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Last updated October 18, 2022; first published by Katie on October 26, 2018

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

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Soft, perfectly pumpkin spiced, and somehow gluten-free and vegan, these easy and healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies are ideal any time of day, preferably when they’re generously coated in the optional maple glaze. Only one bowl and no mixer needed for this recipe and despite having no eggs, no dairy, and no gluten, these are delicious fall-flavored pumpkin oatmeal cookies!

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies: gluten-free and vegan | katiebirdbakes

Please don’t stop reading just because I said gluten-free and vegan!  You will not know it – I promise, despite their “healthy” label, these pumpkin oatmeal cookies are amazing and unbelievably easy.

If you love pumpkin recipes, check out these other options:

  • Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting
  • Easy small batch pumpkin spice muffins
  • Pumpkin pancakes
  • Pumpkin chocolate chip bread
  • Baked pumpkin donuts with maple glaze

Inspiration for the Recipe

These super soft and delicious cookies came about because — have you caught on to how I create recipes yet? — I was feeling lazy a couple weekends ago.  It was cool and crisp and very October-y outside, we were lounging around watching college football, and I really wanted some pumpkin cookies.  

Normal, right?

I actually have a go-to pumpkin cookie recipe from a friend that is chock full of gluten and definitely not vegan.  It’s also one of those recipes that somehow contains four different kinds of sugar, and it involves creaming of butter and folding of flour and …all those fun baking things I sometimes have the energy to do, but this day did not.

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies: gluten-free and vegan | katiebirdbakes

Nope, on this particular day I felt like stirring everything together with a fork and dropping it on a cookie sheet and eating cookies as soon as possible.  I had a football game to watch, after all.  It’s feelings like these that, in the past, have inspired such joys as my easiest chocolate chip cookies, so I knew my lazy tendency had the potential to lead me somewhere new and possibly great.

I have a tried and true recipe for banana breakfast cookies on here that uses only oats for the flour, and I thought maybe I could swap pumpkin in for the banana and use pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon.  I figured I would also have to alter the maple syrup amount slightly since pumpkin is not nearly as sweet as bananas.  On the whole, though, these were already shaping up to be FAR healthier and easier than my traditional recipe, and the only question was whether they’d measure up in taste.

Spoiler alert: they did.

Ingredients in a bowl (only one bowl needed and no mixer) | katiebirdbakes

Ingredients

How a few simple ingredients can come together and create something this magical without the use of eggs, butter, or sugar, I still really don’t know.  It’s baking magic.

  • Old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if needed). We’ll be turning half of them into oat flour; see below for details. Alternatively, you can use commercial oat flour!
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Maple syrup (can substitute honey or another liquid sweetener)
  • Olive oil (can substitute another neutral oil)
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
Scooped pumpkin cookie dough on a baking sheet | katiebirdbakes

How to make healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies

This recipe is unbelievably easy, no mixer needed.

Step 1: Use a blender to grind half the oats into flour, and half of them into chopped pieces.  If you have commercial oat flour, you can skip this step – see recipe card for details!

Step 2: Stir oat flour and oats with the rest of the ingredients thoroughly, until well-combined (no gluten formation to worry about here, yay!).

Step 3: Scoop the cookies into a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten slightly with your fingertips if desired. If you don’t flatten them, no problem, they’ll just be a bit puffier.

Step 4: Bake for about 15 minutes until the edges are a little brown. If desired, make your maple glaze while they’re baking (simply stir together maple syrup and powdered sugar, with a little water to thin if needed).

The whole recipe takes about 10 minutes to make (less if you’re faster at measuring than me), plus baking time.  The pumpkin oatmeal cookies come out soft, perfectly spiced, and just sweet enough to curb the cookie craving but not cloyingly sweet.  Hooray!

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with maple glaze | katiebirdbakes

Storage

These healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookie will keep, glazed or unglazed, at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store them in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer up to 3 months.

Healthy Egg-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies | katiebirdbakes

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

Maple Glaze: I am of the opinion that nearly everything benefits from a maple glaze, and these pumpkin oatmeal cookies were no different.  They came out of the oven smelling amazing, and they tasted amazing too, but they were just a little too plain for a dessert cookie.  So I made a simple glaze of 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbsp maple syrup to drizzle on, and it made all the difference for me.

Could you skip the glaze and call these breakfast cookies?  Definitely.  Would I tell anyone if you used the glaze and still called them breakfast cookies?  Definitely not.

Add Chocolate Chips: This is another version that I’ve tried instead of using the glaze and it’s delightful. Pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that are healthy, gluten-free, vegan, egg-free, all the things, but still absolutely delicious?? It’s wizardry. I would add 1/2 cup (85 grams) of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate to this recipe.

Substitution Options:

  • use commercial oat flour instead of making your own oat flour (see recipe card for details)
  • use any liquid sweetener in place of the maple syrup
  • use any neutral oil or even melted butter in place of the olive oil
  • use cinnamon or a combination of spices instead of pumpkin pie spice
A single cookie with maple glaze | katiebirdbakes

I highly recommend trying these on a day you’re feeling only semi-ambitious in the kitchen.  You’ll feel super accomplished in a very short amount of time.  And you’ll have cookies — but not for long.

