Vegan and gluten free Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies prove that it is possible to avoid sugar and still bake cookies! This healthy snack is made with wholesome oats, flaxseed, bananas, coconut oil and dried fruit with no wheat flour or added sugar in sight.
We love putting new twists on old favorites such as healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies, healthy oatmeal cookies and healthy pumpkin cookies. All made with good for you ingredients!
Table of Contents
Here is a giant healthy cookie with no added sugar and whole food ingredients! These trail mix cookies contain only naturally occurring sugars found in bananas and dried fruits.
These flourless oatmeal cookies are made without any wheat flour, naturally sweetened and super delicious. A cookie that serves a dual purpose. It can be eaten for both healthy breakfast and for a snack!
Our other favorite giant cookie that we find irresistible after dinner is this almond flour skillet cookie!
Why Make No Sugar Oatmeal Cookies?
- Easy to make: Minimal ingredients and mostly pantry staples, these cookies come together in only 40 minutes.
- No added sugar: No maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar or low glycemic healthier sugars.
- Special diet approved: No eggs, dairy or wheat and when using gluten free oats, these are both vegan and gluten free oatmeal cookies.
- Eat any time of the day: Made with wholesome ingredients these are perfect for breakfast, snack or even dessert!
- Freezer friendly: Make a big batch and store in the freezer when you need a healthy snack on the go!
These sugar free oatmeal cookies turn out super soft, but not chewy like healthy chocolate chip cookies or almond flour snickerdoodles. What makes cookies chewy is the sugar melting when baked. Sugar free cookies can’t be chewy, period.
Ingredients for Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies
- Flax eggs: These sugarless cookies are vegan. Flax egg add extra healthy fats and make us eat less animal products.
- Bananas: Make sure you use very ripe bananas (think black spots). This is true for most baked goods that contain bananas.
Have spotty black bananas but not ready to use them yet? Store them peeled or unpeeled in the freezer, then later just defrost and use them in your favorite healthy banana recipes!
- Coconut oil: What are cookies without some sort of butter?! I used buttery flavoured coconut oil which I just got from Nutiva. I was curious and it worked so well! Coconut oil would work just fine or use vegan butter like Earth Balance.
- Oats: These cookies are truly gluten free and are a flourless oatmeal cookies. No traditional whole wheat or white flour here.
How to make your own oat flour: While you can buy oat flour at the grocery store these days, it can still be hard to find and can often cost more especially if you need gluten free. A budget friendly way to make your DIY oat flour is to just grind oats to a fine powder in your blender or food processor, then sift. Use leftover oat flour to make healthy oatmeal muffins!
- Trail mix cookies: Use what you love. I use peanuts, cashews and dates. When I am out of dates I make sugar free oatmeal raisin cookies. Dried fruit makes cookies sweeter. Just make sure you are not using sweetened dried fruit. I think sunflower seeds, Brazilian nuts, hazelnuts and unsweetened dried cranberries would all go so well in these cookies.
- Baking essentials: Vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
How to Make Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies
These healthy trail mix cookies are so simple to make! There is a full recipe card below.
- Prep: Get your oven ready by preheating to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or use a silicone mat and spray with cooking spray.
- Make “eggs”: Whisk together the flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
- Combine wet ingredients: Mix melted coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add in the flaxseed mixture and whisk well.
- Add dry ingredients: Add oats and oat flour and mix well. Don’t be surprised that your dough will come out pretty thick.
- Add trail mix: Throw in nuts and dried fruit and stir.
- Form cookies: Scoop cookie batter onto baking sheet using a large ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop (a large tablespoon works too!). Flatten with the back of the scoop or a large spoon. Don’t worry, these cookies will not spread out more during baking.
- Bake: Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for a minute before transferring to a wire rack. Let them cool completely.
Optional Add-In’s and Variations
- Butter: I used buttery flavoured coconut oil. You can also use regular butter or vegan buttery spread like Earth Balance.
Whatever coconut oil or butter you use, keep in mind that it needs to be melted!
- Mix-ins: Mini chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (just remember this will change the sugar amount!), unsweetened dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, dried cherries, blueberries or even crystalized ginger.
- Shredded coconut: Unsweetened dried coconut flakes.
- Nuts and seeds: Pumpkin seeds, chopped walnuts or pecans, pistachios, chia seeds, flax seeds or sunflower kernels. Unsalted is best! I love walnuts in healthy carrot cake baked oatmeal.
- Warm spices: Swap cinnamon for gingerbread spice or apple pie spice or a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger or allspice.
- Lemon or orange zest: Just a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon will add a delicious flavor.
- Extract: Swap vanilla for pure almond extract for a nutty taste.
- Applesauce: I have not tested using applesauce for the bananas, but it may work. Start at 1/2 a cup and use up to 1 cup. I would not substitute pumpkin though, as ‘mashed fruit’ is what gives these their sweet natural taste.
- Peanut butter: Just a small amount (otherwise you will upset the balance of wet to dry ratio of ingredients) you could use a small amount of peanut butter powder.
Tips for Best Results
- Chop dried fruit: If using ‘larger’ dried fruit, apricots, dates or even prunes chop them into dried raisin sized pieces.
- Do not substitute flour: Oat flour is lighter than wheat flours, and if you substitute you will be using too much ‘regular’ flour which could lead to dry or crumbly cookies.
- Mix-in amounts: No matter what mix-ins you use (either recipe as written or add-in variations) be sure to use only 1 cup total!
- Flatten the cookies: These cookies need some help to ‘spread’ out. Flatten them slightly to ensure they bake all the way through.
