Flourless oatmeal cookies with the perfect amount of chew. They're easy to make and even easier to eat (so be careful!). No flour oatmeal cookies are one of my favorites!
I live for a good oatmeal cookie! There are two things I have zero self-control around: cinnamon rolls and oatmeal cookies. (Okay, okay, and Potato Chips!)
I wanted these no flour oatmeal cookies to be ALL about the oats, so I refused to use peanut butter as a binder. And the results are lip smackin' good!
Don't misunderstand me here. The left side of my heart is made of peanut butter and I eat it every morning on my waffles. But just this once, I want it to be all about the oats!
You will love these flourless oatmeal cookies without peanut butter!!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. In other words, if you click a link and purchase something I will receive a commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I use and enjoy myself.
Key Ingredients in Flourless Oatmeal Cookies:
- Butter - I always bake with unsalted butter. It gives you control over the salt. Nobody likes a salty cookie! Make sure the butter is room temp. If it's not, zap it in the microwave in 5-second increments until it is.
- White & Brown Sugar - Trust me on this one! The high ratio of brown to white sugar creates the best texture and flavor.
- Egg - For binding!
- Quick Cooking Oats - I used quick cooking oats and the cookies came out perfect. I love to use quick oats in recipes because they absorb liquid quickly and easier than old fashioned oats. They behave similar to flour whereas old fashioned oats add more chew and texture.
- Baking Soda - Cookies need leavening too! Otherwise, they come out too dense.
- Kosher Salt - A small amount of salt enhances sweetness. If you only have table salt, cut the amount in half.
How to Oatmeal Cookies without Flour:
These flourless cookies are super simple to make! Before you start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a couple sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and both sugars: In a stand mixer on medium speed for four minutes. The mixture will look lighter and fluffier than when you started.
- Add the egg: Beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape the bowl with a spatula.
- Dry ingredients: Dump in your oats, baking soda and salt. Beat on medium speed until everything is thoroughly mixed together. Scrape the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
- Scoop: Use a small portion scoop to scoop 5 cookies onto a prepared sheet pan. Give the cookies plenty of space to spread!
- Bake cookies: 11 minutes or until the outsides are brown and the insides still look a little underdone. If you pull the cookies out when the entire cookie looks done, they are overbaked.
- Cool: The cookies will continue to cook a little once they are out of the oven and then set up as they cool. The exterior will be crispy and the interior chewy! Don't try to remove them from the pan right away!
Expert Tips:
- Don't overbake the cookies. Cookies shouldn't look done when you pull them out of the oven. If the entire cookie is golden brown, it will set up crispy! The edges should be golden brown, and the centers should look underbaked.
- Let the cookie set up before you move them. At first the cookies look soft and not done. Be patient and trust the process! If you let the cookies cool on the sheet pan, they will harden into a cookie.
- Get a silpat! Parchment paper also works, but if you love to bake get a silpat. I have two and I can't imagine my baking life without them. It's basically a silicone mat that lines your sheet pan and keeps everything from sticking.
- Do NOT use old fashioned oats! They won't work in this recipe. The cookies will spread too much.
Variations & Substitutions:
- Gluten-free: If you have Celiac disease, buy oats that are labeled gluten-free. I used Bob's Red Mill's Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats. Do NOT use old-fashioned oats!
- Dairy-free: Swap the butter with a vegan butter alternative.
- Spiced: Add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice!
- Mix-ins: Try mini chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, M&M's, Reese's Pieces, butterscotch chips, walnuts, or white chocolate chips.
- Thicker: For a thicker cookie, increase the quick oats by ¼ cup.
Storage & Freezing:
To store:
- Let the cookies cool completely!
- Transfer the flourless oat cookies to an airtight container.
- Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To freeze:
- Unbaked: Scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheet pan or plate. Place the plate into the freezer. Once the cookie dough balls are frozen, transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake the cookie dough from frozen.
- Baked: Bake the cookies as directed. Once the cookies are completely cool, transfer them to a zip-top bag or freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thicker Cookies:
If you prefer a thicker cookie, no problem! Simply increase the amount of quick-cooking oats from 2 ½ cups to 2 ¾ cups! Quick cooking oats act more like flour than regular oats.
More Cookie Recipes:
- Oat Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Coconut Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Instant Oatmeal Cookies
Flourless Oatmeal Cookies
These flourless oatmeal cookies are chewy, gluten free, and delicious! They're easy to make and even easier to eat (so be careful!). No flour oatmeal cookies are one of my favorites!
