Looking for the perfect Fall cookie? Stop the search! These Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are easy to whip up and use the perfect amount of pumpkin and spices to bring Fall flavors to your classic chocolatey cookie.
Completely dairy-free and egg-free, this fun vegan cookie recipe uses pumpkin puree as a binder. No specialty ingredients or hard-to-find add-ins, and only 8 ingredients and 20 minutes total!
As an environmental scientist, I am always looking for ways to cut back on ingredients with a higher environmental impact. And vegan baking is an easy way to cut back on eggs and dairy to make delicious treats that are easier on the planet.
Green tip: Industrial dairy production has a huge impact on the environment, especially because of the amount of land it takes to sustain and its high amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing your dairy consumption is one great way to reduce your ecological footprint.
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
Don’t be intimidated by vegan baking! This recipe is made up of ingredients that can likely be found at your local grocery store. I use Enjoy Life vegan dark chocolate chips. Otherwise, the rest of the ingredients are naturally vegan.
Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Coconut oil. In this recipe, you need your coconut oil in solid form.
- Light brown sugar. Dark brown works, too.
- Pumpkin Puree. You will have more than enough with just one can.
- All-purpose flour. The base of your cookie dough.
- Salt. To elevate the other flavors and make your chocolate pop!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. Buy it at the store or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Baking soda. For a little lift.
- Dark chocolate chips. To ensure these are vegan, make sure they are dairy free. I use the Enjoy Life brand.
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Tips and Tricks
Start by Blotting Your Pumpkin Puree
Add the pumpkin puree to a large mixing bowl and use paper towels to blot it dry.
Green tip: Paper products contribute to deforestation. Consider these bamboo paper towels! Bamboo naturally regenerates every few months, whereas trees cannot regrow once harvested.
Don’t worry, it won’t stick. Simply press down on the pumpkin puree to remove excess moisture. Repeat 2-3 times with fresh paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible.
This will make for a chewier cookie. Skipping this step will result in a very cakey cookie.
Add the Oil and Sugar
Add the sugar and coconut oil to the pumpkin puree and use a hand mixer to combine to form a base for your cookie dough.
Creaming the fat and sugar actually aerates it, making for a lighter, more melt-in-your-mouth cookie dough.
Add Your Dry Ingredients Next
Once you’ve creamed your oil, sugar, and pumpkin together, you can add the rest of your ingredients (except for the chocolate chips!). Add the flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda.
Use your hand mixer one more time to combine until smooth. Then, use a spatula to scrape any dry ingredients that may be stuck on the sides of the bowl, and ensure all of the ingredients are nicely integrated. Now you can put your hand mixer away.
At this point you will have a very thick dough.
Fold Your Chocolate Chips in Last
Next, you can add your chocolate chips and fold them into your dough with your spatula.
Consider A Cookie Scoop
This vegan cookie dough only spreads a tiny bit when it bakes. Pretty much how you place the dough on the mat is how the cookies will come out shape-wise.
This means there’s no need to roll the dough into balls before baking. The dough is a little bit wet and sticky, so using a cookie scoop is super helpful here.
And if you don’t want to deal with the oven at all, check out this recipe for vegan pumpkin cookie dough.
Freezing The Dough
If you don’t want to bake the whole batch, simply bake the number of cookies you want, and freeze the rest. Shape them all and store the raw cookies you want to save for later in a freezer-safe bag.
You can freeze this dough for up to 3 months and bake them fresh as you want to enjoy them. Just add two minutes to your baking time when you are making them from frozen.
Keep in mind this cookie dough does not spread much, and when you bake frozen dough, it spreads even less. You may want to press the dough down with clean hands or a spatula, so they are flatter when they come out of the oven.
Green tip: Consider these reusable baking mats to reduce your plastic waste! They are nonstick and easy to clean.
How to Store and Save Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies will last up to 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature or two weeks in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze the cookies that are already baked to make them last longer! They’ll stay delicious in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Frequently Asked Questions
Should pumpkin cookies be refrigerated?
These Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 7 days without refrigeration.
If stored in the refrigerator, they will last up to two weeks.
How does pumpkin affect baking?
Pumpkin puree adds sweetness and moisture to your dough. It can also act as a binder in place of eggs. Without removing excess moisture from your pumpkin puree, the extra moisture will make for a cakey cookie.
Want to sharpen your kitchen skills?
Why You Should Make These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- They’re festive. The injection of pumpkin and spices into these chocolate chip cookies is just the Fall touch you need.
- They’re foolproof. Easy ingredients, less than 30 minutes—you can’t lose!
- The FLAVORS! Pumpkin and chocolate is an incredible combo.
- The texture! Super soft and chewy, even days later.
If you’re loving these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and are looking for more pumpkin recipes, check out this One-Pot Pumpkin Pasta and these Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting.
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
PRINT PIN RATEEquipment
- Reusable Baking Mat (optional)
- Cookie Scoop (optional)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (in solid form)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (tightly packed)
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt + more to sprinkle on top if desired
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line with a reusable baking mat or parchment paper.
- Add your pumpkin puree to a large mixing bowl and use a paper towel to blot the puree, removing excess moisture (use these bamboo paper towels for a more sustainable option!).
- Add the coconut oil and sugar to the bowl with the dehydrated pumpkin puree and cream together with a hand mixer on high (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and blend until combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips and use a large cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon to spread out cookies on a large lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they just start to brown on top. Sprinkle with more salt and let cool completely before enjoying.
Pro Tips
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice and don’t want to make your own, you can substitute cinnamon.
- Cookie monsters are always happy at my house with this delicious selection of my best cookie recipes to choose from! Nom nom nom!
- And if you’re craving more pumpkin, you gotta carve your way across to my Favorite Pumpkin Recipes!
1 thought on “Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies”
These cookies are simply amazing. The perfect way to start the fall season! So easy to make and made my kitchen smell like bliss. It’s the perfect mix of pumpkin, spice, and everything nice. Will definitely make them again.