Vegan Pumpkin Cookies

Vegan Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting made with brown rice flour and almond flour will melt in your mouth. I guarantee that these are by far the best pumpkin cookies you will ever eat! Plus they are gluten-free.

If you’re looking for something different, or if you’re a fan of all things pumpkin, then I’ve got just the thing. Try these vegan pumpkin cookies.

The great thing about trying something new is that you never know if you’ll be pleasantly surprised or disappointed until after you’ve tried it. I decided to try making these mouthwatering cookies. And, I’m happy to tell you that this recipe turned out absolutely delightful and satisfies any sweet tooth craving — even mine. The cookies were moist in the center with a nice crisp outside.

I could not go through the fall season without making these scrumptious treats. I absolutely love all the things I can do with pumpkins! I used some pumpkin puree in my Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Stuffed Shells, and Pumpkin Muffins recipes the other day and had some leftovers.

As always, I suggest you read the complete article for useful information. However, you can scroll down to find the detailed recipe with exact ingredients and step-by-step instructions.

Why Make This Recipe?

I strongly feel this recipe will appeal to you for a variety of reasons because…

• These vegan pumpkin cookies are so soft, chewy, and filled with warm spices. They’re simply divine!
• They’re also pretty simple to make, so if you’re looking for a quick batch of pumpkin cookies then look no further!
• You probably already have all the required ingredients on hand!
• The ingredients for these cookies are inexpensive, so they won’t break the bank. They don’t require a lot of baking equipment. All you need are some bowls, a wooden spoon, and a baking sheet.
• The spices give them just enough zing without being overwhelmed (which is nice for your tastebuds).
• These Vegan Pumpkin Cookies are like pumpkin pie in cookie form – soft and moist from the inside and crispy from the outside.
• These vegan pumpkin cookies are rich, delicious, and full of flavors.
• They’re also vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free! That makes them ideal for anyone with reduced-sugar dietary restrictions.
• These vegan pumpkin cookies are more than makeup for pumpkin aversion.
• They bake up soft in the middle and fall apart once you break them open. Best served with a glass of almond milk.
• You can customize them as you like.
• They are fantastic festive fall treats and are perfect for the holidays.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cookies

• Almond milk: Use almond milk to add additional depth of flavor. For the lump-free cookie batter, be sure you use room-temperature milk.
• Pumpkin puree: Use pureed pumpkin rather than pumpkin pie filling for this recipe. In addition to adding a delightful flavor to cookies, pumpkin puree can be used as an egg substitute.
• Coconut oil melted: I find that adding a little bit of coconut oil helps the flavors melt together more evenly.
• Vanilla: Making tasty cookies always requires vanilla extract.
• Brown Rice Flour: For these cookies, I used brown rice flour. It is a nutrient-dense whole-grain flour. Additionally, it is gluten-free. The flavor of brown rice is nutty.
• Almond Flour: This flour is usually used as a binding agent in savory recipes. You can use store-bought or make your own Almond Flour.
• Coconut sugar: The cookies were sweetened with coconut palm sugar. If you haven’t tried this sweetener, I recommend you do it for not only is it healthy but it also lends a nice caramel flavor to your desserts.
• Ground flaxseeds: Flaxseed adds healthy fat and fiber to the cookies and also acts as an egg substitute to help bind the cookies together.
• Baking powder: This serves as the recipe’s leavening ingredient because it emits carbon dioxide when baked, making for a soft cookie.
• Cinnamon: The heat in these cookies is amplified by adding more cinnamon.
• Ginger: Add a nice flavor and aids digestion.
• Salt: It helps balance the sweetness while enhancing the background flavors.

Vanilla Frosting

• Vegan cream cheese: It adds as the base makes for a slightly nutty-flavored frosting. I used Trader Joe’s brand.
• Vegan Butter, (I used Earth Balance): It makes the cookies softer and adds taste and moisture.
• Maple Syrup: I absolutely love maple syrup’s sweet, caramel-like, warm flavor. If you don’t want to use maple syrup, sweeten non-dairy milk or agave syrup can be used instead.
• Vanilla: In my opinion, this is important for enhancing flavor and a need for everything pumpkin spice!
• Almond Extract: It’s used to enhance the flavor of the different ingredients and make everything taste extra-delicious
• Organic powdered sugar: Perfect for making frosting and the ideal finishing touch for these vegan pumpkin glazed cookies.

Maple Frosting

• Raw cashews: Soaked for about 2 hours
• Maple syrup
• Almond milk: Any kind of milk will do. I used almond milk, but you could also use oat, soy, cashew, and even carton coconut milk.
• Vanilla: Used in this maple frosting to infuse the flavors with warmth.
• Lemon Juice: The frosting is brightened by the addition of lemon juice.
• Pumpkin pie spice: I make use of premade pumpkin spice blend. However, with a few simple ingredients, you can make it yourself!
• Salt

How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Cookies?

