Healthy Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
Packed with whole oats, pumpkin puree, almond butter and flax seeds, these gluten-free pumpkin breakfast cookies are jammed with nutritious ingredients, and yet they taste like treats! Serve them as a quick grab-and-go breakfast, pack them as a school snack, or eat them as dessert. Or, better yet, hide them from your kids and save them for yourself (I won’t tell). Don’t miss the video below.
This recipe was inspired by my banana breakfast cookies, which have been a longtime favorite around here. The pumpkin oatmeal cookies incorporate some of our favorite fall flavors while filling us up with oats, flax seeds and almond butter (see below for a nut-free option). The cookies have saved me on more times than I can count. We pull a few out for those “oh-$#@%-we-all-slept-late” breakfasts. Or I can stash them in the kids’ backpacks for a healthy school snack.
Ingredients and substitutions:
- Instead of using eggs, these vegan breakfast cookies are bound with either almond butter or sunflower seed butter. For a nut-free version, use sunflower seed butter. You can also use cashew butter in place of the almond butter, but stay away from peanut butter, which has too strong of a flavor.
- I use canned pumpkin puree in this recipe, but you could use fresh if you have it (or you could use butternut squash puree).
- Feel free to swap out the coconut oil for butter.
- Instead of dried cranberries, you can use dried cherries, raisins, dates or currants (or you can omit them altogether if you prefer!).
- You can add dark chocolate to the cookies if you’d like, which we always do because who would ever say no to chocolate (hey, it’s good for brain health!). Plus, the girls think they’re getting away with some serious shenanigans when allowed to have cookies for breakfast or as a school snack! I often use Lily’s brand, which are sweetened with stevia.
How to make gluten free pumpkin breakfast cookies:
This is an easy dump-and-stir recipe!
- First combine the oats, flaxseed and spices.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients and microwave them (or heat them on the stovetop) until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Let the batter sit for 5 minutes to allow the oats to soften slightly.
- Stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips. I use an ice cream scoop to easily scoop the batter onto the baking sheet.
Using your fingers, gently flatten the cookies before baking.
Bake the cookies until they're golden. Serve them warm or at room temperature.
Storage tips
You can store these healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze them for up to 3 months (or even longer!). The cookies can be eaten cold or you can reheat them in a toaster oven or regular oven until warmed through and crisp.
Tips for making this recipe
- A 2-ounce ice cream scoop with a lever is the perfect tool for transferring the batter to the baking sheet, but you could use two spoons instead. Flatten the cookies gently with damp hands before baking.
- I cook the cookies on a large 18x13-inch baking sheet. If you don't have one that big, use two baking sheets instead.
- Be sure to line the baking sheet with parchment paper so that the cookies don’t stick (I love these pre-cut sheets).
- The cookies freeze beautifully and can be reheated in a toaster oven or regular oven until warmed and crisp. For snacks I packed them directly from the freezer (they’ll be defrosted by snack time!).
*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting From Scratch Fast!
Other pumpkin recipes to try:
- Paleo Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Almond Muffins
- Pumpkin Pound Cake with Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze
- Crustless Pumpkin Pie Custards
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Watch the video!
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Get the recipe!
Healthy Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
Ingredients
- 3 cups (240g / 9.5oz) old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if desired)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 1 ⅓ cups pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup almond butter or sunflower seed butter
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix together the oats, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and ground flaxseeds.
- In a heatproof bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. Microwave on high, stirring occasionally, until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Alternatively, combine everything in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until smooth.
- Scrape the pumpkin mixture into the bowl with the oats and stir to combine. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes. Fold in the cranberries and chocolate, if using.
- Using an ice cream scoop or two large spoons, scoop the dough into ¼ cup mounds onto the baking sheet (if your baking sheet isn’t large enough, use two). Using damp hands, flatten the mounds into 3-inch cookies that are about ½-inch tall. Bake 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the cookies are golden. Let cool completely.
Notes
- For a nut-free version, use sunflower seed butter. You can also use cashew butter in place of the almond butter (I find that peanut butter has too strong of a flavor).
- You’ll need 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree for this recipe (don’t use a pumpkin pie mix). You’ll have some pumpkin leftover, which you can stir into oatmeal or soups.
- Feel free to swap out the coconut oil for butter. Instead of dried cranberries, you can use dried cherries, raisins, dates or currants (or you can omit them if you prefer!).
- Since we eat these cookies as breakfasts or snacks, I often use Lily’s Chocolate Chips, which are sweetened with stevia instead of sugar.
- I bake these cookies on an 18x13-inch baking sheet, which is the workhorse of my kitchen (I own five of them!). If you don’t have a pan that big, use two smaller pans. (p.s. these pre-cut parchment sheets are a fantastic time saver!)
I’ve been making these for years as snacking cookies at work since I’m often on the go. I recently had a baby, and my sister asked what she could make and I asked for these. I’m so glad I did. They’re the best nursing snack that fills you up and are so easy to eat either room temp or warmed in the toaster.
Hi Eileen, thank you so much for sharing, and congratulations on the little one! Big hugs to you and Baby.
Could I make these without oats? Oats tend to spike my blood sugar. Perhaps there's something I can substitute? Thanks in advance!
Hi Nicole! Unfortunately there isn't a great substitute for oats in these cookies. However, for an oat-free recipe, I recommend trying this Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread.
Are the dried cranberries and or cherries sweetened or unsweetened?
That's a personal preference! I love using unsweetened dried cherries, but they can be hard to find. Sweetened cherries or cranberries work great as well, if you don't mind the added sugar. I hope you enjoy!
Hi.
Really want to try this recipe but my daughter has peanut and tree nut allergies. You said I could use eggs instead of nut butters? If so how many?
