Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
Oct 15, 2020 (Last updated Mar 13, 2024) by Hannah Sunderani
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
You’re looking at the best pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! They are soft, moist, and chewy. The recipe uses pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice for a gorgeous fall-flavoured cookie. These cookies are indulgent, cozy and comforting. Plus, they’re vegan and gluten-free! All-in-all, it’s a must-have sweet treat to enjoy with tea or coffee.
So, how are ya’ll doing!? My fellow Canadians and I just celebrated Thanksgiving this past weekend, and my belly is still feeling stuffed! This year, due to Covid restrictions, we kept our gathering pretty low key, getting together with only our closest family to celebrate the beloved holiday.
And, as you can guess, I brought these easy vegan and gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with me! And… they were a hit! Everyone loved them from mum and dad, to hubby, and even my 1-year-old niece; who kept asking for, “more pieces!”
This recipe makes a wonderful take-home treat, which our family could enjoy over the next few days for breakfast, snack or dessert. As there is always WAY too much food for Thanksgiving Day, and people are exhausted from cooking, this gift was very well received!!
Needless to say, this is a sweet cookie recipe that truly celebrates pumpkin season. And I’m going to show you exactly how to make them!
The ingredients:
The ingredients for this recipe are simple pantry staples, and likely you already have them in your kitchen.
You will need:
- vegan butter (I used earth balance)
- cane sugar
- brown sugar
- maple syrup
- pumpkin puree
- flaxseed meal, or chia meal
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- oats
- pumpkin spice
- cinnamon
- baking soda
- sea salt
- chocolate chips
As you can see, the ingredients are simple and straight forward. You likely already have them in your pantry.
But if you don’t, they’re easy to find at your local grocery store. Which is why I have given this recipe my newbie cook stamp of approval. Truly, anyone can make these cookies! Whether you’re new to baking (or vegan baking for that matter) or not!
How to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
In a large mixing bowl add the wet ingredients; melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.
In a separate smaller bowl combine the flour, oats, flaxseed meal, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, folding into the cookie dough batter until just combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips. Cover with a tea towel and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the dough has chilled and thickened into scoopable cookie dough.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line three baking trays with parchment paper. Scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough batter onto the tray to form a cookie shape, until you’ve used all the dough (about 6 large cookies per tray). Bake for 15 minutes, let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make this recipe with me!
Make these vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with me on my YouTube Cooking Show. And see for yourself just how easy they come together!
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Tips and Notes
Now, making these cookies are pretty simple and straight forward, but there are a few tips to mastering this recipe and ensuring that you have the perfect dough for a perfectly baked pumpkin cookie that’s moist, chewy and not cakey.
Let the batter sit
My first tip is to let the cookie dough sit for 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge before baking. You’ll notice that the batter is wet and sticky when combined. Letting the dough sit and refrigerate gives optimal time for the oats to absorb the liquid, for an easier-to-scoop cookie dough.
It’s important to note that this cookie dough is more wet than traditional cookie batter, and that’s okay. You won’t be able to roll it in a ball like traditional batter, but use a tablespoon to scoop and form a cookie shape on your baking tray.
Some people, like Sally’s Baking Addiction, recommend to blot the pumpkin puree for a less wet texture. However, I find letting the dough sit for 20 to 30 mins does the trick and it’s less effort.
Pumpkin cookies that aren’t cakey
Another tip is to let your cookies cool for a few hours before eating, otherwise they taste a little cakey. But giving the cookies sufficient time to cool takes away the cakey texture. In fact, like most oatmeal cookies, they get better over time! So feel free to prep the cookies the night before!
Best of all, these cookies will keep for up to 5 days. Transfer the cookies to an air-tight container and store on the countertop for 3 days, or the fridge for 5 days.
Other recipes you might like:
If you’re digging this cookie recipe you might also like these:
- Cookie dough bites
- Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies
So there we have it, a scrumptious recipe for pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that are also vegan. They’re soft and chewy, moist, and deliciously pumpkin spiced! Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast, snack time or dessert. Truly, it’s a recipe to please the masses. I think you’re going to love them!
And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter melted
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree canned
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed or ground chia
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (vegan)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the wet ingredients; melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.
- In a separate smaller bowl combine the flour, oats, flaxseed meal, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, folding into the cookie dough batter until just combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips. Cover with a tea towel and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the dough has chilled and thickened into scoopable cookie dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line three baking trays with parchment paper. Scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough batter onto the tray to form a cookie shape, until you've used all the dough (about 6 large cookies per tray). Bake for 15 minutes, let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Watch The Video
Notes
Approvals
Nutrition
See more step-by-step instructions by visiting the recipe story here!
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I made these cookies using ingredients I had on hand. They’re totally scrumptious! I cut back on the amount of butter (3/4 cup) and added an egg (vegan isn’t a requirement for me). I also used less cane sugar and a little maple syrup. Lastly, I only had about half the amount of chocolate chips on hand, so substituted pumpkin seeds instead. I think the recipe is quite flexible. I LOVE these as mid-morning breakfast cookies with my coffee. Thanks for sharing!
Wow Shauna, you totally switched up this recipe! I’m so glad this worked out, and the pumpkin seeds sound so yummy.
My new favorite! They are so delicious!! I omitted the cane sugar completely because I knew they would be too sweet for my taste and I used AP flour. The recipe worked perfectly! I knew it was going to be good but it exceeded my expectations. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Lauren I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe so much! And love that you made it your own to taste. Thanks so much for the kind comment and review. 🙂 (I too have made this recipe with APF and it works so well!).
These are delicious! I had all the ingredients when I saw this recipe on Instagram so I immediately made them. I like the initial cakey taste but I am excited to see how the flavor changes over the next few days. I did use regular all-purpose flour as that was what I had. Perfection!
Thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe AMM! Yes I love how they taste just out of the oven, but I also love how they get more oaty as the days progress. So happy that you enjoyed it too!
How can I cut sugar down
Hi Terry! Although I have not recipe tested using less sugar, a few people in the comments have halved the sugar and said they turned out really great! If you like things less sweet I think that’s a good way to go!
Oh my. These are so good. Slightly crisp on the outside, soft n chewy inside! Perfect fall treat. Easy to whip together! Thanks much. Yum
I am so happy that you enjoyed the cookies Kortneii! I feel the exact same way about them. Thanks for the very sweet comment. 🙂