These breakfast cookies are for all the times you wish you could eat cookies for breakfast and not feel bad about it (which, for me, is most of the time).
These cookies are made with wholesome ingredients like oats, almond butter, and seeds, and they’re not only vegan but also free of, gluten, soy, added oil, and refined sugars! Each cookie packs 5 grams of protein and 3g of fiber, so they also keep you full and energized.
Even better, they’re infinitely customizable so you can modify them to your heart’s content!
Watch: How to make amazing breakfast cookies
And for more delightful vegan breakfast ideas, check out my vegan breakfast recipe round-up! It’s chock-full of fun plant-based breakfast recipes from me and other vegan recipe developers.
Why you’ll love these breakfast cookies
Wholesome. These are cookies you can feel good about! They’re made with ingredients that are perfectly acceptable for breakfast, which means you can happily eat cookies for breakfast.
Deceptively delicious. Wholesome breakfast cookies might sound like they taste meh, but these are cookies you’ll actually want to eat.
Delightfully chewy. If you’re like most people, you like chewy cookies. These cookies are incredibly chewy with crunchy bites of seeds and even more chewy bites from the dried fruit.
Pantry-friendly and easy to customize. You likely already have all the ingredients in your pantry. You can also get creative and mix and match your favorite ingredients. Read more in the “how to customize” section!
For a sweet snack that’s a bit more indulgent, try these seriously good Vegan Banana Muffins!
Versatile. Not only can you eat them for breakfast, but they’re also a great post- or pre-workout snack. My athletic friend Joanne of The Korean Vegan (she runs marathons) said these cookies fueled her for a long run around Central Park. Oh, and of course, you can also eat them for dessert.
How to make vegan breakfast cookies
Gather your ingredients!
Prepare your flax egg. Whisk together the ground flaxseed meal and water and set aside for 15 minutes to gel up.
In a large bowl, together the dry ingredients: oats, coconut, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients until smooth and thick: almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and prepared flax eggs.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry.
Use a silicone spatula to combine the ingredients until it resembles cookie dough.
Add desired mix-ins (chopped nuts or seeds and dried fruit or chocolate chips).
Add hemp seeds.
Stir to evenly incorporate the mix-ins.
Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets and lightly flatten. Bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden on the bottom. Cool the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack.
How to customize these cookies
Not a fan of coconut or allergic? Omit the shredded coconut and just add more oats. Personally, I think the coconut adds a lovely texture.
Likewise, if you don’t have hemp seeds, you can omit or add more shredded coconut. But you should really get some hemp seeds!
Allergic to almonds or don’t have almond butter? Use any nut butter you like, such as cashew butter or peanut butter (they will taste like peanut butter cookies). Just be sure to use a smooth, not crunchy, variety, as the nut butter is the replacement for oil in this recipe.
For the dried fruit mix-in, you could really use any variety you like. I have used raisins, currants, finely chopped apricots, finely chopped dates, and dried cranberries (use juice-sweetened cranberries to avoid refined sugar).
And if you’re not a fan of dried fruit at all, feel free to substitute with dairy-free chocolate chips. I love the chewiness that dried fruit brings, but the chocolate chip version makes these taste more like a classic cookie (SO good). The chocolate chip version is a favorite in our house.
For the seed and nut mix-in, pepitas, sunflower seeds, or any kind of nut works well. Just chop them up pretty good so you don’t get large pieces.
Some flavor variations that we tried are below. My favorites are anything that contains chocolate chips (no surprise!), dried blueberries, and dried cranberries.
- Mango Cashew: finely chop dried mango + raw unsalted cashews, chopped
- Chocolate Chip Almond: mini vegan chocolate chips + roasted almonds, chopped
- Cranberry Pecan: dried cranberries + pecans, chopped
- Blueberry Walnut: dried blueberries + walnuts, chopped
- Golden Macadamia: dried golden berries + macadamia nuts, chopped
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, use seeds instead of nuts for your mix-ins and sub the almond butter with tahini.
You’ll need to use a smooth, non-bitter variety and stir well. I love Seed + Mill and Soom Tahini (affiliate link) and the Whole Foods 365 brand is pretty decent.
Or you could try Sunbutter sunflower seed butter. It will likely tinge your cookies green (that’s what happens when you bake with sunflower seeds) but the taste will be great.
