instructions suggested. The result is pale and dry and sticks to the roof of your mouth. The flavor is missing something, too–perhaps salt and vanilla? For a gluten-free cookie, this is a good option, but I think it could be improved and still be gluten-free.
Sorry they didn’t work out for you. I use natural peanut butter that includes salt, so that may have made a difference. These are definitely very different from a traditional peanut butter cookie, but we still really enjoy them. 🙂
I made these tonight. But I added 3 cups of oayes. 1cup of chocolate chips and a half cup of maple syrup. Left the peanut butter 1 cup. Loved them.
Can I omit the egg?? Any suggestions??
You could try using a flax egg (1 tablespoon flax + 3 tablespoons water) but I haven’t tried it with this recipe so I can’t say for sure.
I made these tonight and love them! These were so delicious thanks for the quick and easy recipe!! Here are the tweaks I made:
I added a pinch of baking powder and the only sure I had was granulated demerrara. I also topped each with 3 or 4 chocolate chips after smashing them down with the fork. Yay! So good! In the future I will probably cut the sugar in half because I found them to be too sweet; I liked the texture of the baked sugar, but the peanut butter itself probably had enough sweetness. Thanks again!
Made a double batch with the kiddos helping (ages 4 and 9) and it was perfect! Not so many ingredients that it was overwhelming and they even helped me roll them out and cross them with a fork. They are baking now! Can’t wait!
Can I use brown sugar instead of white sugar?
I haven’t tried it with all brown sugar. It would likely change the texture, but might be for the better, not sure! If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
For those of us who don’t use American cups, how much does a cup of peanut butter weigh?
Hi Ruth–I did a Google search on this and it looks like 1 cup of peanut butter weighs 250 grams. Hope that helps!
These are GREAT cookies! They are very healthful, and are fast and easy to make. They’re a delicious snack and a nutritious breakfast treat. I added some Lindt 85% chocolate squares, put them in a plastic baggie and crushed them up, then added them to the dough to make them even more healthful. What wonderful cookies. Bless you for sharing the recipe.
These are my go to peanut butter cookies. Easy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Joanne–So glad to hear that! 🙂
I am making these tonight, very excited! Do you know if you can freeze the raw dough? Thank you 🙂
I have never frozen the dough but I’m sure you can freeze the cookies.
7/21 – Great recipe!! I wanted a quick simple recipe. I did try the recipe. The cookies turned out great. I double the recipe and added cinnamon and brown sugar. My husband enjoyed the cookies as well. Ohhhh lala, the taste of that peanut butter coming that is sooo delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
I myself added a few extras Honey, Cinnamon , vanilla, Extra Peanut butter, and Oats and two tablespoons of butter … DELICIOUS I RECOMMEND THIS RECIPE
I’m not much of a baker. But this recipe seemed easy enough. And I have to tell you these cookies are AMAZING!! There’s no way you can eat just one. I’m so glad I found this recipe. I’m definitely sharing it on Facebook and with my family. Thank you for sharing this.
So glad you like them!
I only put 2 heavy tablespoons of crunchy Pb b/c I thought 1 cup was alot and about 1/4 of a cup more oats b/c my grains were tiny. This may be the best PB cookies I’ve ever had. Soft, peanut buttery with a little sweetness. Made in the air fryer.
Jai–so glad you loved them! Never thought about making them in the air fryer–that’s pretty smart.