Beautifully soft vegan pumpkin cookies topped with a delicious maple glaze. This simple recipe is perfectly spiced and perfect for fall!
These vegan pumpkin cookies were such a success I was actually shocked!
I had been trying ALL day to make some vegan pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but really could not get it right (will have to circle back to that one day!).
But I was determined to put together a winning recipe for pumpkin cookies and I was just not going to call it a day until I did.
And then it suddenly occurred to me, well why don’t I just try some straight up pumpkin cookies and forget the oatmeal part altogether?
And that’s when these happened. It was about 11pm by that time and I have never been so happy to succeed at a cookie!
These cookies are super simple. They’re similar to a sugar cookie but even softer.
They are super soft and melt in your mouth and they are topped with a delicious maple glaze.
If you love all things pumpkin flavored, then check out our vegan pumpkin pie, vegan pumpkin muffins and vegan pumpkin bread too. And for the chocolate chip version of these cookies, check out our vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. You’ll also love our vegan pumpkin oatmeal cookies.
How To Make Vegan Pumpkin 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.
- You will love how easy it is to make these cookies!
- Just add vegan butter, white sugar and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream them together and then add in vanilla extract and pumpkin purée and mix in.
- Now add all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix that in with the butter and sugar by hand (not your actual hands, just use a spoon and not the stand mixer for this part). You will now have a thick cookie dough.
- Scoop the cookie dough with a cookie scoop in roughly 2 tablespoon sized scoops and place onto a parchment lined baking tray, aiming for around 20 cookies.
- Flatten the cookies with a fork.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F. When they come out the oven they will be very soft but will firm up as they cool.
- Prepare a maple glaze by mixing powdered sugar, maple syrup, soy milk and vanilla in a bowl. It should be a consistency that can easily drizzle over the cookies, but not so runny that it will just run straight off the cookies. So if it’s a little too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
- When the cookies have cooled use a teaspoon to drizzle the maple glaze over the cookies.
Pumpkin Purée – Canned or Fresh
The easiest pumpkin to use is canned pumpkin. It’s the most consistent in results and of course it’s also the easiest. And if you open up a 15-ounce can of pumpkin purée you could make these cookies AND a vegan pumpkin cake or vegan pumpkin bread! What a great plan!
However, if you would prefer to use freshly made pumpkin purée then you can definitely do so.
To make your homemade pumpkin purée place peeled and chopped pumpkin onto a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until soft and cooked. Let it cool and then purée it in your food processor. It’s a good idea to let the purée stand in a sieve over a bowl to let any excess water drain off it before using.
What About Gluten-Free?
If you want to make these cookies gluten-free then use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend that is meant to replace regular flour in a recipe. That will provide the best results.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the cookies covered at room temperature where they will stay fresh for a few days or covered in the fridge for up to 7 days.
They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months if you want to freeze them.
More Delicious Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cookies:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- ½ cup White Granulated Sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar (50g)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Pumpkin Purée (75g) Canned or Fresh
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour (188g)
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
For the Maple Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar (120g)
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp Soy Milk
Instructions
- Add the vegan butter, white sugar and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream them together and then add in the vanilla and pumpkin purée.
- Then add in the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix in by hand (don’t use the electric mixer for this part).
- It will make a thick cookie dough that is a bit wet, a little too wet to roll with your hands.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Scoop the cookie dough in roughly 2 Tbsp sized scoops out onto a parchment lined baking tray, aiming for around 20 cookies. Flatten with a fork.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. When you remove them from the oven they will be very soft. Let them cool on the tray before moving them.
- Prepare your maple glaze by mixing up the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and 1 and ½ tablespoons soy milk in a bowl. If needed add the remaining half tablespoon of soy milk a little at a time until you get a consistency that is thin enough to drizzle but not so thin that it will run right off the cookies.
- When the cookies have cooled use a teaspoon to drizzle the maple glaze over the cookies.
Video
Notes
- Weigh the flour on a food scale for accuracy or, if you don’t have a scale make sure to use the spoon and level method for measuring flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
- You can substitute almond milk or another non-dairy milk for the soy milk if you prefer.
