Healthy No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (gluten, dairy, and sugar free)
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These Healthier No-Bake Chocolate Cookies are made with only 9 wholesome ingredients (with one secret ingredient), plus they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and refined sugar free.
Whip up a batch or two of these delicious cookies to have on hand for healthy snacks anytime.
No bake chocolate cookies are such a treat, but the traditional no bake cookies have so much sugar, they’re not a great option for people who are wanting to eat healthier.
With this recipe, you can have your cookies and eat them too — without guilt.
And I’ve even added a “secret ingredient” (gelatin) to the recipe to give them added nutrition over most healthier chocolate no bakes out there.
These cookies are chocolate-y, and hearty, with a hint of coconut.
They are less sweet than most homemade chocolate no bake cookies out there, but personally I prefer it that way.
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Secret Ingredient — Gelatin
Yes, there’s gelatin in these cookies.
(If you’re vegan — don’t worry. There’s a substitute ingredient you can use.)
Also, don’t worry if you think gelatin makes these cookies weird. They don’t have gummy candy texture and you’ll have a little extra gut loving gelatin in your diet just by eating cookies.
These macaroons hold together very well (thanks to the gelatin and coconut oil) even though they’re pretty crumbly during the molding/spooning stage,
I love that these are a one-pot, no-bake cookies and that they work very well shaped into cookie molds. If you choose to spoon them into clusters make sure to press them together a bit, or squish in a ball in your hands before placing on the paper.
Ingredients
- coconut oil you can use butter instead if you’d like
- vanilla
- almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- grass-fed gelatin
- cocoa powder
- cashew butter (or other nut or seed butter. Sunflower seed butter or almond butter are great choices. Peanut butter is great for those who tolerate it. In that case, I recommend natural peanut butter.
- liquid stevia (60-80 drops; or to taste)
- gluten-free rolled oats
Recipe Notes
- Sweetener Options: If you aren’t needing to eat lower carb or don’t like how stevia tastes, you can use maple syrup or honey, or another sweetener. The amount of liquid stevia used should be equivalent to about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of sugar so you can use whatever sweetener you like keeping that in mind. For honey and maple syrup, since they are sweetener than sugar, try starting with 1/8 cup and go from there.
- Almond Butter Alternatives: Some candida diets prescribe not using cashews due to mold issues. I haven’t had an issue with them, as I have with peanuts, but use whatever nut or seed works well for you.
- Vegan Option: For a vegan option, use organic agar agar powder instead of gelatin.
- Low-carb / Keto Option: Use more unsweetened coconut instead of the oats for a low-carb / keto option.
- Note that the cookies will need to firm up after making them. Chilling will help this to happen faster.
- Soaking Grains: For a boost in nutrition and digestibility, you can soak the oats before using them in this recipe. The cookies might not look as nice, but your body will thank you!
- Molds: These molds would work great for these cookies, and for any other heart treats you’d like to make.
More Easy Healthy No Bake Treats
No Bake Almond Joy Bars – so easy and amazingly delicious
Sugar-free Mounds Bars – a great wholesome coconut chocolate treat like the popular Unreal Bars.
Chocolate Avocado Truffles – so yummy and full of great nutrition from avocados!
Healthy No Bake Coconut Cookies – so simple and simply delicious
Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Macaroons (gluten, dairy, and sugar free)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grass-fed gelatin
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup cashew butter (or other nut or seed butter as needed)
- 5-7 teaspoons liquid stevia (60-80 drops; or to taste)
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 1/4 cup coconut (fine dried)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine the oats, dried coconut and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
- While the coconut oil is melting, place the almond milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin overtop. Let it sit for a few minutes to let it “bloom”. This will prevent hard gelatin “globs” in the final product. After a few minutes whisk the gelatin into the milk.
- Add the milk and gelatin mixture, cashew butter, and cocoa to the saucepan and whisk to combine.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and stevia (remember to adjust the stevia to taste).
- Add in the oats, coconut and salt mixture and stir to coat.
- Drop by spoonfuls (may have to use your hands to squish them) onto parchment paper. OR press them into cookie cutters or molds (I greased mine with coconut oil). Once you have pressed them in you can push the macaroon out of the cookie cutter gently and place them on parchment paper.
- Allow them to cool in the fridge or freezer. They will set and hold together after they have cooled.
- Eat ‘em up!
Notes
- Sweetener Options: The amount of liquid stevia used should be equivalent to about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of sugar so you can use whatever sweetener you like keeping that in mind. For honey and maple syrup, since they are sweetener than sugar, try starting with 1/8 cup and go from there.
- For a vegan option, use organic agar agar powder instead of gelatin.
- Use more unsweetened coconut instead of the oats for a low-carb option.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Can I use monk fruit instead of stevia
Hi there. I think you’ll be fine! I just updated the recipe notes above and in the recipe card to help! Hope you like them! I admit I haven’t played around with this recipe enough (it was another blogger’s recipe) so let me know what you think!
Looks so yummy! And I don’t have to bake. Love that even more.
Thanks Maggie!! I love not baking too – especially in the warmer months!
I love this recipe! I can’t wait to try it. I need more gelatin in my diet too. What a great way to add it in.
Thanks Angela! I know, I try to sneak gelatin in wherever I can! So far I haven’t been too creative but hopefully I am on the upswing!
Oh my… these are pretty and they sound amazingly yummy too!
Thanks for linking up to Tip Me Tuesday linky party this week. {knuckle bumps}
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Thanks Laurie! My daughter really enjoyed the heart shaped treats!
My mouth is watering for these! They look so delicious, I love the oats in them!
Thanks Heather!
These treats are so cute and look so tasty/healthy! I love how they are sugar-free.
Pinned!
Thank you!
I don’t particularly care for the full taste of stevia, and prefer a combination of xylitol and stevia. Any idea how much of each would be used, and if I used this combination , would I need to increase the liquid to accommodate for the extra solids in the xylitol?
Hi Tracy,
I love the taste of xylitol but sadly, it does not like me =(. Having said that, I would start with a tbsp to a 1/4 cup of xylitol if you are going to do a mix. I would add a bit more liquid…maybe a couple of tablespoons. I hope that helps and I hope they turn out for you! Please let us know how it goes!
These look tasty! I bet something like this would be fantastic to send to school for my little guy. I’m always looking at ways to get more gelatin in our diet. Thanks!
Thanks so much! I hope your little guy enjoys them, my two year old LOVED them!
This looks delicious! However, I was under the impression that no grains were allowed for those with candida overgrowth. Am I mistaken?
Hi Julieanne,
Great question. There are a number of anti-candida protocols out there but yes, grains are a debated area. I do consume non-gluten containing grains in moderation. I think it is SO important to listen to your body. I would know in a few hours if what I ate was a bad idea for my candida. So I would say practice moderation, and don’t make them a staple.
I hope that helps!
Thanks Julia! I’m not sure rolling would work as the mixture is a bit “crumbly” until it sets. I think dropping them by spoonfuls would work best but if you try rolling them please let me know!
What a neat way to incorporate gelatin! I’ve made something similar without gelatin but rolled the dough into balls. Would that work with this recipe?