Equipment
- Sheet pans
- parchment paper or silpats
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp (1 stick)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups quick cooking oats* Make sure they're labeled gluten free for gluten free cookies
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cream butter and both sugars in a stand mixer on medium speed for four minutes. The mixture should look lighter and fluffier.
- Add the egg and beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
- Add quick cooking oats, baking soda, and kosher salt to the bowl. Beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
- Use a small portion scoop to scoop 5 cookies onto a silpat or parchment lined sheet pan. The cookies spread so be sure to give them space!
- Bake for 11 minutes, until the outsides are brown but the center still looks underdone. The cookies will set up more as they cool. If the entire cookie looks done or golden brown when you pull them out of the oven, they will be overbaked.
- Repeat until all the cookie dough is gone.
- Let them cool on the sheet pan, then enjoy!
Video
Notes
*Old fashioned oats will not work in this recipe! For a thicker cookie, increase the quick-cooking oats from 2 ½ cups to 2 ¾ cups.
Do not overbake the cookies! They won't look done when you pull them out of the oven. Let them cool and set up on the pan. As they cool, they will harden and turn into a cookie!
Nutrition
Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 18366118mgPotassium: 2279mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 171IUCalcium: 6682mgIron: 92mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Rita Colby
Thank you sooo much for this delicious, quick and easy recipe. It is amazing but my husband and I ate the whole batch in two sittings because they were so good. We decided we needed to make more!!! This is my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe now!!! Thank you again!!
Carolyn
I'm so glad you loved them. After working so hard on creating my recipes this is the type of comment that makes my day!
Brandie
This might be a silly question, but do they freeze okay after being baked? I like to make big batches of stuff (mainly so I can be lazy later), and these look so good and simple.
Carolyn
Yes, these cookies freeze well!
Patricia
why are ur cookies flat and mine were just in a ball
Alison
Hi!
Is there a replacement I could use for the butter? I have trouble with dairy...
Thanks,
Alison 🙂
Carolyn
I know there are dairy-free stick butter substitutes. I haven't tried them yet in this recipe so I can't say for sure if it will work. I'd say it's worth a try but if you don't want to risk it I will try to make it soon and update the recipe.
Kelly
Butter flavored crisco! I can't do dairy either but use the butter flavored crisco and have no trouble.
Lisa K Hutchinson
Hello, will be trying these cookies today just a quick question. Do they keep well and for how long? (If I don't eat them in one sitting)
Have you frozen them?
Carolyn
Yes, they keep well and freeze great. In fact I have some in my freezer right now. To freeze wait until they're completely cool and then carefully place them into ziptop freezer bags. I like to freeze my treats after the second day this way they stay fresh. To defrost just microwave until room temperature or warm.
Kerri
Thank you for this recipe! Every Christmas, I made Mom and Dad's favorite cookies for them. Since Dad found out that he had to be gluten free I haven't made his cookies. This recipe will work for him but I have a question for you. You said to add raisins but I had to boil raisins before I add them to the batter. Do I have to boil them before I add them?
Carolyn
You shouldn't need to!
Kim
I added a tspn of cinnamon, tbsn of molasses, tsp of vanilla and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. They turned out amazing!
Tiffany
We got snowed in and I had a really bad sugar craving and I was out of flour. Let me tell you! These hit the spot! I took the last commenters advice and added a tbsp of molasses and tsp of cinnamon and vanilla and I also added a little nutmeg. These are buttery and caramelized. The whole family went crazy over these! These will definitely be made again! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Carol Miller
I tried these for the first time. I like them, but for some reason, they didn't hold together well. When I pick them up, after cooling, they break. I was baking these for a friend who has celiac, so I really don't want to gift her with broken cookies. What do you suggest to correct this problem...an extra egg yolk?
Carolyn
I haven't had this problem. I will make them again this week and see what I can do!
Carolyn
I forgot to ask, did you use quick cooking oats? Old fashioned oats don't work!
Lia
Very good, I used rolled oats and flour and it worked.
Lori
This only makes 5 cookies?
Tara
No, I thought that at first too. Only bake 5 cookies per baking sheet because they spread.
Laura
I used Costco gluten free old fashioned oats and when they didn’t hold, I threw some almond flour into remaining dough and it worked ! My family devoured them.
I made again today and added 1/2 cup of almond flour to my old fashioned oats. And we bought some vanilla ice cream to roll in the warm cookie! Also added a splash of vanilla to mix.
