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.
These cookies are created to explore fun ways to use steel-cut oats beyond porridge! Don't get me wrong, I love myself a warm bowl of protein steel cut oats, but I am always looking to experiment in the kitchen.
This is how I landed on these delicious steel-cut oatmeal cookies. They are chewier and heartier than your typical oatmeal cookies, and incredibly satisfying.
If you love unique cookies, check out my chocolate chip chickpea cookies or vegan mug cookie next!
Jump to:
💚Why you will love these steel-cut oats cookies
- Hearty and soft with a unique chewy texture
- Simple one-bowl recipe ready in an hour
- Naturally dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free
- Great as a convenient grab-and-go breakfast or snack!
🌾What you will need
- Steel-cut oats - Also known as Irish oats or pinhead oats, they are coarsely chopped oat groats. We will precook them first, as they are dense and chewy. Use regular ones, not quick-cooking steel-cut oats!
- Oat flour - If you don't have it, make your own by blending oats in a high-speed blender until finely ground.
- Dark chocolate chips - Optional but highly recommended, because who doesn't love a bit of chocolate? I usually go with Enjoy Life's chocolate morsels.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✨Ingredient substitutions and variations
- Make it gluten-free - Use certified gluten-free steel-cut oats and oat flour.
- Nut-free version - Instead of peanut butter, opt for sunflower seed butter or tahini.
- Use your favorite candy - Instead of chocolate chips, substitute it with M&Ms, white or milk chocolate chips, or your favorite chocolate bar, chopped!
- Oatmeal raisin - Swap chocolate chips with equal amounts of raisins or other dried fruits (dried cranberries, sultanas, etc.).
- Make it nutty - Stir in up to ½ cup of chopped walnuts or almonds for extra crunch and flavor!
- Spices - For extra flavor and warmth, add spices of choice. My go-to includes cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin 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.
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.
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.
Step 5: Using a large cookie scoop, 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
- Cook oats in the microwave - Use a deep bowl and microwave for 8-10 minutes, stopping to stir every 1-2 minutes.
- Allow cooked oats to cool completely - Otherwise, they might melt your chocolate chips. To hasten cooling, transfer and spread oats out onto a large plate.
- Consistency of cooked oats - Ensure that cooked steel-cut oats are super thick, almost dough-like. If your oats are too wet, it will throw off the texture of your cookie dough.
- Handle dough with damp hands and utensils - The dough will be sticky. Hence, it is recommended that you portion the dough using a cookie scoop and flatten it with damp hands.
❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge - Steel cut oatmeal cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer - Cookies can be frozen for 3 months. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating - Reheat cookies in the microwave at 30-second bursts, or in an oven preheated to 180 °C (350°F) until warm.
❔Commonly asked questions
While oats are inherently free from gluten, cross-contamination might occur during processing. This is because they are often processed in facilities that also handle gluten-containing grains such as wheat, rye, and barley.
If you have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, look for certified gluten-free oats, which will often be indicated on the packaging.
No, steel-cut oats and rolled oats aren't interchangeable in cookies due to their different textures and cooking times. Steel-cut oats are much denser and require pre-cooking to soften, while rolled oats bake quickly and soften during baking.
This recipe is specifically developed for steel-cut oats, so rolled oats won't work here. If you only have rolled oats on hand, try my applesauce oatmeal cookies or vegan protein cookies instead!
Soaking steel-cut oats before cooking is not mandatory. However, soaking them for at least 8 hours before cooking will shorten cooking time and make them easier to digest by reducing their phytic acid content.
📖 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. Use sunflower seed butter or tahini to make this recipe nut-free. Helpful tips
- Cook oats in the microwave - Use a deep bowl and microwave for 8-10 minutes, stopping to stir every 1-2 minutes.
- Allow cooked oats to cool completely - Otherwise, they might melt your chocolate chips. To hasten cooling, transfer and spread oats out onto a large plate.
- Handle dough with damp hands and utensils - The dough will be sticky. Hence, it is recommended that you portion the dough using a cookie scoop and flatten it with damp hands.
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.
Sandy Drew says
These are tasty tho I used quick cooking steel oats that took 3 mins in microwave. The mins cooking was 12 exactly as they were soft and little crunchy from oats. Thanks
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!