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
So yummy! I used chocolate chips and hazelnuts. A great treat that packs a nutritious punch!
Thank you for trying the recipe, Hailey! Love the flavor combo!
Could I do these as bars? I’m recovering from surgery, so limited. I want to make these quickly!! Maybe a 9 x 12 pan?? Thoughts?
Hi Lynn, that could work! We aren’t sure what exact size pan would work unfortunately.
These are truly 5 star. I was honestly skeptical because I’ve had a lot of so so breakfast cookies, but these are delicious. They are a real treat to eat in the morning or as a snack and you feel good about it too.
Wonderful to hear, Eileen! Thanks for sharing!
These are yummy and nutritious all day long. They are perfect for my pre workout meal. Easy to digest and provide the nutrients I need to support a workout.
Thanks for sharing, Judy!
Hi, these look delish! What can I use in place of the maple syrup? More of a sugar-free version? Does it need to be a liquid or would a sugar-like monk fruit work? Thanks!
Hi Perdita, we’re nervous without the maple syrup the cookies won’t bind as easily. You may want to use additional nut butter and/or flax egg to keep it together if you’re omitting the maple syrup.
My whole family loves these. It would help if you added water below flax seeds in the ingredients list. Some people….not me…ignore directions and dump everything in the bowl cause kids are “helping” and reading is impossible.
Hi Kat, we’re glad you enjoy the recipe. Sorry it didn’t go exactly as intended- hopefully next time you get it just right! We’ll relay the message on.
oooo good idea! that would be very helpful.
This came just in time, I was looking for a breakfast cookie recipe that doesn’t include mashed bananas to pack for my food critic 6-year-old who does not like the taste of bananas in vegan baked goods. They were such a big hit in the house, everyone devoured them within a couple of days. Will most definitely be making these again soon. The only thing different that I did was that I put half of the oats in the blender to make oat flour and left the rest as is to make it more appealing to my 6-year-old and they turned out great!
LOL, great to learn these cookies passed the food critic test! Thank you for sharing that with us, Alejandra!
This isn’t my first comment. We are crazy for these cookies and i make them all the time. I decided to make a triple batch and I am so grateful you put the weight of things because it made it so much easier to do. I didn’t have to mess up measuring cups for peanut butter etc. These really do freeze well. Trust me I know lol. I always make a double batch this is the first time for a triple. The size I make it made around 90. My only suggestion is wash off the ice cream scooper periodically it gets sticky and it works better if you do this
Janine, So glad to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Really love these cookies, my friends & family also, they asked when I will be making them again. Easy, wholesome ingredients. I have to control myself not to eat more than two.
Thank-you Nisha
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Sonia!
Could 1 chicken egg be used in place of the flax eggs? Thank you!!
Hi Lisa, we’re vegan and don’t cook with chicken eggs, so I’m afraid we cannot advise you about whether it will work in this recipe.
I just want to say I made these a few days ago and my family is still enjoying them! I used cashew butter because that’s what I had on hand, with some chocolate chips. My 2 year old and 10 year old love them! And I don’t feel any guilt letting them indulge when they are being picky with my cooking lol. Lots of nutrition in these yummy cookies! Thank you very much, definitely becoming a stable in my home. Can’t wait to try different variations 💃✨
Honesty, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I’ve made these 3 or 4 times in the past 2 weeks and we love them! They’re like a granola bar cookie.
Hi Tammy, a granola bar cookie is the best way to describe these! So glad they are such a hit.
How often have we heard “these are the best (fill-in the blank)…Well, these really are the BEST breakfast cookies. And, so many variations! I’m making these for Christmas gifts. Thanks!
Leslie, so glad to hear you enjoyed these yummy cookies! Love the idea of making them part of Christmas gifts.
Can I use old fashion oats instead of gluten free oats.
Hi Michelle,
The recipe lists gluten free oats only as needed. Old fashioned oats would work great here, enjoy! :)
Hi! I make these all the time and find double the recipe = 24 cookies. IE: the recipe as is makes just 12. I am spooning out 3 tbsp of dough per cookie. Why does this keep happening? Am I crazy? More likely, the recipe is wrong, no? In it’s supposed batch size? And I do wonder about nutritional info based on this. Should I double it? IE: each cookie has 10g protein, about 300kcal? It works well as an actual quick breakfast if that is the case.. please help make this clear for me :)
I found this to be true for me as well! Not crazy, I just doubled the nutritional info too which is good for my little ones since they eat so little at times.
A friend made these & dropped off my first week postpartum. My husband & I loved them so much that i asked for the recipe & i have now made them in different variations multiple times. Our friends just had their first baby so of course I had to make a batch for them (& doubled it for us too). Our favourite healthy cookies without a doubt!
Awesome, Toni. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Your breakfast cookie recipe is the best! I am playing with ingredients each time hoping to get a little more of a dry crunch to the texture but the basics you have outlined are so ‘on the mark’. Thank you for being so passionate and diligent.👍👍
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Harry!
Hey your Cookies are looking great, I really want to try them out but I have a question, 147 kcal each Cookie or all?
Hi Schriya, those are the nutrition facts for one cookie! We hope you get a chance to make them :)
I substituted 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce for 1/2 of the required maple. syrup. Also added 3 tablespoons of collagen powder. No chocolate chips
Turned out perfect!
Loved by everyone!!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Natalie!
Another victory for getting healthy food into my 4 year old! I omitted the coconut (personal preference) and used chocolate chips, hemp seeds, pepitas, and walnuts for the mix-ins. I ground up the pepitas and walnuts in the food processor to hide them from my daughter and it worked. I always make a double batch of these and freeze a bunch of them – it makes for a very convenient breakfast to just grab a couple cookies from the freezer in the morning. Our whole family enjoys these, adult and child alike!
Thanks for sharing, Theresa!