Thank you 😋
Hi Carolina! For a nut free version you can use sunflower butter instead of almond butter. Sunflower butter is nut-free and works perfectly in the cookies (you can find it with the nut butters at the grocery store). I hope you enjoy!!
Hi!!
I made these cookies for myself as a way to not die of starvation before I get to lunch, as it is about 6 1/2 hours from breakfast until I get to have lunch. Also when they first came out of the oven, they didn’t have much flavor, after freezing them for a couple days, I had one today (it had thawed) after my sports practice and they were delish!! But honestly they are so thick and creamy and so yummy! And I didn’t even use maple syrup ( I didn’t have any), they are still really sweet!
Hi Camille, I'm so glad you liked the cookies! They definitely get better with time, once the flavors have had time to develop. I bet you'll like them even more with maple syrup!
I really want to try making this gluten free bread, it sounds great. This is not the first time I have made gluten free bread, BUT this is the first time I have not been able to have the yeast rise..
No, the yeast was not old. But, I went to the store and bought another three, BUT IT WILL NOT RISE.
I have always used at least 1 1/4 cups of water. Poured the water over the sugar and then added the yeast. I have tried your way, my way and every way, but the yeast will not rise. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
I am so sorry, I posted this on the wrong recipe.
Hi Kathy, what recipe are you referring to? I don't have any yeasted bread recipes on this site. Please let me know!
Hi Nicki
Can you please help me?!
I just made these, followed the recipe precisely. And they don't have any taste to them, at all. Like paper. What did I do incorrectly?
Thank you so much.
Alison
Hi Alison, I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm a bit stumped, as the spices in these cookies give them lots of flavor. How old are your spices? If your spices are over a year old their flavor could be muted. Also, what kind of nut butter did you use?
Hi, Nicki! I'm intrigued by your recipes, and I'm trying to convert the measurement from the US customary to the metric ones, but I'm puzzled by the different results I'm getting, according to different sources.
Would you mind giving the "translation" into European measurement (grams, milliliters and so on), at least for the most important ingredients?
Many thanks and greetings from Italy.
Paola
Do you think these cookies will stick together if I decrease the maple syrup tp 1/4C? Would you substitute anything for the maple syrup other than another sweetener? These sound amazing and I can't wait to make them.
Hi Amy, I'm so sorry for the delay (somehow this question never showed on my end!). You could try swapping out the remaining maple syrup (1/4 cup plus 2 TBS) for applesauce, or you can try increasing the amount of coconut oil, however I haven't tested this so can't guarantee the results. I find the maple syrup really enhances the flavor, so you might want to adjust for the lack of sweetness by adding stevia. Keep me posted!
These look SO good, I'm making them ASAP! 2 questions if you don't mind:
-I was thinking of using pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon/ginger/clove etc spices, how much would you recommend I use? It's made of the same ingredients you added individually I think
-You mentioned we can use fresh pumpkin instead of canned, do we just roast the pumpkin and then puree it ourselves?
Hi there! While I haven't tested it, you can certainly swap out the spices for a pumpkin pie spice mix! All mixes are different but I would start with 1-1.5 teaspoons. Yes to the fresh pumpkin puree! Cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds, then roast the pumpkin cut side down in a 400 degree oven until tender (about 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of the pumpkin). Scoop the flesh into a food processor then process until smooth.
I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Thank you so much for the detailed response! I will share and tag you on instagram when I make them!
5
Hey Nicki! Yet again, another AMAZING recipe. I am officially a 6th grader and we are going to bend tomorrow and I made these cookies for breakfast! They are so, GOOD! I love the flavor and they are so easy to make! SO healthy and nutritious.
Thank you and I am so loving your recipes. You ( and your recipes) are so inspiring to me because I want to go to culinary school just like you did. 🙂
Raine.
CONGRATULATIONS on graduating fifth grade, Raine!! What an achievement (my daughter goes into 5th grade next year!). You are such an inspiration. Keep on cooking!!
Hey Nicki! This is Raine. Can you make these cookies with peanut butter instead of almond or seed butter?
Just wondering...
Raine 🙂
Hi Raine! You can make these with peanut butter, BUT I find that the flavor is a bit too strong for my tastes. However, that is subjective!
I'm whole food plant based and don't use oils or nut butters, what can I use to replace those in your recipe please?
Hi Tami! This recipe relies on the nut butter and oil for texture (the butter binds the cookies together in lieu of eggs). If you eat seeds you could use a sunflower seed butter instead of the almond butter. Otherwise I'd direct you to my Banana Breakfast Cookies (https://fromscratchfast.com/banana-oatcakes/) which don't use any nut butter (the walnuts can be omitted!). There is some oil in that recipe, which you can swap out for whatever cooking fat you usually use (such as a vegan butter, etc). I hope that helps!
I'm going to try this later this morning to finish my weekly meal prep.
Yay! I hope you like the cookies!
Another successful nicki recipe!! Made these today on this dreary day. I had baked a pumpkin and a butternut squash in order to use the pumpkin meat for these cookies and the butternut for soup. I couldn't tell the two apart after a night in the fridge so I made these with 1/2 pumpkin and 1/2 butternut. They were amazing and the kids LOVED them. In fact, I made 3 trays (or 21 cookies) and only have 9 left! Will have to make again because I really wanted these for a quick breakfast/on the go before school snack!
I can't WAIT to try these with butternut squash! I'm so happy you guys enjoyed the cookies!!
I made these and they are amazingly perfect!! I just wish there were nutritional facts listed somewhere so I can log them in my carb manager..
Hi Ashley,
I'm so happy you liked the cookies!