These vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are perfect for fall! Soft, cakey, and warmly spiced, they're loaded with rich pumpkin flavor and decadent chocolate chips, and they're a crowd-pleaser every time.
Recipe from But I Could Never Go Vegan!: 125 Recipes That Prove You Can Live Without Cheese, It’s Not All Rabbit Food, and Your Friends Will Still Come Over for Dinner, Copyright © Kristy Turner, 2014. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.
You may think that pumpkin is reserved for that short time from October through November. That is true, except when that pumpkin is going into chocolate chip cookies. Then it is perfectly acceptable to eat it year-round. It's just too good not to!
So of course I jumped at the chance to test out this recipe from Kristy Turner's cookbook But I Could Never Go Vegan! And they did not disappoint. The pumpkin acts as an egg replacer but also adds a lot of depth to the flavor. These cookies are a total crowd-pleaser, so if you serve them to your omnivore friends, be prepared for the question we all love to hear: “These are vegan?”
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pumpkin puree. This is the heart of the cookie, and it does double duty as flavor and binder. Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced and will throw off the balance. Homemade puree works too, as long as it's thick; strain a watery batch for 20 minutes first.
- Flaxseed meal. Just one tablespoon of ground flaxseed adds a little extra binding and structure alongside the pumpkin. Ground chia seeds are an easy swap. If you're curious about why these seeds work so well in baking, see our guide to the health benefits of chia, flax, and hemp seeds.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour. Plain all-purpose flour gives these their soft, cakey texture. White whole wheat flour works for a heartier cookie, and a good 1:1 gluten-free baking blend is the best bet for a gluten-free batch.
- Vegan butter. Melted vegan butter adds richness and helps the edges brown. Refined coconut oil, melted, can stand in, though the cookies will be a little firmer once cooled.
- Maple syrup and coconut sugar. Pure maple syrup brings moisture and a mellow sweetness, while coconut sugar adds a caramel note that pairs beautifully with pumpkin. Vegan brown sugar is a one-to-one swap for the coconut sugar.
- Almond butter. A spoonful of smooth nut butter makes the cookies extra tender. Cashew or peanut butter work fine, and sunflower seed butter keeps them nut-free.
- Warm spices. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and ground cardamom give these their cozy, bakery-style flavor. In a pinch, replace all four with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Vegan chocolate chips. Check the label, since many semisweet chips contain milk. Dark chocolate chunks or mini chips are both great here.
Helpful Tips
Spoon and level the flour. This is the single most important step for these cookies. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup until it's full, then level it off. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, and the cookies will turn out dry and dense instead of soft.
Blot the pumpkin if it looks wet. Canned pumpkin varies from brand to brand. If yours looks loose or watery, press it between a few layers of paper towel for a minute before measuring, so the dough doesn't turn out too soft.
Flatten the dough before baking. Pumpkin cookie dough doesn't spread much in the oven, so the shape you put on the tray is roughly the shape you'll get. Press each mound down gently with the bottom of a damp measuring cup, or shape them into rounds with wet fingers.
Don't overbake. Pull the cookies when they feel set on top and the edges are just turning golden, usually 8 to 10 minutes. They'll firm up as they cool on the tray, and overbaking dries out that soft, cakey middle.
Line your baking sheets. Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat keeps the bottoms from sticking or over-browning, and makes it easy to slide a whole batch onto a cooling rack.
Variations
- Nutty. Swap half the chocolate chips for chopped toasted pecans or walnuts for a little crunch.
- Double chocolate. Replace 3 tablespoons of the flour with cocoa powder for a rich chocolate-pumpkin cookie.
- Oatmeal pumpkin. Replace ½ cup of the flour with rolled oats for a chewier, heartier cookie.
- White chocolate and cranberry. Use vegan white chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead of semisweet chips for a festive holiday version.
- Glazed. Drizzle the cooled cookies with a simple maple glaze made from powdered sugar, a splash of plant milk, and a little maple syrup.
- Muffins instead. If you love this flavor combination, try our pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for an easy breakfast treat.
Serving Ideas
These cookies are made for sweater weather. Serve them warm with a mug of coffee, chai, or a homemade vegan pumpkin spice latte, or with a tall glass of your favorite non-dairy milk for dunking.
They also travel well, so pack them into lunchboxes, bring a tin to a fall potluck, or add them to a Thanksgiving dessert table alongside pie. For a holiday cookie tray, pair them with our classic vegan chocolate chip cookies and a batch of snickerdoodles, or browse all of our vegan cookies and bars for more ideas.
Storing & Freezing
Once they're completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because pumpkin keeps them so moist, place a sheet of parchment between layers so they don't stick together. They're lovely cold, or warm one for 10 seconds in the microwave.
These cookies freeze well. Freeze the baked cookies in a single layer until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months, and thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can also freeze scooped, flattened balls of dough and bake them straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you love these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, here are a few more pumpkin treats you might enjoy:
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Protein Balls
- Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Pancakes
- Tasty Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Handheld mixer optional
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup vegan butter melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar or vegan brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond butter unsalted, smooth, or whatever nut butter you have
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Whisk together the flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Use a hand mixer (or whisk very quickly) to mix the pumpkin puree, vegan butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and almond butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a tablespoon or ice cream scoop to scoop roughly 2 tablespoons of dough and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Wet or lightly grease the bottom of a measuring cup and gently press down on each cookie to flatten. If you want them more evenly shaped, wet your fingers and gently form them into circles.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until firm with lightly browned edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving (or not-it would be a shame not to try at least one while they're hot!).
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