Give your oven a break and whip up these delicious 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies in your air fryer. They are quick, easy, and taste amazing! 

Air fryer peanut butter cookies are lightly crispy on the outside while staying soft and chewy on the inside. This delightful goody is a peanut butter lover’s dream come true. Trust me on this one—I live with a clan of peanut butter lovers. If that sounds like you, don’t miss my Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies, they are so good!

If you have never tried making peanut butter cookies in the air fryer before, you are in for a real treat. Not only is it super quick to make, it only needs 3 simple ingredients which you probably have on hand right now.

This recipe takes a classic peanut butter cookie to a new, much simpler, level.  It requires less time and effort, yet is still rich, decadent, and oh so sweet. It’s definitely a perfect dessert to satisfy you when that peanut butter craving hits.

And did I mention they are gluten-free?!

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Why Use An Air Fryer?

When I think of cookies, I think back on memories of standing by the oven door with the light on, impatiently waiting for them to finish baking so that I could devour them. With a perfect memory like that, why would I ever want to give an air fryer a try?

True story—since I bought my air fryer, I try to make everything in it. I love using it so much that I just ordered this GE range with a built-in air fryer.

The number one reason to use an air fryer for baking cookies is that it allows you to make smaller batches. Sometimes you only need a few cookies, or you don’t want a lot of cookies sitting around, staring at you, daring you to eat them.

That’s not to say this recipe can’t be doubled or tripled, of course, it can. You might not be able to cook them in bigger batches like in your standard oven, but you save so much cooking time, oven heating time, etc. that it’s still quicker.

If you’re a big fan of air frying like me, you’ll want to be sure to check out some of my very favorite air fryer recipes:

Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
Air Fryer Pork Chops
Air Fryer Meatballs
Air Fryer Steak
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies

A cookie recipe with just 3 simple ingredients? Yes, please!

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
¾ cup granulated sugar

Tools needed:

Air fryer
Parchment paper
Scoop or spoon
Fork

How to Make Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together your egg, sugar, and peanut butter until it is a smooth consistency.

Refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes. It’s important that you do not skip the chilling step. The air fryer will make the cookies spread and become crumbly, more so than being baked in the oven. The chilling step keeps them from being a crumbly mess when leaving the air fryer.

You’ll need a sheet of parchment paper the same size as the basket or tray of your air fryer. You can use air fryer parchment paper liners or simply cut the parchment to the shape of the bottom of your air fryer. 

Is parchment paper necessary?

Yes. Due to the breathing holes in the bottom of your air fryer, the dough could seep through as the cooking process starts. No one wants to clean up that mess! I don’t suggest using aluminum foil as it will cause the cookies to cook too quickly and unevenly. 

Once chilled, it’s time to form the cookies. This cookie dough is very sticky, so it’s best to not get your hands involved in the scooping process. With that in mind, use a cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon to scoop dough onto your parchment paper.

With a fork, press a crosshatch pattern on top of the cookie dough balls, flattening the dough.

Every air fryer is different. Mine allows for 4-6 cookies at a time, but your size and shape might not allow that many, or it may allow for more. Just be sure to give enough space for the cookies to spread a bit. I usually leave at least a half-inch between cookies. Having fewer or more cookies doesn’t require you to adjust the cooking time.

Place the parchment with the cookies inside the air fryer. Set the temperature to 370°F. Since all models are different, use the closest temp below that if 370°F isn’t available to you. Cook for 4 minutes.

Let the peanut butter cookies rest inside the air fryer for an additional 4 minutes. Do not touch the cookies before then. This allows them to set so they will not fall apart when being removed.

Repeat the process until all the cookie dough is gone.

Can The Dough Be Frozen?

Peanut butter cookie dough can be frozen for up to two months. To do this,  place individual dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes before transferring the balls into a freezer bag.

You can also freeze your leftover air fryer peanut butter cookies in an airtight container to enjoy later. To defrost, simply allow the cookies to thaw overnight in the fridge.

If you are looking for a fast way to enjoy peanut butter cookies, making them in the air fryer is the way to go. They come out gently crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle every time.

If you enjoy these, I think you’re going to love my semi-homemade Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups. They are soooo good!

Did you give this recipe for air fryer peanut butter cookies a try? Let me know in the comments below or snap a photo and tag @coolbeanliving on Instagram. I’d love to see it!