Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

These vegan peanut butter cookies are soft and chewy in the middle with crispy edges. They make a great on-the-go snack for when you’re in need of something sweet!

If you’re looking for a quick, easy sweet snack without eggs or dairy, these peanut butter cookies are just the thing. They’re made with only 8 simple ingredients and they’re ready to eat from scratch in less than an hour.

I’m updating this recipe with improvements because when I first uploaded it (when I was starting out as a vegan baker), I got a few comments on Pinterest by people who’d tried the cookies and told me that they tasted quite bland.

So I decided that it was only right to make sure my updated recipe was nothing less than delicious! After many, MANY attempts, I’ve finally got one I’m happy with.

Of course, everyone has a different preference when it comes to vegan peanut butter cookies. Some like them super sweet, some like them with barely any sugar and some like a LOT of peanut butter in their cookies. I like to think that my updated recipe is somewhere in the middle- sweet but not sickly, chewy but also a little bit crispy, and nutty-tasting without being too overpowering.

I hope you enjoy them! I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it.

Making Cookies Without Eggs or Dairy

Many people don’t realise just how EASY vegan baking can be. Especially for simpler recipes such as cookies. If you plan on making your baked goods or desserts vegan-friendly, you’ll obviously want to say goodbye to dairy and eggs.

But don’t panic! There are SO many ways to make delicious vegan desserts without animal products. 

For this particular recipe, I switched butter to dairy-free margarine and used peanut butter instead of eggs. The eggs in traditional cookie recipes are typically only there as a binding agent. Using peanut butter will help the dough to stick together in a similar way.

As for the subtle leavening that eggs give in a cookie recipe, this can be achieved with a small amount of baking soda. Perfection!

Ingredients for this recipe

Here’s what you’ll need to make these easy vegan peanut butter cookies:

• Vegan margarine: Don’t use blocky vegan butters, use the spreadable type. I recommend Vitalite.
• Peanut butter: The natural kind without any added oil. I used Meridian.
• Sugar: You’ll need both caster sugar and soft light brown sugar.
• Vanilla extract: For extra flavour.
• Flour: Plain/all-purpose.
• Salt: To enhance the flavours.
• Baking powder: To help give the cookies a little rise.

How To Make Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Ok, let’s get to it…

Step 1: The first step is to mix your wet ingredients together. To a large bowl, add 120g (1/2 cup) of vegan margarine, 190g (3/4 cup) of natural-style peanut butter, 100g (1/2 cup, packed) soft light brown sugar, 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix everything together using a wooden spoon until it becomes a smooth paste.

Step 2: In a small bowl, mix together 230g (1+ 3/4 cups) of all-purpose flour, a small pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. Add this into the large bowl with your wet mixture. Stir in briefly, then use your hands to press it together into a ball of firm cookie dough.

Step 3: Place the dough into the fridge for 30 minutes. This will help give the cookies a more chewy texture.

Step 4: Once the 30 minutes are up, remove the dough from the fridge and soften it in your hands slightly.

It may seem a little crumbly after chilling in the fridge but as long as you can roll it into balls and flatten them without it falling apart, it will be fine. If it absolutely won’t stick together, you can add a splash of plant-based milk. On the other hand, if it’s too wet, just add more flour until you get the desired consistency.

Step 5: Divide the dough up into 12 equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls onto a pre-lined or greased baking tray and use your fingers to flatten the balls out slightly.

Make sure to leave a little bit of space between the cookies on the tray as they will spread out during baking.

Step 6: Bake the cookies at 180°C/ 350°F for 15 minutes. Leave them to cool completely before removing them from the tray as they will be very tender and break apart when hot. Don’t be fooled into thinking they are under-baked once the timer goes off. If you keep baking them, they’ll become too hard once cooled.

And that’s it! When your cookies are cooled completely, you can start enjoying them and share with your friends or family.

Cookie mix-in ideas

I know peanut butter cookies are perfectly delicious on their own, but sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of added texture thrown in there. If you fancy spicing things up a little, try adding some of these mix-ins to your cookie dough before baking:

• Chocolate chips
• Chopped nuts
• Dried fruit such as raisins, apples or strawberries
• Chopped pretzels
• Spices such as cinnamon and ginger

FAQ

More vegan peanut butter desserts:

• 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies
• Peanut butter fudge
• Peanut butter cups

I hope you love these vegan peanut butter cookies as much as I do! If you give them a try, please leave a rating or comment below to let me know what you think. And be sure to check out my other cookie recipes.

5 from 4 votes

Print

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft and chewy peanut butter cookies without eggs or dairy.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan peanut butter cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 12 cookies

Calories 275 kcal

Ingredients

• 120 g Vegan margarine (½ cup)
• 190 g Peanut butter (¾ cup) see note 1
• 100 g Soft light brown sugar (½ cup)
• 100 g Caster sugar (½ cup)
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 230 g All-purpose flour (1 + ¾ cups)
• Pinch Salt
• ½ Teaspoon Baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/325°F for fan or convection ovens) and line or grease a medium-sized baking tray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the vegan margarine, peanut butter, brown sugar, caster sugar and vanilla extract.

3. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together then add it to the wet mixture. Stir it in briefly then use your hands to press it all into a firm dough.

4. Place the dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

5. Divide it into 12 equal-sized pieces. Roll them into balls, place onto the baking tray then gently press on them to flatten them a little. Make sure to leave a little space between the cookies as they will spread out while baking.

6. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before removing them from the tray as they will be very fragile while hot. They might look underbaked at first but resist the urge to keep baking after the timer goes off or they will become too crunchy once cooled.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

1. For best results, use natural peanut butter that is made from 100% nuts, without any added oil.
2. The dough may seem a bit crumbly after chilling in the fridge but if you can roll it into balls and flatten them without it falling apart, it’ll work just fine. If it falls apart, add a splash of plant-based milk to help it stick. On the other hand, if it’s too wet after chilling, add a little more flour until you can roll the dough into balls without it sticking to your hands.
3. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 275 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Sodium 99mg4%

Carbohydrates 32g11%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 18g20%

Protein 1g2%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.