Packed with whole oats, pumpkin puree, almond butter and flax seeds, these gluten-free 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.
Healthy pumpkin breakfast cookies
These pumpkin breakfast cookies have saved me on more times than I can count. No matter how prepared we (think we) are, weekday mornings are inevitably a hustle. Between getting the kids up and ready, packing up lunches and snacks, and orchestrating our daily schedules, it’s rare that we have a take-your-time kind of morning. But if I have a stash of these cookies in the freezer, I can breathe easy. We can pull a few out for those “oh-crap-we-all-slept-late” breakfasts. Or I can stash them in the kids’ backpacks for a healthy school snack.
Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
The recipe was inspired by my banana breakfast cookies, which have been a longtime favorite around here. These 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).
Ingredients and substitutions:
- 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.
Vegan cookies
Instead of using eggs to bind these cookies, they’re bound with either almond butter or sunflower seed butter, making them naturally vegan.
How to make this recipe:
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.
How long will the cookies keep?
You can store the 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 (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!)
Brady says
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!
Nicki Sizemore says
I can't WAIT to try these with butternut squash! I'm so happy you guys enjoyed the cookies!!
Ashley says
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..
Nicki Sizemore says
Hi Ashley,
I'm so happy you liked the cookies!
DeLinda Williams says
I'm going to try this later this morning to finish my weekly meal prep.
Nicki Sizemore says
Yay! I hope you like the cookies!
tami says
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?
Nicki Sizemore says
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!
jenny spencer says
Hey Nicki! This is Raine. Can you make these cookies with peanut butter instead of almond or seed butter?
Just wondering...
Raine š
Nicki Sizemore says
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!
jenny spencer says
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. š
Raine.
Nicki Sizemore says
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!!
Shivani says
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?
Nicki Sizemore says
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!
SHIVANI says
Thank you so much for the detailed response! I will share and tag you on instagram when I make them!