Yes, they freeze perfectly! And they take just 15ish minutes to defrost, so you can enjoy them really any time. After baking, allow the cookies to cool completely. Store them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and label with the name and date. They should be good for about 3 months.
That’s fine! If salted, you can use a scant 1/2 teaspoon salt in the recipe.
If you love these breakfast cookies, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please rate and review with your feedback below!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 2 cups (190g) rolled oats (certified gluten-free, as needed)
- Heaping 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (190g) smooth, creamy variety of almond butter (can sub cashew butter) (see Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (160g) pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Mix-Ins
- 1/2 cup (~75g) dried fruit (or mini vegan chocolate chips) such as cranberries, currants, blueberries (see Note 2)
- 1/2 cup (70g) pepitas, sunflower seeds, or nuts of choice chopped (see Note 3)
- 1/3 cup (48g) hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts)
Instructions
- Prepare the flax eggs. Combine the ground flaxseed meal with 5 tablespoons water. Stir and let sit for 10-15 minutes to gel together.
- Arrange two racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oats, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and prepared flax eggs. Whisk until smooth and thick.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, using a silicone spatula to mix everything until the mixture resembles a cookie dough. Fold in your desired mix-ins (dried fruit, chopped nuts/seeds, and hemp seeds) using the spatula.If the dough is too sticky to handle, refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop a heaping 2 tablespoons or scant 3 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart, 12 cookies per sheet pan (they don't really spread).I have a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop and do a big heaping scoop of that. It's 35g to 40g of dough per cookie. Alternatively, measure the dough out with a spoon and shape into a round using your hands. Lightly flatten the top of each cookie with your hands.
- Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes. After 5 minutes, use a spatula to carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 5 to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
I’m allergic to almonds. Can I use peanut butter instead? I saw the comment suggesting tahini, and I might try that, but the flavor of peanut butter seems like a better fit to me; I’m just not sure of the fat content, or whatever the purpose is for the almond butter other than flavor.
Thanks!
I have just made these cookies again, they are on repeat in our house and are stored in the freezer. My husband prefers eating them from frozen.
I have lost count of the flavour combinations we have tried. Cashew butter and dried sour cherries is my favourite, my husband and my daughter love peanut butter choc chip combo. Thanks for a nutritious and easy recipe.
Can’t even count how many times I’ve made these since this recipe was posted. THANK YOU! Anyone who has tried think they are just fabulous!!
That’s amazing to hear, Aoife! :) Thanks for sharing!
I made these cookies today. Absolute winner. The recipe was easy to follow and they taste great.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Gwen! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
This is an Amazing Vegan cookie recipe! I have been trying to find an Alyssa’s Cookie copy cat recipe. The only one I found was a failure. This is even better because of the almond butter. If I cut back on the maple syrup do I need to add more liquid to get the same consistency?
Hi Carrie, thanks for the lovely review! :)
If you want to cut back on the maple syrup, we think a splash of almond milk or applesauce would work (although applesauce will add in some sweetness). If you’re not opposed to using oil, a tablespoon or so of that would also help.
Thank you for your suggestions!
You’re welcome, Carrie!
Made for a quick Sunday breakfast on the go … Excellent! Used cranberries and pecans. Can’t wait to use other mix-ins.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Dawne!
These a perfect for backpacking/hiking! Shelf-stable, calorie dense, protein rich, and oh so delicious. I’ve made them with less maple syrup and they’re still great. I honestly never thought something called “breakfast cookies” would become a staple for me!
Hi Julie, thanks for the kind review! :) Great to hear this recipe has become a staple for you!
These cookies absolutely changed my morning. I keep them in my freezer, grab one (okay, mostly two) of them and a fruit, and head to work. I know I have a wholesome and absolutely delicious breakfast, so I start the day on a high note!
To take advantage of how customizable they are, I usually separate the batter into two or three portions and make different flavor combinations.
Hi Vanina, it’s lovely to hear the breakfast cookies were such a game changer for you! Thanks for the comment!
I made these for postpartum and had to stop myself and everyone at home including fussy toddler from eating them! They’re soooo delicious, I’ve just had my last one with a coffee and feeling so satisfied. My mix ins were dark choc chunks, dried cranberries and paleo nut and seed mix 👌🏾👌🏾
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Suz!
Dangerously delicious.
Since the cookies don’t spread, I wet my hands and mold the dough into little patties.
