Almond Flour Pumpkin Cookies
Almond flour pumpkin cookies are so easy to make and the perfectly spiced classic fall dessert. These gluten free chocolate chip pumpkin cookies are ready in about 20 minutes and made in just one bowl with simple ingredients. These pumpkin cookies are sweet but not too sweet, great for dessert, snacks or even with your morning coffee or tea.
Why you would love this recipe
- Easy to make– just one bowl and a spoon are all you need to mix up these gluten free dairy free pumpkin cookies ingredients. This is a great recipe for beginner bakers or something you can make with your kids!
- Simple ingredients – you can find all the ingredients you need to make almond flour pumpkin cookies in your local grocery store. In fact most of these can be found in Aldi or Trader Joe’s (budget friendly). This recipe is gluten free, vegan, egg free and dairy free.
- Triple the ingredients to use a whole can of pumpkin puree! If you want to have more cookies on hand, you can triple the ingredients to use up the entire can of pumpkin puree. These cookies freeze well so if you make extra, freeze them for later.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Pumpkin puree – be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix when making this recipe. The pumpkin pie mix has added ingredients (like spices and sugar) that wouldn’t work with this recipe. You could also use butternut squash puree or sweet potato puree.
- Coconut sugar – coconut sugar has a slightly caramel flavor and can be found in most grocery stores by the sugar, you can also use brown sugar.
- Almond butter – almond butter helps bind the cookies and gives them a dense but soft texture. Use any kind of nut butter you have on hand (tahini, sunbutter, cashew butter, even peanut butter – that may change the flavor of the cookies).
- Almond flour – almond flour is made by finely grinding up peeled almonds. It’s great for gluten free baking and can be easily found at most grocery stores. Sometimes you may find almond meal, which is similar to almond flour but the almonds are not peeled first, giving it a slightly grittier texture. You could use either for this recipe, but I recommend almond flour for the best texture.
- Oat flour (or coconut flour) – oat flour helps to bind the cookies (the almond flour is a bit unstable on it’s own). You could also use coconut flour (reduce it to 1.5 tablespoons) to make these grain free. You can also use your favorite gluten free flour as well.
- Spices: Pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt – these spices give the cookies that warm, cozy flavor that you associate with pumpkin flavored fall treats! If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, check out the recipe below for it!
- Vanilla extract (optional) – vanilla adds a deep level of flavor and sweetness to the cookies. If you don’t have it on hand, just leave it out.
- Baking powder– baking powder helps the cookies rise a bit when baking. Be sure your baking powder is fresh (opened in the last 6 months) for the best rise.
- Chocolate chips – be sure to grab dairy free chocolate chips to keep these cookies vegan friendly. You can use regular size chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips or even chunks. You can also make your own chunks of chocolate by cutting up your favorite chocolate bar.
How to make almond flour pumpkin cookies
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, coconut sugar and almond butter. Stir well.
Add almond flour, oat flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract and baking powder to the bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Stir well.
Add the chocolate chips and stir well.
Scoop the cookies (use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies) onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Press down the cookies with your palm to flatten them before baking.
Bake the cookies at 350F for 11 minutes. Allow them to cool at least 10 minutes after cooking before transferring them or enjoying. These pumpkin cookies are egg free, so they will fall apart if you move them too early after baking.
Top tips
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices. Pumpkin puree is made by mashing steamed pumpkins and winter squash.
- Put parchment paper down on the baking sheet for easy clean up.
- Press down the cookies before baking or they will be more like a muffin top than a cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool at least 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack as they are very fragile right out of the oven.
Other add-ins
- White chocolate chips
- Dried fruit: Dried cranberries, dried cherries, golden raisins, chopped pitted dates
- Nuts or seeds: Pecans, sliced almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
- Coconut flakes
Common questions
How to make these vegan pumpkin cookies nut free?
If you need a nut free recipe, check out my Oat Flour Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – they are gluten free, vegan and dairy free as well.
If you really want to follow this recipe, use sunbutter or tahini in place of the almond butter and use sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour.
What is the best way to get cookies an even size when baking
The best way to make cookies an even size (for even baking) is to use a cookie scoop. This helps to measure out the batter easily and keep the cookies the same size.
For this recipe I recommend a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, but you could go bigger (up to 1.5 tablespoons) if you want slightly larger cookies.
Note that typically the last 1-2 cookies worth of batter in the bowl will have less chocolate chips. I like to sprinkle in 4-6 chocolate chips into this batter before scooping out those last few cookies.
How can you make these cookies grain free?
To make these into paleo pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, replace the oat flour with 1.5 tablespoons of coconut flour. Be sure to use a paleo friendly chocolate chip as well.
What are the best vegan chocolate chips for cookies?
Most chocolate chips are made with milk, so it’s important to check the ingredients to ensure they are dairy free and vegan friendly. Some of my favorites are:
- Trader Joe’s 72% Dark Chocolate Chips (these are the most budget friendly and are also soy free)
- Enjoy Life Brand Chocolate Chips – all Enjoy Life chocolate chips are free from the top 8 allergens, including dairy, gluten, and soy and these can be found in almost every grocery store now. They can be a bit pricier though.
- Pascha Chocolate – this is dairy free, soy free and has very clean ingredients. These are paleo friendly and can be found on Amazon, and Vitacost.
- Simple Truth Organic Vegan Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – these can be found in some grocery stores and online (Amazon, Vitacost). They are also gluten free, dairy free and soy free.
- Thrive Market Regenerative Organic Dark Chocolate Chips – these can be found on Thrive Market and are gluten free, dairy free and soy free.
- Lilly’s Dark Chocolate Chips – these are low in sugar, and are also gluten free, dairy free and soy free. You can sometimes find these in your local grocery store but can also be found on Amazon or Thrive Market.
How to make pumpkin pie spice blend
You can make your own pumpkin pie spice blend with spices you likely have in your cabinets. Using easy to find ingredients, combine:
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2.5 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
- 2 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
Combine these spices in a bowl then transfer them to a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid. Homemade pumpkin pie spice will last 1 year (if your spices are fresh) and can be used anywhere pumpkin pie spice is needed.
What to do with leftover pumpkin puree?
If you have leftover pumpkin puree, take it out of the can and transfer it to an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to a week or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Here are some other great recipes you can use the leftover pumpkin puree for:
- Maple Pumpkin Butter (this is great on toast, oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, bagels, etc.)
- Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi
- Edible Pumpkin Cookie Dough
- High Protein Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Protein Brownies
- Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
Can you freeze healthy pumpkin cookies?
Yes, these gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies freeze well. Be sure to store them in a freezer safe bag or container.
They will defrost quickly on the counter, or you can even enjoy them frozen (they are high in fat so will just melt in your mouth).
Storing gluten free vegan pumpkin cookies
Fridge: Store the cookies in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Allow the cookies to cool completely before freezing. Freeze on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet to prevent them from sticking together. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
If you love cookies, you should try
- Molasses Cookies
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Air Fryer Oatmeal Cookies
- Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sunbutter Cookies
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
- Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond Flour Pumpkin cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp oat flour
- 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (dairy free)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, coconut sugar and almond butter. Stir well.
- Add the almond flour, oat flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and vanilla extract to the bowl with pumpkin mixture. Stir well.
- Add the chocolate chips to the pumpkin mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the pumpkin cookie dough up into 15 different cookies (use a 1 tablespoon scoop).
- Press down the cookies with your hand to flatten before baking.
- Bake the cookies at 350F for 11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool 10 minutes.
Notes
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Put parchment paper down on the baking sheet for easy clean up.
- Press down the cookies before baking or they will be more like a muffin top than a cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool at least 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack as they are very fragile right out of the oven.
- White chocolate chips
- Dried fruit: Dried cranberries, dried cherries, golden raisins, chopped pitted dates
- Nuts or seeds: Pecans, sliced almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
- Coconut flakes
- Fridge: Store the cookies in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Allow the cookies to cool completely before freezing. Freeze on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet if you are worried about them sticking together. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
