Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft, thick and perfectly crumbly, these dairy free peanut butter cookies are downright impossible to resist! Packed with rich peanut butter flavor, they’re wonderfully classic and incredibly easy to whip up. Making them fantastic for the holidays or any time you need a sweet treat.

Two Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies on a white plate.

Craving something sweet? 

It’s totally time to whip up a batch of these incredible dairy free peanut butter cookies.

Jam-packed with big peanut butter flavor, they’re kind of like a cross between shortbread and a classic soft baked cookie.

Making them seriously impossible to resist. 

Especially, especially, when dunked in a glass of your favorite dairy free milk. So. Darn. Good. 

And did I mention that they’re also super simple to pull together? Thanks to just a handful of ingredients like flour, peanut butter, sugar and coconut oil. 

Making them perfect for the holidays or any random day of the week. 

Because, let’s be real, peanut butter cookies are ALWAYS a good thing!

Cookie dough in a bowl and then unbaked cookies on a baking sheet.

How To Make Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies

So, let’s chat about how these dreamy cookies go down:

Mix the dry ingredients. First up, we’ll whisk together some flour, baking soda and salt.

Beat the wet ingredients. Next, we’ll beat together two kinds of sugar, melted coconut oil, peanut butter, an egg and vanilla. 

Combine then shape. The two get mixed together, then we’ll scoop the dough into balls and use a fork to flatten, making a criss cross pattern.

Chill in the fridge. We’ll pop the shaped cookies in the refrigerator and let them hang out for about 1 hour, until firm. 

Bake until golden. Finally, we’ll bake the cookies in the oven until set and lightly browned. 

Cookies cooling on a wire rack.

Tips & Tricks

  1. I mention this down in the recipe but it deserves repeating. If you are using a natural peanut butter PLEASE be sure to use one that is not at all drippy in texture and is truly no stir (i.e. it has added oils). This is important for the structure of the cookies. While I love peanut butter that only has peanuts and salt, I find it’s not the best for baking.
  2. As far as brands, I tested these with both Skippy’s No Stir Natural Creamy Peanut Butter and Simple Truth Organic No Stir Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and both worked great (not sponsored, just what I tried myself). If you are using conventional peanut butter, any kind will work.
  3. When measuring out your flour, fluff in the container then scoop into your measuring cup with a spoon and level off. Don’t dunk the cup straight into the bag as you’ll likely use too much.
  4. Let’s talk about the coconut oil. I like to melt the oil first and let it cool for about 5 minutes while I take out all the other ingredients, measuring cups, etc. I find this is just the right amount of time for it to cool a bit before using in the recipe.
  5. I personally use unrefined virgin coconut oil in these cookies and don’t think you can taste coconut in the final product. But, if this is something that concerns you, use refined coconut oil instead (which is more neutral in flavor).
  6. I have not tested these with dairy free butter (melted and cooled slightly), but I think it should work just fine in place of the coconut oil if you want to go that route.

A plate filled with Non Dairy Peanut Butter Cookies.

How To Store

Counter: Let the cookies cool completely then transfer to an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for about 5 days.

Freezer: You can also store the cooled cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Alternatively, you can freeze the cookie dough to bake off at a later time.

To do this, roll the dough into balls, flatten with a fork and then chill as directed in the recipe. Once firm, add the shaped (but unbaked) cookies to a freezer safe bag or container, then keep in the freezer until ready to enjoy.

Bake straight from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the cook time (or you might not need to add any time at all – just keep an eye on them). 

Two Coconut Oil Peanut Butter Cookies on a plate with a bite taken from one.

Additional Dairy Free Cookies You Might Enjoy:

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Two Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies on a white plate.

Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Yield: about 22 to 23 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 32 minutes

Soft, thick and perfectly crumbly, these dairy free peanut butter cookies are downright impossible to resist! Packed with rich peanut butter flavor, they’re wonderfully classic and incredibly easy to whip up. Making them fantastic for the holidays or any time you need a sweet treat.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup coconut sugar (or lightly packed brown sugar)
  • ½ cup pure cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil, cooled slightly*   
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter**
  • 1 large egg                       
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together both kinds of sugar, the coconut oil, peanut butter, egg and vanilla with a hand mixer for about 30 to 45 seconds, until well combined. 
  3. Using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until well combined and the flour is all absorbed - it will take a bit of arm power to get the dough to come together. 
  4. Line two small trays or large plates with parchment paper. Scoop about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of dough and use your hands to form into a ball. Place on the prepared tray / plate and use a fork to flatten each cookie to about ½ inch in thickness, making a criss cross pattern.
  5. Transfer the trays to the refrigerator and chill for about 1 hour, until firm.
  6. Toward the end of the chill time, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Arrange the chilled cookies on the prepared baking sheet about 2 to 3 inches apart. If baking in batches, keep the remaining dough in the fridge. 
  8. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until set (11 minutes will give you a softer cookie while 14 minutes will give you a bit more crunch / crispness around the edges). Remove from the oven and let cool directly on the baking sheet - they’ll firm up as they cool.

Notes

*Melt your coconut oil first and then measure out the correct amount. 

**If you are using a natural peanut butter, PLEASE be sure to use one that is truly no stir and not at all drippy in texture (i.e. it has added oils). If you use something that is drippy, it won’t behave quite the same in the recipe. See the tips & tricks section in the post above for more details and for my recommendations on natural peanut butter brands.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 22 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 150mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 3g

Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.