Made with applesauce in place of eggs, these vegan peanut butter cookies are really special!
Peanut Butter Cookies (No Eggs) Recipe
These vegan peanut butter cookies are YUMMY. Brittany Angell, a really gifted baker that we’re beyond excited (and honored) to be working with, developed this recipe specifically for vegan-eaters — that means that it is the PERFECT vegan peanut butter cookie (rather than one that’s been tweaked and modified to fit into the vegan lifestyle). Applesauce is used in place of eggs here, and to be quite honest, I’d be willing to bet that any non-vegan-eaters in your life wouldn’t even know the difference!
Why should I make peanut butter cookies without eggs?
If you have an egg allergy or intolerance, having an egg-free cookie recipe can really be a life-saver. While there are several egg substitutes on the market, it’s really nice to have a recipe that was formulated to be egg-free (rather than trying to modify another recipe yourself).
Is vegan a healthy peanut butter cookie recipe?
If you’re a vegan-eater, this is a great recipe for you! While it still isn’t considered a “health-food” (hello, it’s a cookie!), it’s definitely made with better ingredients than you’ll find in most store-bought vegan cookie options.
Ingredients for Vegan Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
Here’s everything you’ll need for these vegan peanut butter cookies:
- Vegan Butter – to start, you’ll need 6 tablespoons of room-temperature vegan butter.
- Brown Sugar – to sweeten your cookies, you’ll need a ½ cup (105 g) of brown sugar.
- Organic Cane Sugar – in addition to the brown sugar, you’ll also need a ½ cup (110 g) of organic cane sugar, plus (this is totally optional) another ¼ cup for rolling the cookies.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – 3 tablespoons (46 g) of unsweetened applesauce act as an egg replacer here.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – 1 cup (245 g) of creamy peanut butter bring the rich, salty/sweet, peanut buttery flavor to the cookies.
- Flour – 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (170 g) of all-purpose flour acts as the base of the cookies.
- Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon of double-acting baking powder helps the cookies to rise and spread just a tad.
- Himalayan Salt – a ¼ teaspoon of Himalayan salt helps to counter the sweetness and enhance the rest of the flavors in the cookies.
- Vegan Chocolate Chips (optional) – this is totally optional, but if you’d like a peanut butter/chocolate combo, add 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips to the mix too.
Ingredient Modifications
This recipe calls for a really specific set of ingredients, but there are a few swaps that will work. Find those below:
- Make it gluten-free: for a gluten-free vegan cookie, just swap the all-purpose flour for the same amount of King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF flour.
- Switch up the mix-ins: if the peanut butter chocolate combo isn’t your thing, either leave the chocolate chips out altogether (for a more traditional PB cookie) or swap them for the same amount of any other mix-in you love. Nuts, seeds, dried cranberries, and crushed up pretzels would all be delicious options.
Supplies You Need to Make This Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need (supply-wise) to make this recipe:
- 2 Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Large Bowl
- Cookie Scoop
What do I substitute for eggs in a vegan peanut butter cookie recipe?
This recipe calls for applesauce as the egg replacer. Egg replacers are tricky, so having Brittany formulate this recipe specifically for vegan-eaters is incredibly helpful. If you’re looking for more on egg replacers, here’s our full guide on egg-free baking.
How to Make Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies
Here’s the step-by-step guide to the best vegan peanut butter cookies ever:
- Prep – preheat oven to 350°F, set 2 of the oven racks to be as close to the center of the oven as possible. Line 2 standard baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar – in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, brown sugar, and cane sugar. Using a hand mixer or the stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high for about 30-40 seconds.
- Add the applesauce and peanut butter – add to the bowl, the applesauce and peanut butter, and mix on high again until fully combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and, if using, chocolate chips – add the flour, baking powder, and salt, then mix on medium just until the dough comes together and thickens. If using, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop, roll, and crisscross the cookies – if rolling in sugar, pour the ¼ cup of cane sugar into a small bowl. Scoop the cookies, roll them in the sugar, and place them on the prepared baking sheets at least one inch apart. There should be about 10-12 cookies per tray. Using a fork, press down in a crisscross pattern until the cookies should be about a ½- to -¾-inch thick.
