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A wooden board with several Air Fryer Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies sprinkled with sea salt, placed on a brown cloth, surrounded by plates, spoons, and a small bowl of salt.

Air Fryer Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

I love making Air Fryer Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies because they're my favorite quick go-to dessert that satisfies peanut butter cravings without heating up the kitchen. They bake up with soft, chewy centers and crispy golden edges, topped with a sprinkle of sea salt that makes the sweetness pop perfectly. They're ideal for cookie swaps and bake sales, perfect for Christmas and fall gatherings, or great as kid-friendly after-school treats with minimal cleanup. The cookies stay fresh at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months, making them perfect for gifting or last-minute holiday baking.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes
Course: Cookies, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Air Fryer Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Servings: 24
Calories: 119kcal
Author: Mandy Applegate

Ingredients

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Sea salt for serving
US Customary - Metric

Video

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Instructions

  • Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and brown sugar until creamy.
    1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup brown sugar
  • Add the almond milk and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
    ¼ cup almond milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
    1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined—avoid overmixing.
  • Scoop 1 ½-inch dough balls and place them in the basket, leaving space between each cookie. (Work in batches.) Flatten each dough ball gently with a fork to make a crisscross pattern.
  • Air fry at 350°F (180°C) for 6 minutes.
  • Let the cookies cool in the basket before moving them. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
    Sea salt

Notes

Here's what I've learned from making these Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies in the air fryer dozens of times.
  • Use natural peanut butter cautiously: If you're using natural peanut butter instead of regular, the dough might be oilier and spread more, so add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour if it feels too wet.
  • Flatten consistently: Press the fork down with even pressure to create uniform thickness so the centers don’t stay too thick to cook through in 6 minutes.
  • Work in small batches: Only cook 4–6 cookies at a time, depending on your basket size, because overcrowding blocks airflow and leads to unevenly cooked cookies with pale spots.
  • Adjust for your air fryer: Every model runs slightly differently, so if your cookies are browning too fast, drop the temperature to 325°F and add a minute or two to the cook time.
  • Don't skip the cooling time: Let the cookies sit in the basket for at least 5 minutes after air frying so they can firm up, because they're extremely fragile when hot and will fall apart if you move them too soon.
  • Flash freeze for storage: Freeze cookies on a baking sheet for 1 hour before transferring to containers so they don't stick together or lose their shape in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
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