These healthy Anzac biscuits are made without butter, refined sugar or flour. But they've still got the classic crunchy texture and flavour of a traditional Anzac biscuit. Made with oats, coconut and a little honey, they are satisfying and delicious.
I first came across Anzac biscuits from my NZ husband. They are a traditional treat in New Zealand and Australia, and were first made for the soldiers in the First World War who were part of the Army Corps. (Hence the acronym ANZAC!)
These delicious biscuits are robust and store well which made them suitable to send to the troops. So, of course, they are also ideal for lunch boxes and portable snacks!
Anzac Day is commemorated on the 25th of April, but you can enjoy Anzac biscuits on any day of the year.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- A filling and satisfying snack made with fibre-rich wholegrain oats and coconut
- Healthy Anzac biscuits are sugar-free and syrup-free. They've just got a little honey to sweeten them
- Dairy-free Anzac biscuits are made with coconut oil rather than butter, and can also be made vegan
- Use gluten-free oats if needed. There's no wheat flour in the recipe
- A firm favourite with kids and adults alike!
You might also like these other healthy cookie recipes, or healthy oat bars.
Ingredients
Oats. I use porridge oats and blitz half of them to a finer texture. If you don't have a food processor you can use half oat flour or instant oats which have a finer texture.
Avoid using jumbo oats as they are very chunky and the biscuits won't hold together so well.
Steel-cut oats are unsuitable as they won't soften in the cooking time and you'll have very chewy biscuits!
Desiccated coconut. This is a type of unsweetened dried coconut. It's a little different from shredded coconut which tends to be in larger pieces with more moisture.
Baking powder. Healthy Anzac biscuits will not rise massively, but a little baking powder makes the texture slightly nicer.
Coconut oil. I use refined coconut oil which does not have any flavour. If you use extra virgin coconut oil, you'll have a more distinctive flavour of coconut.
If you prefer, you can use butter or a solid vegan butter as an alternative to the coconut oil to make these healthy Anzac biscuits
Honey adds a little sweetness without making the biscuits overwhelmingly sweet. For vegan Anzac biscuits use another liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or agave syrup.
A spoonful of peanut butter adds a little extra richness and helps to hold the mixture together.
How to make healthy Anzac biscuits
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (140 fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Add the honey, peanut butter and coconut oil to a pan and place on a low heat. Once melted, remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, place half of the oats in a food processor or blender and blitz for a few seconds to break them down to a finer texture.
Add the oats, blended oats, desiccated coconut and baking powder to the melted honey mixture in the saucepan and mix well. Squish it together with a spoon quite firmly so that it is thoroughly mixed and there are no dry oats remaining.
Divide the mixture into 8 and press into balls. Set on the lined tray, and using your fingers, squish the balls into a flat round biscuit. Each biscuit should be about 0.5cm thick.
Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven, turning the tray partway if necessary so the biscuits brown evenly.
Leave the biscuits to cool on the tray. They are very fragile when hot but will firm up as they cool.
Cinnamon and Kale Recipe Tips
If you are short on time why not make healthy Anzac slices rather than biscuits?
It's a bit quicker to spread the mixture out in a baking tin than to make individual biscuits. Use a lined 20 x 20cm sized tin.
Once baked leave the mixture to cool a little then cut into 8 slices. Remove from the tin when fully cold.
You can even make a similar snack without turning the oven on at all! See this recipe for no bake flapjacks.
Serving and storage
Serve these healthy Anzac biscuits with a glass of milk, or your favourite cuppa.
Healthy Anzacs can be stored for up to a week. Seal in an airtight container and store at room temperature.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe for healthy Anzac biscuits uses honey as a natural sweetener rather than golden syrup or sugar. Although honey is still a type of sugar, it's less refined than golden syrup.
One of these healthy Anzac biscuits has 165 calories. They are large and satisfying and the wholegrain oats and coconut will help to keep you feeling full.
The original Anzac biscuits were crispy, but of course, it's up to you how you enjoy them now. If you want your healthy Anzac biscuits to be slightly less crunchy and more chewy, cook them for a few minutes less.
Other healthy bakes you might like
You might also like to try these other healthy bakes and snacks which are made without refined sugar using wholesome nutritious ingredients.
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Recipe
Healthy Anzac Biscuits
Equipment
- Food processor or blender Can also make without, see notes
- baking tray
- baking paper
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 100 g oats
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (140 fan). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Melt the coconut oil, honey and peanut butter together in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat as soon as melted.
- Blitz 50g of the oats in a food processor or blender until broken down into rubbly flour.
- Add the blended oats, whole oats, coconut and baking powder to the melted oil and honey. Stir well, squishing it together thoroughly with the back of a spoon to ensure is properly mixed and there are no dry oats.
- Divide the mixture into 8 and press together into balls.
- Place the balls on the baking sheet and flatten them down into biscuits. They should be about 0.5cm thick.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn partway if necessary to ensure that they brown evenly.
- Leave to cool on the tray and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- If you don't have a food processor, use 50g of oats and 50g of oat flour or instant oats.
- Use maple syrup in place of honey for vegan Anzac biscuits.
- For a quick alternative, make healthy Anzac slices. Press the mixture into a lined 20 x 20cm tin. Cut into slices whilst slightly warm (but not hot) but leave in the tin until fully cold.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
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