Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are a vegan, soft, cakey, melt-in-your-mouth kind of cookie. They have an incredible flavor and are always on the fall baking list.
If you’re looking for an original cookie that everyone will love then you’ve come to the right place.
The recipe automatically goes into my autumn rotation because I know I will get that excited exclamation when people smell them baking. Ah, the anticipation!
They’re easy to make cookies and have an incredible flavor. You’ll love all those sweet and tempting autumn spices too. P.S. don’t forget the decadent chocolate chips that are swirled throughout and dotted on top.
Let’s jump right in and get to the wonderful list of ingredients.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Vegan butter is combined with the sugar for a creamy light touch.
- Organic brown sugar gives the cookies the perfect sweetness and texture.
- Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) has a bigger measurement because we want them to taste like pumpkin cookies.
- Flaxseed meal mixed with water is used as an egg substitute and you just happen to get lots of nice protein here too.
- Vanilla extract because what’s a cookie without it? It adds a nice background flavor.
- All-purpose flour and I like to use unbleached flour.
- Baking powder gives these cookies the perfect lift.
- Salt and make sure you don’t forget it or your cookies will taste flat. Yep, just that little bit.
- Ground cinnamon blends so nicely with the sweetness of brown sugar.
- Pumpkin pie spice is mainly a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You can make yourself a large batch with this Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe.
- Chocolate chips can be used in any of your favorite strengths. I like the vegan semi-sweet chocolate variety and most kids do too.
- Walnuts are an optional addition. I add them but some people actually don’t like walnuts. They have a strong earthy flavor.
Instructions
- Turn on the oven to 350° F.
- Line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper..
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Mix the flaxseed meal and water together and set aside.
- Add the pumpkin, prepared flaxseed meal, vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture until well incorporated.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and, if you’re using them, the walnuts.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon and drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Place extra chocolate chips on top if you wish.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.
Baker’s tips
- Use pumpkin puree and not fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin pie filling. You’ll get the best taste and texture with canned 100% pure pumpkin puree.
- Measure the flour by first loosening the flour inside the bag. Then carefully lift a big spoon of flour out of the bag and lightly drop it into the measuring cup. You don’t want to pack the flour in any way to get the right measurement for the perfect cookie.
- You can substitute mini chocolate chips if you like. Enjoy Life has a nice mini chocolate chips product,
- Roll them in powdered sugar right before baking and you’ll get a crackle look. If the sugar starts to melt into the dough before you get them into the oven then you can reroll them.
- To help keep these vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies soft and dense I like to underbake these cookies, just a little. Baked not raw. Since every oven is different I would bake some at 10 minutes first before baking at 12 minutes.
- Use a Silpat type of product to line the baking sheets. Parchment paper works really well too and it will keep the cookies from overcooking on the bottom and even possibly burning.
FAQ’s
Yes! I really like to do this. Drop the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze at least an hour to a few hours. Transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight freezer container or freezer bag (I double-bag them) and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can thaw them in the refrigerator and bake as usual or you can bake them straight out of the freezer. Bake up to 3 minutes longer than the recipe calls for.
Yes, ground chia seed works really well. You can even use applesauce in this recipe. 6 tablespoons will work.
More Amazing Pumpkin Treats
- Treat yourself all autumn long with these nice and fat Pumpkin Pancakes.
- Pumpkin Waffles go really well with maple syrup!
- Chocolate chips and pumpkin go great together as you’ll see with these cookies so why not make a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Banana Bread?
- Pumpkin Muffins go really well with a nice cup of coffee or dairy-free milk.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter – softened
- 1 1/4 cup organic brown sugar – packed
- 1 tablespoons flaxseed meal – mixed with 6 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts – chopped and optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Mix the flaxseed meal and water together and set aside.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, beat together the dairy-free butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add the pumpkin, prepared flaxseed meal, and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture until well incorporated.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts, if using.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Dot 3 or 4 extra chocolate chips on top if you wish.
- Bake at 350° F for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.
Kim
Printing this now for my girlfriend who’s daughter is Vegan. They look delicious!
Betsy
I definitely needed this recipe! Thanks! Though I’m not vegan, I have friends who are. I love making them food they can eat with confidence! Especially food that tastes good and feels like a special treat!
Katie
Making these today. I know my family will love these!
Viktorija
I saw these on facebook and tried them the same day. Loved it, thank you for the recipe. š