These vegan oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips, rolled oats, and naturally sweetened with brown sugar. They're quick and easy to make in less than 30 minutes, plus they're 100% vegan, and gluten-free.
I'm just in love with these vegan oatmeal cookies. Soft, chewy, and so easy to make.
Made with rolled oats and brown sugar, they're perfect for a sweet healthy treat that doesn't taste healthy at all! That's the best kind, right?
In fact, you'd never know that these oatmeal cookies are completely vegan, vegetarian, and even gluten-free.
They're definitely making it into the cookie repertoire at our house - right along with these vegan peanut butter cookies and these vegan chocolate cookies.
And before I forget - if you haven't grabbed a copy of my vegan baking cheat sheet yet, you can get it here. It's a handy printable list with all kinds of easy substitutions to vegan-ize anything!
How to Make Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
These vegan oatmeal cookies are super easy to make with just a handful of simple ingredients.
Start by combining the coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, and boiling water,. Then fold in the oats, flour, salt and baking soda to form your cookie dough.
The cookie dough is so versatile you can use your favorite add-ins and make it your own.
For this recipe, I mixed in dark chocolate chips, but go ahead and use your favorite nuts, seeds, or dried fruits to make it your own!
Now, doesn't that look crazy delicious already? Maybe I should just skip the baking and eat the cookie dough!
Hmmm...
Since you all are reading along, I guess I'll go ahead and bake them. 😉
Scoop the cookie dough into roughly 1" balls, and line them up on a baking sheet.
Make sure the cookies are spaced out evenly - they'll increase in size while baking in the oven.
Then just bake for 10-12 minutes and they're done!
They're the healthiest vegan oatmeal cookies- soft, just a little chewy, and lightly sweet. Enjoy them with your favorite plant-based milk (I like almond milk!).
Tips for Perfect Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Try replacing the chocolate chips with your favorite mix-ins - macadamia nuts, dried berries, raisins, nuts - use your imagination!
- There's no butter in these vegan oatmeal cookies! The coconut oil takes its place. If you don't care for coconut oil, try replacing it with vegetable oil, olive oil, or even applesauce. These options are all more moist than coconut oil, so use a bit less. (For more options - click here to grab my vegan substitution cheat sheet!)
- Dark chocolate is naturally vegan - as chocolate is made from the cacao plant! But it's always good to check the label for any hidden ingredients.
- To keep this recipe gluten-free, be sure to use a gluten-free variety of quick oats and a gluten-free baking flour.
- Store your vegan oatmeal cookies in an airtight container, and they'll stay fresh for 5-7 days.
More Vegan Sweets
If you love these vegan oatmeal cookies, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:
If you haven't already grabbed a copy, be sure to download my free cheat sheet full of vegan baking substitutions. It's a super handy reference to print out and keep in your kitchen!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 ½ cup quick oats
- 2 cups gluten-free baking flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Melt coconut oil. Mix in sugar, vanilla and boiling water.
- Fold in oats, flour, salt and baking soda.
- Mix in chocolate chips.
- Using a 1-inch cookie dough scoop, form balls of dough and place on baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Sam says
Oh wow - these were so easy and seriously good. I made them for my vegan sister-in-law, but the whole family ate them. Thanks!
marnee says
Delicious. Made them this weekend and I will make a double batch next time.
Jess says
Tried these this weekend, and they came out great. I added some dried figs for a different twist and it was really tasty.
Cindy says
I don’t eat any oil. Do you think I could use applesauce in place of the oil? Thanks!
Kelsey says
Just tried these for my friend's birthday, and they were so good. I didn't even tell anyone they were vegan and no one knew the difference. 😉
eunice says
These did not spread at all. The taste is still really good. I wonder what I did wrong. I used Better Batter for the flour and vegetable shortening instead of coconut oil.
Nicole says
These aren't meant to spread much at all, as shown in the pictures. But if you prefer, you can flatten them into more of a traditional flat cookie shape with the back of a spoon before baking.
Shanti says
These cookies were amazing! We added cinnamon for a Different Twist which worked out well.
Taijah Pronounced Tay-Jah says
The cookies taste ok. Not as moist as I was hoping for with the recipe here. So I just added a little more oil and it wasn't too bad. This was quick and super easy so I'll definitely do it again. As a new vegan, easy recipes with everyday ingredients is what I look for first. So thanks. 🥰
Amy says
Hey there,Just want to let you know guys brown sugar is actually not vegan... It is processed after white sugar which is itself whitened with char bones...
Nicole says
Many sugar brands are processed with bone char, but not all. And it's also quite dependent on where you live. For example, it would be unusual to find sugar processed with bone char in the UK, but quite common in the US. In the US, you should look for sugar brands that are USDA certified organic - those can not be filtered with bone char. Sugar in the Raw and Now Foods both have organic white and brown sugar that are vegan friendly. Thanks for pointing this out though. Many people would not know it, and I will add this note to the post!
Donna says
I used olive oil instead of coconut oil for a healthier version. I also used Swerve brown sugar instead of regular brown sugar for an even healthier version! They came out very puffy, so be sure to flatten them if you use these two ingredients.
Jessica says
These cookies were delicious! : ) They tasted great but they were falling apart at each bite. I substituted maple syrup instead of the brown sugar but otherwise the rest of the recipe was the same. Any suggestions so that the cookie doesn't crumble apart next time? - Thanks
Marie says
If you use maple syrup instead of brown sugar, you added more liquid to the recipe, which is gonna make it fall apart. If you’re adding liquid to the recipe in the form of maple syrup, you’re gonna need to add more flour.
Stephanie Zick says
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I used half a cup of chocolate chips and half chopped dried strawberries and my children are already asking for another batch! Wonderfully easy to make and had everything needed in the pantry.
Melodie Torres says
Has anyone used regular old fashioned oats instead of the quick ones?
Gerry says
This is my favorite cookie recipe.
I made 2 batches, one with gluten free flour and the other with regular flour. (equally amounts)Both delicious!
I also used chocolate chips in one and dried cranberries in the other. When I scooped them out onto the cookie sheet I gently pressed them out, PERFECT.
Thank you so much!!
Sandy Adcock says
I did but I pulsed them in a blender first and they turned out fine!
Margie says
Due to heart issues I need to avoid oil. Any safe healthy alternatives?
Rainbird says
Hi Margie, I noticed before the actual recipe she mentioned that you could use applesauce, But just to use less than the amount of coconut oil specified, since it will make the dough wetter.
You can get a list of alternate ingredients to use from her and it might have the exact amount to use when you’re substituting applesauce – but it would probably come up if you google it as well.