Healthy Pumpkin Cookies | Vegan
These Healthy Pumpkin Cookies are completely dairy-free and egg-free and are loaded with fiber, beta carotene, and have zero cholesterol. They can be ready in only about 25-minutes!
In the mood for something sweet? These vegan pumpkin cookies are perfectly sweet and moist. They’ll take care of that sweet tooth without making you feel guilty with only 88 calories, 0.4 grams of fat, and nearly 2 grams of fiber per cookie.
We love these pumpkin cookies because they’re…
- Perfectly sweet
- Wholesome
- Satisfying
- Fresh
- Oil-free
- Dairy-free
- Warm & delicious
The best thing of all is that they are made with zero dairy, eggs, or oil. These delicious cookies are made with warm and comforting ingredients like pumpkin, raisins, nutmeg, molasses, and cinnamon.
How to make healthy pumpkin cookies
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
I’m betting that you are going to be surprised by how easy these pumpkin cookies are to make. Your family will think it took you hours in the kitchen to bake these healthy vegan cookies.
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F. Then, line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone non-stick baking mat.
In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients–flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
When purchasing canned pumpkin, make sure that it is 100% pure pumpkin without any added sugars or other ingredients.
In a separate smaller bowl, combine the pumpkin, molasses, vanilla, and almond milk. Make sure the bowl is large enough for mixing, but it doesn’t need to be as large as the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Whisk the wet ingredients together well and then pour the mixture into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients.
This is where you can also add raisins and chopped or crushed walnuts if desired. Stir well to combine all of the ingredients making sure there are no dry floury spots in the batter.
Next, drop the batter by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
If you prefer them to be perfectly round, you will want to make ball shapes. I tend not to be very particular about the shape, so I just plop them on the pan as you can see.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Recipe adapted from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
*Originally published April 2015.
Your Questions Answered:
- Q: Can these cookies be made gluten-free? Though I haven’t made these gluten-free, I’m sure they can be. Oat flour would be a good option or check out Minimalist Baker’s gluten-free baking guide for suggestions.
- Q: Can I use regular whole wheat flour instead of pastry flour? Yes, you can! As a matter of fact, that’s what I used to bake the cookies in the photos above.
- Q: Can I make this recipe with date paste? I’m sure you can, but I haven’t personally tried it yet. I would suggest replacing the dry sugar with 3/4 cup date paste. Other good less refined dry sugar options are sucanat and coconut sugar.
- Q: Would it be okay to bake this as a cake or bread instead of cookies? The batter is quite thick, so I think it would do great with either of these options.
- Q: Are these pumpkin cookies healthy? As far as desserts go, absolutely! Each serving is loaded with beta carotene and has only 88 calories, 0.4 grams of fat, and nearly 2 grams of fiber per cookie.
- Q: How long will these last? At my house, not very long, LOL! Seriously though, I keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. They freeze well too.
Other great vegan dessert recipes
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Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 3/4 cup unrefind sugar (I use sucanat)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1.5 cups solid packed pumpkin (15 oz can plain pumpkin)
- 1/4 cup black strap molasses
- 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F. Then, line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone non-stick baking mat.
- In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients–flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a separate smaller bowl, combine the pumpkin, molasses, vanilla, and almond milk. When purchasing the canned pumpkin, make sure that it is 100% pure pumpkin without any added sugars or other ingredients.
- Whisk those wet ingredients together well and then pour the mixture into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients.
- This is where you can also add raisins and chopped or crushed walnuts if desired. Stir well to combine all of the ingredients making sure there are no dry floury spots in the batter.
- Next, drop the batter by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Your Questions Answered:
- Q: Can these cookies be made gluten-free? Though I haven’t made these gluten-free, I’m sure they can be. Oat flour would be a good option or check out Minimalist Baker’s gluten-free baking guide for suggestions.
- Q: Can I use regular whole wheat flour instead of pastry flour? Yes, you can! As a matter of fact, that’s what I used to bake the cookies in the photos above.
- Q: Can I make this recipe with date paste? I’m sure you can, but I haven’t personally tried it yet. I would suggest replacing the dry sugar with 3/4 cup date paste. Other good less refined dry sugar options are sucanat and coconut sugar.
- Q: Would it be okay to bake this as a cake or bread instead of cookies? The batter is quite thick, so I think it would do great with either of these options.
- Q: Are these pumpkin cookies healthy? As far as desserts go, absolutely! Each serving is loaded with beta carotene and has only 88 calories, 0.4 grams of fat, and nearly 2 grams of fiber per cookie.
- Q: How long will these last? At my house, not very long, LOL! Seriously though, I keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. They freeze well too.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Can you substitute gluten free pastry flour for the whole wheat pastry flour? Also, is spelt flour gluten free?
Tom, the Minimalist Baker has a gluten-free baking guide that should help with substituting out the flours in this recipe. Spelt flour is not GF, but this guide should give some other ideas. https://minimalistbaker.com/guide-to-gluten-free-flours/
Hey, I was meaning to try your recipes, the only problem being we usually weigh the ingredients, is there anyway I could know the weight. Either way can I know the cup size that you use ? Meaning is 1 cup equal to 200 ml or 250 ml so I could compare it to mine.
Hi Mansi- I just did a little research, and this is what I found for converting the measurements of everything except the spice. Hope you enjoy the cookies. 129.60 g whole wheat flour
129.60 g unbleached flour
150 g unrefined sugar
240 g puree pumpkin
85 g molasses
255 g plant milk
159 g raisins
25 g chopped walnuts
Can you substitute spelt flour in place of the pastry flour.
Hi Darlene- Yes, spelt flour can replace pastry flour. The cookies will a little more dense but still delicious.