These healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, filled with dried cherries and walnuts, and topped with an optional maple glaze. Plus, they're vegan, gluten-free, and require only one bowl.
Healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies are the perfect fall treat. They're soft, chewy, perfectly spiced, and filled with dried cherries and pecans. The flavor combo just works! The whole batch is gone in minutes at my house.
Plus, they happen to be vegan and gluten-free, but you would never know it.
They're also super easy to make and require only one bowl. You can have these cookies on the table in less than an hour.
Now, let's talk ingredients.
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Ingredients
For healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- Almond Flour- Almond flour is easy to find in supermarkets and can also be found on Amazon. You can also make your own at home.
- Old-Fashioned Oats- You can also use quick oats, although the cookies won't be quite as chewy. I would recommend against steel-cut oats, though, as they will not soften enough.
- Pumpkin Puree- I use canned pumpkin puree. Be sure it's pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice- Pumpkin pie spice is readily available in supermarkets, or here is a recipe to make your own.
- Cinnamon- The recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, but you can always use more if you love it.
- Coconut Oil- Make sure your coconut oil is melted, or you can substitute different vegetable oil, such as canola.
- Coconut Sugar- The amount of sugar is always a matter of preference. This recipe calls for ½ cup of coconut sugar, which makes for a moderately sweet cookie. If you want less sugar and calories, try a 50/50 blend of coconut sugar and stevia. You will add ¼ cup of coconut sugar and 1.5 teaspoon of stevia if you use Sweetleaf Stevia Shaker Bottle. All stevia brands measure differently, so be sure to read the label and add the equivalent of ¼ cup of sugar.
- Baking Powder- A bit of baking powder helps the cookies to rise slightly as they bake.
- Salt- Don't forget the salt. It helps to bring out all the other flavors.
- Dried Cherries- Dried cherries are so delicious in these cookies, but you can omit or use another dried fruit if you choose.
- Pecans- Pecans are also optional, but I highly recommend adding them.
Maple Glaze (optional)
- Maple Syrup- Or you can sub honey if you prefer.
- Confectioners' Sugar- It doesn't take much confectioners' sugar to make the glaze, and the glaze is definitely worth making!
How to make Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
As I said, these cookies are so easy to make. Just follow these instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Stir in the oats, pumpkin puree, and melted coconut oil until everything is well incorporated.
- Stir in the dried cherries and walnuts.
- Scoop or roll the cookie dough (about 1.5 tablespoon per cookie) and place the scoops on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the cookies slightly using the bottom of a glass or a large spoon.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the optional maple glaze:
- Whisk the powdered sugar and maple syrup together in a medium-size bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cookies using a spoon. The glaze will harden slightly after a few minutes.
FAQs
Canned pumpkin puree is simply cooked and pureed pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling has added spices and sugar, so the two are not interchangeable in recipes.
Yes! You can certainly use pumpkin puree from scratch if you choose. Here is a very helpful tutorial on how to do so.
Old-fashioned oats, also called rolled oats, are flattened and cook in about 5-10 minutes. Quick Oats are thin grains that cook in about one minute. You can use either for this recipe, but for a chewier cookie, go with old-fashioned oats.
Silicone baking mats work great for this recipe and most cookie recipes. They are worth the investment as you can use them repeatedly. If you don't have a silicone mat, I suggest using parchment paper.
Want more healthy cookie recipes?
Check these out:
Homemade Birthday Cake Protein Cookies
Vegan Banana Bread Cookies with Maple Glaze
Healthy Sugar Cookies with Cashew Butter Frosting
Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Please let me know how you like the healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies in the comments! I love to hear from you, and your star ratings encourage others to give the recipe a try. 🙂
Enjoy!
Crystal
📖 Recipe
Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (Easy)
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour* see here
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats*
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1.5 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted
- ½ cup coconut sugar* or brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dried cherries optional
- ½ cup pecans
Maple Glaze (optional)
- 1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Stir in the oats, pumpkin puree, and melted coconut oil until everything is well incorporated.
- Stir in the dried cherries and walnuts.
- Scoop or roll the cookie dough (about 1.5 tablespoon per cookie) and place the scoops on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the cookies slightly using the bottom of a glass or a large spoon.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional Maple Glaze
- Whisk the powdered sugar and maple syrup together in a medium size bowl. Drizzle over the cooled cookies using a spoon. Glaze will harden slightly after a few minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Almond Flour- Almond flour is pretty easy to find in supermarkets and can be found on Amazon. You can also make your own at home.
- Old Fashioned Oats- You can substitute quick oats, although the cookies won't be quite as chewy. I recommend against steel-cut, though, as the oats will not soften enough.
- Coconut Sugar- Brown sugar can be substituted for coconut sugar, and the amount of sugar is always a matter of preference. This recipe calls for ½ cup of coconut sugar, which makes for a moderately sweet cookie. You can add a little more or less if you choose. If you want to reduce the sugar and calories, try a 50/50 blend of coconut sugar and stevia. Add ¼ cup of coconut sugar and 1.5 teaspoon of stevia if you use Sweetleaf Stevia Shaker Bottle. All stevia brands measure differently, so be sure to read the label and add the equivalent of ¼ cup of sugar.
- Store your cookies in a covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Nutrition facts are calculated without the optional maple glaze.
Kayla says
These pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies were so delicious! I loved the pumpkin flavor!
Crystal Yentzen says
You are welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Anaiah says
Yum! These pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies were perfect! I love the warm spices and fall flavors. We'll be enjoying these a lot in the coming months!
Crystal Yentzen says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I love them too. 🙂
Holly says
Yes! Bring on all the fall flavors! These cookies are so tasty and easy to make, too. Perfect for kids' lunches and mama's afternoon snack. 😉
Chrissaysnature says
These cookies turn out so good! The whole house smelled like cinnamon! Thank you! Will make them again!
Choclette says
Oh! Your pumpkin cookies sound so good. Never thought to use pumpkin in cookies before, but I bet it works really well. Love the spices and the cherries too. Now on my must make list.
Natalia says
Those cookies look really great. I wanted to eat them right now. They will be on our menu very soon. Thanks for sharing this recipe!