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–+ servings
Pile of homemade peanut butter cookies on baking tray.

Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Servings: 18 cookies
Author: Tracy Halasz

Ingredients

  • ½ cup vegan butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (48 grams)
  • ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed (100 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons aquafaba or almond milk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups flour, all purpose
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt

OPTIONAL Cookie Topping

  • 2 tablespoons chocolate or chocolate chips, chopped fine
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped fine
  • pinch flaky salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 370º F with rack in center position. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

  • Cream together the room temperature butter and peanut butter at medium speed.
  • Beat in the sugars, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
  • Add aquafaba (or milk) and vanilla - blend to incorporate.
  • Add the baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix on low-medium speed just until incorporated.
  • The dough will be thick (moist crumbles). Give a final stir with a rubber spatula or a mix with hands to incorporate.
    If the dough is too sticky/soft, add an additional tablespoon of flour.
  • Using a trigger scoop or tablespoon, measure out 16-18 balls of dough around 1 ½ tablespoons each (drop onto cookie sheet and press with fork or) roll with hands into a ball.
  • Arrange 2" apart on parchment lined baking sheet. Using the back of a fork, gently press a criss cross pattern into each cookie.
  • Scatter and press a few sprinkles onto the cookie (optional topping).
  • Bake right away or place the baking sheet into the fridge for 30 minutes - 2 hours to chill the dough for thicker cookies.

Oven Baked Method

  • When ready to bake, preheat oven to 370ºF. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the centers are puffy and the edges become golden. *The centers will be soft but will firm up while cooling.
  • Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Air Fryer Method

  • Preheat the basket air fryer to 320º F for ~3 minutes. Arrange 4 or 5 cookies in the basket with space between. Cook for 5 - 6 minutes. See Recipe note for more details.
  • Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes in the air fryer basket. After 5 minutes, using a flipper (spatula) transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Place cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter for several days or in the fridge for a week.

Crunchy Salty Chocolate Sprinkles (optional topping)

  • Chop the peanuts and chocolate together with a pinch or two of flaky sea salt.
  • Sprinkle over and gently press into the cookies before baking in the oven.

Vegan Nutter Butter Cookies (optional)

  • After baking the cookies, sandwich two together with fluffy peanut butter filling. Then dip or drizzle the cookies in melted chocolate.
  • Peanut Butter Filling. Whip together until fluffy ¼ cup peanut butter, 1-2 tablespoons soft butter, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt.
  • Chocolate for Dipping. Melt ½ cup vegan chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon refined coconut oil in the microwave. Dip or drizzle the cookies.

Notes

GF Flour: If using gluten-free flour (I tested using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free), the cookie dough is quite soft so I recommend chilling the dough for 2 hours.
Measuring Tip: if you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method for measuring flour. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it's overflowing then level off with the flat side of a knife.
*Scooping straight from a big bag of flour may result in too much flour in the dough.
Peanut Butter: the consistency of commercial brands like creamy Jif or Skippy work the best with this vegan peanut butter cookie recipe.
Runny or Natural Peanut Butter: works with some finessing:
  1. Mix the peanut butter well to ensure no separation then store in the fridge until solid.
  2. Make the cookies as per the recipe. I recommend chilling the dough for a minimum 2 hours up to 24 hours.
  3. Place directly from fridge into preheated oven.
  4. These tips should eliminate or minimize too much cookie spread.
  5. You could also add an additional 2-4 tablespoons of flour if the dough is too soft (it really depends on how runny your peanut butter is).
Aquafaba v. Dairy-free Milk: in my recipe testing, the aquafaba peanut butter cookies were a bit thicker and softer/more tender. The plant-based milk cookies were chewier and slightly thinner.  Both incredible!
Air Fryer Cooking Method: 
  • Cook time and temperature will depend on your brand of air fryer.
  • I recommend a test batch with 1 or 2 cookies to test time and temperature before committing to a whole batch.
  • For my air fryer (Kalorik Basket style from Costco) 5 ½ minutes was perfect.
  • The air fryer cookies are thicker, super tender, and melt in your mouth delicious.
  • If using parchment paper, include enough cookies in the batch to hold the paper down as the 'air' fryer blows hot air around the basket and this could create a hazard.
  • I did not use oil or parchment paper and my cookies did not stick. But you know your own air fryer. and it may need a light spray or wipe of oil before preheating. Try with and without in your test batch.
  • Expert Tip - let the cookies cool in the air fryer basket before transferring to cooling rack as vegan cookies are delicate when they first come out of the oven.
    Important!! Use a flipper/spatula to remove the cookies from the air fry basket once cool.