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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Desserts

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies {gluten free and dairy free}

    Published: Jul 12, 2018 · Updated: Nov 27, 2020 · by Nicole · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies {gluten free and dairy free}
    so rich and buttery, you’ll never believe they’re vegan and gluten-free
    so rich and buttery, you’ll never believe they’re vegan and gluten-free
    so rich and buttery, you’ll never believe they’re vegan and gluten-free
    so rich and buttery, you’ll never believe they’re vegan and gluten-free
    so rich and buttery, you’ll never believe they’re vegan and gluten-free

    These vegan peanut butter cookies are so rich and buttery, you'll never believe they're vegan and gluten-free. The secret ingredient in the applesauce, which keeps them moist and flavorful. Plus, they're cute as a button and easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies {gluten free and dairy free}

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies, anyone?

    Did you know it takes 520 peanuts to make just one 12-ounce jar of peanut butter? At least according to the National Peanut Board. Yes, there is indeed a peanut board. Who knew?

    The first peanut butter, as we know it, was created in Canada in the late 1800s. And some years later it made it's way to the U.S. And the rest is history.

    I've always loved peanut butter, and I think I've passed that on to my kid. He literally eats it by the spoonful. I wonder where he learned that? 😉

    vegan peanut butter cookies on a cooling rack

    The Secret Ingredient to Vegan Cookies

    There's nothing quite as satisfying as biting into a perfectly baked cookie. And peanut butter cookies are the ultimate indulgence.

    But traditional peanut butter cookies are made with ingredients like eggs and butter. So of course, I felt the need to veganize this classic cookie!

    The secret ingredient here is.... applesauce! In fact, it's a pretty great ingredient for any kind of vegan baking. The applesauce helps to keep the dough nice and moist, and gives just a little bit of extra sweetness.

    Plus, applesauce has tons of health benefits, so these cookies are basically health food. 😀

    vegan peanut butter cookies stacked on a plate

    Don't worry your vegan peanut butter cookies will not taste like apples - I promise.

    For this recipe, go crazy with your peanut butter. If you like chunky, use chunky. If you like creamy, go creamy. They're your cookies, after all.

    I do recommend avoiding the all natural peanut butter, as it tends to separate and make the dough a bit soggy. If you must have the natural variety, keep your peanut butter in the fridge to help it stick together better.

    Let's Make Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

    vegan peanut butter cookie in hand with bite taken out of it

    You won't believe how easy this recipes is to make. It takes just a few simple ingredients, that you probably already have in your pantry.

    Like always, start by getting all your ingredients ready. Really there isn't much prep to be done here.

    The hardest part will probably be measuring out your peanut butter and then getting it all out of the measuring cup because it's just so sticky.

    peanut butter in a measuring cup and cookie ingredients in a bowl

    Start by mixing up the baking soda, flour, sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl.

    (I used rice flour to keep this recipe both vegan and gluten-free.)

    Give everything a good stir, until it's well combined.

    mixing batter in a bowl for vegan peanut butter cookies

    Once you've got those ingredients mixed well, now you get to add the peanut butter. You can use a spatula to help get your peanut butter out of the measuring cup.

    Then use your spatula to fold your peanut butter into the rest of the ingredients. Using a folding technique makes the mixing easier to manage because of how thick the peanut butter is.

    mixing peanut butter into the cookie batter

    Once your batter for your vegan peanut butter cookies look uniform throughout, it's time for the next hardest step: waiting.

    Try not to eat all the dough at this point. You'll be tempted.

    Instead, put your cookie dough into the fridge for one hour to chill. This will make it a lot firmer and easier to handle.

    vegan peanut butter cookie dough on a spoon

    Once the dough is chilled, us a spoon or a cookie scooper to form the dough into balls, and line them up on your cookie sheet.

    But don't put the rounds of cookie dough too close to each other because once you're done putting the dough on the pan, you're going to "style" them.

    scooping vegan peanut butter cookie dough onto a baking sheet

    Take a fork and gently smush each peanut butter cookie, making a crisscross pattern on the dough. This will help flatten your cookies and make them look all fancy.

    Since the dough is chilled, it will flatten nicely and the criss-cross marks will stay put. That's why the chilling step is so important.

    making criss-cross patterns on top of the vegan peanut butter cookies

    Once you've crisscrossed all your cookies, pop them into the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

    When they're done, let them cool completely so that they don't fall apart. And then they'll be ready to eat!

