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Easy, 1-bowl vegan pumpkin cookies with two frosting options: vanilla icing and dairy-free cream cheese frosting. So moist, fluffy, and soft!
There are so many tasty pumpkin goodies and treats out there, but these vegan pumpkin cookies are definitely in the top 3 (maybe even #1...but you get to decide.)
They are super easy to make, using just one bowl, and can be eaten plain or with frosting! I included two different frosting options: cream cheese frosting and vanilla icing. My family's favorite is totally the cream cheese frosting.
If you're looking for the perfect Thanksgiving or fall dessert to share with friends & family, these pumpkin cookies are it.
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Ingredients
Only simple ingredients needed for these vegan pumpkin cookies! Find the full recipe including measurements in the recipe card below.
- Vegan butter: Softened. I like using Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for baking.
- Sugar: You'll need both regular white granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure it's pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling.)
- Vanilla extract: 100% pure vanilla extract is best!
- Flour: All-purpose white flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leaving agents - adds lift to the cookies!
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: Key spices for a "pumpkin spice"
- Salt: Adds a hint of contrast to the sweet sugar.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Grab a large bowl and a hand mixer OR a stand mixer to make these cookies. This recipe makes about 24 cookies.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar (using a hand mixer or stand mixer.)
- Mix in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until incorporated.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons worth.)
- Place the balls on a good nonstick baking sheet (or parchment-lined baking sheet) 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- For flatter cookies that are easier to spread frosting on, press the dough balls into disc-shapes about ½ inch thick. You can opt to not press them for puffy, rounded cookies.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, top them with the frosting or icing! Or just leave them plain (still delicious!)
- Store leftover cookies in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
The vegan cream cheese frosting recipe used for these cookies can be found here and in the recipe card.
Substitutions/Adaptations
- Oil-free: I do not recommend making these cookies without oil. I tested them in many ways and did not yield good results for this particular recipe.
- Coconut oil: You can use coconut oil instead of vegan butter.
- Pumpkin pie filling: I do not recommend using pie filling instead of pumpkin puree. It is too liquidy.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Use 1.5 teaspoons in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days in an airtight container. I prefer to store the frosting separately so I can stack the cookies.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!
Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup vegan butter softened
- ⅔ cup white granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting (Topping Option 1)
- 4 ounces vegan cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup vegan butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½-2 cups organic powdered sugar sifted
Vanilla Icing (Topping Option 2)
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar (using a hand mixer or stand mixer.)
- Mix in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until incorporated.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons worth for each ball.)
- Place the balls on a good nonstick baking sheet (or parchment-lined baking sheet) 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- For flatter cookies that are easier to spread frosting on, press the dough balls into disc-shapes about ½ inch thick.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, top them with the frosting or icing! Or just leave them plain (still delicious!)
- Store leftover cookies in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer) beat together the room temperature butter and cream cheese until completely smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- With your mixer on low speed, mix in the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Add more if you need a sweeter, thicker frosting.
Vanilla Icing
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, vegan milk, and vanilla.
Notes
- If the dough is too sticky to roll into balls, chill in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
- The baking time will vary based on the type of baking sheet you use (darker pan = shorter cooking time.)
- Cookies were adapted from the base of my vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe with inspiration drawn from various pumpkin cookie recipes. Vanilla Icing was adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.
- Nutrition facts are for unfrosted cookies.
Nutrition
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes to Try:
Lakin says
I was a little worried about how this recipe was going to turn out because my batter was much wetter than the batter in your pictures and I had to bake them for about eighteen minutes to get them baked all the way through, but they turned out wonderfully. They were soft but still easily held their shape and had great flavor. My friends absolutely loved them. The icing I made for them turned out a bit runny, but most of us preferred them without the icing, anyway, so that wasn’t a big deal. They are requesting that I make them for our next meet up. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kim says
Delicious! I made these with real butter. I also split the sugar with 1/3 Monk sugar and 1/3 regular sugar. 1/3 dark brown sugar and 1/3 trivia brown sugar blend. We are Gluten free so for the flour I used King Arthur Gluten free flour. Made 35 cookies. Used my medium cookie scoop and pushed the cookies down a bit with parchment paper. Baked 12 minutes. So good! Thank you. I took a picture to show how they came out. More like a crackle on top but so amazing!!!!
Cheryl says
These cookies were so good and the cream "cheese" frosting was amazing. My nonvegan mom thought it tasted just like regular cream cheese frosting. I used kite hill since that's what my grocery store carries.