3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies (Vegan)
Save RecipeHi Bold Bakers,
My recipe for 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies is a double hit of coconut, made of just shredded coconut, a little sugar and coconut milk.
Coconut is one of my all time favorite things to bake with. Rich and creamy, while still being light and nutty, what’s not to love? Since you Bold Bakers love coconut just as much as I do, I know that you will enjoy a recipe that make this ingredient the star.
What do 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies taste like?
While my recipe for 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies is as easy as 1,2,3 the flavor is complex, nutty and sweet. Similar to a macaroon, but with a little more crunch, these cookies are nothing short of addictive!
What’s the difference between 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies and a macaroon?
Besides the taste, the best thing about this recipe is how truly foolproof it is. While macaroons require you to beat egg whites then add them to the other ingredients, these 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies are super simple, mixed in a large bowl. All you have to do is scoop them and bake. While baking these coconut cookies get crisp around they edges, but stay soft and sticky in the middle.
Are 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies good for you?
My 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies are vegan, flourless, egg free and have no added oils making them pretty much magic! The coconut is loaded with healthy fats and extra fiber that keep you feeling full and satisfied.
How to store 3 Ingredient Coconut Cookies?
These coconut cookies can be covered and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. These also freeze really well. To enjoy from frozen just thaw at room temperature. They will retain their macaroon like chew!
For more 3 ingredient cookie recipes, check out my 3 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies and 3 Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies! Enjoy!
- 2 cups (6oz/180g) shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (2floz/60ml) coconut milk
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Preheat your oven to 350F (180oC) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl combine the shredded coconut, sugar and coconut milk.
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Using a spatula mix until the shredded coconut coconut is fully coated and the mixture comes together into a sticky wet batter.
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Using a tablespoon scoop the coconut mixture into your hands and form into a ball. Place the coconut balls onto your baking tray about 1 inch apart. Gently press each cookie down to form a small round as they do not spread when baking.
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Bake the coconut cookies for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
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Allow to cool on they baking tray for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.
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Once cool you can store these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, and I’m passionate about sharing my years of experience to show you how to make game-changing baking recipes with over-the-top results! Join more than 1 Million other Bold Bakers in the community for new video recipes every week!
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The taste was nice but, as other commenters, I had to use much more coconut milk than the recipe called for to achieve similar texture to the batter in the video. Once the cookies were baked they very easily fell apart.
I wonder if it would be possible to use something else for extra binding… honey instead of sugar? But that might burn too quickly. Maybe some coconut oil? Flax egg?
Thank you anyway, as we have enjoyed many recipes and tutorials off of your site, Gemma.
Hi there,
if you go back to the video you will see that I worked the coconut milk into the coconut, effectively rehydrating it. You do not need any more milk than that. The sugar will do the rest. When sugar heats it melts, and it caramelizes in a bake, this is the ‘glue’ which holds the bake together.
Do try this again, work the milk into the desiccated coconut, it will be good just like that, no further additions required.
I hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
Will this recipe work with fine desiccated coconut? I can’t seem to easily find “normal” desiccated coconut in my country. Thanks! ????
Hum, I’m not familiar with ‘fine’ desiccated coconut but if it is not to different to the original then yes it will work.
Best,
Gemma.
These cookies did not turn as expected. They were just like toasted coconut.
I’m sorry to hear that. Did they not form cookies at all?
Gemma.
Hi,
Can you please let me know if I should use fresh coconut or dessicated coconut for this recipe. From where I am, I get fresh coconut very easily.
Hi Komala,
I used dessicated for this recipe. I’m not sure how fresh would work in this recipe.
Gemma.
Hello, I tried to make these but I only had cashew milk. After I took out of the oven it was just was a pile of shredded coconut? It did not stay together. Is it because I used cashew milk? Thank you
Hi Amy. Thanks for sharing. From reports from other Bold Bakers, it is really more about the type of coconut used. Here we use a desiccated coconut, shredded if you will. Did you use the same thing? One bold baker today told us that she could only find flakes, and that is a different thing. I am sorry that this did not work well for you, thank you for telling us about it
Best,
Gemma
Hey
For the shortbread cookies, how long to do refrigerate the wrapped dough before cutting it and then bake
Refrigerate for 30-minutes. But it would be lovely if you’d age / refrigerate it overnight too. https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/3-ingredient-shortbread-cookies/ Gemma ????
