• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Loving It Vegan

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook

Crunchy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies stacked up on a white plate.

Oh YUM! Crunchy vegan peanut butter cookies!

If you love peanut butter as much as I do, then you want to put it in as many things as possible, and baking it into cookies is nothing but a very fine idea.

Of course peanut butter cookies is kind of a classic, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel here or anything, it’s just a case of veganizing an old fave. And really, I made these 3 times to try out some different things and every time I made them they came out slightly differently, but ALL 3 batches were sensationally good. So I don’t think it’s really possible to mess this one up!

There’s just a couple of things to be aware of that I’ll get into below.

Mixing the dough for vegan peanut butter cookies in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie dough rolled into balls on a parchment lined baking tray.

The first time I made these I couldn’t find my regular favorite peanut butter brand in the store (which is Black Cat, a South African brand), so I got an American brand instead. It was just a standard smooth salted version, but clearly must have contained a higher proportion of oil or something, because the first time I made it, I didn’t need to add any extra wet ingredients to get my cookie dough to the right consistency, it was easy to roll into balls.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies on a baking tray ready to go into the oven. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies on a baking tray freshly baked straight out of the oven.

The first batch came out almost like shortbread – with that awesome hard crunch you get with shortbread. I was a big fan!

But because they were so shortbready, I wondered how it would be if I added a flax egg to the recipe. So I did this to the second batch and again – this batch came out deliciously, but was more soft and chewy, quite similar in texture to my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Which is great, but I thought the first batch was likely closer to a classic peanut butter cookie.

So…. for this third batch that you see pictured, I decided to stick with the original recipe for the first batch, BUT in the meantime my usual peanut butter brand was back in stock so I used this one instead.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies stacked up on a white plate against a blue background. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies stacked up.

And suddenly my cookie dough was just too dry, it would not form into balls, it was just crumbling. So I had to add in a little soy milk and then it was great.

So, depending on the brand of peanut butter you use, you might end up with a dough that is just the right consistency, you’ll know this by whether or not you can roll it into balls quite easily. It needs to stick together when you roll it into a ball, not crumble and break apart instantly. If it rolls easily then you have a perfect cookie dough and there’s no need to add any soy milk (or other non-dairy milk) to your cookie dough.

However, if it breaks apart and crumbles when you try to roll the cookie dough into balls, then your dough is too dry. You can then add a little non-dairy milk until the dough is the consistency that can easily roll into balls (as pictured above).

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies stacked up on a white plate. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies stacked up on a white plate.

They are really quick and easy to make – taking 35 minutes in total and making in the region of 20 cookies, depending on how big you roll them.

My first batch made 22 cookies, my second 24, and in this batch there are 20. I mean it’s the same amount of dough, it just depends on how large you want to roll those balls.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies stacked up on a white plate. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies stacked up on a white plate.

These vegan peanut butter cookies are wonderfully crunchy, sweet, peanut-buttery and satisfying.

Have with a glass of non-dairy milk for a milk and cookies afternoon treat or with a cup of tea.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies laid out in a row. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies laid out in a row.

I hope you enjoy these vegan peanut butter cookies – any thoughts or questions, post them in the comments section below and please do rate the recipe too, it’s so helpful! Thank you!

For more divine vegan cookies, check out these recipes:

  1. Vegan Chocolate Cookies
  2. Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
  3. Vegan Snickerdoodles
  4. Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  5. Vegan Thumbprint Cookies

Sign up to our email list for a fabulous dinner recipes ebook (entirely free!) and to stay updated with all our latest recipes posted to the blog!

A stack of Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies A stack of vegan peanut butter cookies, the ones on top broken in half.

Print
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Crunchy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies


★★★★★

4.7 from 15 reviews

  • Author: Loving It Vegan
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 20
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Quick and easy vegan peanut butter cookies that are wonderfully crunchy, sweet, peanut-buttery and satisfying. A perfect dessert or filling snack!


Ingredients

  • 1 cup (200g) Sugar + 1/4 cup (50g) for rolling
  • 1/2 cup (112g) Vegan Butter
  • 1 cup (250g) Smooth Salted Peanut Butter
  • 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)*

Instructions

  1. Add the sugar and vegan butter to a mixer and beat them together until creamy. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix in.
  2. In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix in (by hand, don’t use your electric mixer for this part).
  3. Test the cookie dough by trying to roll some into a ball. If it holds together perfectly then you’re good to go. If it crumbles and won’t hold together, then add in 1 Tbsp Soy Milk and test it again. If it still won’t roll into a ball, add another 1 Tbsp Soy Milk and test again. You may not need to add any soy milk to your cookie dough, or you may need up to 3 Tbsp.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
  5. Roll the dough into balls, and then roll them in sugar and place evenly onto a parchment lined baking tray.
  6. Flatten slightly with a fork.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top. They will be soft when they come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.

Notes

*You may not need the soy milk at all or you may need a little more, up to 3 Tbsp of soy milk, this will generally depend on the brand of peanut butter used. Add it only a Tbsp at a time and test to see if you can roll the dough into a ball before adding any more.

*Adapted from Food Network.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Cookie
  • Calories: 183
  • Sugar: 13.8g
  • Sodium: 236mg
  • Fat: 9.1g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 22.7g
  • Fiber: 0.9g
  • Protein: 3.7g

Keywords: vegan peanut butter cookies

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #lovingitvegan

Get Your Copy! It's FREE!

You might also like

  • Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip CookiesVegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal CookiesVegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
  • Vegan Snickerdoodles – Soft and Puffy!Vegan Snickerdoodles – Soft and Puffy!
  • Vegan Lemon Cookies – Soft and ButteryVegan Lemon Cookies – Soft and Buttery
  • Vegan Oatmeal Raisin CookiesVegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
  • Vegan Chocolate CookiesVegan Chocolate Cookies
Quick and easy vegan peanut butter cookies that are wonderfully crunchy, sweet, peanut-buttery and satisfying. A perfect dessert or filling snack! | lovingitvegan.com
Share
Tweet
Pin
2K Shares

About the Author

Hi I'm Alison! I'm a passionate vegan foodie, recipe creator and author of Simple Vegan Dinner Recipes, a digital program created so that you always know the answer to: 'What's For Dinner?' I believe in delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out.

Simple Vegan Dinner Recipes Banner
Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.
Previous Post: « Best of May 2016
Next Post: Easy Vegan Dinner Rolls »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura C. says

    December 31, 2018 at 2:42 pm

    These are the BEST peanut butter cookies I can ever remember making! I followed the recipe exactly, weighing all the ingredients, except for reducing the amount of vanilla to 1 teaspoon. I used Earth Balance brand vegan butter and smooth, “natural” peanut butter. I didn’t have to add any soy milk to my dough as it was the perfect texture to roll easily, and the recipe made 31 cookies. I baked them for 12 min and they turned out melt-in-your-mouth peanut-buttery smooth. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Alison Andrews says

      January 1, 2019 at 9:16 am

      Wonderful! Thanks a million for posting Laura! 🙂

      Reply
« Older Comments

Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

Leave A Comment & Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm Alison! Vegan foodie. Binge watcher of good TV shows. Cat mom. Sweet tooth. Terrible sleeper always staying up too late....

About Me →

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

POPULAR POSTS

Wholewheat Bread

Copyright 2019 - Loving It Vegan - Contact - Media Kit - Privacy Policy and Disclaimer - Terms and Conditions

Get 10 fabulous dinner recipes!
Absolutely free! Sign up below!
Get Your Copy! It's FREE!