3-Ingredient No-Bake Cookies (4g Protein) (2025)

These 3-Ingredient No-Bake Cookies are healthy, no-bake oatmeal chocolate cookies, delicious as a quick snack. They are crunchy and made with roasted oats, dark chocolate, and peanut butter. That’s it!

Table of contents

I love simple cookie recipes and in particular the ones that you don’t need to bake, like my Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies, No-Bake Coconut Cookies, or No-Bake Almond Butter Cookies. This new recipe is high in fiber and protein and low in sugar. It’s a great healthy snack!

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

You only need 3 ingredients to make these cookies. Here’s how to pick them.

• Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – These oats form the crunchy, fiber-packed base of the cookies, providing structure and a wholesome bite. They toast beautifully to enhance their nutty flavor. If needed, you can swap in quick oats for a slightly softer texture, but avoid using steel-cut oats as they won’t crisp up properly. You can also use puffed rice or puffed quinoa as an alternative.
• Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips – The dark chocolate chips bring a rich, bittersweet cocoa flavor that complements the oats and peanut butter while keeping the recipe low in sugar. You can choose different cocoa percentages—55% for sweeter cookies, 70% as a balanced option, or 85% for an ultra-low sugar treat. Make sure to select a high-quality, vegan dark chocolate; milk chocolate or any dairy-based chocolate won’t work for this recipe.
• Peanut Butter – Acting as the binding and flavoring agent, peanut butter adds creaminess, healthy fats, and protein to the cookies, as well as that irresistible nutty taste. For variation or a nut-free version, you can substitute with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter. It’s important to use a fresh, runny variety (avoid brands with added oils or sugars) so the mixture comes together smoothly.
• Optional Extract – add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract, almond extract, or vanilla extract to the melted chocolate to flavor the cookies.

How to Make 3-Ingredient No-Bake Cookies

Let me walk you through how to make these cookies with a few pictures.

Roast the oats for 12 minutes in an oven at 350 °F (180 °C).

Combine the dairy-free chocolate chips and butter in a pan.

Stir them over medium heat until the chocolate is fully melted and has incorporated the peanut butter.

Pour the roasted oats into the chocolate mixture and stir to incorporate.

Line two plates with parchment paper and flatten balls of batter to form cookies.

Place the plates in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the cookies.

Expert Tips

Let me share a few more tips to help you make the best cookies.

• Roast for Extra Crunch: Roast the oats until they turn a light golden color—stirring halfway through—to bring out their natural flavor and crunch.
• Mind the Nut Butter: Use a fresh, drippy jar of peanut butter (or your chosen alternative) because a dry or overly processed butter will result in a crumbly mixture that won’t hold together.
• Work Quickly: Once you combine the melted chocolate and peanut butter with the roasted oats, stir vigorously and quickly, as the mixture will start to set as it cools.
• Portion Consistently: Use a small cookie dough scoop to portion out the mixture evenly. Press firmly into the scoop to compact the dough, then gently flatten each cookie with lightly oiled fingertips for a neat finish.
• Experiment with Flavors: Feel free to add a twist by mixing in ½ teaspoon of peppermint, almond, or vanilla extract into the melted chocolate-peanut butter blend. You can also swap out about ⅓ cup of oats for thinly chopped nuts or unsweetened coconut for additional texture and flavor.
• Mix Chocolate Types: You can try mixing two types of chocolate—for instance, using 1/3 cup of 85% dark chocolate along with 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chips, or even adding a few dairy-free white chocolate chips for an extra layer of sweetness.
• Storage Suggestions: After forming, freeze the cookies for 15 minutes to set them quickly, or chill in the fridge for about 3 hours until firm. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 month, enjoying them straight from the freezer or after a short thaw at room temperature.

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About Carine

Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, photographer, and published author of a cookbook and founder of The Conscious Plant Kitchen with my husband Damien.Learn more about us.