These vegan pumpkin oatmeal cookies are the perfect fall cookie! Easy and fun, loaded with fall flavors and topped with a simple frosting.
I absolutely love baking with pumpkin. You just can’t beat those fall flavors and when you’ve made some vegan pumpkin bread and vegan pumpkin muffins then it’s definitely time for some vegan pumpkin oatmeal cookies.
These cookies have all the delicious fall flavors you could wish for, in a soft and chewy, slightly crunchy cookie with a simply gorgeous vanilla frosting on top!
They’re easy to make, super fun and your house will smell amazing!
We’re seriously in love with ALL oatmeal cookies, we’ve made classic vegan oatmeal cookies, vegan oatmeal raisin cookies, vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, vegan oatmeal cranberry cookies, vegan peanut butter oatmeal cookies and vegan banana oatmeal cookies, not to mention our vegan cowboy cookies and vegan anzac biscuits (also oatmeal based).
For more pumpkin cookies, try our vegan pumpkin cookies with a maple glaze and our vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Recipe Ingredients:
Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin purée – we used canned pumpkin purée, but fresh will also work! If you’re using freshly made purée then make sure to stand it in a sieve or blot it with paper towels so that it’s not too wet.
- Rolled oats – make sure you use rolled oats (old fashioned oats). Instant oats or quick cooking oats won’t work.
- Dessicated coconut – also known as finely shredded coconut or unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Pumpkin pie spice – either use store bought or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Powdered sugar – is for the optional frosting.
- Soy milk – is also for the optional frosting and can be switched for a different non-dairy milk.
Step By Step Instructions
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, coconut, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice 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 pumpkin purée and vanilla extract and mix in.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix with a spoon or spatula into a thick cookie dough.
- Break off pieces of the dough and roll it into balls. Place them evenly on parchment lined baking sheets. Aim to get 20 cookies in total and spread them over two large cookie sheets (10 cookies per baking sheet).
- Bake them one tray at a time at 350°F for 15 minutes. If they haven’t spread much on their own, flatten them with a fork as soon as they come out of the oven puffy and soft.
- Leave them on the baking sheet to cool down and firm up before frosting.
- Sift powdered sugar into a bowl and add soy milk and vanilla extract and mix into a thick frosting.
- Spoon it over the top of the cookies with a teaspoon. Place into the fridge for 5 minutes for the frosting to set and your cookies are ready to serve!
Recipe Success Tips
Measure the flour correctly. It’s crucial to correctly measure your flour. Either weigh it out on a food scale or spoon and level it. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it.
Spread the cookies over two baking sheets. Aim to get around 20 cookies from your batch and spread them over two large baking sheets (10 cookies on each sheet). This prevents them from being overcrowded on the baking sheet.
Bake them one baking sheet at a time. Bake each sheet of cookies on its own, if you try to bake both trays at once it will result in uneven baking. So bake one tray of cookies, and when that’s done, bake the second tray of cookies.
Flatten the cookies with a fork when they come out of the oven. These cookies tend not to spread very much, this is fine! As soon as they come out of the oven all soft and puffy, gently press down on them with a fork to flatten.
The frosting is optional. If you prefer these cookies plain then you can omit the frosting.
Make Them Gluten Free
It’s super easy to make these cookies gluten free. Simply swap out the regular flour for a gluten free all purpose baking blend.
Storing and Freezing
These cookies store super well at room temperature OR in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
They also freeze really well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then enjoy!
More Vegan Pumpkin Desserts
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Rolled Oats (150g)
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour (125g)
- 1 cup Dessicated Coconut (80g) or Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
- ⅓ cup Pumpkin Purée (75g) Canned or Fresh
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Frosting (Optional):
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (180g)
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Milk or other non dairy milk
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Add rolled oats, all purpose flour, coconut, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice 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 pumpkin purée and vanilla extract and mix in.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix with a spoon or spatula into a thick cookie dough.
- Break off pieces of the dough and roll it into balls. Place them evenly on parchment lined baking sheets. Aim to get 20 cookies in total and spread them over two large cookie sheets (10 cookies per baking sheet).
- Bake them one tray at a time for 15 minutes. If they haven't spread much on their own, flatten them with a fork as soon as they come out of the oven puffy and soft.
- Leave them on the baking sheet to cool down and firm up before frosting.
- Sift powdered sugar into a bowl and add soy milk and vanilla extract and mix into a thick frosting.
- Spoon it over the top of the cookies with a teaspoon. Place into the fridge for 5 minutes for the frosting to set and your cookies are ready to serve!
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly. It’s crucial to correctly measure your flour. Either weigh it out on a food scale or spoon and level it. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it.
- Pumpkin pie spice – either use store bought or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Pumpkin purée – we used canned pumpkin purée, but fresh will also work! If you’re using freshly made purée then make sure to stand it in a sieve or blot it with paper towels so that it’s not too wet.
- Gluten free: It’s super easy to make these cookies gluten free. Simply swap out the regular flour for a gluten free all purpose baking blend.
- Storing: These cookies store super well at room temperature OR in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freezing: They also freeze really well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then enjoy!
Hi Alison,
If I wanted to make this paleo, could I swap out the all purpose flour for 1/2 cup almond flour + 1/2 cup oat flour? (I do not have GF all purpose). Thanks!
Hi Linda. Not sure how that would turn out as we usually only test with GF all purpose flour.
Made these for a party and everyone raved about them!
That’s awesome Sarah! Thanks so much for your wonderful review!
This is a truly delicious recipe. I doubled the amounts to make a big batch for work and got about 23 cookies. I also added some orange zest which really works with the pumpkin and cinnamon. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sounds super yummy Danielle! Thanks so much for your great review!
Hi Danielle,
How much orange zest did you add in? Sounds brilliant!
I made these tonight 11/19/2022. I substituted virgin unrefined coconut oil for the vegan butter because I don’t use vegan butter and made it gluten free and salt free. They came out great! A bit crumbly but they taste delicious. I opted to forego the frosting this time but I think they’d be even better with it for a holiday cookie. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad they came out great! Thanks so much for the great review Nancy!
Love these cookies. Didn’t make frosting because I think they’d be too sweet with it and find them perfect as is! I clearly make smaller cookies than you because I got 24 on one tray and still had 12 balls that I could freeze and make fresh another time. Yum.
So glad you enjoyed them Sara! Thanks so much for sharing!
These are delicious! I followed the recipe as written and this is another hit. Thank you…my house smells like Thanksgiving!
Awesome! Thanks for the amazing review Joanne!