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!
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 looking forward to trying this recipe. Has anyone tried to make these grain-free? I’m wondering what could be used instead of the oats?
These were delicious! I didn’t have quite enough maple syrup on hand, so I used a little molasses too, and it was rich and complex but still familiar and delicious. Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Mary!
These were so easy and turned out delicious! I think I didn’t chop my nuts small enough, they were left at the bottom of the bowl. Planning to make them again this weekend with different toppings.
Awesome, Shivani. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I love how straightforward this recipe is! The cookies are delicious, wholesome, and have a nice texture. Perfect snacks to pack on a hike.
Anna, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
So good!
Do you think I could sub tahini for the almond butter for a friend with a nut allergy?
Hi Vanessa, definitely!
I had only 1/4 cup almond butter, so added 1 banana to the mix and it turned out great. Thanks for the receipe.
Orly, So glad to hear you loved this recipe! Thanks for trying it!
These turned out so good! I had to put the dough in the fridge because it was too sticky – that helped so thanks for the tip.
Of course, Prabjit! Happy to hear you loved the cookies!
Very forgiving recipe and so delicious! I had to use chunky peanut butter and used chia seeds (1/4 cup) instead of the 1/2 cup of hemp, added cinnamon and 1/4 cup mini vegan chocolate chips to the 1/2 (dried blueberries instead of cranberries) and my goodness – these were amazing !!!!! Thank you for sure a great recipe as is and with substitutes being possible !
Of course, DMora! We also love how forgiving the recipe is :) Thanks for sharing!
I’m excited to try this! Have you tried it using chia as egg substitute instead of flax meal? Thank you for your thoughts! Your blog is helping me transition to become more and more plant based.
I’m sure that would work as well, Stephanie! We have chia seeds as an add-in in this recipe so used flax eggs as the binder. Fortunately, these cookies are pretty foolproof so you could totally swap them!
5+ STAR RATING! Great guilt-free snack! I have made this recipe several times! Also great with the Costco Kirkland brand “Mixed Nut Butter” … excellent!!
PS: If you pop a day-old cookie in the microwave for 10 seconds (maximum), they will be warm and soft, like just like they came fresh-out-of-the-oven!
PS: If you pop a day-old cookie in the microwave for 10 seconds (maximum), they will be warm and soft, like just like they came fresh-out-of-the-oven!
Gina, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This is not the first recipe of yours that I have tried and absolutely loved. These cookies are filling, great texture, not overly sweet and so easy to make. I didn’t have the hemp hearts but I did have some slivered almonds so I chopped them up a little and made the substitution with no problems at all. Thank you for another great recipe.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Tracy!
This must be my fifth time making these. So good, and the flax eggs are more delicious than regular eggs. I lost this recipe for a long time, and there are many many similar recipes, but none as good as this. THIS time I will mail the recipe to myself so it doesn’t get lost.
Lisa, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I made these today and they are easy and so delicious. I will definitely be making them again.
That’s so great to hear, Cyndi! 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!
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for so long and I’m glad I finally got around to it! This recipe is so easy and straightforward. I didn’t have enough maple syrup so I subbed half maple syrup and half apple sauce. Love this recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Shannon!
I so rarely repeat recipes. This is my second batch of these cookies. I love having them in the freezer for quick meals. Thanks for sharing your passion for food with all of us.
Awesome, Cathy. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
For the sunflower and pumpkin seeds, can they be roasted and salted? Would I just omit salt in recipe?
All I have on hand but happy to go get raw as well! My sister in law gifted these to us and they were amazing!!!!!
Hi K, you can use roasted and salted and depending on your preferences you can omit some or most of the salt!
I made these this week for back-to-school/work/field placement sustenance and they were so good! I might need to make them every single week for the rest of my working existence. I subbed for missing ingredients because I don’t have hemp seeds (used pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds (used chopped pecans) and in my version I used chopped dates and dried cranberries, the queen of the dried berries. Yuuuummmmmm a cookie in the morning, that is the lifestyle I’m happy to live.
Awesome, Marisa. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Made these breakfast cookies today *almost* to a T (I only had crunchy almond butter, I used a mix of dried fruit- cranberries, blueberries, cherries and I subbed pistachios for pepitas). They were delicious, very easy to make and oh so nutritious- I will absolutely make again. :)
That’s so great to hear, Meghan! 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!
Delicious, I think I will add cinnamon next time. Thank you for a great recipe.
Fran, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I just made these and even without the flax and coconut they are SO yummy! I subbed cashew butter..sooo good…thanks very much!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Barbara!
Very easy to make and so tasty and filling.
Thanks for sharing, Indira!