More Healthy-Ish Recipes:

  • Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (vegan, gluten-free; this recipe is adapted from that one!)
  • Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten-free, vegan option)
  • Honey Almond Granola (gluten-free)
  • Salted Maple Pecan Granola (vegan, gluten-free)

If you make these healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies, please leave a star rating and review to help other readers! Thank you!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies | katiebirdbakes
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4.78 from 9 votes

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Soft, perfectly pumpkin spiced, and somehow gluten-free and vegan, these healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies are ideal any time of day. Maple glaze optional!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time25 mins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cookies, gluten-free, oatmeal, pumpkin, vegan
Servings: 18 cookies
Author: katiebirdbakes.com

Equipment

  • Blender or food processor

Ingredients

For the pumpkin oatmeal cookies:

  • 2 cups (180g) old-fashioned rolled oats divided (see below)*
  • 1 cup (260g) canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
  • 1/3 cup (78 ml) pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the maple glaze (optional):

  • 1/2 cup (56g) powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

Instructions

For the pumpkin oatmeal cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 1 cup (90g) of the rolled oats in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend on high speed until the oats become a flour-like consistency – you now have oat flour. Place in a large bowl.
  • Take the other 1 cup (90g) of rolled oats and place in the same food processor or blender, and pulse or blend on low speed until the oats are in small pieces – about 30 seconds. Do not grind them into a flour. Place in the same large bowl with the oat flour.
  • Add the pumpkin puree, olive oil, maple syrup, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to the bowl and stir vigorously (I like to use a fork) until everything is well-blended. 
  • Scoop batter using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon onto two baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are golden and cookies are set.  They will be soft!

For the maple glaze:

  • While cookies are baking, in a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar and maple syrup until smooth.  Drizzle over cookies in whatever pattern you like!

Notes

*If you have commercial oat flour, you can use 1 cup (90g) of that in place of 1 cup (90g) of the rolled oats (skip step 1).  You can also skip step 2 and just use the second cup of rolled oats as-is without chopping them, if desired.  NOTE: steel-cut oats will not work in this recipe.  Use the flat, old-fashioned rolled oats!  
 
Storage: Cookies keep for 2-3 days well-wrapped at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.  You can also freeze them wrapped individually in plastic wrap, and then microwave for 10-15 seconds any time the cookie craving strikes.
 
Spices: use all cinnamon in place of the pumpkin pie spice if you prefer, or a different blend of spices.
 
Add chocolate chips: you can add up to 1/2 cup (85g) of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate to the batter before scooping for pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!  Bake as directed.

Like this recipe?  Please rate it and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @katiebirdbakes, and sign up for my email list to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post!

Filed Under: Cookies, Dessert, Fall, Gluten-Free, Healthy, Recipes, Vegan

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Comments

  1. Phoebe says

    November 9, 2022 at 4:09 pm

    5 stars
    It seems I use up most of my pumpkin making pumpkin bread and pumpkin pancakes. So I was very happy to discover just the right amount of leftover pumpkin in the freezer and decided to try this recipe. Easy to make, no mixer required and also healthy…..the perfect combo for me! I did use the pumpkin spice seasoning and added a little extra ground cloves. We tried them as soon as they were cool enough to eat and enjoyed them even without the maple glaze (although that is probably a tasty addition) Great addition to your easy cookie recipe collection!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 12, 2022 at 4:58 pm

      Thanks Phoebe! Glad you enjoyed this one!

      Reply
  2. Leah says

    October 24, 2021 at 9:22 pm

    5 stars
    Katie, these cookies were so lovely! Perfect with a cup of tea this rainy autumn evening. Thank you for the recipe, and I look forward to trying more! ♥

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 28, 2021 at 10:18 pm

      Thank you so much, Leah!

      Reply
  3. Charmaine says

    October 23, 2021 at 7:29 am

    5 stars
    Wow! These were so easy and shockingly delicious!!! Perfect amount of sweetness.
    Maple glaze takes it over the top. Will definitely make these again!! Thanks Katie 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 28, 2021 at 10:19 pm

      Awesome! Thanks so much Charmaine!

      Reply
  4. Jenni Steele says

    October 3, 2021 at 2:32 am

    5 stars
    I just made these with Buckwheat as substitute for a Gluten Free option. 1 cup Buckwheat Flour and 1 cup of Buckwheat. Has turned out very successful!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 11, 2021 at 10:06 pm

      That’s great to know! Thank you Jenni!!

      Reply
  5. Nicole says

    October 4, 2020 at 9:32 am

    5 stars
    These look amazing! Do you post nutrition information? Can’t wait to try them out!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 9, 2020 at 5:32 pm

      Hi Nicole – I don’t calculate nutrition information for my recipes but any online calculator will do it for you quickly if you enter in your ingredients! Hope you love the recipe!