- Bake – bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, swapping their positions in the oven after 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the edges are golden brown, and allow them to cool completely before removing from the pan to avoid crumbling.
- Enjoy – once completely cooled, enjoy the cookies! Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge. They may also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Tips and Tricks for Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
These tips and tricks came straight from Brittany herself!
- If using table salt (as opposed to Himalayan salt), only an ⅛ teaspoon is needed.
- For best results, a more processed creamy peanut butter is best — Jif Naturals PB works perfectly.
- Use a cookie scoop that holds roughly 1 ½ tablespoons of cookie dough.
- Use the gram measurements for perfect results.
- These cookies do not look fully baked when they are removed from the oven, but they will finish cooking through as they cool. You will know they are done when the edges are golden brown.
- Other cup-for-cup gluten-free flour mixes should also work.
- If using all-purpose flour, be sure not to over mix the cookies — this will develop the gluten and make them a tougher texture.
How to tell if a vegan peanut butter cookie is done?
You’ll know that your peanut butter cookies are done and ready to be pulled from the oven when the edges are golden brown. Remember, the cookies aren’t going to look fully baked at this point, but for soft cookies, you’ll want to pull them out anyway. They’ll continue to cook as they cool!
What do you serve with the best vegan peanut butter cookies?
Serve your cookies with your favorite non-dairy milk or ice cream for a really yummy after-dinner treat!
How do you store easy vegan peanut butter cookies?
Store the cookies in a sealed container either on the counter (at room temperature) or in the refrigerator. Feel free to freeze your cookies (again, in a sealed container) for longer storage!
How long do easy peanut butter cookies (no egg) last?
Stored on the counter or in the refrigerator, your cookies are best enjoyed within 5 days from baking (they’ll still be safe to eat after this, they just won’t taste as fresh). Store any frozen cookies in the freezer for up to a month.
More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes
(Eggless) Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons room temperature vegan butter
- 1/2 cup 105 g brown sugar
- 1/2 cup 110 g organic cane sugar, plus 1/4 cup more for rolling the cookies (optional)
- 3 tablespoons 46 g unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup 245 g creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons 170 g all-purpose flour (or King Arthur Measure for Measure for GF)
- 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and set 2 of the oven racks to be as close to the center of the oven as possible. Line 2 standard baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, brown sugar, and cane sugar. Using a hand mixer or the stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high for about 30-40 seconds.
- Add to the bowl, the applesauce and peanut butter, and mix on high again until fully combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, then mix on medium just until the dough comes together and thickens. If using, stir in the chocolate chips.
- If rolling in sugar, pour the ¼ cup of cane sugar into a small bowl. Scoop the cookies, roll them in the sugar, and place them on the prepared baking sheets at least one inch apart. There should be about 10-12 cookies per tray. Using a fork, press down in a crisscross pattern until the cookies should be about a ½- to -¾-inch thick.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, swapping their positions in the oven after 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the edges are golden brown, and allow them to cool completely before removing from the pan to avoid crumbling.
- Once completely cooled, enjoy the cookies! Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge. They may also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Recipe Notes
- If using table salt (as opposed to Himalayan salt), only an ⅛ teaspoon is needed.
- For best results, a more processed creamy peanut butter is best — Jif Naturals PB works perfectly.
- Use a cookie scoop that holds roughly 1 ½ tablespoons of cookie dough.
- Use the gram measurements for perfect results.
- These cookies do not look fully baked when they are removed from the oven, but they will finish cooking through as they cool. You will know they are done when the edges are golden brown.
- Other cup-for-cup gluten-free flour mixes should also work.
- If using all-purpose flour, be sure not to over mix the cookies — this will develop the gluten and make them a tougher texture.
Nutrition
so yum! we used almond butter and they turned out great! I think I might try a flavored almond butter sometime – like caramel or vanilla!
Oooh what a great idea, Patricia!
Tastes great! Thanks!
Hi Ella! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thank you for taking the time to share with us! ~Melissa