These vegan pumpkin cookies are soft, cakey, and full of cozy brown sugar and pumpkin flavor, and they come together in one bowl in about 25 minutes. No eggs, no oil, no mixer required, just an easy fall cookie that everyone at the table can eat.
Jump to:
Pumpkin season is the best season, and these cookies are one of the simplest ways to celebrate it. They're a great first bake of the fall, a perfect lunchbox treat, and an easy way to use up the last bit of a can of pumpkin. If you're looking for more ways to cook with it, browse our easy vegan pumpkin recipes too.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Vegan butter. Softened vegan butter gives these cookies their rich flavor and tender crumb. Use a stick-style block rather than a soft tub spread, which holds more water and can make the dough sticky. Not sure which brand to buy? Here's our guide to the best vegan butter. You can also swap in unsweetened applesauce for some or all of the butter (see the tips below).
- Brown sugar. Light or dark brown sugar both work. Dark brown sugar adds a deeper, more molasses-y flavor that pairs beautifully with pumpkin. Coconut sugar is a good unrefined swap, though the cookies will be a little less sweet and a bit darker.
- Pumpkin purée. Use plain canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. If your homemade purée is watery, blot it with a paper towel first so the dough doesn't get too soft.
- Vanilla extract. Just a teaspoon rounds out the flavor. Maple extract is a fun swap if you want a pancake-breakfast vibe.
- All-purpose flour. Spoon and level your flour rather than scooping straight from the bag, which packs in extra flour and makes dry, crumbly cookies. For gluten-free cookies, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend that contains xanthan gum.
- Baking powder and baking soda. Using both gives the cookies a gentle lift and that soft, slightly puffy texture. Make sure they're fresh, since old leaveners lead to flat, dense cookies.
If you love vegan baking, make sure you grab a copy of my free vegan baking cheat sheet while you're here. It's packed with all my favorite plant-based substitutions to help you vegan-ize any recipe!
Helpful Tips
Soften the butter, but don't melt it. Room-temperature vegan butter creams with the brown sugar into a smooth, fluffy base. Melted butter makes a greasy dough that spreads too much in the oven, so leave it on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes instead of microwaving it.
Chill a sticky dough. Pumpkin purée varies a lot in moisture from can to can. If your dough feels too soft to roll, pop the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes. It firms up quickly and becomes much easier to shape into neat balls.
Flatten before baking. This dough doesn't spread much on its own, so press each ball down gently with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass. That helps the cookies bake evenly and gives you a nice round shape instead of little domes.
Don't overbake. Pull the cookies out when the edges are set and the bottoms are just turning golden. They'll look a little soft in the middle, but they firm up as they cool. An extra couple of minutes in the oven is the fastest way to end up with dry cookies.
Let them cool on the pan first. Give the cookies about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack. They're fragile when hot, and this short rest keeps them from breaking apart.
Variations
- Pumpkin spice cookies. Add 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg) with the flour for a warmer, more classic pumpkin spice flavor.
- Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Fold in ½ cup of dairy-free dark chocolate chips after the dough comes together. Bake them for the shorter end of the time range so the chocolate stays glossy.
- Applesauce cookies. Replace the vegan butter with unsweetened applesauce, or use half of each. The cookies come out denser and moister, with less fat and fewer calories.
- Frosted pumpkin cookies. Pipe a swirl of vegan buttercream frosting or vegan cream cheese frosting on top once the cookies are completely cool. Finish with a shake of vegan fall sprinkles for a party-ready treat.
- Cinnamon sugar coating. Roll the dough balls in a mix of granulated sugar and cinnamon before baking for a crackly, snickerdoodle-style finish.
- Nutty pumpkin cookies. Stir in ⅓ cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts for crunch.
Serving Ideas
These cookies are lovely on their own with a cup of coffee, chai, or a mug of hot apple cider. They're soft and not too sweet, so they also make a great after-school snack or a lunchbox treat.
For a fall dessert table, serve them alongside vegan pumpkin bars and a few frosted cookies, or sandwich two cookies around a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream for easy pumpkin ice cream sandwiches. They also travel well, so they're a good pick for bake sales, potlucks, and Thanksgiving cookie trays.
Storing & Freezing
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. Because they're soft and moist, keep them in a single layer or separate layers with parchment paper so they don't stick together. Frosted cookies should go in the fridge.
To freeze, let the cookies cool completely, then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm and transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can also freeze the rolled dough balls and bake them straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
More Vegan Cookies and Pumpkin Treats
If you loved these cookies, here are a few more you might enjoy:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened (stick-style)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup pumpkin purée, plain, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened vegan butter and brown sugar together with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine, then use your hands to bring everything together into a soft, cohesive dough. If the dough is too sticky to roll, chill it for 15 minutes.
- Roll the dough into 13 equal balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each ball with the back of a spoon so the cookies bake evenly.
- Bake on the middle oven rack for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set and the bottoms are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool.
Courtney says
Very yummy, thanks for an easy recipe!