- Cool for only 1 minute on the pan: After baking, cool for 1 minute on the pan to ensure the cookie holds shape, then move to a baking rack. Leaving them longer on the pan, might ‘bake’ them longer and your cookies might be over baked!
FAQs
That really depends on your definition of healthy! This recipe for sugar free oatmeal cookies are great for those looking for a no added sugar, gluten free, vegan cookie.
While these cookies do not contain any added sugar, they do contain carbs from the oats/oat flour. While oats are considered nutrient dense and are absorbed slower by the body than wheat, it is probably best to check with your nutritionist/doctor if you are following a strict diet.
Again, this depends on your ‘carb’ intakes and what you consider low carb. Net carbs of these trail mix cookies with no added sugar is 27 carbs. You may consider that a safe low carb range for a snack!
As I mentioned above, sugar free cookies will not be chewy because it is sugar that causes cookies to be soft as it melts while baking. These cookies will be soft, but not chewy.
I don’t want to mislead you- these cookies do have naturally occurring sugars from the banana and dates. When baked goods are labeled ‘sugar free’ this means they have no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. I love that these cookies are made with ‘real ingredients’ without any added sugar!
How to Serve
- Breakfast: I love to have these cookies with a glass of hot tea or healthy iced coffee. Of course, I recommend doing this only after you learn how to make lemon water.
- Snack: After school or a pick me up midday, the kids love them served with healthy hot chocolate.
- Pack to go: If you are an active person, wrap up some ‘trail mix’ cookies to take hiking, biking or to the park. You might also love chocolate protein cookies!
- Holidays: If you have family members that are limiting their sugar, intake, they will appreciate these on a cookie platter with almond flour sugar cookies, healthy gingerbread cookies and almond flour thumbprint cookies.
How to Store
Storing: It is best to place these cookies in a cool, dry open container. I don’t recommend storing in an airtight container or the cookies will get soggy.
Freezing: In an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours.
Shipping? I would ship cookies only to a short destination where a receiver can pick up parcel immediately. 5 days in transit max. I recommend to place cookies in a ventilated container big enough to fit all cookies but so they don’t tumble in it and break.
More Healthy Cookies Recipes
You may also enjoy this list of healthy snacks!
Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp flaxseed ground
- 9 tbsp water
- 2 large over ripen bananas
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 cup mixed nuts & seeds chopped, if too large
- 10 Medjool pitted chopped dates or 1 cup raisins
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk flaxseed and water. Let sit for about 10 minutes while you are getting other ingredients ready.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Add flaxseed mixture and whisk really well.
- Add oats and oat flour; stir to combine. Add nuts and dried fruit; mix well. Dough will be very thick.
- Using large ice cream scoop, place batter on previously prepared sheet and flatten with the back of a scoop into large size cookies. Cookies do not spread. I had about 6 cookies per sheet. Bake in batches for 20 minutes or until nuts start to brown a bit.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for a minute, then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool off completely. Enjoy for breakfast, snack or a healthy dessert!
Notes
- Store: Store in a cool dry place open. Do not wrap or place cookies in a jar. The more air, the better. That way cookies do not get soggy. Remember there is no sugar.
- Freeze: In an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours.
- Butter? I used buttery flavoured coconut oil. You can also use regular butter or vegan buttery spread like Earth Balance.
- Make oat flour: By grinding oats in a food processor or high speed blender.
- Shipping? I would ship cookies only to a short destination when receiver can pick up the parcel immediately – 5 days in transit max. I recommend to place cookies in a ventilated container big enough to fit all cookies but so they don’t tumble freely in it.
Can I substitute date sugar and if so how much?
Unfortunately not in this recipe.
Can I use steel cut oat flour instead. If so then does any thing change in the recipe.
Thank you for sharing dying to try your recipe .
Yes I think you should be fine as it’s not a large amount. Cookies might be a tad more dense which is fine. Enjoy!
Hi Olena thank you for this awesome recipe for these cookies they are so good.And they turned out realy nice made with grape seed oil instead of coconut oil.Thank you very much.June .
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Olena can I use grape seed oil instead of coconut oil for this cookies .Thank you June.
It has not been tested but should work, texture might change.
Hi! Thanks for this amazing recipe. Tho my family prefer a bit of sweetness to it i added a little bit of dark chocolates in it. But all in all I super love this cookie! Thank you so much.
Yum, you can never go wrong with dark chocolate!
Hi Olena thank you very much for the great recipe for the healthy oatmeal cookies they are so good my family and I love them .
I want to give some to my daughter what can I use to put them in so they stay crispy and not go soggy .Thank you June.
Are you shipping them? Here is what is recommended if shipping – ship cookies only to a short destination where a receiver can pick up parcel immediately. 5 days in transit max. Place cookies in a ventilated container big enough to fit all cookies but so they don’t tumble in it and break.
AWESOMELY HEALTHY AND SO EASY TO MAKE! These are my go-to snack to take care of the sugar cravings. Thank you Olena
So glad you enjoy them!
Is the butter a substitute for the the coconut oil if yes how much butter .should I use ,and the eggs can I use egg beaters.
Hi Avis. Yes you can use butter 1:1 ratio. Egg beaters are fine too. Enjoy the cookies!
These turned out amazing
I cannot stress enough on how awesome these are
I baked it whole and cut it into bars
Yumm
Awesome idea on the bar cookie! Glad you enjoyed it!
Is there a way to increase protein content in this recipe?
Thanks so much!
Amanda
Hi, you could add a small amount of nut butter or hemp seeds! Protein powder will be too absorbent, but you could try protein cookie recipe.
I’m diabetic and can’t wait to try these plz send me more recipes Thanks
Glad to have you here Janine! Feel free to browse through all our healthy recipes on the site!