NWillis
I followed the recipe with a few modifications; I used the Old Fashion Oats, ground it up nicely in a food processor. I used Crisco butter flavor shortening in place of butter. In place of white sugar, added 1/4 cup of Whole Earth Organic Erythritol. Used 2 eggs to add to the fluff. Added vanilla extract to enhance the flavor and chocolate chips. The cookies held up nicely, did not break apart... my grandson who is Autistic said "delicious cookies" and call them special cookies. Yum. Thank you for your recipe, this is my go to oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Kim
I have had a hard time since having to go gluten free and lactose free but I substituted "I Can't Believe It's not butter"& these cookies turned out great! Thank you so much! I seem to have a problem with rice flour too so my options have been so limited. This is just wonderful to be able to eat an oatmeal cookie again!!
Penny
Can I use swerve or stevia sugar substitute
Jennifer Mckenzie
I made these today and they turned into a sheet cookie, lol because they spread together and filled the pan. The taste is delicious but they did not hold together and I realized it was becasue I used old-fashioned oats and instead of quick cook. so the second half of the batch I ground up 1/2 of otas to make oat flour, added it in and voila! The cookies held together perfectly
Carolyn
I'm so glad it worked out. This recipe only works with quick-cooking oats because they absorb more liquid than rolled oats.
Matt
I love cookies with texture, and oatmeal is my go-to when I need a fix. I always have quick cooking oats in the pantry, so I threw this recipe together and it doesn't disappoint! Super simple and delicious!
Mary Cate
I made these cookies today, and I did add a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and about half a cup of chocolate chips. They were absolutely delicious! It is nice to have a recipe that is gluten-free and you could make it dairy free if you needed to. Thank you.
Nancy
Made these for a gluten free friend. There were "leftovers" and now we all love them. Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Carolyn
I'm so glad to hear it! Thanks for leaving a review.
Brooke
Delicious and flexible!
I've been looking for a flourless oatmeal cookie(not so much to remove flour as to get the most of that delicious oatmeal texture) and this one has made it into my permanent collection!
In one batch, I omitted the white sugar and reduced the brown sugar to 1/2 cup, and the results were a lovely, mild cookie!
In another, I swapped the egg for 1/4 cup apple butter, and added cinnamon and nutmeg and WOW. Without egg, the cookies didn't spread nearly as much, but they cooked through just fine and were delicious.
Thank you for this recipe!!!
Judy Fredette
It's a great recipe. I did not have the quick oats, but found out you can make your own from the whole by just running them through the food processor for a few pulses. Followed the recipe but instead of putting directly on the cookie sheet, I put them into the silicone cupcake wrappers. They turned out thicker and perfectly round. Baked just about 11 minutes. They puffed up and then the middles went back down, so I helped push the high outside edges down to level the top of the cookie. Thinking about a drizzle of icing now.
Mary
These were so yummy, my husband and I had a hard time trying not to eat them all in one sitting! Mine came out more like a crisp than cookie, but still delicious. Not sure why mine had more air pockets in them and don’t look as fluffy as the photos, but they sure were good!
Rachel
Can I use vegetable oil?
Carolyn
No, I wouldn't recommend it.
Lenny Wagon
Very good add some egg to make less crumbly and definitely dont use rolled/old fashioned oats!
Susan W
These are great! I added a handful of raisins and they turned out wonderfully chewy and delicious Thank you!
joanne mckinney
I didn't have a stand mixer, so I'll try it with the handheld. Does the amount of time change when one does that?
Carolyn
It should be the same
Dena
My grandson is allergic o dairy, can I use vegan butter instead of regular butter?
Carolyn
Yes, that should work!
Angela Conti
I made these a bit smaller than recommended and I left them on the baking sheet until everything was cool and they held together pretty well - taste amazing too 😍
Nicole
I followed the recipe to a T and they didn’t turn out. Pretty bummed. They didn’t maintain a cookie shape they melted together flat into one huge rectangle:(
Carolyn
I'm sorry to hear this happened! Let's trouble shoot. One thing that could cause this is using the wrong type of oats. Did you use quick-cooking oats? Rolled oats won't work in this recipe.
Patty A.
How many equals a serving size for the nutritional facts?
Carolyn
One cookie
Judy
I haven't made these cookies yet and am wondering if I can substitute steel cut oats if I soak them in water first. I've seen another recipe that says to soak steel cut oats and they can be substituted for quick cooking oats. Your thoughts, please.
Carolyn
I wouldn't try it with this recipe.
Dani
umm so far they didn't turn out the dough kind of melted and oatmeal stayed in a clump. In my opinion they contain a lot of sugar and dont have enough dough. Fast to make but really don't recommend.
Carolyn
I'm guessing you used rolled oats instead of quick-cooking oats. Since this recipe doesn't contain flour, you have to use quick-cooking oats. They're thirstier than rolled oats and behave more like flour. Hope this helps!