Air Fryer Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

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Dive into these air fryer oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and experience the magic of baking without the oven! Ideal for those spontaneous cookie cravings, this recipe is a dream for prep-ahead, with dough you can whip up and chill until that sweet tooth calls. Stash a batch in the fridge, and you’ll be just 7 minutes away from warm, gooey goodness any day of the week.

A stack of air fryer oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips, perfectly golden brown.

Customization is the name of the game with these delightful bites; feel free to throw in your favorite mix-ins or swap the chocolate chips for raisins, nuts, or whatever matches your vibe. There’s no need to fret over complex steps or clean-up—your trusty air fryer turns cookie-making into a breezy affair. With its quick cooking time and minimal mess, you can enjoy fresh, homemade cookies without the usual hassle, perfect for small gatherings or a personal indulgence.

Whether you’re a busy parent juggling playdates and work or simply someone who loves a chewy and gooey cookie in only 7 minutes, this recipe has got you covered. The air fryer delivers that unbeatable combination of crispy edges and a soft center, all in a snap. So, gather your ingredients, and let’s turn that dough into cookie perfection that brings family and friends together for a deliciously good time.

🤘 Why These Air Fryer Oatmeal Cookies Rock!

  • Quick fix. Air fryer oatmeal cookies are ready in a snap, with just 7 minutes of cooking time for instant gratification.
  • Gooey, chewy, and crispy. The inside of these cookies are chewy with gooey clusters of chocolate while the outside is crisped to perfection, thanks to the air fryer.
  • Make it yours. Toss in your favorite add-ins to switch up the flavors. This recipe is super adaptable to your taste buds or pantry stock. Read the substitutions and variations section below for inspiration.
  • Dough on demand. Whip up the dough ahead of time, stash it in the fridge, and bake fresh cookies whenever the craving hits.
  • Clean in a flash. Minimal mess, minimal stress—the air fryer and a simple liner means you’re done cleaning up before your cookies are even cool.
  • Just enough. Perfect for small servings, this recipe can be scaled down for those solo indulgences or couples’ dessert nights.
  • Brown sugar. Brings a deep, caramel-like sweetness to these cookies, infusing each bite with rich flavor and contributing to the moist, chewy texture we all crave.
  • Granulated sugar. Adds classic sweetness while also helping to achieve that crave-worthy crispiness on the edges, balancing the cookie’s texture profile.
  • Butter. Melted butter is the secret to these cookies’ irresistible taste and tender texture.
  • Eggs. Providing structure and richness while also helping to create a delectably chewy center
  • Vanilla extract. Elevate the flavors, giving the cookies an aromatic warmth and a hint of complex sweetness.
  • All-purpose flour. The building block of these cookies provides the necessary structure.
  • Baking soda. The leavening agent gives the cookies a light texture and a little lift.
  • Cinnamon. Adds a subtle, warm spice that complements the chocolate and oats
  • Salt. The unsung hero enhances all the flavors while also balancing the sweetness.
  • Old-fashioned rolled oats. The heart of these cookies, the oats offer a delightful chew and rustic texture.
  • Semisweet chocolate chips. The chips melt into little pockets of joy, delivering gooey, chocolatey goodness that makes these cookies a decadent treat.

🍪 How to Make Chewy and Soft Oatmeal Cookies

Here is the special process for a chewy and soft cookie! I think the best part of a cookie is a crunchy, structural outside but a soft, gooey center. If you want soft, chewy cookies, then the secret is to use melted butter in the recipe. Then, to take these to the next level, I added an extra dose of brown sugar. The brown sugar really softens these up and keeps the cookie moist. The air fryer helps to achieve a crunchy crust on the outside.

  1. Add the sugar and melted butter to a mixing bowl. Beat until well blended.
  2. Add the eggs and vanilla extract.
  3. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix into the batter.
  4. Stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips.
  5. Place balls of cookie dough into the air fryer basket.
  6. Air fry the cookies at 300°F for 7 minutes.
  7. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm!
A pile of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies loaded with chocolate chips, resting on parchment paper.

😉 Pro Tips For Awesome Air Fryer Cookies

  • Press the cookies flat. The air fryer cooks so quickly that your cookies will hold their shape well and the thick oatmeal prevents the cookies from spreading. You may want to use a fork or cup to press the cookies into a flat cookie shape before cooking them.
  • Adjust your air fryer. Air fryers can cook differently depending on the size and power. Be sure to check on your cookies halfway through and adjust the cooking time as needed.
  • Chewy and gooey cookies. Be sure to use melted butter and brown sugar.
  • Mix it up. Get creative with the add-ins. If you remove the chocolate chips, you can free up enough space in the cookies to add up to 2 cups of whatever ingredients you want!
  • Don’t get sticky! Use parchment paper in the air fryer to keep the mess minimal! You can buy precut parchment paper that will fit your air fryer basket perfectly, and they are perforated so that it doesn’t restrict the airflow.
  • Size does matter. Use a #40 cookie scoop to get walnut-sized cookie dough balls perfect for the air fryer.
  • For softer, chewy cookies, use melted butter and brown sugar – think moist ingredients.
  • For crispy cookies, substitute butter for vegetable shortening and use granulated sugar.
  • To get chunky, crunchy cookies, substitute butter for vegetable shortening and brown sugar for granulated sugar. Next, pile on chunky ingredients like oatmeal, nuts, and chocolate chips.
  • No air fryer, no problem! I much prefer the texture of these cookies when they are cooked in an air fryer, but you can also bake these in an oven. Bake them at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

🍪 Oatmeal Cookies Variations

If you remove the chocolate chips from this recipe, you can add a total of 2 cups of your favorite add-ins to make these cookies your own.

  • Air Fryer Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – add up to 2 cups of raisins, or if you are a nutty person, add 1 cup of raisins and 1 cup of halved pecans. You can also add any dried fruit, like apricots or blueberries, so go crazy!
  • Air Fryer White Chocolate Macadamia Oatmeal Cookies – add 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts.
  • Candy – mix in M&Ms or other pieces of your favorite candy for a fun and personalized cookie.
Cookies on parchment paper, one with a bite taken out of it.

I firmly believe in always having cookie dough in the fridge! Store the unused cookie dough in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also store the cookie dough in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. To make your life easier, portion the cookie dough into balls using a #40 cookie scoop and slightly flatten them before you freeze them. Then, you can easily grab one or two cookies out and toss them in the air fryer.

To air-fry cookies from frozen, you only need to add another minute or two to the cooking time. Cook at 300°F for 8 or 9 minutes or until perfectly delicious!

❓ FAQ for this Cookies Recipe

Is an air fryer good for baking cookies?

Air fryers are great at baking cookies. An air fryer circulates the hot air inside and allows for a quick and even baking. This will mean that the outside cooks fairly quickly and keeps the cookies from running and turning into thin discs. You will get a crispy outside and a tender and chewy inside.

Since the air fryer works like a convection oven, I always bake my cookies in the air fryer at lower temperatures. I found that in my air fryer these cookies baked best at 300°F for 7 minutes. Normally, I would bake them in a traditional oven at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

The ultimate gooey air fryer cookies await!

Can you use parchment paper in an air fryer?

Parchment paper is great in an air fryer. It makes cleanup incredibly easy and keeps things from sticking. You can buy precut pieces of parchment that fit the basket perfectly, or you can cut out your own shape from a roll of parchment paper.

Why are my oatmeal cookies fluffy and cakey.

Adding too many eggs, flour, or leavening agent (baking soda or baking powder) can result in a cakey and overly fluffy cookie. The food science geeks at Serious Eats also tell us about the textural differences resulting from using baking soda vs. baking powder.
You may also get a cakey cookie if you mix the dough too much. The more you mix and whip the dough, the more air that you introduce into it and the fluffier your cookie will become.

Can you cook air fryer oatmeal cookies in an oven?

Absolutely! The texture that these cookies get when they come out of the air fryer are unmatched, but they are still delicious in the oven. Cook these oatmeal cookies in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

Can you air fryer cookies from frozen?

You can air fry cookies from frozen. Just add a minute or two to the cooking time. If you portioned the cookie dough prior to freezing it, your job will be easy. Just toss them in the air fryer and cook at 300°F for 8 to 9 minutes, or until crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.

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a stack of 4 air fryer chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

Air Fryer Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Yield: 48 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes

Get ready to tantalize your taste buds with a cookie that's set to become your new go-to treat. Imagine biting into a warm, air-fried oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, where the edges are slightly crisp, giving way to a soft, chewy center that’s studded with gooey, melted chocolate chips. The rich aroma of cinnamon weaves through the air, hinting at the warmth and comfort each cookie promises. This is not just any cookie—it's the perfect blend of homey goodness and indulgent delight all rolled into one.

These cookies are ready in record time! Just plop them in the air fryer, and in less than 7 minutes, you will be biting into a warm cookie! Store some cookie dough in the freezer so you have this treat ready at your convenience when the craving strikes!