When I open a jar of nut butter, I always run it through a mini food processor, then return it to the jar. This reduces the likelihood of dry bits at the bottom.
Hi Mary, we appreciate the feedback! Happy to hear you loved the breakfast cookies :)
Made these so many times. Always delicious. Easy to sub ingredients with anything you have in your pantry.
Hey Cally! Wow, I can feel your enthusiasm about this recipe through the screen! Love it!
These cookies are incredibly delicious. They are moist inside and crispy on the outside. Thank you for another winner!
We appreciate your feedback and support. Thank you for leaving a review!
What if I want to use a combination of all the mix-ins listed? What is the total amount of mix-ins that can be added?
Hi Shelby, there are a total of 1 1/3 cups of mix-ins in this recipe, so we’d suggest you stick with around that amount! :) Enjoy!
I ended up with 21 delicious cookies – I used a 3 TBS scoop, but didn’t pack the dough into the little cup. My daughter and her husband are coming over for dinner tomorrow night. I’m going to have to hide some or they will eat them all! This is my second time using one of Nisha’s recipes. Easily another 5 Star rating. The first one was for her Mushroom Stroganoff. One of the best meals I’ve ever had! Especially when I add some homemade bread to the dinner menu. Homemade bread/rolls dipped into the mushroom sauce, is just a little bit of heaven.
All my life I’ve been using measuring cups and spoons. Don’t get me started on Pyrex measuring cups. Trying to determine if the liquid is below, at, or above the line is a guess at best. Then I bought a digital kitchen scale. Wunderbar! I add an ingredient – the correct number of grams, zero the scale, then add the next one. It was a huge time saver for this recipe as there are a lot of ingredients. I think the recipe turns out better when I weigh the ingredients. Nisha’s recipes are easier to make – the ingredients are in grams.
I ramble – apologies.
Hi Gary, thank you so much for trying out the recipes and for such a lovely review! It warms our hearts to know you’re such a fan of them :)
Another RPL recipe that doesn’t disappoint!
My pepitas were roasted and salted so I cut the salt in half. Next time I will omit the salt completely since these cookies are not very sweet at all. It could be that I used sunbutter which I think also has salt?
Not sure what’s going on with everyone else, but I used my 2 1/2 T cookie scoop and got 29 cookies.
These are great for snacking and I feel good about giving them to my kids since they are full of healthy ingredients.
Thanks for such a lovely review, Jen! :)
These are good breakfast-style cookies (I made them to be a protein rich, lower sugar dessert cookie). As another reviewer noted though, the batch made only 12 cookies using the directions as provided (they are large cookies though). You definitely want to chop the nuts into smaller bits. Next time I will use a smaller scoop to get more cookies from the mix.
Thank you for a very adaptable cookie recipe!
Hi Patty, it makes us happy to know you enjoy the recipe! And odd to hear you didn’t come up with 22 cookies, as Nisha has made this recipe dozens of times and never ended up with only 12 cookies.
Is the temperature for a fan oven?
Hi Emma, the temperature is for a conventional oven, not a convection oven! Hope that helps!
25 degrees less than a regular over
Hi Emma. For a convection oven with a fan turn the temperature down 25 degrees to equal the temperature of a conventional oven
Oh, yeah! I made these “breakfast” cookies on Canada’s Victoria Day (May 20) and they are a total hit! Funnily enough, I used cranberries and pecans (along with some pepitas and hemp hearts) as your picture shows. Kind of ran out of almond butter, so added a bit of peanut butter – still delicious. My 2-tablespoon ice cream scoop was a good substitute for a cookie scoop and we ended up with only 14 cookies…oops. But two for dinner was perfect.
Thanks for the awesome breakfast recipe, Nisha. :>))
It’s so great to hear you’re such a fan of the recipe and that the subs worked well for you, Elaine! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
These cookies are literally the best sweet something my husband and I hanker for, constantly!! I now make two batches at a time. One for him without raisins. One for me, with. And hemp, and pepitas, and choc. chips…
Thanks for the awesome review, Dana! We’re so happy you love them :)
We love these! My add-ins were cocoa nibs and a handful of mini white chocolate chips. I made them pretty large…the recipe only gave me 12. Next time I will double it and get 2 dozen to have on hand. Thanks for the great recipe. Best breakfast cookies I’ve ever tried!
Thanks for sharing, Tammy! Sounds like a lovely combination indeed!