These soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are surprisingly healthy and good for you. Made with rolled oats and no flour, this easy one-bowl oat cookie recipe is flourless, gluten-free and vegan friendly. It's finally time to satisfy your cravings without guilt!

If you ever ask me what's my favorite dessert, the answer will be Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are simply the best of all words: oats + cookies + chocolate chips. They are so delicious... I just can't resist. That's why I love this recipe so much. It's quick, easy, delicious and surprisingly healthy!

Why these are the BEST oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?

There are many recipes on the Internet, but no one is like this. My recipe manages to combine taste with nutrition and convenience to make the best chocolate chip oat cookies ever. You still can't believe me? Keep on reading.

• Flourless, dairy-free and oil-free, these cookies are healthy and allergy friendly.
• Made in a bowl in under 10 minutes, this recipe is so quick and easy.
• Soft and chewy, these oat cookies with chocolate chips (gooey) are so delicious.
• Perfect for breakfasts, snacks and desserts, this is a versatile recipe that comes in handy for many occasions.

Ingredients in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

This is a healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, meaning that it only calls for wholesome ingredients. Rolled oats, peanut butter, egg and banana...There is no need for flour, butter, or excessive amounts of sugar. Be sure to read further and you will learn everything on what you need to make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Healthy!

Wet ingredients

Egg. This helps the dough stick together, making your oat cookies soft and chewy.

• Replacements: In case you are vegan, replace with half mashed banana more. As an alternative you can also use a flaxseed egg.

Banana. In this easy healthy recipe, a ripe banana adds natural sweetness without too much sugar. Further, it gives oil-free oatmeal cookies a soft texture with a fraction of calories.

• Replacements: The banana can be replaced with about half a cup of applesauce, preferably unsweetened applesauce.

Peanut butter. Instead of oil or butter, this recipe uses natural peanut butter. The addition of nut butter gives homemade oat cookies a soft and chewy texture while improving taste and flavor. Plus, it perfectly matches with banana and oats!

• Replacements: Peanut butter can be substituted with any other nut butter, such as almond butter, cashew butter or pistachio butter. Use tahini or sunflower seed butter in case you are allergic or intolerant to nuts.

Vanilla extract. If you are looking for the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, don't forget to mix in a teaspoon vanilla extract.

The dry ingredients

• Rolled oats. A key ingredient for healthy chocolate chip cookies, rolled oats give a great texture and plenty of nutritional benefits. Besides their nutritional benefits, old-fashioned rolled oats are also the most popular, budget-friendly oatmeal in supermarkets.
  • Replacements: Quick oats are a great alternative. They produce more or less the same result but your chocolate chip oat cookies will turn out slightly softer.
• Oat flour. I like using oat flour because it is a wholegrain unrefined alternative to white flour. You can purchase it from the store or make your own by blending rolled oats until getting a flour.
  • Replacements: The oat flour can easily be replaced with any other flour you have at home. For a healthier recipe I suggest wholegrain alternatives such as almond flour, wholewheat flour or spelt flour. But also common all purpose flour is suitable.
• Brown sugar. In combination with ripe banana, this is going to sweeten our healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Whenever possible, try to prefer unrefined brown sugar because it is more nutritious.
  • Replacements: You can replace with coconut sugar, cane sugar, date sugar, white sugar or with any other granular sweetener.
• Baking powder. In this recipe, baking powder acts as leavening agent and makes your flourless oat cookies rise and get thicker.
  • Replacements: You can swap it out for about ⅓ teaspoon baking soda.
• Salt. Add a pinch of salt for the best result. Its purpose is to balance sweetness level while enhancing flavors.
• Chocolate chips. To make healthy oatmeal cookies lower in sugar, this recipe uses extra dark chocolate chips. You can choose any type of chocolate you like, such as sugar-free or milk chocolate chips.

Gluten-free chocolate chip oat cookies

This one-bowl oatmeal cookie recipe is already gluten-free: no need for white flour or other grains. If you are using certified gluten-free oats and oat flour, you should be safe. However, I still suggest checking that your oatmeal has the "gluten-free" label on the package. Many products in the market are sometimes mixed with other grains.

Vegan oat cookies

If you follow a vegan diet, make eggless chocolate chip oat cookies by replacing the egg with either half mashed banana more or one plant based egg. Some options are flaxseed egg and chia egg, they are a natural solution to eggless baking.

High protein chocolate chip cookies

Besides being healthy and delicious, this recipe is perfect if you are looking for macro-friendly treats. Making high protein oat cookies is very simple; all you should do is to replace all the flour with a protein powder of your choice and adjust the dough with more oats or nut butter, depending on your protein powder choice. While vegan protein powder and casein tend to absorb more liquid, whey won't soak that much and you may need more flour. After many "try and fail", I can say that my recommendations are vanilla flavored soy protein and vanilla casein.

How to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies healthy?

Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl mash the banana and combine with egg, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Using a hand mixer or whisk, stir the wet mixture for a couple of minutes until all is well combined.

Add the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture rolled oats, oat flour and baking powder. Using a spatula, stir all ingredients together, then add the chocolate chips into your oatmeal cookie dough.

Bake the oat cookies. Scoop about ⅓ cup of dough out and shape 10 discs. Transfer your chocolate chip cookies with oats to a parchment paper covered baking sheet, spacing them apart. Bake in hot oven for 10 to 12 minutes and let cool over a baking rack before serving.

Storage information

After baking, line your cookies over a baking rack – or let in the tray – and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Once they have cooled, transfer to an airtight food container, making sure it is sealed with lid so that humidity doesn’t get in.

• At room temperature, they will last for up to 3 days.
• In the fridge, they will stay fresh for about 5 days.
• In the freezer, they will keep for 3 months. For the best storage, make sure you seal leftovers in zipping bags or in a freezer safe container. Before eating, reheat for a couple of minutes in the oven until warm and chewy again.

Serving ideas

• For desserts. On their own, with a glass of milk or with extra nut butter on top, these healthy cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth without guilt.
• For breakfast. Enjoy your oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a bowl of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit for a delicious healthy breakfast that is packed with protein and taste.
• As a grab-and-go snack. Pack some cookies and take them with you whenever outside. They are a great healthy snack for work, school and trips.
• Post workout snack. Enjoy alongside your favorite fruit and a protein shake to fuel your body after exercising.

More healthy cookie recipes

• Healthy oatmeal raisin cookies
• Chocolate chip healthy cookies
• Oatmeal protein cookies
• 3 ingredient breakfast cookies
• Healthy oatmeal cookies
• 2 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies
• Blueberry oatmeal cookies
• Pumpkin oat cookies
• Banana bread cookies