Breakfast Cookies

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These Breakfast Cookies are healthy enough to eat for breakfast or a post-workout snack but delicious enough for dessert! Made with oats, seeds, and almond butter, they're vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free, and have no added oil. Each cookie packs in 5g of protein and 3g fiber!
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Cooling Time 5 minutes
Total 45 minutes
5 from 339 votes

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!

breakfast cookies lined up with names of cookie flavor variations

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.

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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.

stack of chewy breakfast cookies

How to make vegan breakfast cookies

Gather your ingredients!

labeled ingredients for breakfast cookies

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.

mix-ins for breakfast cookies with ingredients labeled

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
breakfast cookies with different mixins on a wire rack

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these breakfast cookies nut-free?

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.

Can I freeze these?

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.

What if my nut/seed mix-ins are roasted and/or salted?

That’s fine! If salted, you can use a scant 1/2 teaspoon salt in the recipe.

brown plate of breakfast cookies with one bitten into and a glass of oat milk

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

5 from 339 votes
These Breakfast Cookies are healthy enough to eat for breakfast or a post-workout snack but delicious enough for dessert! Made with oats, seeds, and almond butter, they're vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free, and have no added oil. Each cookie packs in 5g of protein and 3g fiber!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time 5 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Cuisine: Baking
Diet Vegan
Serving size: 22

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
  • 2 cups (190g) rolled oats (certified gluten-free, as needed)
  • 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 dried fruit (or mini vegan chocolate chips) such as cranberries, currants, blueberries (see Note 2)
  • 1/2 cup (65g) pepitas, sunflower seeds, or nuts of choice chopped (see Note 3)
  • 1/3 cup (50g) 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.
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Line two large baking sheets 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 about 40g 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

Note 1: It’s important to use a smooth, fairly runny variety of almond butter since there’s no oil in this recipe. Don’t use the crusty bottom of the jar! If nut-free, use tahini. 
Note 2: If you want to keep these cookies entirely refined sugar-free, use a naturally sugar-free dried fruit like currants, sultanas, or chopped mango or apricots (most varieties of dried cranberries and blueberries have added sugar).
If you want something a little more traditional cookie-like, these are REALLY good with mini vegan chocolate chips (I love the chocolate chips from Enjoy Life).  
Note 3: Nut options we’ve tried: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts. They all work! Just be sure to chop well so you don’t get big pieces. 

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

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545 comments on Breakfast Cookies

  1. Janine Barclay

    5 stars
    These are perfect I follow the recipe EXACTLY. Love them! Nice to have a treat which is health and delicious. I tried to buy some vegan gluten free cookies because I was pressed for time and they were expensive and one star as opposed to 5. It is worth the time it takes to make these.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Thanks for the lovely feedback, Janine!

  2. Allison

    5 stars
    These were very easy to make and really good! Kind of like a granola bar in cookie form. I ran out of a few things while making them and had to sub a few things (some peanut butter for some of the almond butter, some brown rice crisps for some of the oats) and they still turned out great. I used hemp hearts, dark chocolate, dried cranberries, and pecans for the mix ins. I will make these again for sure.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Thanks for sharing, Allison!

  3. Shae McLean

    I love these! I make them every Sunday for the week ahead. Thank you for the recipe!

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      That’s so great to hear, Shae! 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!

  4. Sophia

    How many calories are in each serving?

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Sophia, nutrition facts will be here in the coming weeks. Hang tight!

  5. Sara

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe several times now and I absolutely love it. My favorite combo is pecan and vegan chocolate chips. One thing I do differently is I substitute brown rice crisps for the coconut. Not a coconut fan and I love the texture the brown rice crisps give it. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Sounds like a wonderful flavor combination, Sara! Thanks for sharing and we are happy you enjoy the cookies!

  6. Ginger

    These were pretty good. I made a Ginger Blueberry Macadamia nut with dried blueberries, chopped macadamia nuts, and diced crystalized ginger.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Ginger, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 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!

  7. Toni

    Is it possible with regular quick oats?

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi there Toni, we haven’t tried it but we think it would work. You might not have as much texture in the cookie but baking wise, we think it would work.

  8. Shalewa

    Can I replace the flax seed meal with egg or is the flax seed meal the regular flax seed that’s blended?

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Shalewa, you can use vegan egg if you’d like. Flaxseed meal is, in fact, just ground flaxseeds! You can also make these using chia eggs. Enjoy!

  9. Michaela

    5 stars
    Hi Nisha, this cookies are very good, but i have questions:
    If i use 3 TBSP per cookie, the result are not 12 cookies. By using 1 TBSP i end up with ca. 12. Whats my fault?
    Next, i want to use less marple. Because i am more from the mit so sweet side, what can i use instand? Plantmilk?
    Thank you!
    I made it with vanillepouder and freshly ground tonka, highly recommend this😋

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Hi Michaela, did you level out the tablespoons when measuring? Because if so, this recipe should make 24 3 tablespoon cookies. Glad you like the recipe!

  10. RBBW

    5 stars
    simply delicious! Almond butter, pepitas, unsweetened cranberries and dried apricots.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      So glad to hear you loved this recipe!

  11. Alyssa

    5 stars
    Delicious! I used Sunbutter and added in Craisins & chocolate chips. Perfect & easy.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Thanks for sharing, Alyssa!

  12. Tricia

    5 stars
    I just realized that when you dip these into coffee it becomes a more beautiful thing! Thanks

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Sounds delightful, Tricia!

  13. Kat

    Sooo yummy! We have made these many times. I actually leave out the baking powder and baking soda and they turn out just as good. Our go to add-ins are the pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, pecans and blueberries. Thank you for this quick, tasty, healthy recipe!

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Awesome, Kat. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!

  14. Rachel

    5 stars
    I was looking for a healthier cookie recipe and these are just perfect! I put cranberries, hemp seeds, pepitas and a little bit of dark choc in mine and they were delish

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Awesome, Rachel. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!

  15. Kimberly

    5 stars
    I’ve made these several times and they indeed make a delicious quick breakfast or snack! I like that they are easily customizable (you can swap out different dried fruits and nut butters depending on what’s in the pantry) and they freeze/defrost perfectly.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Thanks for the lovely feedback, Kimberly!

  16. Vicki

    5 stars
    These Breakfast Cookies are SO yummy! I used mix-ins of blueberry-infused Craisins and vegan mini chocolate chips, and everyone loved them. Easy to make and delicious.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Thanks for the lovely feedback, Vicki!

  17. Yuju

    5 stars
    Delicious. It’s a quick and easy grab and go breakfast. Perfect for the kids before school.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Awesome, Yuju. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!

  18. AmyinBreck

    5 stars
    I made these last week and they were yummy. I did almond butter with cranberries, pecans and chocolate chips.

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Awesome, Amyin. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!

  19. Kristi

    5 stars
    Excellent cookies that even my pickiest child ate!

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      We are so glad to hear that, Kristi!

  20. Chantal Ladouceur

    5 stars
    Excellent cookies. I will be making these regularly.
    Thank you

    1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

      Chantal, So glad to hear you love this recipe!

    2. Barb

      5 stars
      These cookies are fantastic! I didn’t have any coconut on hand and subbed thinly sliced almonds that I broke up with my fingers to mimic the texture. They worked beautifully. I used peanut butter and my add-ins were cranberries, a combo of walnuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds to make 1/2 cup, and the hemp hearts. This recipe is a keeper and I will be making many more batches – thanks!

      1. Support @ Rainbow Plant Life

        Thanks for sharing, Barb!

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