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These Healthy Breakfast Cookies are loaded with nuts, seeds, oats and whole grains for a cookie that packs some serious health benefits. Once you make them you’ll see why they’re the best! They can be made gluten-free and vegan if needed.
Are Cookies Healthy For Breakfast?
Now I’m not saying it’s healthy to go eat a batch of Ginger Molasses Cookies or Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossom, but when it comes to cookies packed with nourishing wholesome ingredients like these breakfast cookies or these Oatmeal Banana Cookies, cookies can actually be a healthy choice for breafkast!
While traditional cookies tend to be loaded with sugar, butter, and ingredients that won’t leave you feeling full, breakfast cookies are packed with good-for-you ingredients that you would typically enjoy in the morning.
These breakfast cookies are made with a combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, oats and an egg, which is basically everything you would find in a healthy breakfast.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Gluten-free cookies. These breakfast cookies are naturally gluten-free (made with gluten-free certified oats) and can easily be made vegan by replacing the egg with a flax egg.
- High in protein and fibre. Each cookie is packed with 4 grams of protein and 4 grams and fibre to keep you feeling full all morning long.
- No mixer. These cookies are easy to make directly in a bowl, no mixer required!
- Freezer-friendly. These breakfast cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Key Ingredients And Substitutions
These Healthiest Breakfast Cookies have also got a permanent place on my weekly meal planning rotation. I love to prepare a batch of these healthy breakfast cookies on a Sunday and have
- Oats: it’s best to use large flaked oats here for more texture, but quick oats will work too. Just make sure not to use steel-cut oats.
- Almond flour: This flour is naturally gluten-free and is made from ground almonds. You can substitute with whole-wheat flour with all-purpose flour if needed.
- Nuts: I use almonds as my nuts in this recipe, but you can use any type of nuts you love like walnuts, pecans or cashews.
- Seeds: I use a combination of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds. You can mix up the seeds you use or leave out any seeds you don’t like.
- Maple Syrup: this is used to sweeten the cookies and help them stick together. You can also use honey or agave syrup.
- Egg: this is an important ingredient to bind the cookies together. For a vegan variation use a flax egg. (1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with three tablespoons of water that you let sit to gel for 5 minutes.)
- Nut or seed butter: Use any kind you love! Nut butter is packed with healthy fats and will help the cookies bind together. It’s best to use the runny kind for easy mixing.
- Dried fruit: This is an optional mix-in. I recommend using unsweetened dried fruit to keep the sugar down, but any type you like will work like dried cranberries or dried blueberries
- Chocolate chips: Optional, but who doesn’t love chocolate chips in cookies?! I use 70% dark chocolate.
How To Make Healthy Breakfast Cookies
*This is a recipe overview. The full recipe with measurements can be found below in the recipe card.
Step 1
Step 1: Add the oats, almond flour, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, cranberries, chocolate chips, cinnamon and a pinch of salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, maple syrup, tahini and vanilla extract until smooth and incorporated.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Step 4: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until evenly combined.
Step 5: Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookies onto a baking sheet, then use your hands to press them down. (These cookies won’t spread on their own)
Step 6: Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool before eating.
How to store these cookies
Counter: store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.
Freezer: store leftover cookies in an airtight container or a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. to defrost let thaw on the countertop and optionally warm slightly in the oven.
Jess’s Tips
- Use large flake oats for the best texture – Rolled oats (large flake) provide a chewy, hearty texture, while quick oats will result in softer cookies. Avoid steel-cut oats, as they won’t work well in this recipe.
- Press the cookies down before baking – Since these cookies don’t spread, shape and flatten them slightly before baking to achieve the perfect cookie shape.
- Customize with your favorite mix-ins – Swap dried cranberries for raisins, dried cherries, or chopped dates, and experiment with different nuts and seeds for a flavor you love!
- Let them cool completely before storing – These cookies firm up as they cool, so allow them to fully cool before transferring to an airtight container.
- Double the batch for meal prep – These cookies freeze beautifully! Make a big batch and store extras in the freezer for a grab-and-go breakfast option.
