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These Vegan Almond Butter Cookies are an easy, one-bowl treat made with 4 wholesome ingredients. They’re soft and chewy on the inside and perfectly salty and sweet throughout! Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Oil-Free.
These soft and tender Almond Butter Cookies are easy to make in one bowl using 4 wholesome pantry-staple ingredients. They’re healthier than the average cookie, but you’d never know it! Incredibly soft and chewy with the best sweet and nutty flavors, I know you won’t be able to stop after just one.
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All About These Healthy 4-Ingredient Cookies
If I had it my way, I would eat cookies every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Vegan Linzer Cookie or a Brown Butter Maple Cookie, I’ll take ‘em all! They’re my favorite treat.
Sometimes I’m craving a “butter & sugar” kind of cookie, and sometimes I want something a little more wholesome…enter these Healthy Almond Butter Cookies.
I love that these cookies are made with healthier ingredients than most cookie recipes but still have the best sweet and salty flavors, crisp edges, and gooey centers. Even better, they’re easy to make in one bowl using only oat flour, almond butter, and maple syrup!
Like me, you can feel good about eating one or ten of these naturally gluten-free and oil-free cookies. They’re the perfect fix whenever you want a wholesome sweet treat.
Ingredients for Almond Butter Cookies
To keep this almond butter cookie recipe simple, make them with only the required 4 healthy ingredients listed below. There are a few more pantry-staple ingredients listed in the recipe card to help round out the flavors and textures, but they’re all optional.
- Almond Butter: the nutty, creamy star of the recipe. Opt for natural, unsalted, creamy almond butter if it’s available to you.
- Maple Syrup: use pure, grade A maple syrup to subtly sweeten the cookies. You can also use agave nectar here.
- Oat Flour: I recommend making these cookies with store-made oat flour because it’s more finely milled than homemade oat flour made in a blender. A finer milled flour yields delicate, soft, and chewy cookies every time.
- Baking Powder: this leavening agent helps the cookies to puff up and spread more in the oven, so you get deliciously crisp edges.
How to Make Almond Butter Cookies
- Whisk the almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Mix in the oat flour, baking powder, and salt with a spatula until you’re left with a thick cookie dough.
- Divide the cookie dough into 12 equal portions and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a prepared baking sheet, then gently press down on each one.
- Bake the cookies until they have spread slightly and are golden brown on the bottom. Set aside to cool.
- Serve the cookies right away or store them for later.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Skip the electric mixer and fold the wet and dry ingredients together by hand using a silicone spatula. When all of the flour is absorbed and the dough looks thick and moist, stop stirring! Overworking the dough will lead to dry or crumbly cookies.
- Open up a fresh jar of almond butter: You want that runny almond butter right at the top of the jar. It’s much creamier and easier to combine with the other ingredients. The stiff almond butter at the bottom of the jar is better off in overnight oats.
- Get the texture just right: If you prefer soft and chewy almond butter cookies, stick to baking them for 9 to 10 minutes. Or, if you like the edges of your cookies even crispier, bake them for 12 to 14 minutes instead.
Serving Suggestions
This part is easy—there’s never a bad time for a healthy almond butter cookie. Perfect as a late-night sweet treat, an afternoon pick-me-up, or even a substitute for your almond butter toast in the morning, the simple ingredients and salty-sweet flavors make them a great go-to treat whenever you need one.
If you’re looking for more healthy vegan cookie recipes, you’ll also love these Healthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies, these Ginger Molasses Cookies, and these Wholesome Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cookies!
How to Store Leftover Almond Butter Cookies
Because these cookies aren’t made with any butter or oil, they tend to dry out a little faster and are best enjoyed the same day they’re baked. If you end up with extras, I recommend storing them in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 3 days to enjoy their gooey texture.
If you want to prepare the cookie dough ahead of time, follow the recipe up to step 4 and place the baking sheet with the cookie dough balls in the freezer. Once they’re frozen solid, transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
Bake the cookies while they’re still frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time as needed.
Substitutions and Variations
- Nut Butter Substitute: The almond butter can easily be replaced with another creamy nut or seed butter, like peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter (for a nut-free option). Keep in mind that the final flavor of the cookies will be different.
- Gluten-Free Flour Substitute: An equal amount of a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix can be substituted for the oat flour.
- Stuffed Cookie Option: Just like my Chocolate Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies, you can stuff each cookie dough ball with a square of dark chocolate before baking. Just know that they may take slightly longer to bake, around 10 to 12 minutes.
- Optional Sugar Coating: Help these cookies glisten by rolling the cookie dough balls in some cane sugar or turbinado sugar before baking. The sugar coating will sweeten the cookies and make them that much more eye-catching.
- Optional Cookie Mix-Ins: Craving almond butter chocolate chip cookies instead? Fold up to 1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips into the batter! You could also use chopped blanched almonds, shredded coconut, or pretzel pieces as mix-ins.
Recipe FAQs
According to this almond butter vs. peanut butter comparison by Healthline, the health benefits of both nut butters are pretty on par with each other. Peanut butter has a little more protein than almond butter, while almond butter has slightly more fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
No, chilling the cookie dough isn’t necessary for this recipe; however, if the dough feels too wet or sticky, you can pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes before rolling the balls.
Yes, the cookie dough can be prepared as normal and kept covered in the fridge overnight.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Almond Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted creamy almond butter
- 1/3 cup grade A maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/2 cup oat flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Use a whisk or spatula to mix well, until evenly combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the oat flour, baking powder, and salt to the same bowl. Use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients together slightly, then mix with the wet ingredients to form a thick dough.
- Roll into Balls: Divide the cookie dough into 12 even portions (mine were slightly under 2 tablespoons each), using your hands to roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet at least 2” apart. Press down on each ball slightly to help the cookie spread more in the oven.
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 9 to 10 minutes, until the cookies have spread and the bottom edge is just golden.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them set on the baking tray for 10 minutes to deflate some and solidify. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack; let them cool completely.
- Serve & Store: Enjoy the cookies immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Oat Flour: I recommend buying store-made oat flour for this recipe as it is more finely milled than what you can make in your blender. You can also swap the oat flour with equal parts of a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free oat flour to make these cookies gluten-free
Almond Butter: you can replace the almond butter in this recipe with another creamy nut or seed butter, but keep in mind that it will affect the final flavor. - Nut-Free: Use sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter, or tahini to make these cookies nut free!
Great cookies! Are the nutrition facts per cookie?
yes!
Can I make pb+j thumbprint cookies out of this dough? And do you think I can substitute coconut sugar for maple syrup? I can’t wait to try this recipe!
You definitely can! I wouldn’t make that sub though as it would make the batter too wet.
Absolutely the tastiest cookie. They are really good. This is a great recipe. Thank you!
So happy you liked them, Debbie!
I made these with peanut butter and they were so good! Very rich. I didn’t have storebought oat flour, but I blended up about a cup of oats and then sifted it to keep only the finer bits.
So happy you enjoyed!
I made these for a dinner with friends. I added a drizzle of dark chocolate on top for a little extra pleasure!
delish!