    These vegan peanut butter cookies are also great crumbled on top of another dessert, like a scrumptious vegan chocolate cake or vegan ice cream.  Or for more cookies- check out my vegan chocolate cookies or vegan sweet and salty tahini cookies.

    finished vegan peanut butter cookies on a cooling rack

    so rich and buttery, you’ll never believe they’re vegan and gluten-free

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies {gluten free and dairy free}

    These vegan peanut butter cookies are so rich and buttery, you'll never believe they're vegan and gluten-free. The secret ingredient in the applesauce, which keeps them moist and flavorful. Plus, they're cute as a button and easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
    4.75 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Dessert, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian
    Keyword: easy peanut butter cookies, easy vegan cookie recipe, vegan cookies, vegan peanut butter cookies
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Chilling Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Calories: 151kcal
    Author: Delicious Everyday
    18 cookies

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Peanut butter
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ⅔ cup rice flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ cup applesauce
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla
    • Pinch salt
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Start by adding your peanut butter to a medium bowl. Then, mix in the baking soda, sugar, flour, applesauce, vanilla, and salt.
    • Give it a good stir, until everything is well combined into a dough.
    • Place the dough in the fridge for about one hour to cool.
    • Once the dough is chilled, spray your baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
    • Roll the dough into small balls, and place them in rows on the cookie sheet. Now get a fork and add in some crisscrosses to flatten the cookies a little.
    • Put into oven at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes.
    • Once they are done, take out and let cool completely. They are fragile when first baked. So let them cool and harden up before removing from the cookie sheet.
    • Once cooled, enjoy! Or you can even crumble them on top of a favorite dessert. Enjoy.

    Nutrition (Estimated)

    Calories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 126mgPotassium: 100mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.3mg
    Shop our Cookbooks!Check out our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks for more tasty meatless recipe ideas.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Steph says

      September 19, 2019 at 12:27 am

      5 stars
      First time I made vegan pb cookies. I used regular flour, not rice flour. These were so good. My daughters friends devoured them. No clue they were vegan! Will make again for sure. Chewy, soft center and crisp edges-perfect.

      Reply
    2. Stephanie says

      September 14, 2019 at 7:40 am

      I made these but I used regular flour. They were delicious. Everyone loved them and had no idea they were vegan cookies. They are crispy on the edges but soft in the middle. Easy to make. I will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe. I also just used a cheap store brand peanut butter.

      Reply
    3. Courtney says

      July 30, 2019 at 10:44 pm

      5 stars
      These are my absolute favorite vegan pb cookies. Thanks so much for the recipe!

      Reply
    4. Earvin says

      July 06, 2019 at 12:21 pm

      Love this cookies! Imagine a delicious snack that is guilt free snack! Thanks a lot for the ideas!

      Reply
    5. Jony says

      March 29, 2019 at 8:36 am

      These cookies come out beautifully and If not the very best, certainly one of the best vegan peanut butter cookies I have tasted.

      Reply
    6. Abigail says

      September 25, 2018 at 1:35 pm

      Can another flour type besides the rice flour?

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        September 27, 2018 at 3:49 pm

        I expect almond flour or a gluten-free baking flour would work just as well.

        Reply
    7. Kim Mastro says

      July 13, 2018 at 12:20 am

      5 stars
      Omg made these tonight & they were the bomb dot com!!! I actually had no peanut butter yet had a bag of peanuts in shells so I deshelled & made peanut butter by adding coconut oil to the peanuts put in processor & voila homemade crunchy peanut butter...thus made my cookies replacing granulated sugar for coconut sugar & AWESOME OUTTA THE OVEN!!! PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES TO DIE FOR!!! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe...VEGAN IS OHHHH SO GOOD👍

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        July 13, 2018 at 8:28 am

        I am so glad they turned out well for you! Thanks so much for stopping back to tell me - always makes my day.

        Reply

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    Nicole - Vegetarian Food Blogger

    Nicole is a 25+ year vegetarian, and author of a vegan cookbook. She shares her recipes on Delicious Everyday, an award-winning vegetarian and vegan food blog.  About Nicole

    the one pot vegan cookbook, by nicole malik
    5 day vegetarian challenge

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