- If you want to make these cookies gluten-free then try a gluten-free all purpose flour blend that is meant to replace regular flour in baking.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes if you prefer a softer cookie and up to 15 minutes if you prefer a crunchier/crispier cookie.
- Keep the cookies covered at room temperature where they will stay fresh for a few days or covered in the fridge for up to 7 days. They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months if you want to freeze them.
Sal says
Yummy! great texture and tasty! Though I don’t know what happen with the glaze, it was watery and just ran off the cookies =/ other than that they were great! Thanks for sharing!
Alison Andrews says
So glad the cookies were good! For the glaze, you can thicken it up with a little extra powdered sugar if that happens. Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Rebecca says
Delicious! I added 1/4 tsp cloves too because I like my fall baked goods heavily spiced. Only issue I had is mine turned out pretty cakey and I’m not sure why
Alison Andrews says
Hi Rebecca, so glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for the great rating! They are supposed to be soft and similar to sugar cookies in texture. 🙂
Holly says
Made exactly as written and they were delicious. They are extremely soft and almost like little cakes.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Holly! 🙂
Michelle says
Yummy Yummy Yummy!!!!!
Joëlle says
Perfect, but I will cut sugar by 1/3 next time! Little too sweet for me!
Jana says
Just looked at the photo again and see your cookies are more orange than mine so maybe that’s why my glaze isn’t visible against the cookies. I wonder why my cookies turned out more tan color than orange. I followed recipe exactly! Thx for any thoughts. In any case, they’re delicious.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jana, your pumpkin might just have been less orange than mine. You can omit the maple syrup if you want the glaze to be more white. 🙂
Jana says
Good to know – thanks. Fyi, they didn’t last more than 24 hours. I personally polished off more than I care to count and did manange to leave some for my kids. Lol.
Alison Andrews says
Hahaha, well that is a very good sign! 🙂
Jana says
Just made these cookies and they’re yummy. My glaze seemed runny so I increased powdered sugar to 1-1/4 c. That seemed to thicken it but when I drizzled it onto the cookies it was invisible because it’s the same color! Can I omit maple syrup to make glaze more white? I realize I’ll be omitting maple flavor but I want glaze to be visible. Thx for any suggestions.
Tania says
Can I use pumpkin spice instead of nutmeg?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Tania, you could. You could use pumpkin pie spice to replace the cinnamon and the nutmeg if you like. It will have a slightly different flavor since pumpkin spice has a few other spices in as well, but it would definitely be good! 🙂
Carole says
Can I freeze these after they are iced?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, you can! 🙂
Allison says
Can you use a different type of flour? Like oat flour or gluten free flour ?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Allison, not sure about oat flour, but a gluten-free all purpose blend might work. I haven’t tested it with these cookies, but that has worked with some of my other cookie recipes. 🙂
Vi says
I used spelt flour and they turned out cakey like I saw in another comment! Loved them, although sweeter than I wanted! I’ll cut sugar next time too.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for sharing Vi! 🙂
Bev says
Is there a good substitute for vegan butter? I don’t use butter. These look amazing and my hubby loves pumpkin.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Bev, you could try with coconut oil but the recipe was not tested that way so I don’t know if it would work, but others have done this on some of my other cookie recipes so it could work fine as a 1:1 replacement. Alternatively you can make your own vegan butter.
Bev says
Thank you for your response. Hubby loves all things pumpkin. These look great.
Kristy says
These were awesome! I ground up some Redmill gluten free oats for the flour. They turned out amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe, my family and friend loved them!??
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Kristy! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
jennifer furlano says
I made it today. it was 16 cookies and they are very soft and delicious. Yet, they are still soft….I took them out to cool but too soft to pick up. I used Miykoko vegan butter. I am not sure if a box of it is 1/2 cup. Maybe I should cut it half. What is your thought? Thank you. It smells like fall here in the house. Love it.
Amelia Smith says
A box of Miyoko’s is a full cup. Did you use the whole box?
sheenam | thetwincookingproject.net says
So many beautiful pictures of the perfect looking pumpkin cookie. This looks SO good.
Anna Andrews says
Delectable little cookies for that little teatime gathering of friends.