Easy No Bake Lactation Cookies for Nursing Moms
Looking for an easy way to boost your milk supply? Try these simple lactation cookies! Made with brewers yeast and other natural ingredients, they’re a great way to help you breastfeed longer and with better quality breast milk. Plus, they’re delicious – so you’ll love snacking on them!
If you have ever breastfed your baby, you will know that at times it can seem impossible to produce nearly enough milk. Even those blessed with an abundance of breastmilk can sometimes feel like they’ve been sucked dry – especially during a growth spurt!
Luckily, there is a ton of science showing that there are many supplements you can take to boost production. Plus, there are a lot of foods that you can add to your diet to try and get your body to produce more. These easy no bake lactation cookies are full of those ingredients that will help you to keep your mammaries happy!
Don’t forget to check out my Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies!
Gather together your ingredients.
The main bulk of these cookies is from oatmeal, which is known to be great for milk supply, and it’s also great for boosting energy! Milk has tons of calcium and EFA, and it also helps boost milk production. Nuts, flaxseed and brewer’s yeast are also agents for helping increase your supply!
To get started, combine your oats, chopped walnuts, flaxseed and brewer’s yeast in a mixing bowl. Set it aside.
Then, in a medium pot, heat up your milk, sugar, butter and cocoa until it comes to a rolling boil. Boil for about a minute and then add in your peanut butter and vanilla, mixing well. Dump all your wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a spoon.
Prepare a large cookie sheet with some wax paper and then spoon out your mixture in 1 TBSP portions onto the tray.
Refrigerate these morsels so they can firm up a bit, and then pop one in your mouth whenever you need a little pick-me-up!
Seriously, they couldn’t be easier, and they taste awesome. Try them yourself!
Do They Work?
So you’re probably wondering if they actually work. The answer is a resounding YES! I started making these because I got pregnant with my fourth son after I’d had a breast reduction, thinking I was done after our third! I didn’t think I’d be able to breastfeed at all, but miraculously, my body provided.
However, I started to worry around the six month mark. My son’s appetite was HUGE, and I wasn’t sure if my body could keep up, so I researched to figure out what I could do to up my milk supply. I discovered several brewers yeast lactation recipes that seemed promising, and I began to experiment. I eventually came up with a homemade lactation cookies recipe that I baked weekly. It worked well enough, but I wanted something even easier.
Finally, I came up with this easy no-bake lactation cookie recipe that not only boosted my milk supply (seriously – I could definitely feel the difference!), but it boosted my energy, as well!
My husband and kids even enjoyed them and used them as little energy boosting snacks. And since they were so easy to make, I could whip up a batch as often as needed.
In the end, I ended up breastfeeding my son for 3 and a half years!
How Do They Work?
These no-bake lactation cookies work by using special ingredients called galactagogues. Galactagogues are substances that promote lactation. They can be man-made medications, but there are several that occur naturally.
The galactagogues in my no bake lactation cookie recipe are flax seeds, rolled oats, brewer’s yeast, peanut butter and walnuts. By combining several of these ingredients together, you can multiply their power to really help promote lactation in a breastfeeding mom.
What If I Don’t Like or Can’t Eat an Ingredient?
Definitely leave it out! These lactation cookies are very forgiving. While I think this recipe is just perfect as it is, you can definitely change it to fit your needs. In fact, check the comments here and on Pinterest to see some of the ways others have changed it up to fit their own circumstances, as this recipe has been modified in some really awesome ways.
Easy No Bake Lactation Cookies for Nursing Moms
These are full of the best ingredients for boosting milk production in breastfeeding moms!
Ingredients
- 5 cups of oats
- 1 cup of chopped walnuts
- 1 cup of flaxseed
- 6 Tbsp of brewer's yeast
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of butter (16 Tbsp)
- 2 cups of sugar
- 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup of peanut butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the oats, chopped walnuts, flaxseed, and brewer's yeast. Set aside.
- In a medium sized pot, heat the milk, butter, sugar, and cocoa over medium heat. Once it comes to a rolling boil, let it continue to boil for 1 minute. Then add the peanut butter and vanilla, and mix well.
- Add the pot mixture to the dry ingredients and combine.
- Prepare a cookie sheet with wax paper and spoon the mixture onto the paper. One spoonful makes a great snack size.
- Refrigerate and enjoy!
Notes
Use a tablespoon of mixture for each cookie. You can keep them rounded or flatten them out to your preference.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 100 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 86Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 29mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g
For another great recipe, check out my Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies!
Yum! Thank you!
