Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Chips
These soft vegan pumpkin cookies come together in one bowl with simple pantry ingredients. No eggs, no dairy, just a thick dough loaded with chocolate chips and warm fall spices.
They bake up with cracked tops and gooey centers, and they stay tender for days on the counter. If you need a quick batch of autumnal cookies that taste like pumpkin bread in cookie form, this one does the job.
What Makes These Vegan Pumpkin Cookies So Good
The pumpkin puree and oil team up to keep the cookies moist without any butter or eggs. You get a chewy center, lightly crisp edges, and pockets of melted chocolate in every bite.
I keep this recipe in rotation all through fall because it takes about 20 minutes from mixing bowl to cooling rack. The dough comes together fast, and the spices do most of the heavy lifting for flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour: spooned and leveled, do not pack it into the cup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda: gives the cookies their lift
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice: a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt: balances the sweetness
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree: use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar: keeps the cookies soft and chewy
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar: adds a little crispness to the edges
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or neutral oil: coconut oil gives a subtle richness
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: pure vanilla works best here
- 1/2 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips: plus a few extra for topping if you like
Variations / Substitutions
- Add nuts: fold in 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts along with the chocolate chips
- Change the spice: add 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or a pinch of allspice for a different warmth
- Make them gluten-free: swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend
- Reduce the sugar: use a brown sugar substitute and sugar-free chocolate chips, but the texture will be slightly drier
- Skip the chocolate: replace the chips with an equal amount of dried cranberries or raisins
Moist Vegan Pumpkin Bread goes perfectly with these cookies for a cozy morning or afternoon.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Step 1: Mix the Wet Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until the mixture is smooth and no lumps of sugar or pumpkin remain, about 1 minute.
The liquid will look glossy and thick. Make sure the oil is completely blended in so every cookie gets the same amount of moisture.
Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients
Sift the 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt right over the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold everything together just until you no longer see streaks of flour, about 30 seconds.
The dough will be stiff but still pliable. Stop mixing the moment the flour disappears, because overworking the dough can make the cookies tough instead of tender.
Step 3: Fold in the Chocolate Chips
Scatter the 1/2 cup chocolate chips across the dough and fold them through gently. The dough should look evenly speckled with chocolate.
If you want a chocolate chip in every single bite, you can go up to 3/4 cup total, but keep the volume reasonable so the cookies still hold their shape.
Step 4: Scoop and Bake the Cookies
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium cookie scoop, about 1 1/2 tablespoons, to drop rounded mounds of dough onto the sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges look set and the tops are slightly puffed.
The centers will look soft when you pull the pan from the oven. That is what you want. The cookies finish setting as they sit on the hot sheet.
Step 5: Cool and Serve
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes so they firm up enough to lift. Then transfer them to a wire rack. The chocolate will still be gooey, and the tops will have fine cracks across the surface.
Serve warm with a cold glass of oat milk, or let them cool completely for a chewier texture. Either way, they disappear fast.
Tips for the Best Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough. It keeps the cookies uniform, so they all finish baking at the same time.
- Err on the side of underbaking. If the edges are light gold and the middle looks slightly wet, pull them. They carry over heat from the pan.
- Measure your flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off. Scooping directly from the bag packs in too much flour and makes the cookies dry.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment instead of greasing it. The cookies release cleanly and the bottoms brown gently.
Bake times by cookie size:
| Cookie scoop size | Approximate bake time |
|---|---|
| Small (1 tablespoon) | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Medium (1 1/2 tablespoons) | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Large (2 tablespoons) | 12 to 14 minutes |
Keeping Leftover Cookies Fresh
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay soft thanks to the pumpkin. You can also freeze the unbaked dough: scoop it onto a parchment-lined sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer the dough balls to a zip-top bag and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
Yes, but drain it in a fine-mesh sieve for 20 minutes first so the excess liquid does not throw off the dough.
Why did my cookies spread flat?
Too much oil or not enough flour is usually the culprit. Make sure you measure the flour by spooning and leveling, and don’t be tempted to add extra liquid.
Can I make these without a mixer?
Absolutely. A bowl and a spatula are all you need. The dough is soft enough to stir by hand.
How do I know they are done?
Look for edges that have a slight golden hue and tops that are puffed and no longer shiny. The center will look underdone, and that keeps them soft.
Will regular chocolate chips work?
Yes, standard semi-sweet chips work if you do not need a fully vegan cookie. Double-check the label for dairy.
Vegan Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Fold just until no streaks of flour remain, about 30 seconds.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are set.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
