These steel-cut oats cookies are the perfect combination of crispy edges and soft, chewy centers, making them an incredibly hearty and satisfying treat. Simple to make, they require no chill time and are ready in an hour!
These cookies make the perfect mid-afternoon snack, especially when paired with my soy latte or protein hot chocolate.
Got an open bag of steel-cut oats in your pantry? Instead of just making oatmeal (like my protein steel-cut oats), try these soft and chewy steel-cut oats cookies—a wholesome, feel-good treat that’s just as delicious as it is satisfying!
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💚Why you will love these steel-cut oats cookies
- Hearty, dense, and rich
- A simple recipe that only calls for simple ingredients and ready in an hour
- Ideal as a convenient grab-and-go breakfast or snack
- Meal prep friendly - Stores well and freezes beautifully!
🌾What you will need
- Steel-cut oats – Also called Irish or pinhead oats, these are coarsely chopped oat groats. Be sure to use traditional steel-cut oats (not the quick-cook version).
- Oat flour – Use certified gluten-free oat flour if you are gluten intolerant. You can also make your own by blending rolled or quick oats in a high-speed blender until finely ground!
- Dark chocolate chips – Optional but highly recommended. They add a delightful touch of sweetness (and who doesn’t love a bit of chocolate?). I love using Enjoy’s Life chocolate morsels.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✨Ingredient substitutions and variations
- Steel-cut oats - Do not substitute with rolled oats; it will not work in this recipe! If you only have rolled oats, I recommend checking out my vegan protein cookies or applesauce oatmeal cookies instead.
- Maple syrup – Feel free to swap with other liquid sweeteners like agave syrup or honey.
- Peanut butter – You can easily substitute this with another nut butter or ¼ cup of butter (plant-based or regular). I also love using my coconut almond butter for a unique twist.
- Chocolate chips - You can substitute it with M&Ms, white or milk chocolate chips, or your favorite chocolate bar, chopped!
- Oatmeal raisin cookies – Swap the chocolate chips for raisins for additional sweetness.
- Chopped nuts – Stir in up to ½ cup of chopped walnuts or almonds for extra crunch and flavor!
- Spices - For more flavor and warmth, add any spices of choice, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice.
🔪How to make
Step 1: Start cooking the steel-cut oats by adding oats and water into a pan.
Step 2: Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the oats have softened. Remove from heat and let the oats cool.
💡Tip
Let the cooked steel-cut oats cool completely before using them. Adding warm oats to cookie batter causes the chocolate chips to melt!
Step 3: While oats are cooling, mash bananas, then mix the rest of the wet ingredients until everything is well combined.
Step 4: Add the cooked oats, oat flour, chocolate chips, and the rest of the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined.
Step 5: Using a ⅓ measuring cup, scoop cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Using damp hands or the back of a spoon, flatten the cookies.
Step 6: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are set and lightly browned. Let them cool for a few minutes before digging in!
✅Helpful tips
- Microwaving the oats – You can cook your oats in the microwave for convenience! Use a deep bowl and microwave for 8-10 minutes, stopping to stir every 1-2 minutes.
- Consistency of cooked oats – Make sure the cooked steel-cut oats are thick and relatively dry. Oats that are too wet can throw off the texture of your cookie dough.
- Use a cookie dough scoop - The dough is quite sticky and tricky to handle, so using a cookie dough scoop will make the shaping process much quicker.
- Flatten the cookies – These cookies are lower in sugar and fat and won’t spread much during baking. Lightly flatten using damp hands before baking.
- Serving ideas - Pair with a cup of warm milk or coffee like my protein iced coffee.
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❄️Storing suggestions
Storing - Steel-cut oat cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days. To prevent them from going stale, store them in an airtight container.
Freezing - Cookies can be frozen for 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating - You can either reheat cookies in the microwave at 30-second bursts or in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 3-5 minutes.
❔Commonly asked questions
Steel-cut oats are naturally gluten-free, but cross-contamination can happen during processing. If you're gluten-intolerant, opt for a brand that’s certified gluten-free.
Steel-cut oats and rolled oats have very different textures and cooking times, so they’re not interchangeable in cookies. Steel-cut oats are denser and harder, requiring a much longer cooking time, whereas rolled oats soften and bake more quickly.