Ingredients

  • 1-¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Add both of the sugars and the melted butter to a mixing bowl. Beat until well blended.
  2. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat well.
  3. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt over the mixture and stir until well blended.
  4. Stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips.
  5. Line the basket of your air fryer with parchment paper or a piece of tin foil.
  6. Place walnut-sized balls of cookie dough into the air fryer basket. Space them about 1 to 2 inches apart then press them down to flatten them slightly.
  7. Close the air fryer basket and set the temp for 300°F. Cook for 7 minutes.
  8. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

  • These cookies will not spread very much in the air fryer. If you don't push them down before baking them then they will stay in a round ball. The thick balls of dough will bake quickly on the outside and prevent the cookies from spreading. They will also stay raw in the center if you don't flatten them.
  • Make sure you line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or tin foil. I prefer parchment paper because it makes the bottom of the cookies smoother and they will come out easier.
  • You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 6 months. Make balls of cookie dough, flatten them out, then freeze them. When they are completely frozen place them in a freezer-proof container. Bake just a few at a time when you get a cookie craving.
  • You can bake these cookies in a regular oven preheated to 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. You do not have to flatten them if you bake them in a regular oven.
  • It is not necessary to preheat the air fryer prior to baking the cookies. Since the air fryer is so small, it comes up to temperature very quickly. However, if you bake these in a regular oven, you need to preheat the oven.
  • A #40 cookie scoop will give you 'walnut-sized' cookies.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is a guideline only, is calculated automatically by third party software, and absolute accuracy is not guaranteed.

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About Joshua Boquist

Josh is an outdoor enthusiast and food fanatic. A License To Grill is his passion project where the outdoors intersects food - grilling, smoking, and all things tasty!

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18 Comments

  1. This recipe is similar to my Cowboy Cookie recipe, so I addd 1 cup of coconut, and I usually decrease the sugar by 1/4 to 1/2 cup & they are plenty sweet, the bake time I used was 8 minutes at 300 degrees, only because I misread the recommended time of 7 minutes…they turned our perfect. I have a Gourmia air fryer, found online at Costco and LOVE IT! Also, somehow I had no chocolate chips on hand, (how does that even happen??), soI added a packaged of Butterfinger baking , rough chopped 2 semi sweet chocolate squares, and a few Guittard vanilla baking chips, worked out really well. In fact the Butterfinger pieces will be used again, my husband really liked the flavor, although I will definitely decrease the sugar even more, as the butterfinger is really sweet! Thanks for figuring out the time & temp, makes it so simple to keep dough n the freezer & have fresh baked cookies so readily available. This Air fryer seems to be the best $50 bucks spent in my kitchen recently. 😁

    1. Hi Mary, thank you for the comment! That is a great idea to add Butterfingers, I think I will need to try that also, especially since Halloween is right around the corner!

  2. The recipe worked with some modifications for me. Probably due to the effectiveness of my airfryer. I have a Hamilton Beach with 3.5 L capacity. To cook them through I did have to turn them around, increase the temperature to 165° and increase the time to 7 min, 5 min each side. The cookies turned out yummy but too much on the sweet side for me. Will probably reduce sugar by 1/4 cup next time.

  3. Hi, I just made these and I was honestly a bit disappointed. Firstly to get the yield of 48 cookies each cookie was approx 35grams. And a single cookie is not 254 calories but 141 calories per cookie.(I put the recipe into My Fitness Pal) And I found they were lacking in flavor for me and the dough was a bit too soft. Probably would of benefited from being chilled before cooking. And I ended up having to cook for 10 min from fresh to make sure they were cooked through.

    1. You do need to push the cookies down and flatten them before you bake them in the air fryer. Since the air fryer cooks the outside of the cookie quite quickly, it does not allow the cookies to spread very much. If you don’t flatten the cookies then they will be raw in the center. That is partly why we did not place the dough in the fridge prior to baking the cookies. However, you certainly can chill the dough first but you will need to add a minute or two to the cooking time. If you use a #40 cookie scoop, you will get a walnut-sized ball of dough and get 48 cookies out of this recipe. You are correct, there was an error in the nutrition calculation. It will be updated. Thanks for the comment.

  4. Delicious cookies – will now be my go to! I needed to cook 10mins In my 7.5litre fryer not 7 but no problem. I added apricots as well – yum. Thank you.

    1. You can use salted or unsalted butter. Personally, I like the tiny amount of extra salt that salted butter adds to the cookies. However, they taste great with unsalted butter as well.

  5. Delicious. Thank you so much. Bit too much sugar for me (and I love sugar haha) so will reduce it a bit next time.

    1. Thank you for the comment! I have a sweet tooth as well. Happy they still turned out, but you can definitely reduce the sugar if you like!

  6. I made these almost 15 minutes ago and they were absolutely yummy!! I used Gluten free flour and they came out just as good.

  7. I made the cookies and I added raisins and chopped pecans… I had to turn them over after the 7 mins. and cooked 3 and 1/2 mins. more, they were delicious… have a XXL Paula Dean Air Fryer…I’m going to freezethe rest so when I want fresh baked cookies I’ll have them to cook and eat…thx so much for the recipe..

    1. Thank you for the feedback Sue! I am glad you enjoyed them. Great idea to add raisins and pecans. I like to keep frozen cookie batter on hand so that I can quickly make some fresh baked cookies when the craving hits. Take care!

    1. Janet, yes you can also use your Ninja Foodi 5 in 1. The Ninja Foodi might cook a little bit hotter than other air fryers so watch the first batch and adjust the temperature accordingly. Thank you for your comment, and enjoy!