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    Home » Sides & Snacks

    Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

    Published: Oct 7, 2022 · Modified: Dec 16, 2022 by Tori · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe
    Vegan Gluten-free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Pin

    These delicious vegan gluten-free pumpkin oatmeal cookies have the perfect fall flavor and texture. Their light pumpkin spice flavor and soft-yet-hearty oatmeal texture will quickly make them your favorite cookie recipe for pumpkin season.  

    Pumpkin oatmeal cookies on cookie tray with bite taken from one cookie
    Jump to:
    • YOU WILL LOVE THESE PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES
    • INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
    • INSTRUCTIONS
    • VARIATIONS
    • STORAGE
    • TIPS 
    • FAQ
    • Recipe

    YOU WILL LOVE THESE PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

    • They're super soft, with just the right amount of chewy texture. I find many pumpkin cookie recipes have a very cakey texture. This can be delicious, but they sometimes read more like little flat pumpkin muffins than chewy cookies. This is likely because of the additional water and fiber that the pumpkin purée adds. While I do love pumpkin muffins, sometimes I want a chewy cookie! By putting just a small amount of pumpkin into these cookies, we balance that chewy oatmeal cookie texture with fall pumpkin flavor.
    • They're an easy recipe to whip up. Simply combine wet ingredients, combine dry ingredients, and put the wet mixture into the dry to create the cookie dough. The ingredients come together easily, so there is no need to pull out the stand mixer (unless, of course, you are looking for an excuse to!).
    • They're vegan and gluten-free with relatively simple ingredients. These cookies don't use egg replacer, vegan butter, or chia or flax "eggs" to get great texture and flavor. Instead, they mostly are made from ingredients you will find at your nearest grocery store. The ingredients in this recipe that may be more difficult to come by are in very small amounts and optional.

    INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

    Ingredients for the cookies with labels
    • Gluten-free measure-for-measure flour- my favorite gluten-free flour for baking is King Arthur measure-for-measure flour. However, any baking gluten-free flour blend should work out (Bob's Red Mill is another popular gluten-free baking flour). Of course, if you do not need your vegan pumpkin oatmeal cookies to be gluten-free, you can use all-purpose flour. You could even consider using whole wheat flour to boost the fiber content.
    • Old-fashioned oats- It is important to use certified gluten-free oats if you need these cookies to be free from gluten contamination. I would not recommend using quick-cooking oats as they are more likely to absorb moisture and cause the cookie to have a cakier texture, but they may work in a pinch, especially if you like soft cookies!
    • Pumpkin purée- It's that time of year to grab a few cans of pumpkin purée! Of course, if you are particularly ambitious, you could try making your own. Make sure you are using pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling as pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced.
    • Light brown sugar- I use light brown sugar in this recipe because I usually have it on hand. Plus, I'm a sucker for a little molasses flavor in my cookies. If you are a real lover of the deep molasses flavor, you could even try dark brown sugar. Likewise, if you don't like molasses, any white sugar would also work. If you choose to use a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup, consider omitting the water in this recipe.
    • Canola oil- I've used canola oil in this recipe as it is neutral in flavor and easy to find. You can easily use any neutral flavor oil. If you use coconut oil, I recommend melting it first so it will combine well with the other wet ingredients.
    • Pumpkin pie spice- What would a pumpkin recipe be without pumpkin spice? But really, you can easily get a very similar flavor by adding cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.
    • White miso- This ingredient is totally optional but very yummy if you can find it! I love to add a little white miso to my vegan cookie recipes. I feel it adds that umami flavor that you sometimes miss by not having butter and eggs in vegan recipes. If you do not have miso, you can easily add more salt instead.

    INSTRUCTIONS

    To make these pumpkin oat cookies, you will first need to combine all the dry ingredients except the oats in a large mixing bowl using a whisk or long-stem fork. When the flour mixture is combined, mix in the oats as well.

    Dry ingredients and oats in a mixing bowl

    Then, in a medium mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients with a whisk or long-stem fork. Be sure they are fully combined, appearing as one pumpkin-caramel color mixture without separation. From here, use a spatula to fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

    Dry ingredients and wet ingredients in a mixing bowl

    Scoop cookies into about 3 Tbsp-sized scoops (I used two scoops from a small cookie scoop). Space the cookies about 3 inches apart on a large nonstick or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

    Cookie dough scooped onto cookie tray

    Bake at 350°F for 13-16 minutes until lightly golden on top. When done, transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle the cookies with a pinch of smoked salt or coarse salt (optional). Allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes.

    Cookies on a cooling tray

    VARIATIONS

    • Mix-ins: Prefer chocolate chip oatmeal cookies? Go ahead and add chocolate chips! I think some roughly chopped dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts would also be delicious in these cookies. For vegan cookies, be sure to check that your chocolate does not contain milk fat or other dairy ingredients!
    • Healthy cookies: While it is completely fine to enjoy a delicious cookie without needing to "healthify" it, sometimes it is a fun challenge to boost the health factor or to suit best your health needs! When I was developing these cookies, I tried making them with oat flour to boost the fiber. While tasty, they felt more like breakfast cookies to me because they were very soft and light. But hey, maybe that's what you want! Another way to adapt this recipe could be to replace some of the flour and oil with nut butter, such as cashew butter, to add additional protein, fiber, and micronutrients.