When using steel-cut oats in cookies, they need to be pre-cooked first to soften before mixing into the dough. That’s why it’s important to follow the recipe as written—this one is specifically developed for steel-cut oats, so no substitutions are needed!
To microwave steel-cut oats, add oats and water to a deep bowl and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes. Stir it every 1-2 minutes to prevent oats from overflowing or scorching at the bottom.
📖 Recipe
Steel Cut Oats Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
To cook oats
- 1 cup steel cut oats *
- 2 ½ cup water
Wet ingredients
- 2 medium ripe banana about 7 oz / 200g
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or another liquid sweetener
- ⅓ cup peanut butter or other nut/seed butter (see notes)**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour 180g (use gluten-free if needed)***
- ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Cooking oats
- Start by cooking your steel cut oats. In a pan or pot, place in oats along with water, and bring mixture to a boil.2 ½ cup water, 1 cup steel cut oats
- Lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes or until most water is absorbed by oats, stirring occasionally. Oats have a very thick consistency once cooked.
- Allow oats to cool completely before using.
Making cookies
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mash bananas until smooth.2 medium ripe banana
- Add in rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.⅓ cup maple syrup, ⅓ cup peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Next, add in dry ingredients along with cooked steel cut oats. Mix until everything is well incorporated.2 cups oat flour, ½ cup chocolate chips, ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- Using a cookie dough scoop or spoon, scoop out about 2-3 tablespoons of mixture. Slightly flatten it using damp hands or back of a spoon.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they appear to be set and the edges are lightly browned. Let them cool down slightly before digging in!
Notes
***Peanut butter – You can easily substitute this with another nut butter or ¼ cup of butter (plant-based or regular). Helpful tips
- Microwaving the oats – You can cook your oats in the microwave for convenience! Use a deep bowl and microwave for 8-10 minutes, stopping to stir every 1-2 minutes.
- Consistency of cooked oats – Make sure the cooked steel-cut oats are thick and relatively dry. Oats that are too wet can throw off the texture of your cookie dough.
- Use a cookie dough scoop - The dough is quite sticky and tricky to handle, so using a cookie dough scoop will make the shaping process much quicker.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Curt says
Love the recipe, added some orange zest, diced apricots and slivered almonds.
Jim Mee Sha says
I am so happy to hear that!
Susan says
I love this recipe and make it a few times a month, so I always have some in the freezer to have for breakfast most days. I play with the ingredients. I use whole wheat flour instead of oat, and raisins and dates instead of the chocolate chips. I typically mix in wheat germ, flaxseed and chia too. So delicious and healthy! My favorite breakfast.
Meesha says
Happy to hear that! I need to try out your variation, it sounds delish!
Curti says
Great cookies, added some orange zest, diced apricots and sliced almonds. Great stuff!
Meesha says
I am happy to hear that!
Sally says
I had success making oatmeal cookies with "quicker" steel cut oats that take about 8 minutes. Do think I could substitute them in this recipe? Also, would pumpkin work as a substitute for banana?
Meesha says
I personally have yet to try cooking with quick steel-cut oats, but from quick research, you might have to reduce water for cooking oats to 1-1.5 cups, and slightly reduce the cooking time. As for the banana, you could try substituting with equal amount of pumpkin puree, but you might have to add a splash of plant milk if the cookie batter is too thick. Hope that helps!
Liz says
Love the recipe but why did you put the ingredients in with the Directions? You already had these in the separate ingredients.
Took me time to sort it out. If you don’t use conventional formatting my recipe database can’t organise it properly. Just really annoying.
But the cookies a good so thanks for that.
Meesha says
Some people find it useful to not constantly scroll up to look at the ingredients everytime.😊
Dev says
Very good recipe. I made it per the directions and they were easy and delicious. Perfectly sweet considering they have no sugar. Not a strong banana flavor for those who don’t particularly like bananas. Eaten warm they’re like “oatmeal without the bowl” so my next batch I’ll trade the chocolate chips for my favorite oatmeal mix-ins: walnuts, dates, dried cranberries, and raisins. I won’t feel guilty eating these for breakfast.
Meesha says
Happy to hear that you like it😊
Joanne says
Can I use Almond flour instead of oat flour?
Meesha says
Although I have yet to try it myself, I do believe it will work from past experience. However, you might have to adjust the amount use, and I recommend starting with a cup of almond flour, and adding more from there. Hope this helps!