These Vegan Pumpkin Cookies are the perfect easy fall dessert! Creamy pumpkin puree and a delicious pumpkin spice blend make these chewy gluten-free cookies the best of the season.
VEGAN PUMPKIN COOKIES RECIPE
Pumpkin season is all year with canned pumpkin puree! I love these Vegan Pumpkin Cookies because they're super chewy and perfectly spiced with no gluten.
Get a bite of pumpkin spice without the latte thanks to this cookie recipe. With a simple flax egg and some gluten-free flour, these cookies are totally vegan and made for a gluten-free diet.
INGREDIENTS IN VEGAN PUMPKIN COOKIES
Pumpkin puree: Make sure you get 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. You can also make homemade pumpkin puree at home!
Flax egg: You only need 2 simple ingredients to make this great vegan egg replacement: flaxseed and water! I love this recipe because you can prep it the day before for easy vegan baking.
Gluten-free all-purpose flour: I like to keep my vegan cookies gluten free when I can! If you're not on a gluten-free diet, you can use regular all-purpose flour instead.
Xanthan gum: Most gluten-free flours have a bit of xanthan gum already mixed in. If yours doesn't, add just a bit to the dough.
Vegan butter: You want your vegan butter melted, not just softened. You can use a microwave or the stove top, but keep an eye on it!
Brown sugar: I love the extra nutty richness brown sugar brings to cookies. You can always use dark brown sugar for a deeper taste, too.
Caster sugar: Simply put, caster sugar is a super fine granulated sugar. In a pinch, you can also use regular granulated sugar for a slightly different texture.
Salt: Cookies need salt to balance the yummy sweetness. A little goes a long way, but don't skip it! You can also add a little flaky sea salt before serving.
Cinnamon: Freshly grated or store-bought ground cinnamon work well in this pumpkin cookie recipe. It's the perfect sweet and savory spice!
Nutmeg: I don't always love nutmeg, but it goes perfectly with pumpkin. If you're out, use a dash of pumpkin pie spice!
Ginger: This savory spice is great for desserts, too. It adds a depth of flavor you can't get otherwise.
Baking soda: If it's fluffy cookies you want, it's baking soda you need! This gives my vegan cookie a little extra rise when they bake.
Vanilla extract: If you love baked goods, you love vanilla extract. A little goes a long way here, but it's important for the best homemade cookies.
If you have any questions about these Vegan Pumpkin Cookies, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PUMPKIN COOKIES
- First, preheat your oven, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Then, add the melted butter, brown sugar, and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat it until it's fluffy with a wooden spoon. If you use an electric mixer, you'll get dense cookies.
- Next, add the canned pumpkin puree, flax egg, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix it all up.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, salt, xanthan gum if needed, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Now, sieve the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix together gently.
- Once the dough is made, chill it in the fridge to make it easier to handle. Need it fast? Freeze it in half the time!
- Next, roll the dough into balls and place on the baking sheets. Leave room for spreading!
- Finally, bake until the vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are golden brown on top. Let them set for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely — if you can wait that long!
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes for Vegan Pumpkin Cookies. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH VEGAN PUMPKIN COOKIES
You'll love this apple butter in the instant pot all year long! It's a great way to use fresh apples for breakfast, snacks, or desserts.
This air fryer pumpkin French toast is the perfect addition to your busy weekday morning or your lazy Saturday brunch. It's a fall favorite in my house!
This simple yet delicious Vegan Apple Crisp is the perfect holiday dessert! The crunchy oat topping and sweet cooked apple filling goes great on every table.
Want to make pumpkin ice cream cookies? Check out some of these Cuisinart ice cream recipes to make some homemade ice to make yummy ice cream sandwiches.
IS CANNED PUMPKIN THE SAME AS PUMPKIN PUREE?
Yes! When you're shopping, be sure you're buying pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. The latter is filled with sugar and spices and won't bake correctly for this Vegan Pumpkin Cookies recipe.
You can also make your own pumpkin puree at home if you'd rather. Surprisingly, some chefs say they prefer canned pumpkin over fresh homemade pumpkin puree.
CAN YOU FREEZE VEGAN COOKIE DOUGH?
Absolutely! You can freeze raw cookie dough or fully baked Vegan Pumpkin Cookies!
To freeze the dough, roll it into cookie balls and freeze it on a lined baking sheet. Once solid, you can transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. No need to thaw the dough before baking.
To freeze cookies, just put them in a safe container and freeze! Simply thaw your Vegan Pumpkin Cookies and enjoy.
MORE YUMMY VEGAN DESSERT RECIPES
This vegan banana pudding combines sweet homemade pudding, freshly sliced bananas, crumbled vanilla cookies and vegan whipped cream. Minimal ingredients come together quickly to create a comforting vegan dessert.
Air Fried Oreos are a healthier version of your favorite fair food! Just 3 ingredients and 5 minutes needed to make this quick and easy vegan dessert.
There's no better late-night dessert than chocolate mug cakes. You can seriously make this moist cake in the microwave!
Looking for more festive fall desserts? Try this pumpkin parfait! It's super light but full of flavor, too.
MORE VEGAN PUMPKIN RECIPES
There are so many choices when it comes to gluten-free flours. We typically use a gluten-free all-purpose flour. We have found that Bob's Red Mill (blue bag) Gluten Free Cup for Cup works well with our recipes. It is important to get the BLUE bag and not the red bag.
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Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Equipment
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup vegan butter melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 flax egg mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water, let sit for 15 minutes
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum if needed
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add melted butter, brown sugar, and caster sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Add pumpkin puree, flax egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Sieve flour mixture into wet ingredients, and mix everything together.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour to make it easier to handle. You can also freeze the dough for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough into balls. Place them on lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cookies rest on baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes before moving them to wire racks to cool completely.
These look perfect! the cracking on the top let's me know that they are going to be amazing and chewy! getting some canned pumpkin this week so I can start making all the pumpkin treats!
The kids made these today with their grandma who is visiting for Thanksgiving and they were a hit, you'd never guess they were vegan!
So glad you enjoyed it!