    STORAGE

    • Make-ahead: If you want to prepare the dough to cook the cookies at a later time, the dough will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
    • Store: According to the USDA, homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 weeks, though they never make it this long without being devoured in my house! I would not recommend storing the cookies in the refrigerator as it will likely dry them out. They can keep in the freezer for 8-12 months.

    TIPS 

    If you choose to prep the dough and then bake the cookies at a later date, try to allow the dough to thaw at room temperature for up to 2 hours if able. If you choose to bake them while still cold/frozen, the cookies are unlikely to spread as evenly.

    I love to top these cookies with a pinch of flaky smoked salt to add some savory flavor. I feel this helps to add a little balance to the sweetness of many baked goods. If you do not have smoked salt, feel free to top the cookies with coarse salt or omit any salt topping altogether. It is certainly not a "make or break" element of this recipe!

    FAQ

    What if I don't have pumpkin pie spice?

    No worries! You can get a very similar flavor by adding 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice. These spices are listed in order of importance so if you also do not have nutmeg or allspice, this is not a big deal whereas not having any cinnamon will change the flavor of the cookie.

    What do I do with the rest of my can of pumpkin purée?

    Well, that's up to you! If you want something savory, you could make my favorite pumpkin soup. Another sweet recipe? You could whip up my yummy pumpkin muffins!

    Recipe

    cookies on cooling rack with one cookie having a bite missing

    Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

    With their pumpkin spice flavor and hearty oatmeal texture, these delicious pumpkin oatmeal cookies will become your favorite fall recipe.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 16 minutes
    Servings: 13 cookies
    Calories: 247kcal
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    Ingredients

    Dry Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
    • 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
    • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats (certified gluten-free oats if needs to be free from gluten contamination)

    Wet Ingredients

    • 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar , packed
    • ½ cup canola oil
    • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
    • 3 tablespoon water
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon white miso OR: additional ¼ teaspoon salt

    Finishing Ingredients

    • 1 pinch smoked salt (optional) OR: coarse salt

    Equipment

    Mixing Bowls
    Whisk
    Large Baking Tray

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350° F.
    • Combine all the dry ingredients except the rolled oats in a large mixing bowl using a whisk or long-stem fork. Once combined, mix in the rolled oats.
    • In a small mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients using a whisk or long-stem fork until the mixture appears completely homogenous.
    • Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture using a spatula.
    • Scoop about 3 tablespoon per cookie of the cookie dough onto a large lined cookie tray, spaced about 3 inches apart.
    • Bake for at 350° F for 13-16 minutes.
    • Remove cookies from oven, sprinkle with salt, and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes on a cooling rack or 5-10 minutes on the cookie tray.
    • Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 251mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 438IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention me @easy.chickpeasy or tag me #easychickpeasy!

    This recipe was adapted from Ovenly's Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Eric

      October 08, 2022 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      Love how chewy and tasty these are!

      Reply
      • Tori

        October 10, 2022 at 7:36 am

        Thanks Eric!

        Reply
        • Brianna

          October 10, 2022 at 12:30 pm

          5 stars
          A fall must-try for sure! Thanks for sharing, Easy Chick Peasy.

          Reply
          • Tori

            October 10, 2022 at 2:24 pm

            Of course! And thank you for the kind words!

            Reply
            • katherine

              October 12, 2022 at 2:19 pm

              5 stars
              These were so good, and the miso really does add a nice special something to the cookies! I will be making these again!

            • Tori

              October 12, 2022 at 3:21 pm

              Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed them, Katherine!

    2. Debs

      October 09, 2022 at 7:42 am

      5 stars
      They are as so delicious and I appreciated all the detailed information provided with the recipe!

      Reply
      • Tori

        October 10, 2022 at 7:36 am

        Thanks Debs!

        Reply
    3. Olivia

      October 16, 2022 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      I could eat these cookies all day someone had to take the tray away from me

      Reply
      • Tori

        October 17, 2022 at 6:43 am

        Thanks, Olivia! So glad you liked them!

        Reply
    4. Stashka Lepera

      March 01, 2023 at 4:51 pm

      5 stars
      I have recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and the list of items I can’t eat sometimes feels longer than the list of items I can. All sources of sugar and sweetners except date sugar, dairy, eggs and gluten are off limits.

      I followed this recipe using oat flour and replacing the brown sugar with date sugar (and reducing the flour by 25%). While the cookies most likely did not have the same texture as your original recipe - the resulting cookies were delightfully light and rich with just the right amount of sweet. These were the first baked treats I have had in nearly 3 months and they were glorious!!!

      Thank you for creating a recipe that is so easy to adapt to our unique dietary needs!

      Reply
      • Tori

        March 01, 2023 at 5:41 pm

        Stashka,

        Thank you so much for your kind comment. I am so glad these cookies worked out for you! This is exactly why I do what I do and I am so glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Tori! I'm a Registered Dietitian with a passion for sharing plant-based recipes. I love getting creative with cooking, dancing in the kitchen, and a good cup of coffee.

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