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, In another bowl combine all the liquid ingredients including pumpkin puree. Mix wet and dry ingredients together.

Scoop and drop cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten cookies with your fingers. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely and add frosting one of the two frostings.

How To Serve Vegan Pumpkin Cookies?

You can eat them for breakfast, or give them to the kids as a nutritious after-school snack.

I think it’s best to eat them slightly warmly because that’s how they taste best. Serve with coffee or tea. They taste great when combined with almond milk!

Storing The Cookies

Put the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. When cookies are stored while still slightly warm, condensation will form in the container, resulting in soggy cookies. Nobody wants soggy cookies! They can be kept up to five days at room temperature, one week in the fridge, or for a month in the freezer.

Recipe Notes

• Before you begin mixing, make sure you have all of your ingredients measured out and ready to go so you don’t forget anything.
• For accuracy, use a scale. Greatly reduces the likelihood of erroneous measurement.
• Follow each step to make sure your cookies look like the ones in the photos.
• If you don’t want to use cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice substitute with 1/4 teaspoon cardamom and 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander instead.
• Use superfine almond & brown rice flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill) to ensure the proper batter consistency. The dough will be too wet if the almond & rice flour you use isn’t ultrafine.
• Make sure you use pure pumpkin puree rather than a sweetened pumpkin pie mix!
• Since these pumpkin cookies don’t spread much while baking, you’ll need to gently press down on each ball of dough once it’s been placed onto the baking sheet or tray. You can skip this step if you want smaller, thicker gluten-free cookies.
• Allow the cookies to rest on the baking tray for two minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
• Before applying the frosting, allow the cookies to cool completely. If you put cream cheese frosting on heated cookies, it will melt.
• The size of the cookies can be increased or decreased without difficulty, as can the baking time.

Possible Substitutions

• Coconut butter can be used in place of coconut oil.
• You can use any kind of liquid sweetener, including brown rice syrup, agave syrup, and maple syrup.
• Rice flour can be replaced with gluten-free flour.
• You can use regular flour in place of rice flour if you don’t require the cookies to be gluten-free.
• Any plant-based milk is okay, including almonds, rice, soy, cashew, oat, and many others.
• Sweet potato purée can be used in place of the pumpkin purée.
• Make your own pumpkin purée if you want, or use canned pumpkin purée.
• Walnuts, pecan nuts, or sunflower seeds can be used in cookie batter to enhance the flavor and nutritional value.

Others Cookies Recipes

• Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
• Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
• Almond Flour Cranberry Cookies

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Pumpkin Cookies Healthy?

Yes! As we know pumpkins are a nutritional powerhouse. Pumpkin has a lot of fiber and minerals. It has few calories but is rich in minerals and vitamins like beta carotene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients are all associated with a number of health benefits such as reducing the risk of cancer, regulating blood pressure, diabetes prevention and control, promoting weight loss, and boosting immunity.

Can I Use Homemade Pumpkin Puree?

These simple vegan pumpkin cookies can be made using homemade or store-bought pumpkin puree (but not canned pumpkin pie filling).

However, keep in mind that homemade pumpkin puree may have more liquid and may need to be strained for approximately an hour via a cheesecloth-lined strainer to remove extra liquid.

What Can I Use Instead of Pumpkin Spice?

Replace with 1/2 a tsp. of cinnamon or leave it out completely.

Can I Use Applesauce Instead Of Vegan Butter?

There’s no need to worry if you don’t like vegan butter or just don’t have any on hand. In this recipe, you can omit the butter altogether and use pure, unsweetened applesauce instead. You may also combine applesauce and butter, half and half.

Vegan cookies made using applesauce will be slightly denser but also moister in texture. They will also be slightly healthier due to the lower calorie and fat intake.

Can I Add Carob Chips In These Cookies?

If you enjoy carob, try incorporating some chocolate chips into the cookie batter to make vegan pumpkin carob cookies. These are extremely delicious. To prevent the chocolate from melting completely, bake them for a little bit less time.

Do I Need To Chill The Cookie Dough?

There is no need to chill these pumpkin cookies. Prepare the dough, then bake it immediately.

Why Are These Cookies Not Crispy?

The pumpkin puree inside prevents them from crisping up from the inside. These cookies are extremely moistened on the inside and crispy on the outside thanks to the puree.

Can You Prepare The Cookies Ahead?

In fact, these vegan pumpkin cookies are perfect for making ahead of time. Before baking the cookies, you could first keep the cookie batter covered in the refrigerator for two days.

You may also freeze the unbaked cookie dough by carefully wrapping it in clingfilm to freeze for up to a month.

You have two options: bake the cookies straight from the freezer, allowing them to gently flatten halfway through baking, or let the cookie dough defrost overnight in the refrigerator before shaping and baking.

If you like and enjoy this recipe, please leave a comment to let me know your feedback. Be sure to check out all of my Healthy Vegan Cookies Recipes before you leave. Have fun cooking!

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