Vegan Protein Cookies Recipe (4 Ingredients + Gluten-Free)

You crave something sweet but healthy, fast and grabbable, something that is so good that you can have a reward after going to the gym, still getting your protein out of it. These vegan protein cookies are made in 13 minutes, with only 3 minutes hands-on, without making a mess in the kitchen. Still with me?

These chocolate protein cookies are an easy snack, holiday treat, or healthy dessert made with vegan chocolate chips, nut butter, protein powder, and your favorite sweetener. Easy peasy! Take them to the gym, the office, or a picnic.

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🍪 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🥡 Storage
• 💡 Top tips
• 🥛 How to serve
• ❓ FAQ
• 📚 More healthy snacks recipes
• 🍫 More chocolate recipes
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧾 Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make the protein cookies: protein powder, nut butter, sweetener, and a pinch of salt to add depth of flavor.

• Protein powder - we chose chocolate protein powder to make these cookies double chocolatey. It will work if you use plain or vanilla-flavored protein powder, but you can add a teaspoon of raw cocoa powder to reach the same result.
• Natural peanut butter - we love using creamy peanut butter and chocolate; who doesn't? This ingredient helps to bring the cookie dough together. You won't even need vegan butter, as the fat content of nut butter is enough.
• Sweetener - we used maple syrup; we love the delicate and characteristic flavor it adds to desserts. Also, they help to add humidity, so the cookie dough is easy to shape.
• Chocolate chips are optional, but we think these cookies rock with chocolate chips. Get the small ones and make sure they are marked vegan.
• Maldon salt - completely optional. We love the combination of salt and chocolate. In a candy bar, ice cream always goes well. You can add it directly to the dough, crush it, or use fine sea salt. We like adding Maldon flakes on top of the cookies. Both methods work.

See the recipe card for quantities.

We use Complement's Organic and 100% Naturally Sourced Chocolate Protein Powder for these cookies and our smoothies. If you'd like to try it, use the promo code PBWORLD10 at check-out to enjoy a 10% discount.

🔪 Instructions

This gluten-free, vegan cookie recipe involves just a couple of simple steps.

Hint: If the peanut butter is not easily stir-able (ubiquitous if you are using natural nut butter, almond, or cashew butter), gently warm it on the microwave or Bain Marie to soften.

Hint: Preheat the oven before getting started to have it ready as soon as you finish up shaping the balls.

Step 7: Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack so they don't continue cooking. Let them cool completely.

Hint: you can have no-bake cookies as-is or bake them; I prefer to bake them briefly to harden them up.

🍪 Substitutions

To make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies vegan, you only need to make sure you get both protein powder and chocolate chips that are vegan since nut butter and sweeteners are naturally vegan.

• Unsalted Peanut butter: almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, macadamia nut butter, pumpkin seed butter, or another allergy-friendly nut-free option. I like to make peanut butter protein cookies.
• Chocolate chips -  are optional, but I think they make a fantastic addition; you can also replace them with vegan chocolate chunks. It’s also OK to substitute an equal amount of raisins, sultanas, or dried cranberries.
• Maple syrup - we like keeping things as natural as possible, so we avoid white sugar and use either maple syrup, agave nectar, or date paste. For sugar-free protein cookies, you can also use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or erythritol monk fruit.
• Protein powder - instead of protein powder, you can use any other flour, even all-purpose flour. Remember that to make vegan, gluten-free peanut butter cookies, you need to use gluten-free flour such as almond flour.

Also, these are dairy-free peanut butter cookies because we don't use whey protein, a derivative of dairy products. Always use a plant-based protein powder to ensure your protein cookies are lactose-free.

Hint: If you use liquid sweeteners, you may need to add more protein powder, so the cookie dough is firm enough.

📖 Variations

• Peanut butter - We like using creamy peanut butter, but you can use crunchy peanut butter to have a bite.
• Vanilla extract - add ¼ teaspoon if you love vanilla.
• Extra antioxidants - you can add a flax egg
• Chopped peanuts - add some if you like some crunchy texture on your vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

🍽 Equipment

1. Bowl - to mix your ingredients.
2. Baking dish - any oven-resistant tray will work.
3. Parchment paper - to place the cookies before baking them. We prefer using a baking silicone mat (affiliate link), to limit waste.

🥡 Storage

Store these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies in a BPA-free airtight container or cookie jar at room temperature for up to 3 days. You might notice that they will harden a little but are still delicious.

You can freeze your peanut butter chocolate cookies in an airtight container, but it doesn't stand up well to freezing for more than 3 months.

🥛 How to serve

Have these chocolate chip protein cookies with a glass of your favorite dairy-free milk, such as homemade almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or oat milk.

This hot chocolate almond milk will do the job if you are all about chocolate.

We also enjoy having these cookies with vegan golden milk as a cozy fall season mid-afternoon snack.

❓ FAQ

Use the promo code in the Recipe Card notes for a 10% discount on your chocolate protein powder (affiliate link).

📚 More healthy snacks recipes

Try our healthy truffle balls, no-bake pumpkin protein balls, chocolate protein balls made with the almond pulp, no-bake fig bars, homemade vegan granola bars, 3-ingredient oat milk chia pudding, and hazelnut-flavored bars.

Savor a tasty, 69-calorie mini blueberry muffin that you can prepare in under 25 minutes!

Try our pre-workout smoothie, which is also an excellent snack before exercising!

🍫 More chocolate recipes

Try out our vegan chocolate milk made with almond milk, dark chocolate chia pudding, 3-ingredient low-calorie protein balls, and vegan lava cake.

⭐ If you try these vegan chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe