These vegan no bake peanut butter cookies are gooey, fudgy, and have the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Refined sugar-free and packed with nutrients, these healthy no bake cookies are vegan, gluten-free and so delicious.
I love a good no bake cookies recipe for those warmer weather days, or just about any time of the year.
With spring and summer right around the corner, these healthy no bake desserts are the perfect snacks to keep in the freezer.
I always have a stash of freezer snacks in hands like my No Bake Brownies, No-Bake Snickerdoodle Energy Bites and so many more.
These raw vegan cookies have the perfect fudgy texture with a little bit of sweet and salty flavors going on.
They are sweetened only with the use of Medjool dates, and the addition of raw cashews, peanut butter, and coconut flour gives them a great balance of protein and fats.
Energy bites with dates are my favorite pre-workout or afternoon snacks. They are filling and leave no sugar crash.
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Are No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies Healthy?
These 5 Ingredient no bake dessert uses minimal, clean, whole ingredients.
They’re vegan, gluten free and sweetened only with Medjool dates.
The cashews and peanut butter combo provides a great source of healthy fats, fiber and protein, so these cookies are a great option for a pick me up if you need some energy!
Health Benefits of Cashews
Cashews are a great source of healthy fats, fiber, plant based protein and contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. They contribute to:
Heart health: cashews are rich in unsaturated fats which are linked to decreased risk of heart disease.
Reduced inflammation: rich in antioxidants which help reduce inflammation caused by oxidative stress, along with keeping the body healthy and decreasing the risk of disease.
You can read more about Cashew’s health benefits Here.
Health Benefits of Dates
Dates are naturally very sweet, which makes them a great ingredient to use in clean, healthy recipes.
They are full of fiber and nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin K, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and manganese.
While dates are higher in carbs, they are very nutrient-dense, which makes them a great alternative to sugar.
This is why I LOVE using dates as sweeteners.
Other benefits of dates include:
Anti-aging and disease prevention: dates are rich in antioxidants, which help fight free-radical oxidation.
Digestive health: dates are high in fiber which can help promote bowel regularity and relieve constipation.
Heart health: studies suggest that consuming dates may help improve cholesterol levels.
Brain protection: the antioxidants in dates can help prevent oxidative stress in the brain leading to potential protection against Alzheimers disease.
Read More about Health Benefits of Dates Here.
You only need 5 ingredients to make these amazing healthy no bake peanut butter cookies!
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Ingredients for vegan no bake peanut butter cookies
Raw cashews: you’ll need 2 cups of cashews soaked for this no bake recipe. Soak overnight or in hot water for at least 2 hours for best results. Soaking the cashews makes the nutrients easier for our body to digest and absorb.
Medjool dates: 1 cup of pitted Medjool dates were used for these cookies.
Peanut butter: just 1/2 cup of your favorite smooth peanut butter will do the trick.
Coconut flour: low carb, gluten free, paleo and keto approved. The coconut flour helps absorb extra moisture and combine all of the ingredients into a dough-like texture.
Salt: just a pinch of sea salt balances perfectly against the sweetness of the Medjool dates.
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How to Make No Bake Cookies
Soak cashews: place cashews in a bowl and add enough warm water to completely cover the cashews. Add a pinch of salt and soak overnight. Drain and rinse a few times before blending.
Blend: Using a food processor, pulse the soaked cashews and Medjool dates until smooth. Add a pinch of salt along with peanut butter and coconut flour. Blend until a dough-like consistency is reached.
Chill: chill the dough in the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes before scooping into cookie dough balls.
Scoop: using a cookie scooper, a spoon, or your hands, scoop the cookie dough and roll into balls. You should be able to get about 12 cookies out of this recipe, depending on how big you make them. Slightly flatten the cookies in the palm of your hand before placing on the baking sheet.
Freeze: line cookies on a cookie sheet, and use a fork to press into cookies, making a “#” pattern. Top with salt, chocolate chips or extra nut butter if you like! Then place in the freezer and enjoy as desired.
Substitutions to make for No Bake Cookies:
Oat flour: you can use oat flour in place of coconut flour in this recipe. I love using oat flour in recipes to add complex carbs which is prefect for making energy bites! Oat flour is gluten free as well.
Almond or cashew butter: any nut butter or sun-butter can be used in this recipe in place of peanut butter if you wanted to make these paleo friendly or nut free.
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How to Serve No Bake peanut butter Cookies
You can dress these cookies up several ways to offer variations that will please anyone’s taste buds. Some of my favorite ways to serve these no bake cookies are:
- More Peanut Butter on Top!
- Sprinkled with sea salt
- Drizzled with melted chocolate
- Drizzled with more peanut butter
- Add chocolate chips
- With coffee
How to Store Healthy No Bake Cookies
These no bake cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months!
If you prefer a softer cookie, take the cookie out of the freezer and allow to defrost on the counter for 3-4 minutes before enjoying it.
What’s your favorite no bake cookie recipe? Leave a comment below!
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN USE “TRIED IT” ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING #SHUANGYSEATS
More No Bake Dessert You may Like:
1. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
2. No Bake Double Chocolate Cookies
3. No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup peanut butter *
- 1 cup 8 – 10 large medjool dates (pitted) **
- 3 – 4 tbsp coconut flour ***
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Soak cashews in warm water (enough to cover the cashews) and a pinch of sea salt overnight. Drain and rinse a few times before blending.
- Pulse cashews pitted Medjool, and peanut butter in a food processor until finely blended (should be doughy).
- Add 3 – 4 tbsp coconut flour to the batter and blend again. If the batter appears to be very runny. Add additional coconut flour, 1 tbsp at a time until you get a cookie dough-like texture.
- Chill the cookie dough in the fridge or freezer for 10 – 15 minutes or fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Use a cookie scooper or hand to make cookie dough into 14 – 16 balls. Press the balls down to cookie shape with the palm of your hands.
- Use a fork to add a few marks on the cookies, sprinkle some extra sea salt.
- Freeze, ENJOY!
Notes
- *You can also substitute the peanut butter for almond butter (for paleo diet).
- ** For Keto option, use keto-friendly powdered form sweetener to replace the dates, to taste.
- *** Coconut flour can be substituted with oat flour (to add some complex carb in the mix). For this recipe, it needs 1/3 – 1/2 cup oat flour.
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Nutrition
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
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