      Reply
  6. lily says

    October 1, 2020 at 1:02 am

    Have you frozen these with the glaze or should they be glazed after being defrosted? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 1, 2020 at 10:55 am

      Hi Lily – I haven’t tried freezing them with glaze. I think it would work, but it would probably taste better if you glaze them after being defrosted.

      Reply
  7. Lindsey says

    May 28, 2020 at 10:02 am

    My glaze turned clear after I drizzled it over the cookies. Did that happen to yours as well?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      June 2, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      Hi Lindsey – that can happen after a while. Doesn’t affect the taste!

      Reply
  8. Nelly Finn says

    May 15, 2020 at 5:51 pm

    Hi! I already have oat flour (finely ground). Is 1 cup of rolled oats equal to 1 cup of already ground oat flour? I’ve read differing measurements (some say 1:1 rolled oats:oat flour output; others say 1:3/4; others say 1:1/2).

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 18, 2020 at 10:38 pm

      Hi Nelly – I have found that it’s a 1:1 ratio when I’ve blended it myself. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  9. Naomi T says

    May 7, 2020 at 12:01 am

    4 stars
    My boyfriend is vegan and we recently made these cookies together (I had also made them once before). The texture reminded me of muffins and the glaze really took the cookies to another level. Also, I like the recipe since you don’t need any abnormal ingredients to make it vegan. I will definitely be making them again in the future!

    Note on vegan cookies: I’ve tried many vegan dessert recipes and often times I find vegan cookies to seem more “warmed up” rather than actually baked. I think due to the oat flour and the lack of animal products these cookies are kind of like that – don’t expect them to change too much from how they go in the oven. That being said, I don’t mind those types of vegan cookies and I liked these ones!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 7, 2020 at 6:03 pm

      They are definitely softer than normal cookies – so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed!

      Reply
  10. Melissa says

    January 9, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    I’m anxious to try this recipe….how much canned pumpkin? I have 2 different sized cans.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 14, 2020 at 10:45 am

      Hi Melissa – the recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin puree, not a can. Just measure puree into a measuring cup!

      Reply
  11. Bobby says

    December 19, 2019 at 1:27 am

    4 stars
    Any substitute for the olive oil?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 21, 2019 at 10:04 pm

      Hi Bobby – you can use any liquid oil you like, or even melted butter or melted coconut oil (measured after melting). Enjoy!

      Reply
  12. Richard H Brauer, Jr says

    November 11, 2019 at 5:37 am

    I used sweet potato instead of pumpkin…yummy

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 1, 2019 at 10:47 pm

      Great idea! Thank you for the review!

      Reply
  13. Christine E. says

    October 10, 2019 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    Made these today. So good. I love the level of sweetness: perfect. I made them small and ended up with 50.
    Do you have nutritional info?
    Thank you for recipe. Next time, I’ll double. 😊

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 14, 2019 at 10:28 pm

      Hi Christine – thank you so much for the review! So glad you enjoy these as much as we do. I don’t have nutrition info right now but you can plug the ingredients you used into MyFitnessPal or another online calorie calculator for an exact measurement 🙂

      Reply
  14. Vale M. says

    October 2, 2019 at 8:51 am

    Hi! Do you think if I use cinnamon works? I don’t have pumpkin spice.
    The pumpkin puree is from natural pumpkin? Or it comes from a can?

    Reply
    • Shan says

      October 9, 2019 at 10:23 pm

      I used organic pumpkin purée from a can and did 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg I would add clove too but I didn’t have any and I also added vanilla and chocolate chips. Hope that helps!

      Reply
    • Katie says

      October 14, 2019 at 10:35 pm

      Hi Vale – you can definitely use cinnamon. Pumpkin puree from a can!

      Reply
  15. Joan Connelly says

    September 27, 2019 at 1:23 pm

    I will be trying these soon and will add chopped walnuts…

    Reply
    • Katie says

      September 30, 2019 at 10:31 pm

      I hope you love them!

      Reply
  16. Bestgram says

    March 13, 2019 at 10:16 am

    5 stars
    I made these for the grandkids with leftover pumpkin from making pancakes. They loved them and didn’t know they were good for them! I did forget the spice but they didn’t mind. I did add just a touch of GF flour because they didn’t quite look like yours. I may have got the ingredient measurements off a tad. They were a hit and I’ll be making them again. I’ll bet they would be good with walnuts or raisins added. May try that! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 24, 2019 at 6:10 pm

      Yay! Thank you so much for the great review! I’m so glad your grandkids loved these.

      Reply
  17. Adriana says

    November 5, 2018 at 9:35 am

    ooo this is like the breakfast cookie. i am going make the mixture now before work and put it in teh oven afterwards…let you knowhow it turns out like

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 6, 2018 at 12:09 am

      Yes, it is very similar to the breakfast cookies! I just changed out pumpkin for the banana 🙂 hope they turned out great!

      Reply

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I'm Katie: attorney by day, baker by night. I'm sharing sophisticated yet approachable dessert recipes to convince you that if you can read, you can bake! Thanks for being here. Read More...

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