These soft and chewy vegan pumpkin cookies are the perfect seasonal fall dessert, take no time to make, and are bursting with pumpkin spice flavor and chocolate chips. They’re gluten-free too!
You know what it means when the fall season hits?
You guessed it! Pumpkin everything.
I know most people love to bake with pumpkin puree, but don’t forget all the delicious and healthy recipes you can make such as side dishes, soups, and even savory main course meals like this pumpkin casserole.
Even though pumpkin gives all the cozy vibes of an autumn day, I highly recommend you buy some fresh ones and freeze it for later! You don’t have to worry about it spoiling or fighting the crazies at store when baking season hits.
These vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies literally took minutes to make from grabbing everything out of the pantry to putting them into the oven.
What I love about these cookies is the ingredient list. A search for pumpkin baked goods will usually leave you with recipes calling for copious amounts of added refined sugar and unhealthy vegetable oils. Not this one. Nor, this pumpkin biscotti recipe, another fall favorite.
These soft and chewy pumpkin cookies are both vegan and gluten-free with just a touch of added sugar (a combination of brown sugar and maple syrup) and less than a quarter cup of coconut oil.
There’s no need to feel bad about eating 3 of these at 3:30pm and then another 2 after dinner. Speaking from experience here.
They came out very chewy, just how I like my chocolate chip cookies.
They’re incredibly soft, with just enough flavor of pumpkin and cinnamon to taste fall-like, but plenty of chocolate chips to keep them well in the traditional cookie category, meaning you can enjoy them all year round if you like!
Vegan Pumpkin Cookie Ingredients
- gluten-free flour (I use King Arthur measure for measure)
- oat flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon
- salt
- brown sugar (or sub coconut sugar)
- maple syrup
- pumpkin puree
- coconut oil
- flax egg (or sub regular egg)
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips (use vegan/dairy-free brand if necessary)
- coarse salt (optional)
How to Make Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Start by making the flax egg so it has time to set. Combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed with 3 tablespoons warm water. Stir and set aside until thickened.
Place all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Add the wet ingredients including the flax egg to a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
Dump the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined and no flour pockets are left.
Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. The cookies don’t spread much while baking (same with these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies) but leave about 1 inch of space between.
Optionally, press a few more chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie and sprinkle with coarse sea salt before transferring to the oven to bake.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, until just set and starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes until transferring the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Making These Vegan Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Using a flax egg instead of a regular egg in this pumpkin cookie recipe makes these cookies vegan. A regular egg can easily be substituted for similar results if preferred.
Why Use Two Different Gluten-Free Flours?
When baking gluten-free, I often like to mix in oat flour instead of using 100% gluten-free flour blends. Even though the gluten-free all purpose flours are pretty good, I find that no matter which brand you use, baked goods can err on the gummy side when that’s the only flour used.
Using half oat flour and half gluten-free flour in this cookie recipe works wonderfully at avoiding that dreaded gummy texture.
And oat flour is super simple to make yourself if you don’t want to buy it pre-made. Simply blend or process rolled oats until they turn into a flour consistency!
Regular all-purpose flour can be subbed for the gluten-free flour if desired.
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Once the cookies have cooled completely, you can flash freeze them, then transfer to a plastic sealable bag or glass container where they will stay fresh for up to 2 months.
To thaw, leave them at room temperature or defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
How Long Will Pumpkin Cookies Last?
They will stay fresh for a 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container on the countertop. To keep them longer you can refrigerate them.
I personally prefer storing the cookies in the refrigerator as I find the texture better when chilled but it’s up to your preference!
Tips for Making the Best Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Be careful to not over mix the batter so they don’t come out dense.
- To make the cookies the same size a cookie scoop is your best bet. I use this one.
- You can also fold in nuts (I love macadamias paired with pumpkin), pepitas or dried fruit like cranberries for a little extra texture. Stick to about 1/2 cup add-ins at most.
- Don’t over bake! They cookies will still feel soft to the touch after the 14-16 minutes in the oven. They’ll firm up a bit as they cool.
More Fall Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
- VEGAN THUMBPRINT COOKIES
- SWEET POTATO COOKIES
- ALMOND PULP COOKIES (CRANBERRY ORANGE THUMBPRINTS)
- ORANGE POMEGRANATE OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
If you’re in need of more ideas on how to use the leftover pumpkin in an open can I’ve got plenty more pumpkin recipes to try out:
-These Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars are super tasty and easy to make.
-You could also take the no-bake route with a batch of Pumpkin Cookie Dough Bites.
-For a savory option try this Pumpkin Goat Cheese Dip with Caramelized Onions, it’s a party-pleaser great for any fall get together!
Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour, *see note
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 flax egg, 1 tablespoon flaxseed + 3 tablespoons warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- coarse sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Make the flax egg and set aside to thicken.
- Meanwhile, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Add all the wet ingredients including the flax egg to a large bowl and whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until all the flour is incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Drop heaping spoonfuls of the batter on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Optionally, top with additional chocolate chips and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, gently pressing the cookies down a but to form more of a traditional cookie shape since they won't spread too much while baking.
- Bake for approximately 14-16 minutes, until the edges start to brown and the cookie is set but still soft to the touch.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring each cookie to a cooling rack.
- Store on the counter for 3-4 days in a container for softer cookies or keep chilled in the refrigerator for up to 5 days for a firmer texture.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
It’s definitely that time of year again! I love pumpkin!
Pumkin in form of chocolate cookies!!!?? wow that is so autumn, and oh so delicious I believe!!! and great looking, cause we first eat with our eyes, correct?? :)
Those cookies look adorable! I love pumpkin + chocolate.
Best thing I ate yesterday — probably my dinner: pasta, roasted veggies, beef/marinara sauce on top and tons of garlic gold sprinkles!
I really need to get my hands on some of that garlic gold stuff! I can’t imagine not loving it.
I freaking love tempeh bacon :)
Yum!!! I’m loving the look of that tofu! And the cookies…well, you know how I feel about anything pumpkin :-)
I ordered a bunch of organic pumpkin online because, get this, it was CHEAPER than the pumpkin in the stores. How bizarre!? Can’t wait to try those cookies, they sound beyond amazing. I love pumpkin but somehow it always tastes better in the Fall. :)
I ordered a bunch of organic pumpkin online because, get this, it was CHEAPER than the pumpkin in the stores. How bizarre!? Can’t wait to try those cookies, they sound beyond amazing. I love pumpkin but somehow it always tastes better in the Fall. :)
I have a pumpkin chocolate chip recipe too that I love. It’s quite similar and the cookies come out super cake-like. But I actually like them that way. Your photos rock btw!
Thanks! they were definitely cake-like, which kind of surprised me at first but I totally loved them anyway :)
Alright, so I might be tempted to try that tofu.
Do it ;)
These eats look incredible, totally my style. I discovered coconut oil and coconut butter and I have been poorer, but happier. Totally worth the cost.
Tempeh texture totally freaks me out, so I never even get to the taste part. Tempeh bacon cannot be that bad though, lots of people seem to love it.
I have been making homemade canned pumpkin for all my pumpkin favorites, especially the Protein Muffins with dark chocolate cocoa powder….to-die-for.