3 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies

I love a simple recipes that use just a few ingredients.  It’s nice to just throw a few ingredients together and bake something that tastes cozy and delicious. My 3 Ingredint Banana Pancakes, 3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies, 2 Ingredient Biscuits, 3 Ingredient Brownies, 3 Ingredient Mug Cake and 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are some of my favorite minimal ingredient recipes I love to make.These three ingredient oat cookies are another recipe I know you will love.

• They have the perfect cozy texture. These 3 ingredient cookies are soft, chewy and have a texture similar to baked oatmeal. Adding a handful of chocolate chips adds another layer of flavor and texture that really makes these cookies shine.
• Easy to make with simple ingredients.  All you need to make these oatmeal cookies are bananas, peanut butter and oats. Simply mix the dough, scoop, bake and enjoy.

This recipe for three ingredient oatmeal cookies require only a 3 simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.  Here’s what you’ll need.

Gather all ripe bananas, peanut butter and oats. For even more flavor, gather vanilla extract and chocolate chips. 

Here are my recommended substitutions to make these soft and chewy flourless oatmeal cookies.

• Creamy Peanut Butter: Feel free to use any creamy peanut butter you like. Natural peanut butter, other nut butters, sun butter or tahini can also work as long as they are all thoroughly mixed (ie, the natural separation of oils to nut butter are all mixed together).
• Mashed Banana: Make sure the bananas are fully ripened with some brown spots. 
• Old Fashioned Oats: Quick cooking oats can also be used in place of the rolled oats. Quick cooking oats are softer than rolled oats so no resting time is needed. 
• Vanilla Extract: This ingredient is optional, but provides a lovely background flavor for the bananas, peanut butter and oats. 
• Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips. This ingredient is also optional, but recommended.

Variations

• 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies (No Banana): If you prefer to make these cookies without banana, simply swap the banana with pumpkin puree or applesauce. Use an equal amount of pumpkin or applesauce with these changes. For pumpkin, add a sweetener like maple syrup to taste. For applesauce add ¼ cup more oats to the mixture. Follow the rest of the recipe as written. 
• 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies (No Bananas or Peanut Butter): Swap the peanut butter for another nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter. Sun butter or tahini can be used as nut free alternatives. Swap the banana with ½ - ¾ cup maple syrup (to taste). Follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Learn how to make 3 ingredient oatmeal cookies in a two easy steps.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mash 3 medium bananas until mostly smooth with a few lumps. Once the bananas are mashed, stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract (if using) until smooth and well combined. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips (if using) until well combined. Cover the banana peanut butter oat cookie dough and rest while the oven continues to preheat. I suggest allowing the cookie dough to rest for 20 - 30 minutes. 
2. When the cookies are ready to bake, use a medium cookie scoop to drop 2 tablespoon sized oat cookie dough onto the lined baking sheet. The cookies will not spread much while baking. If you prefer slightly flatter cookies, press the tops of the cookies down slightly into a disk shape. Top with more chocolate chips if you like. Bake the three ingredient oatmeal cookies for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are set and lightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy.

M’s Expert Tips

• Let the cookie dough rest. This recipe for these three ingredient oatmeal cookies benefits from a rest or chill time. Old fashioned oats provide a hearty and cozy texture to the cookies, but they need some time to soften. After mixing the cookie dough, allow the cookie dough to rest for about 30 minutes while the oven preheats. 
• Add a couple of ingredients for more flavor. To stay true to the “three ingredient” part of these easy sugar cookies, vanilla extract and chocolate chios are optional. However, adding vanilla extract and chocolate chips really makes these cookies shine. 
• Use a cookie scoop. Use a medium 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to easily transfer these cookies from the mixing bowl to the cookie sheet. Using a cookie scoop also ensures the cookies are all the same size. 
• Cool the cookies. After baking, these cookies need to remain on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes before moving them to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Other Oatmeal Recipes To Try

• No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
• Banana Oatmeal Muffins
• Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
• Iced Oatmeal Cookies

If you try this 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M