Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)
These lemon blueberry oatmeal cookies are the most delicious, healthy-ish treat! They’re made with only 8 simple ingredients and can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert. Recipe is gluten-free, flour-free, and vegan.
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of oatmeal cookies (see here + here) AND lemon-blueberry as a flavour combination (see here + here), so it was time to combine my two loves into one delicious treat. According to my boyfriend, these were the best cookies I’ve made so far – I’ll take it!!
These lemon blueberry oatmeal cookies are seriously SO tasty and have the loveliest texture. They’re on the softer, slightly chewy side, and when you bite into the fresh blueberries you get such a nice burst of juiciness too.
While they taste decadent, these oatmeal cookies are actually super easy to make and they use only 8 simple, healthy ingredients. They’re filled with fibre from oats, healthy fats from almond butter, and antioxidants from both the blueberries and lemon zest. All things that make this dietitian happy ;).
I’d love to know if you make them. Enjoy!
Ingredients Needed
All you need to make these lemon blueberry oatmeal cookies are 8 simple ingredients:
- almond butter
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- rolled oats
- cinnamon
- lemon zest
- blueberries
- salt
Tips For Making These Blueberry Cookies
- Be sure to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, before combining them together. This helps to ensure an even distribution of ingredients.
- I find it easiest to pour the mixed dry ingredients into the bowl of mixed wet ingredients. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself scraping away at the wet ingredients that are stuck to their bowl and will probably miss out on some. Because of this, I’d advise mixing the wet ingredients in a larger bowl so that you can add the dry ones to it!
- Fold the blueberries in carefully at the end, making sure to not mush them. When you form the cookies, you may also have to gently press the blueberries into the mixture so that they stick!
- These cookies do not flatten on their own, so be sure to gently press them down into a cookie shape before you bake them.
- I know it’s tempting to eat them straight from the oven, but please allow these cookies to cool for at least 20 minutes! They will continue to harden and firm up as they cool.
Recipe Modifications & Ingredient Swaps
While I have not personally tested these modifications, I think the following ingredient swaps would work just fine:
- Almond butter can be swapped for another nut butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version of this recipe. The flavours will change slightly, but I think any nut butter would taste delicious here.
- You can use either rolled oats or quick oats. Be sure to use certified gluten-free ones if you need to follow a GF diet.
- Another liquid sweetener with a similar consistency to maple syrup could work here, such as honey. Do note that it will likely change the flavour a little though!
- I used fresh blueberries in this recipe as they’re less messy to work with, but you can make these using frozen blueberries as well. TIP: add them straight from the freezer and bake the cookies as soon as you can. If the berries thaw, their blue colour will start to leech and streak the cookies.
- Feel free to play around with the spices slightly! I used cinnamon in these, but you could try adding a touch of ground ginger or even cardamom to spice things up even more (go lightly though – these spices are quite a bit stronger than cinnamon!)
How To Store Oatmeal Cookies
These lemon blueberry oatmeal cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. If you want to keep them a little longer (up to a week), you can store them in the fridge!
And if you want to keep them even longer than that (or make a big batch), you can freeze these for up to 3 months. Just be sure to thaw them before eating.
Blueberry Nutrition Benefits
Blueberries are an excellent source of dietary fibre, with one cup providing 3.6 grams (14% of your daily needs).
They’re also a great source of micronutrients, like:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin B6
- Manganese
Blueberries are also rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, which provide many protective health benefits.
Oat Nutrition Benefits
Oats are a whole grain, complex carbohydrate most well-known for their high fibre content. This whole-grain cereal contains about 11% fibre, with the majority being a soluble fibre called beta glucan.
Soluble fibre is known to help promote a healthy gut, regulate bowel movements, lower cholesterol, improve blood sugar control, and help increase feelings of fullness/satiety.
Oats are also a great source of micronutrients. A half-cup serving of dry oats contains:
- Manganese (191% of your daily needs)
- Phosphorus (41% of your daily needs)
- Magnesium (34% of your daily needs)
- Copper (24% of your daily needs)
- Iron (20% of your daily needs)
- Zinc (20% of your daily needs)
- B vitamins, like thiamin (39%), folate (11%), and pantothenic acid 10%)
In addition, oatmeal is also a source of plant-based protein. A half-cup serving of dry oats provides about 6 grams of protein.
More Easy, Healthy-ish Treats
- Honey Tahini Oatmeal Cookies
- Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Nut-Free “PB&J” Oatmeal Cookies
- 4-Ingredient Chocolate Coconut Date Balls
- Healthy Homemade Greek Frozen Yogurt
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Balls
Did you give these Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup almond butter, unsweetened + creamy
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups rolled or quick oats
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 lemon, zest only
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add wet ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients EXCEPT blueberries.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet. Stir to combine, then gently fold in blueberries.
- Scoop a couple tablespoons of mixture into hands and form into cookies. You will likely have to gently press the blueberries into the mixture so that they stick.
- Place cookies onto parchment paper. Press down gently, as these cookies do not flatten on their own. Repeat until all mixture is used up.
- Place baking sheet in the oven and let cookies bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove them from oven and allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes. This step is important – they will continue to harden + firm as they cool!
Notes
- Be sure to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, before combining them together. This helps to ensure an even distribution of ingredients.
- I find it easiest to pour the mixed dry ingredients into the bowl of mixed wet ingredients. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself scraping away at the wet ingredients that are stuck to their bowl and will probably miss out on some. Because of this, I’d advise mixing the wet ingredients in a larger bowl so that you can add the dry ones to it!
- The mixture may appear a little dry, but so long as everything sticks together it will work (and they will come out nice + chewy)! That said, if you’d like to add a touch more maple syrup or almond butter you can do so.
- Fold the blueberries in carefully at the end, making sure to not mush them. When you form the cookies, you may also have to gently press the blueberries into the mixture so that they stick!
- These cookies do not flatten on their own, so be sure to gently press them down into a cookie shape before you bake them.
- I know it’s tempting to eat them straight from the oven, but please allow these cookies to cool for at least 20 minutes! They may look like they’re going to fall apart when you first remove them, but I promise they will continue to harden and firm up as they cool. If you do find that a blueberry or two breaks loose, you can gently press them back in before they cool.
- Almond butter can be swapped for another nut butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version of this recipe. The flavours will change slightly, but I think any nut butter would taste delicious here.
- You can use either rolled oats or quick oats. Be sure to use certified gluten-free ones if you need to follow a GF diet.
- Another liquid sweetener with a similar consistency to maple syrup could work here, such as honey. Do note that it will likely change the flavour a little though!
- I used fresh blueberries in this recipe as they’re less messy to work with, but you can make these using frozen blueberries as well. TIP: add them straight from the freezer and bake the cookies as soon as you can. If the berries thaw, their blue colour will start to leech and streak the cookies.
- Feel free to play around with the spices slightly! I used cinnamon in these, but you could try adding a touch of ground ginger or even cardamom to spice things up even more (go lightly though – these spices are quite a bit stronger than cinnamon!)
- These lemon blueberry oatmeal cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. If you want to keep them a little longer (up to a week), you can store them in the fridge!
- And if you want to keep them even longer than that (or make a big batch), you can freeze these for up to 3 months. Just be sure to thaw them before eating.
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
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12 Comments on “Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)”
I have been meaning to leave a review on these cookies for quite some time. They are literally the best cookies I have ever made! They are obviously healthy and great for breakfast or a treat! Worst thing about these cookies is they are so good, I cannot stop eating them!
Hi Erica! Thank you so much for leaving a review on these! It means so much! I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying them as much as I have! They’re seriously my favourite too – agreed it’s so hard to stop eating them hahah
Delicious! I even left them in the oven 5 minutes too long (baby calls) and they still turned out amazing! Made so I can have an easy breakfast cookie being a busy stay at home mama- will keep this one in the favorites!
Hi Brittany! Thank you so much for sharing your experience – so appreciated! I’m so happy to hear these still turned out for you (despite the extra oven time ha!) I hope they help keep you fuelled throughout your day 🙂
PS – if you want another breakfast cookie recipe, this pumpkin oatmeal one will be perfect for when the seasons change!!
These are SO good! I immediately had to freeze half so I didn’t eat them all at once. 😊 I followed the tips included in the notes which were super helpful, especially about waiting 20 minutes for them to harden. I found that making smaller cookies helped with shaping too. The lemon/blueberry combo is delicious. Thank you, Carrie!
Hi Kathryn! Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these ones – the lemon blueberry is admittedly one of my favourite flavour combos ever haha. I hope you enjoy those frozen ones soon 😉
I made the lemon, blueberry,vegan cookies the other day. The taste was scrumptious! And the text was very moist. But why when I tried to form them into cookie shapes on the baking sheet, they came out looking like deformed hockey pucks? I was wondering if it had to do with the size blueberries I used? They where huge? Or the rolled oats too big?
Hi Kristine! Thank you for your question. So happy to hear you enjoyed the taste of these, but I’m sorry to that the shape didn’t turn out right here… That said, I’m not entirely sure what went wrong!
These cookies do not flatten like “regular” cookies, so you need to shape them with your hands prior to baking! I include some tips for doing this in the “Notes” section of the recipe card. I personally like to gently roll them into balls, then flatten them with my hands. If you watch the recipe video you can see how I’ve done it there. I hope that helps a bit!!
Should they cool on the cookie sheet or on a wire rack?
Hi Sandra! I let them cool on the cookie sheet. When they come out of the oven, they will still appear to be quite soft but will harden when they cool. I think moving them to a wire rack would risk having them fall apart – probably best to let them sit on the cookie sheet without touching!!
Hope that helps 🙂
These were incredibly quick and easy to make and taste so good I feel like I should feel guilty eating them (but I don’t because they’re healthy!) Wish I’d made them sooner. 10/10! I followed the tips which were really helpful. Thanks for another winning recipe, Carrie!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Tamara!! It’s so appreciated! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these cookies – so perfect for the end of blueberry season 🙂