3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies

Easy 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies that take right around 15 minutes to make from start to finish! This simple healthier cookie recipe is vegan, gluten-free, flourless, dairy-free and contains no added sweetener.

Have you tried one of my banana-sweetened treats yet?

My 3-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies, 4-Ingredient Healthy Samoa Cookies, Healthy Apple Muffins and 4-Ingredient Flourless Healthy Brownies and now this recipe for 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies all have one thing in common.

They are sweetened entirely with bananas!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

The way I see it, these 3 ingredient cookies are an excellent baking project for kids as there are so few ingredients and minimal cleanup. 

Because these healthy cookies are made with all whole foods, this is also an awesome recipe for those of us who simply love a healthier sweet treat.

I’m constantly looking for ways to get my sweet fix without going overboard on sugar, and I’ve found fruit, certain vegetables (root vegetables and winter squash in particular), and various ingredients like almond flour and unsweetened coconut to be useful in generating sweet flavor without the need for excess sugar.

So what we’re making here is a refined sugar-free, egg-free, flourless, gluten-free vegan cookie using three simple ingredients.

Of course, we can easily use more than three ingredients in order to change up the flavor profile and make them even tastier (more on that later). You can use this great recipe as a blank canvas for all sorts of flavors.

At a minimum, all you need is ripe banana, almond butter (or peanut butter) and rolled oats.

Let’s discuss these ingredients for 3-ingredient banana oatmeal cookies in detail!

Ingredients for 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies:

Ripe Bananas: Be sure you use very ripe bananas that have plenty of brown spots for the best result. The riper the banana, the sweeter it will be, which will ensure these oatmeal banana cookies turn out perfectly sweet for the best results.

As previously mentioned, the banana serves as the sweetener of the cookies and also provides moisture.

Can you taste the banana? Yes, absolutely! The banana shines through very well, which is great for those of us who love them. If you don’t like bananas, you won’t like these cookies!

Almond Butter or Peanut Butter: Unsweetened almond butter or natural peanut butter is the glue that holds these cookies together, eliminating the need for eggs or a leavening agent. It also adds delicious flavor! 

If you’re fine with the added sugar, use sweetened peanut butter or almond butter to ramp up the sweetness of the cookies. If you prefer keeping the cookies refined sugar-free, go with an unsweetened nut butter.

Quick Oats or Rolled Oats: Taking the place of flour, oats give that amazing earthy nutty flavor to the cookies with that oaty texture. Quick oats, instant oats, old-fashioned oats, and rolled oats all work.

I like using quick cooking oats because they are pre-cooked which gives them a chewy texture. For gluten free cookies, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

I use gluten-free sprouted oats, but you can use regular oats if you aren’t concerned about the gluten content.

For a recipe for banana cookies without oats, make my 3-Ingredient Nutty Banana Cookies, which are grain-free.

Optional Additions: 

• 1/2 cup to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 to 3 Tbsp brown sugar or pure maple syrup

While certainly not mandatory, these additions level up the deliciousness of the cookies quite a bit! I personally like adding them all. 

The chocolate chips provide delectable little goo pockets, the vanilla extract provides nice warming flavor, and the ground cinnamon gives the cookies a richness with that iconic oatmeal cookie vibe.

Sea salt enhances all of the flavors and makes the cookies taste sweeter without the need for additional sweetener.

If you’re looking to keep the cookies low in sugar, skip the chocolate chips!

Let’s bake a batch!

Let’s bake a batch!

How to Make 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray it with cooking oil).

Mash the banana into a large mixing bowl until most of the chunks are out (it can be a little chunky just not overly chunky).

Add the peanut butter and oats and mix everything together until a sticky dough forms.

If the peanut butter (or almond butter) has been chilling in your refrigerator rather than at room temperature, microwave it for 30 to 40 seconds or until is is very easy to stir.

If you’d like, stir in the chocolate chips. You can also add your favorite mix-ins here like chopped nuts, dried cranberries or raisins, etc.

Use a spoon or a small cookie scoop to drop the oatmeal cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, creating any size of cookie you like (note very small cookies will require less bake time).

The cookies won’t spread, so form them into the shape you want them to be in. I stick with round mounds for a regular cookie shape.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are slightly golden-brown around the edges.

Allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before using a spatula to remove them from the cookie sheet to serve. 

How to Store Leftover Cookies:

Store leftovers in an airtight container or a zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze cookies in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months for longer storage.

That’s it! A 3-ingredient cookie recipe that anyone can make and everyone can enjoy.

Make these healthy cookies the next time you’re craving a sweet treat but you don’t want to go overboard with sugar. They are the easiest cookies to make, full stop!

You don’t need extensive baking experience to have great success with this delicious recipe. Plus the fact that they are so customizable means you’ll end up with the best banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies every time.

Make a double batch of these healthy banana oatmeal cookies and store cookies for afternoon snacks or a quick treat.

These healthy oatmeal cookies are the perfect grab and go treat for busy mornings.

Bake them for a cleaner option any time the desire strikes!

More Delicious Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes:

• 6-Ingredient Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies  
• 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 
• Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• Crispy Rice Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
• Keto Cowboy Cookies
• Flourless Almond Butter Cookies
• The Best Giant Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enjoy these chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookies on constant rotation to honor that sweet tooth with chewy cookies.

Banana + oatmeal + nut butter OH MY!

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