- Vary the sweetness – If you prefer a less sweet cookie, reduce the maple syrup slightly or swap for mashed banana for natural sweetness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These breakfast cookies are made with wholesome ingredients like oats, nuts, seeds, and natural sweeteners, making them a great alternative to oatmeal or cereal.
Absolutely! You can replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, left to sit for 5 minutes) for a vegan-friendly version.
Yes! Maple syrup can be swapped for honey, agave syrup, or mashed banana.
Try These Breakfast Recipes Next!
If you tried these Healthiest Breakfast Cookies or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
The Healthiest Breakfast Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These are the BEST healthy breakfast cookie ever packed with seeds, nuts and oats.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/4 cup almond flour (can sub any type of flour)
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- dark chocolate chips (as many as you like, I use about 1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup tahini or almond butter (I like to mix both)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg (*or flax egg)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix together until well combined
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop evenly sized cookies onto the baking sheet. Press down with your hands (these cookies won’t spread)
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
Notes
- Use large flake oats for a chewy texture; avoid steel-cut oats.
- Press cookies down before baking as they won’t spread.
- Customize mix-ins with different dried fruits, nuts, or seeds.
- Let cookies cool completely before storing to firm up.
- Double the batch and freeze extras for meal prep.
- Adjust sweetness by reducing maple syrup or using mashed banana
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 155
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 20mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
These are my new favourite breakfast cookies. I’ve made a lot of breakfast cookies in my day, but none have held their shape as well as these. Thank you for the recipe Jess, will 100% make these again!
Thanks Liane! These are one of my favourites too. Made some on Sunday been snacking on them all week 🙂
These cookies are soooooooo tasty and super healthy too!!!! Even my toddler loved them. Super easy to make too! I’ll definitely be making these many many times in the future!!!!
Thanks for the review Hayley! So happy both you and your toddler loved them 🙂
OMG!! Some of the best cookies I have ever made!! I have made 4 batches in the last month! I decided I needed a bit more fiber in my diet and the chia and flax meet the mark! I did a bit of substituting. I used dried tart cherries and Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips. I used flax meal instead of seed and pecans instead of almonds. My sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds were already roasted and salted, so I cut the salt I went half and half on the tahini with sunflower butter. I used a sugar free gluten free muesli that had some nuts and dried fruit in it instead of the oatmeal. I upped the amount of chia as well to a 1/4 cup.
I think there are so many ways to make these. Definitely healthy and delicious!!! Thank you
Hi Tona, so happy you’re enjoying the recipe! 🙂
Super tasty and super healthy! Yummy!
Thanks Hayley! happy you liked them 🙂
These are fantastic! I made them exactly as directed the first time. I have substituted different nuts when running out of others and it is no problem. Walnuts or pecans, etc. I only had half the amount of almond butter so topped it off with peanut butter. No problem. Love them and thanks for this posting!
Thanks Debra! Happy you enjoyed 🙂
These were so delicious. I will be making them regularly!
Thanks Jessi! Happy you liked the recipe 🙂
So delicious! I only had slivered almonds and sea salt pumpkin seeds so that’s what I used. I’ll definitely be making these often, in the fall I plan on using pumpkin spice and walnuts. This is exactly what I was craving and they did not disappoint!
Thanks Beebz! So happy you enjoyed!
GREAT recipe and I used HEMP seeds instead of chia and that worked great too! Thanks for the GREAT recipe!
Thanks Cherly! So happy you loved it 🙂
These seriously are THE best breakfast cookies! Because they’re so full of seeds and good ingredients, they’re also perfect for after a workout! My husband and I love them. I just put a batch in the oven…they will likely become a staple in our house! SO GOOD?
So happy you loved the recipe Audra!
Greetings from Ireland and thank you for this fantastic recipe. I’ve made these at least a couple of dozen times over the past few months for my vegetarian wife. She never tires of them.
I omit the chocolate and cranberries but add chopped Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, dried figs, dates and apricots. Sometimes chopped prunes. They make this a great breakfast snack (but I’ve caught her munching them at bedtime, too!).
Thanks agin and best wishes.
Hi Tony, Happy you enjoyed the recipe! You’re substitutions sound delicious!