So I think the key to this is the type of coconut you use. I initially used flaked and it turned out terrible.. just fell apart when you picked it up. But then I took the extra coconut that I had, ground it, made another batch and much better!
Hi Laura,
Yes! that makes perfect sense. We use a desiccated one here, which is shredded I suppose, and that works really well. Good tip, I wil lbear that in mind, it may certainly be the reason some people have struggled with this recipe, thank you,
Gemma 🙂
I too had a problem with the coconut cookies. I read other comments beforehand and was careful to weigh the coconut (180 grams exacyly), and measure the sugar and coconut milk with appropriate spoons and measuring cups. I believe the problem is the coconut. It appears from the video that your coconut is a finer shred than what was available at my store. When I processed some coconut in a coffee/spice grinder I came much closer to your batter but because I was only testing the theory I probably didn’t have the sugar and coconut milk proportions correct and the cookie never flattened out. When using the shredded coconut straight from the bag I had to add almost 3 times as much coconut milk to ever even approach the consistency of the batter in the video.
While these cookies won’t go to waste (I’ll add them to my husband’s oatmeal) I doubt that I will make these again.
Hi Amy,
I think you are right about the type of coconut used. Here we use a desiccated coconut, shredded if you will. One bold baker today told us that she could only find flakes, and that is a different thing. I am sorry that this did not work well for you, thank you for telling us about it, and I am glad it will not go to waste.
Gemma 🙂
The tester in me may just make me try it again (my husband loves coconut so he’ll eat whatever turns out). In our stores what is sold/labeled as shredded looks more like what some websites call flaked. One website indicates that “Shredded coconut is a bit longer than desiccated coconut which is finer and smaller.” If/when I try it again I’m going to process my “shredded” coconut to look like the online pictures of dessicated coconut.
Your cookies look like something he would love.
Hi Amy,
I am always really impressed with the efforts you bold bakes make to please your partners, how kind you are!
I think that should work well for you, just be cautious not to over process or you will have a flour. I would be tempted to try the recipe with 1/2 of the processed one and 1/2 of the flakes, it would give a nice finish to the cookies and a little texture. You can experiment, and soon it will be ‘Amy’s Coconut cookies’.
do let me know how this goes for you,
Gemma 🙂
This recipe didn’t work. Made it using dessicated coconut flakes(as instructed) and had to use almost 200ml coconut milk/cream and it still couldnt form a ball without crumbling. It should work with shredded coconut flakes (the fresh kind and not processed dried type) because of the moisture content in the coconut.
I made cookies with some different ingredients and no sugar! Coconut is sweet enough I guess, so it turned out as delicious.
I used:
-150g shredded coconut
-150g almond meal
-100g butter
-some cream (probably tablespoon)
-pinch of salt
They were also ready after 15 minutes at 180 C.
Turned out crumbly and fatty and probably not related to your recipe anymore, but still. I just wanted to share that you don’t actually need sugar or any sweetener to make delicious desserts. Perfect for keto!
Interesting, thank you! I will have to try that with no sugar!
Hi Gemma: Probably not the right place to ask this but I’m going to anyway. Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner….do you have recipes foe Irish Potatoes, you know the coconut candies with cinnamon coating or a good Dublin Coddle? ERINGOBRAUGH!!!!!!
Haha! Karen, my mum has been trying to get me to make these! They are of course not an Irish thing, but they look a bit like an old Famine time (1840’s) potato, called a lumpar potato. I guess that is how they got their Irish name, an immigrant, working in a bakery.
Dublin coddle is a thing, a thing I could never get to grips with, sounded all wrong to me! haha, however many a Dublin family loved this winter one pot stew, and some still do!
So, I have not settled on my St Patrick’s day recipe yet, but I had better get on with it. I hope you are well settled in your new home. every time I think about you, you pop up here <3
Gemma 🙂