Soft Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies

These one-bowl vegan, gluten-free pumpkin cookies are soft, chewy, slightly fluffy, and taste like Fall with optional vegan chocolate chips, cranberries, or your favorite add-ins and toppings!

Soft, Chewy, & Slightly Fluffy Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies

Though I’ve recently shared a recipe for a super easy vegan pumpkin pie (GF optional), there’s no sign of my pumpkin spice obsession slowing down soon. So next up is a more portable, single-serve treat in the form of these vegan, gluten-free pumpkin cookies!

These vegan pumpkin cookies are made with just 9 ingredients for simple chewy, lightly spiced, soft pumpkin cookies. However, they can also be built upon further with the addition of raisins, vegan chocolate chips, or chopped nuts for extra texture and flavor and/or even decadent vegan cream cheese or maple glaze.

The combination of regular and brown sugar provides the perfect flavor and texture to these chewy yet fluffy dairy-free pumpkin cookies. Meanwhile, while they use gluten-free flour, you’d never be able to tell! Making them perfect for gatherings like potlucks, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

Plus, with canned pumpkin, you can enjoy them all year long! So with just minutes of prep time, a few simple steps, and 15 minutes of baking time, there’s no excuse not to get in the kitchen to make these vegan gluten-free pumpkin cookies now! As a bonus, your kitchen will smell like a Fall candle - delicious.

The Ingredients

This gluten-free pumpkin cookie recipe requires just 9 pantry-friendly ingredients, including:

• Pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie filling) for the best results. It’s possible to use homemade pumpkin puree, too, but it may require additional steps. Check the FAQs.
• Sugar: These eggless pumpkin cookies rely on both regular granulated sugar and brown sugar for the best flavor and texture.
• Dairy-free butter: Use your favorite vegan butter at room temperature.
• Flour: Use your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour, like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s.

Not gluten-free? You can also make this recipe with regular wheat all-purpose flour in a simple 1:1 ratio!

• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla to avoid an artificial aftertaste.
• Applesauce: Applesauce helps to add moisture (and subtle sweetness) and binds this eggless pumpkin cookie dough.
• Salt: To balance and enhance the flavors in these gluten free pumpkin cookies.
• Baking soda: This leavening agent will help provide lift and texture.
• Cinnamon: For a more robust flavor, use pumpkin pie spice (or add some nutmeg and ground ginger to the cinnamon). Adjust the amount to taste.

What could I add to the Cookies?

Enjoy the vegan gluten-free pumpkin cookies as written above, or add more texture and flavor with mix-ins like:

• Raisins or chopped dates
• Dried cranberries
• Vegan chocolate chips (make delicious gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with dairy-free milk, dark chocolate, or white chocolate)
• Chopped nuts (raw or lightly toasted, unsalted. Pecans, walnuts, etc.)
• Pumpkin seeds (ditto above)
• Orange zest (for a subtle yet noticeable aromatic depth of flavor)
• Drizzle icing (Combine powdered sugar and plant-based milk for a simple drizzle icing over these dairy-free pumpkin cookies. Add cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or a little vanilla for extra flavor). For a maple glaze, use a combination of sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and dairy-free milk.
• Vegan cream cheese frosting (Combine powdered sugar with vegan cream cheese and optionally some vanilla. Use sugar-free powdered sugar if preferred, like erythritol)
• Sugar crust (combine cinnamon and coarse granulated sugar and dip each cookie in it before baking)
• Coffee (Make delicious vegan pumpkin spice latte cookies with the addition of 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder or instant coffee powder. Adjust the amount to taste)

How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies?

• 1) First, preheat the oven to 350F/175C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• 2) Next, in a large mixing bowl, cream the room temperature vegan butter with the regular and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then, mix in the wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, vanilla, and applesauce).

• 3) Next, add all the dry ingredients (salt, cinnamon, flour, and baking soda) and mix well without overmixing. Finally, fold in any optional mix-ins to the eggless pumpkin cookie dough.

• 4) Next, scoop generous spoonfuls (about 1.5-2tbsp) of cookie dough and transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet, flattening them with a spatula.

Make sure to leave ½ inch between the cookies on the baking tray.

• 5) Bake the gluten-free pumpkin cookies for between 20-25 minutes, until they become golden-orange in color.

Finally, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on a cooling rack before enjoying (or topping with a frosting).

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• For even cookies: Weigh the cookie dough and divide it equally or use a greased 1 ½ tablespoon scoop.
• Flatten the cookies before baking: These gluten-free pumpkin cookies don’t spread a lot, so it’s best to flatten and shape them into a cookie shape pre-bake. Use damp fingers to smooth the top if desired.
• Allow them to cool: These gluten-free vegan pumpkin cookies will be soft and fragile straight from the oven, so allow them to cool so they can firm up.
• Don’t use single flours: I recommend you use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for these gluten-free pumpkin cookies. Don’t substitute almond flour or coconut flour, as it won’t work without other recipe changes.
• Experiment with add-ins: I love to make vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or add a combination of pumpkin seeds and dried cranberry, or skip add-ins for a decadent glaze. There are plenty of options.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: These vegan, gluten-free pumpkin cookies are very make-ahead-friendly. You can prepare the cookie dough and store it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking it.

Alternatively, roll the dough into a log, wrap it tightly, and freeze for later OR freeze the shaped unbaked cookies, then bake them from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.

Store: You can store these vegan pumpkin cookies either in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for up to a week (remove them from the fridge for a few minutes before enjoying). They soften over time, though, so you may prefer them in the first couple of days.

More Vegan Baked Recipes

• Easy Vegan Apple Muffins
• Vegan Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
• Easy Vegan Lemon Cake
• Vegan Blackberry Orange Cupcakes
• Vegan Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

If you try this vegan gluten-free pumpkin cookie recipe, I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla