Soft and chewy vegan oatmeal cookies. These super easy cookies are brown sugar sweetened, coconut and cinnamon infused and make a perfect treat or snack.
I love the look of these vegan oatmeal cookies. They have such a wholesome vibe!
I mean they just look like they’re right out of your grandmothers kitchen don’t they?
My grandmother baked the best cookies.
My mother reckons I inherited all my baking skills from my two grandmothers because my mother sure doesn’t like to bake and I love it! Bring on the vegan desserts.
These vegan oatmeal cookies are as hearty and delicious as they look. Sweetened with brown sugar and packed with rolled oats and coconut, there is not much that can beat a good oatmeal cookie!
And if you love oatmeal cookies, then check out our vegan oatmeal raisin cookies our vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, our vegan peanut butter oatmeal cookies and our vegan banana oatmeal cookies too. Our vegan oatmeal bars, vegan anzac biscuits and vegan no bake cookies are also a treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make These Cookies:
Ingredient Notes
- Maple syrup – can be switched for golden syrup or maple flavored syrup or pretty much any syrup you have on hand. We often make these with golden syrup and they are delicious.
- Dessicated coconut – is also called finely shredded coconut.
- Soy milk – can be replaced with any non-dairy milk that you have on hand.
How To Make Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add rolled oats, all purpose flour, dessicated coconut, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add vegan butter and light brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together until smooth.
- Add maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix in.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix in with a spoon until crumbly.
- Add soy milk and mix in.
- Break off pieces of the cookie dough and roll them into balls. Aim to get around 20 cookies from the batch.
- Place them evenly onto a parchment lined baking tray.
- Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. The edges should be firm and the tops lightly browned.
- Leave them to cool and firm up directly on the tray.
Baking Times
We find 12 minutes to be perfect for a soft and chewy cookie, but if you want it more crunchy then you can increase the bake time up to 15 minutes. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
They usually spread perfectly on their own, but in the event that they don’t, you can either bake them an extra couple of minutes, so long as they haven’t been baking too long, or you can simply flatten them gently with a fork as soon as they come out of the oven still warm and soft.
Make Them Gluten-Free
These cookies work GREAT as gluten-free. Simply replace the regular all purpose flour with a gluten-free all purpose baking blend. Also ensure your rolled oats are certified gluten-free and you’re good to go.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature where they will stay good for up to one week. You can also store them in a covered container in the fridge.
They are freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
More Vegan Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Rolled Oats (150g)
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour (125g)
- 1 cup Dessicated Coconut (80g) Finely shredded coconut
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
- 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Golden Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Add the rolled oats, flour, coconut, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Cream the vegan butter and brown sugar together and then add the syrup and vanilla and mix in.
- Then mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand. Stirring until the mixture is very crumbly.
- Add the soy milk and mix in. Check if you can roll some of it into a ball – it should be sticky enough to do so. It will still be crumbly and look almost as if it's still too dry, but when you try and make a ball you'll find it's also very sticky. If it's still too crumbly, add a tiny bit more soy milk until it's sticky enough to roll into balls. When rolling into balls, you'll find that you're more pressing them into balls than rolling, this is fine, press into a ball and then roll a bit to make it nice and round and even.
- Place the rolled balls onto a parchment lined baking tray. Aim to get around 20 cookies from the batch.
- Bake for 12 minutes. The edges should be firm and the tops lightly browned. They will be soft but will firm up while cooling.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool and firm up directly on the tray.
Notes
- Dessicated coconut is also called finely shredded coconut.
- Baking time. We find 12 minutes to be perfect for a soft and chewy cookie, but if you want it more crunchy then you can increase the bake time up to 15 minutes.
- Gluten-free: These cookies work GREAT as gluten-free. Simply replace the regular all purpose flour with a gluten-free all purpose baking blend. Also ensure your rolled oats are certified gluten-free and you’re good to go.
- Storing: Keep your cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature where they will stay good for up to one week. You can also store them in a covered container in the fridge.
- Freezing: They are freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
- This recipe has been updated with new photos and extra tips but the recipe itself is the same.
Ask Amma says
I used whole wheat flour and they turned out wonderfully.
Have you ever tried adding nuts or nut butter to this?
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Nuts yes! You can definitely add chopped nuts to these cookies and they will turn out great. Nut butter will change the ingredient ratios, but we do have some vegan peanut butter oatmeal cookies you might like to check out.
Aravinda says
So I saved half the batter in the fridge and made them again today. They taste good but the funny thing is the balls did not melt down to cookie shape. They did expand slightly, so they are well-baked but the first time I was delighted to see the bake-down.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Aravinda! That would be because the dough was cold when it went in to the oven. That causes the cookies to not spread. You can flatten them with a fork before going into the oven if the dough is cold next time. All the best! 🙂
Alice says
Hi Alison, I just made this and have to say I love the flavour and texture. I’m wondering if the golden syrup could be reduced without affecting the baking process or if it could be subbed with e.g. applesauce as they are a little too sweet for me?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Alice, you could leave it out altogether without any major impact! All the best! 🙂
michelle says
Best oatmeal cookie EVER!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Michelle! xo
Heather says
I live in a country that does not have vegan butter. What would you suggest I use as a substitute? Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Heather, vegan butter is basically dairy free margarine, using different plant oils, if you have an option of a dairy free margarine to use that would work great. Otherwise you can make your own homemade vegan butter with coconut oil as the base. All the best! 🙂
Kam says
Alison, question I see you don’t use soy lecithin in your butter. Do you really need it?
Alison Andrews says
I don’t use it in my vegan butter because I didn’t see the need for it.
Sofia says
Tasted amazing. Couldn’t even tell they were vegan!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! Thanks so much Sofia! 🙂
Carol Ball says
Just wondering which oats to buy for these. We have the Quick Oats and the Large Flake Oats.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Carol, it’s called Rolled Oats, I don’t think it’s either one of those. There is a link in the ingredients list to rolled oats on Amazon so you can see the ones I mean. All the best! 🙂
Eugenia says
Hi! Do you cook the oats in water beforehand? Also, the link to Amazon sends me to garbanzo flour instead of oats.
Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Eugenia, no the rolled oats are added in raw. That’s so weird, I checked the link and it works perfectly for me, going to Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats! It is possible that the link is redirecting you to a different amazon store based on where you live, and maybe this product is not available there so it is giving you something completely different, that’s a weird thing to do though!
Eugenia says
Maybe cause I’m in the UK! thank you for the tip, I’ll try them soon
Sunil De Abrew says
Firstly Alison, this recipe is scrumptious and very easy to prepare.
However I also rolled and Flattened (probably too much). What happened next is that I was left with ONE GIANT Square Cookie as they all merged (I laughed so much I almost dropped the Bake tray 🙂 )
Anyway as they were still warm I was able to cut out some shapes and on cooling had “Square cookies . Delicious nonetheless. Next time I will not flatten..!!!!
I got 18 cookies out of this batch . Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Oh hahaha! So glad they were still delicious and that you had a sense of humor for the situation! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review! 🙂
Jill says
I’ve made these several times now and they’re my absolute favourite! Perfect chewy inside with crispy edges. Even better with chocolate chunks!
Really reminds me of Dad’s cookies we have in Canada, which were a favourite of mine as a child.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Alison Andrews says
So glad you like the recipe Jill! Thanks so much for the awesome review. xo
Alisar says
I have made these twice now with the kids, they are delicious, I get about 20 from the batch and cook them for a minute or two less. Kids love getting their hands stuck in to roll the dough into balls, and eating a little cookie dough along the way! This recipe is a keeper for me and my fussy daughter who won’t have raisins or chocolate chips in a cookie!
Alison Andrews says
So glad to hear! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review! 🙂
Joanna says
Your instructions and video don’t mention pressing the balls before baking. Do they flatten on their own or is it just assumed that we do this? I’m wondering how thick they should be.
Alison Andrews says
You just want to aim for at least 16 rolled cookies, though up to 20 is fine and then you bake them. They flatten in the oven while baking.
Laura says
Just made these, wish I could attach a picture they turned out perfect, was throwing them together and couldn’t find the bag of coconut, I swear I had a full bag lol, substituted finely ground walnuts and they were perfect, chewy and delicious
Alison Andrews says
So glad they worked out great Laura! Good thinking on the walnuts! 🙂
Alison says
Made these on a cold wet day and the house smelt amazing! The recipe was so easy that I made it with a 3 year old who helped from start to finish. They are chewy but have a crisp edge, they held together so well and the taste is divine. They remind me a little of my favourite biscuit the Anzac. Nobody has been able to stop at 1! Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks so much Alison! 🙂
Rebecca says
Love this recipe. I was wondering if coconut oil would work in place if vegan butter? I want to make them today but I have no vegan butter ????
Alison Andrews says
Hi Rebecca, yes, others have used coconut oil successfully in this recipe! All the best! 🙂
Amanda says
I absolutely love cooking with oats for the family as they are part of good, wholesome food and are such a versatile ingredient for meals and snacks. These variations of oat cookies (after seemingly endless research in cooking up dozens upon dozens 😉 ) are now the only ones I ever use, Alison. They have perfect textures of soft and crunchy, work with any combination of add-ins that I’ve tried (I use this as a base guide and work with what’s available in my pantry), give a great energy boost for me and the kids, and are completely ‘moreish’.
Everyone in my family loves them (even the person who teased the fact that they have “vegan” in the title. Joke’s on them! ;P
Thank you for the wonderful recipes.
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic to hear that Amanda! Thank you so much for the wonderful review. 🙂
Cat says
I just made these cookies and they turned out great! However, 200g sugar (AND syrup too) is far too much, in my opinion, (and that amount almost negates the healthiness of the oats!) and I don’t have a massively sweet tooth, so I reduced the amount of sugar (and I used brown packed sugar) to 125g. I also used ginger instead of cinnamon and when I mixed the dry ingredients with the butter & sugar mixture I ended up adding a little more liquid (water) as the mixture was a bit too dry. Oh, I also didn’t have dessicated coconut so I just upped the amount of oats by about 40g. They came out far better, and actually like proper cookies (instead of spreading all over the place!), than a recipe I tried from a different site a few days ago. Also, they’re nicely sweet with just the 125g sugar instead of the 200g, instead of being sickly sweet (as the other cookies were) and, obviously, reducing the sugar makes them healthier! I’ll definitely be using this (tweaked) recipe again! ????
Alison Andrews says
Glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing Cat. 🙂
Cat. says
P.S. I can’t stop eating these now (made by tweaking this recipe – see my comment above)! My batch made 11 big yummy, soft(ish) chewy cookies. I devoured 2 so far … I’ll have to exercise restraint to not eat more today! I’m new to eggless baking so these have opened my eyes to that and you’d never even know these cookies have no eggs. They’re delish. ????????
Alison Andrews says
Haha yes they are addictive! And I’m so glad it gave you a new perspective, we can definitely bake without eggs and do it really well too. 🙂