Crispy Quinoa Cacao Cookies (No-Bake!)
These Crispy Quinoa Cacao Cookies (No-Bake!) are the most delicious crunchy treat to feed your sweet tooth in a healthy way! Made with just 7 ingredients, these gluten-free, vegan, grain-free, nut-free no bake cookies are sure to be stocked in your freezer at all times!
Imagine cocoa Rice Krispies treats meet Starcrunch… but wayyyyy healthier 😉 Admittedly I had to look up what Starcrunches are, I posted this reel on Instagram and someone commented that’s what they looked like… I don’t think I’ve ever had one 🫣.
They are so crunchy and perfectly sweetened with maple syrup for the best (highly addicting) snack! These crispy no-bake cookies only require 7 simple ingredients: coconut butter, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, unsweetened cacao/cocoa powder, salt, and puffed quinoa.
The ingredients you need for these crispy cookies
Coconut butter. You may also use coconut oil in place of the coconut butter, I know that it’s more readily available, however, the coconut butter does give these cookies more of a creamy taste as opposed to using oil. The coconut butter is also what allows these no-bake cookies to set up properly and hold together.
Sunflower seed butter. You can substitute the sunflower seed butter with another nut/seed butter, such as peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc. but to keep these little gems nut-free and allergy-friendly, the sunflower butter works great. I use unsweetened sunflower seed butter to keep the refined sugars down.
Cacao powder vs. cocoa powder. So it’s ok to use either one, as long as it’s unsweetened. I prefer to use cacao as it’s the rawest form of cocoa powder and often contains more nutrients as it’s processed less than cocoa powder, but again, cocoa powder is probably more readily available in stores- so it’s ok to sub.
Quinoa. I used puffed quinoa in this recipe, which may be a little challenging to find… I purchased it on Amazon already puffed- kinda like Rice Krispies or crispy rice cereal. You might be able to puff your own at home from cooked quinoa, which makes these cookies a tad more labor intensive and will take longer, but I still think they’d be totally worth it. But using puffed quinoa allows this dessert recipe to also be grain-free. Yes, quinoa is actually not a grain! Read more on quinoa in my Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies post.
Maple syrup. Maple syrup is always my go-to natural sweetener. I love the depth of maple flavor it gives these no-bake cookies and it’s also low FODMAP making it easier on your gut than other sugars. Be sure you’re using pure maple syrup and not maple-flavored syrup. They are definitely not the same thing.
How to make these no-bake cacao cookies
These Crispy Quinoa Cacao Cookies are so easy to make, you simply melt the coconut butter, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup and pure vanilla extract together in a medium bowl, then whisk in the cacao powder and salt and gently fold in the puffed quinoa. Scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet with a cookie scoop and then gently flatten and shape into rounds. Chill for about 30 minutes in the freezer and then enjoy! Keep them stored in the freezer to keep them extra crunchy and enjoy within a week or so… but I highly doubt they will last that long, lol.
Aside from being totally addicting and easy to make, these no-bake cookies actually contain some really great nutrients too, thanks to the coconut butter, sunflower seed butter, cacao powder, quinoa, and even maple syrup! So you go ‘head gurrrllll- eat 2 or three 😉
You might also like my Crispy Strawberries & Cream Quinoa Cookies too! 🍓
Let me know if you’re as in love with these Crispy Quinoa Cacao Cookies as I am down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this healthy snack recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Crispy Quinoa Cacao Cookies (No-Bake!)
These Crispy Quinoa Cacao Cookies are the most delicious crunchy treat to feed your sweet tooth in a healthy way! Made with just 7 ingredients, these gluten-free, vegan, grain-free, nut-free no bake cookies are sure to be stocked in your fridge at all times!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut butter (may sub with coconut oil if preferred)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter (may use other nut/seed butter if desired)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cacao/cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups puffed quinoa
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the coconut butter, sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, and vanilla and melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Whisk the mixture until smooth and then whisk in the cacao powder and salt. Next, gently fold in the puffed quinoa.
Using a small cookie scoop (or a tablespoon) scoop the batter onto the baking sheet until all the mixture is gone. Gently flatten and shape the batter into rounds or whatever shape you'd like.
Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until set, about 30 minutes. Keep them stored in an airtight container in your freezer.
Notes
*You'll most likely have to buy the puffed quinoa online, such as on Amazon.
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About the author
Gina Fontana
Gina Fontana is a certified health coach, recipe developer, food photographer, published author, and blogger. Her own personal health challenges led her to a gluten-free, vegan, plant-based lifestyle where she found significant improvement in her symptoms. Her passion and mission is to now share that with others who also need (or want) to pursue a healthier lifestyle.
I tried these and the flavor of the butters and syrup mixture is actually really good (I used almond butter). But it’s way too much quinoa. It makes you have to chew way too much.
Hi Terrace, thanks for giving them a try. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy them as much as you hoped. Thanks for the feedback!
I just made these and could not get them to stay together as a cookie. They were falling apart. I finally put them in a mini muffin tin with liners. They are in the freezer so we will see what happens. The taste is wonderful except a bit too chewy for my taste. I think there is too much quinoa in these. Maybe cut down to 1 cup or maybe 1 1/2.
Hi Lisa, hmm I sorry that happened, I’m not sure. Perhaps you used a different brand of one of the ingredients and that made the difference? Hope they were better once you froze them 🤞🏻
Looks nice!
Can’t wait to them.
Thank you! hope you love them!