These raw cookies with peanut butter and chocolate chips are a such a healthy and delicious no-bake sweet treat! Naturally sweetened with dates and made without any flour, these no bake cookies are loaded with nutrient-rich ingredients and are the perfect sweet treats to satisfy your sweet tooth with no oven required! {Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free & no added sugar}
Peanut Butter Date Cookies – No Baking Required!
In our house, we’re all about the quick and easy no bake treats, and this is one of our favorite recipes! They’re so easy to make since you just blend everything together in a food processor, yet they’re soft, tender, and oh so moist.
The dates add that extra sweetness, and who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate? We always make a double batch to freeze for tasty treats throughout the week. Give them a try and you’ll see what I mean!
If you’re a fan of healthy edible cookie dough, be sure to try my Protein Cookie Dough Balls and Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites too!
Featured Comment
“Made these this evening and they are to die for. My 5 year old loves them. I did walnuts since I didn’t have peanuts and omg they were divine. No more store bought cookies for us.” – Natasha
Why We Love These Healthy Date Cookies
- Great flavor combination with the caramel-like dates, nutty peanuts, and chocolate
- Can be made ahead of time and frozen for months at a time!
- Formulated by a Registered Dietitian to be packed with fiber, healthy fats and antioxidants to keep you feeling nourished and satisfied
- The single-serving size makes them naturally portion controlled
- Uses simple ingredients you probably already have on hand
- Ready in less than 20 minutes
- Allergen-friendly – no eggs, no dairy, no all purpose flour!
Ingredient Notes
- Medjool dates: Dates are a great way to naturally sweeten these raw cookies. Use soft pitted dates for the best results.
- Peanut butter: Use natural peanut butter with no added salt or sugar for the healthiest option. You can also sub in almond butter if desired.
- Oats: Quick oats replace the flour in this recipe for a tasty fiber-packed option. I use whole oats here which are ground into oat flour while blending.
- Peanuts: Use unsalted peanuts. If you only have salted on hand, then skip the added salt. Some commenters have added that they make these with raw walnuts and love them!
- Pure vanilla extract and salt: For additional flavor and sweetness.
- Chocolate chips: No cookies are complete without chocolate chips! I like to use 50-70% dark chocolate chips for extra antioxidants.
How to Make Raw Vegan Cookies – Step by Step Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, process the dates until they’re broken down and form a paste-like consistency. Stop the processor a few times to scrape down the sides.
- Add the peanut butter, oats, peanuts, vanilla and salt to the food processor. Process until well combined. If the dough seems too crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoon of water at a time, blending after each addition, until the mixture is sticky enough to form into balls without crumbling apart (I added 2 tablespoons of water until I reached the right consistency).
- Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to break down and combine. Place mixture in the fridge for about 15 minutes to allow it to firm up slightly.
- Roll the dough into 12 bite-sized balls. Next, flatten each with a fork or the palm of your hand, fixing any larger cracks along the edges with your fingers.
- Top with additional finely chopped peanuts and chocolate chips, if desired. Store in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to allow the cookies to firm up.
Expert Tips for the Best Vegan Cookie Dough
- Use soft dates: I prefer to use soft dates for this recipe. If your dates seem extra hard, soak them in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes to soften them and make them easier to blend.
- For stickier dough: Once you’ve combined the ingredients in the food processor, it should form a big ball of sticky dough. If your mixture still seems too crumbly, add a little bit of water (1 tablespoon at a time), processing after each addition, until the mixture is sticky enough to form into cookies.
- Allow them to sit: The cookies might seem a bit oily at first, but the oats will absorb most of the oil after the cookies have been sitting for about an hour or so in the fridge.
Storage Guidelines
Refrigerator: Store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to a week.
Freezer: You can freeze these raw cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container to store for up to 2 months. They won’t freeze solid so they can be enjoyed straight from the freezer.
Recipe FAQs
Regular cookie dough often contains uncooked flour and raw eggs, so it should not be eaten raw due to the risk of E. coli and salmonella. Read more about the potential risks here. Unlike traditional cookies, these raw chocolate chip cookies don’t contain raw flour or eggs, so it’s perfectly safe to eat them without baking.
Yes! If you store them in the freezer, they don’t freeze solid, so you can serve them up straight from the freezer. Such a refreshing treat!
If the mixture is too crumbly when you try to form the cookies, you probably haven’t added enough water to help the mixture bind together. Add a little bit more water (a tablespoon or so) until the mixture is sticky enough to form into cookies.
Optional Add-ins
These chocolate cookies are pretty delicious as they are, but they’re easy to adapt to suit your own tastes.
Try adding in:
- Shredded coconut
- Dried cranberries
- Raisins
- Cacao nibs
- Cocoa powder
- Hemp hearts
- Chia seeds
Recipe Variations
- Switch out the nuts: Try raw cashews, almonds, walnuts, or pecans instead of peanuts.
- To make nut-free: Use Wow, sunflower or pumpkin seed butter instead of peanut butter and hemp hearts or sunflower seeds instead of peanuts.
- Make raw cookie dough balls: Rather than doing no-bake cookies, you can also roll the edible cookie dough into little bites.
More Healthy Cookie Recipes
- Healthier Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Heart Cookies with Jam
- Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
- Oat Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
- Banana Zucchini Cookies
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Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {Vegan}
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates, packed
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1/4 cup peanuts, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (plus a few extra for topping)
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, process the dates until they’re broken down and form a paste-like consistency. Stop the processor a few times to scrape down the sides.
- Add the peanut butter, oats, peanuts, vanilla and salt to the food processor. Process until well combined. If the dough seems too crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoon of water at a time, blending after each addition, until the mixture is sticky enough to form into balls without crumbling apart (I added 2 tablespoons).
- Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to break down and combine. Place dough mixture in the fridge for about 15 minutes to allow it to firm up slightly.
- Roll the dough into 12 bite-sized balls. Next, flatten each with a fork or the palm of your hand, fixing any larger cracks along the edges with your fingers.
- Top with additional finely chopped peanuts and chocolate chips, if desired. Store in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to allow the cookies to firm up.
Notes
- Use soft dates: I prefer to use soft dates for this recipe. If your dates seem extra hard, soak them in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes to soften them and make them easier to blend.
- For stickier dough: Once you’ve combined the ingredients in the food processor, it should form a big ball of sticky dough. If your mixture still seems too crumbly, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, processing after each addition, until the mixture is sticky enough to form into cookies.
- Allow them to sit: The cookies might seem a bit oily at first, but the oats will absorb most of the oil after the cookies have been sitting for about an hour or so in the fridge.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in June 2022 and the text, photos and formatting were updated in March 2025.
Made these this evening and they are to die for. My 5 year old loves them. I did walnuts since I didn’t have peanuts and omg they were divine. No more store bought cookies for us.
Yes!! Aren’t they amazing?! I bet they were delicious with walnuts too! Glad you found a tasty alternative to store-bought cookies :)
Love these cookies! You can feel good about having this treat…they are super yummy! I really enjoy all your recipes Elysia! Thanks so much!
So glad you enjoyed the cookies and I’m happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying the other recipes as well! Thanks so much for the feedback :)