Hi! How long can i keep these for in fridge? Also can i keep them in freezer?
They will keep in the fridge for about three weeks, though they can get a little soggy. You can freeze them for sure, and I would take out a few at a time to give them a chance to defrost, but again, they can get a tiny bit soggy. I try not to freeze them if I can help it though, as I think fresh is best.
How long can I keep them for is it necessary to put in fridge
You definitely need to keep them in the fridge for them to stay fresher for longer. They will last about 3 weeks. Or you can freeze and take them out as needed.
I want to make these for my daughter who is vegan. The milk and butter is no problem to substitute, but I’ve never used yeast in anything. Where do I get it and can regular yeast be used.
Thanks
I bought the brewers yeast and flaxseeds on amazon
How many do I need to eat a day to keep my milk up?
It’s different for everyone. I just eat them as a snack a couple times a day, and it helps. But you kind of have to try and see what works for you. If you have a low supply, you’ll want to eat more, and if you have a decent supply already, you can eat less. I would start with three a day and see how it goes.
I’m allergic to walnuts (and actually don’t like nuts in my sweet treats anyway) — is it just as simple as omitting the walnuts it would that mess up the consistency?
They won’t be as bulky, so you’ll likely get less cookies overall. But it shouldn’t mess up the consistency much. You can always add more oats if they are a little thin.
What kind of oats are best for this recipe? Quick oats or old-fashioned oats?
These are so so yummy!!!
Is there any way to sub the flax seed for ground flax seed??
I’m pretty sure that would be just fine.
I used ground flax seed and it worked great.
These are delicious. My whole family enjoyed them! They really helped my supply with having a few a day. I also added oatmeal for breakfast and a daily Body Armor drink, so I am sure it is the combination of it all but I went from having to pump not only during the work day but into the evening to get enough milk for the next day for daycare to being able to freeze 30+ ounces in a week on top of providing the milk for daycare and nursing my baby when with him.
Oh yay! Glad they worked so well for you. It’s incredible how we can boost our supply by eating the right things!
Is there anything I could substitute for oats? Quinoa flakes maybe? I can’t eat oats anymore
So delicious! The butter and peanut butter keep it nice and moist. I cut down the sugar by half a cup and still worked great. Thank you!
What kind of butter did you use?
Any butter will work. Unsalted is best. I have used off-brand, name brand and even plant butter. All worked well.
How about the brewer’s yeast? What can i use as alternative to that?
I have never left a review on anything but here I am because you need to make these! They are so good and almost taste like brownie batter. I can’t speak for the milk supply yet because I just finished licking the bowl but the taste is definitely 10/10. Thank you!
Yay! That’s so good to hear. I’m glad you like them so much. I have been making them/using them for over three years now, and my toddler is still going strong. I hope they work well for you!
@Karli, can u please tell me if these no bakes harden like regular no bakes? Thank You
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Can I replace the milk with almond milk? Would I use the same amount? (I’m baking for my niece who is lactose-intolerant.
Thanks again.
Delicious if I do say so. Thank you.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m trying to cut out dairy to help my baby with her tummy troubles. So I used coconut oil instead of butter and oat milk instead of regular milk. I also didn’t have walnuts so I crushed roasted almonds and added some dried coconut to it as well and it turned out great!! Thanks again!
Oooh I love hearing how people have modified these to work for them. It’s so helpful for others in the comments to learn from other mamas. Thanks for sharing!
For some reason mine turned out bitter 🙁
Hmm. I’m not sure what might have gone wrong. The only thing I can think of is if you might have forgotten to add one of the ingredients or if something was expired. I’ve not heard of it turning out bitter for anyone, but I’m really curious as to how it might have happened. If you try it again, I’d love to know if it works the second time around.
Made these for my wife but made a half batch, ran out of oats, so I topped off the oats with sunflower seeds, replaced the walnuts with pumpkin seeds because I didn’t want to chop walnuts, replaced the peanut butter with tahini because I ran out of peanut butter.
I also didn’t scoop out the mixture. Instead I spread out out onto a quarter sheet pan and cut into mini squares because it was easier. Turned out pretty good! A testament to the versatility of this recipe.
So glad you gave it a try. It really is a great recipe for trying out different combinations. I hope she liked the cookies, and good for you for doing something nice for her!
I had my 4 year old helping me make these, but after trying to make sure nothing got spilled all over the kitchen and changing the baby, I realized we never added the sugar! 🙁 So i sprinkled some on top to try and save them because of course i had used the last of every ingredient to make these… ugh
Can you eat too many of these?! They are soooo good!!