Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies: 20-Min Treat You’ll Crave

You could scroll for hours hunting “healthy cookies” that taste like cardboard, or you can make these and feel like you cheated the system.

Four pantry staples, one bowl, zero nonsense—sweet, chewy, and ready before your coffee cools. They taste like a peanut butter-banana hug disguised as dessert.

Kid-approved, gym-bag approved, late-night-snack approved. They’re the quickest upgrade to your snack game you didn’t know you needed.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Minimal ingredients, maximal payoff: Only a handful of basics you probably already have.
• No mixer, no chill time: Stir, scoop, bake. That’s it.
• Gluten- and dairy-flexible: Naturally gluten-free if you use certified oats; dairy-free by default.
• Perfect texture: Soft, chewy centers with golden edges—like banana bread meets cookie.
• Customizable: Add chocolate chips, nuts, or spices without wrecking the base.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies: 20-Min Treat You’ll Crave

Recipe by Wendy CarterCourse: Snack

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

8

minutes

Cooking time

12

minutes

Calories

120

kcal

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas (medium, heavily speckled for sweetness)

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (natural or conventional)

• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (certified GF if needed)

• 2–3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (optional, for extra sweet)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional but recommended)

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (skip if peanut butter is very salty)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (light lift; optional but nice)

• 1/4–1/2 cup mix-ins (mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, raisins, or cacao nibs)

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Heat the oven. Preheat to 350ºF (175ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment for easy cleanup.
• Mash bananas. In a bowl, mash bananas until mostly smooth with a few small bits.
• Stir in wet stuff. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup/honey (if using). Mix until cohesive.
• Add dry ingredients. Fold in oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Stir until the oats are well coated and the dough holds together.
• Customize. Fold in chocolate chips or other mix-ins. If the dough feels loose, add a tablespoon more oats.
• Scoop and shape. Drop heaping tablespoons onto the sheet. Press gently to flatten to about 1/2-inch thick—these don’t spread much.
• Bake. 10–12 minutes until edges look set and bottoms are lightly golden. Soft in the middle is perfect.
• Cool. Rest on the sheet 5 minutes, then move to a rack. They firm up as they cool. Try not to eat them all. Try.

Tips for Storing & Reheating

• Room temp: Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.
• Refrigerate: Keeps 5–6 days; texture gets chewier (in a good way).
• Freeze: Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months.
  

  Thaw at room temp 20 minutes or microwave 10–15 seconds.

• Reheat: For bakery-fresh vibes, warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5–6 minutes.

Better-for-You Benefits

• Whole-grain oats: Fiber to keep you satisfied and support steady energy.
• Bananas: Natural sweetness, potassium, and prebiotic starches.
• Peanut butter: Healthy fats and plant protein for staying power.
• Lower sugar: Sweetened primarily by fruit; add maple/honey to taste, not obligation.

Nutrition Stats

Approx per cookie (12-cookie yield, no chocolate chips):

• Calories: ~120
• Carbs: ~16 g
• Fiber: ~2.5 g
• Sugar: ~5–7 g (primarily from banana)
• Protein: ~4 g
• Fat: ~5 g
• Sodium: ~80 mg (varies with PB)

With 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, add ~25–30 calories and ~2–3 g sugar per cookie. IMO, worth it.

What Can Go Wrong

• Cookies too dry: Bananas weren’t ripe enough or dough had too many oats. Fix by adding 1–2 teaspoons water or a splash more PB.
• Cookies too wet/spreadless blobs: Dough too loose.
  

  Add 1–2 tablespoons oats and rest 5 minutes to hydrate.

• Bland flavor: Use riper bananas, a pinch more salt, and don’t skip vanilla/cinnamon. Flavor math matters.
• Crumbly texture: Overbaked. Pull at edges set with soft centers; they firm while cooling.
• Burnt bottoms: Dark sheet pans run hot.
  

  Use parchment and check at 9–10 minutes.

  
  

Different Ways to Make This

• Chunky Monkey: Add mini chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
• Trail Mix: Raisins, sunflower seeds, and coconut flakes.
• Mocha Boost: 1 teaspoon espresso powder and dark chips.
• Apple Pie Vibes: Swap cinnamon for apple pie spice; add diced dried apples.
• Crunch Factor: Use crunchy peanut butter and toasted chopped peanuts.
• Protein punch: Add 1 scoop unflavored or vanilla whey/plant protein; increase banana or add a splash of milk to keep it moist.
• Vegan chocolate: Use dairy-free chips and maple syrup. Already egg-free, so easy win.

FAQ

Can I use quick oats or steel-cut oats?

Quick oats work fine and make a slightly softer cookie. Steel-cut oats don’t hydrate properly here—save those for porridge unless you like tooth-cracking surprises.

What if I only have almond or cashew butter?

Go for it.

Almond or cashew butter gives a milder, buttery flavor. If your nut butter is very runny, add an extra tablespoon of oats.

How ripe should the bananas be?

Speckled brown and soft. Green or just-yellow bananas are starchier and less sweet, which can make the cookies bland and dry.

Brown spots = flavor and moisture.

Do I need eggs or flour?

Nope. Oats act as the binder and structure, while banana and peanut butter handle the moisture and fat. It’s a minimalist miracle.

Can I reduce the sugar further?

Yes.

Skip the maple or honey entirely if your bananas are very ripe. The cookies will still be sweet, just more banana-forward.

How do I make them gluten-free?

Use certified gluten-free rolled oats. Everything else is naturally GF, assuming no cross-contamination with your mix-ins.

Can I make them bigger?

Sure.

Make 8 cookies and bake 13–15 minutes. Watch the edges and bottoms so they don’t overbrown.

Why didn’t my cookies spread?

They’re designed not to. Give them a gentle press before baking to set your ideal thickness.

You’re the boss of the spread here.

The Bottom Line

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies are the sweet spot—fast, wholesome, and wildly snackable. Four core ingredients, endless variations, and a texture that feels like dessert without the sugar crash.

Keep this recipe in your pocket for busy mornings, post-workout bites, or that 9 p.m. “I deserve a cookie” moment.

FYI: doubling the batch is not a bad idea.