Oh my goodness, when those first crisp breezes hit, all I can think about is baking something cozy! Forget fussy, complicated treats. What we really need are those perfect, soft, and gloriously chewy cookies right out of the oven. And I’m not talking about just any cookie; I’m talking about the absolute best Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies you’ll ever have!
I remember one October, I was trying to capture the exact warm, spicy scent of my childhood apple orchard but in cookie form. Took a few tries, believe me! But wow, this simple formula—using pumpkin puree instead of relying on eggs and butter—is genius. They come together so fast, and they are 100% dairy-free and egg-free goodness. Seriously, these are my new fall obsession, and they will be yours too!
Why You Will Love These Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Honestly, I keep making these because they are just so ridiculously good and so simple! You don’t need any fancy complicated substitutes here. If you’re looking for a reason to pull out your mixing bowls this week, this is it. Trust me on these points:
- They are the ultimate in fall comfort—that perfect blend of warm spices mixed with sweet pumpkin flavor!
- The texture is *chef’s kiss*—soft, incredibly chewy in the middle, and just the right delicate crispness on the edges.
- You don’t have to worry about dairy or eggs! It’s all plant-based magic, so everyone can enjoy them. They are so good, nobody will ever guess they are fully vegan.
- Cleanup is a breeze! These Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies come together faster than finding your favorite fuzzy sweater.
- That beautiful burst of melted chocolate chips when you bite into them? Pure happiness, straight from the oven. If you need a quick treat for a gathering, check out these delicious cookies for a bake sale—these would win first prize!
- They don’t require refrigeration or complicated handling like some vegan recipes do. They are sturdy enough to travel well, unlike some meringue-based desserts. For more easy cookie inspiration, have you seen my recipe for easy and delicious chocolate chip cookies?
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Okay, let’s talk ingredients, because even for a simple cookie, the quality really shines through here. This recipe keeps things straightforward, which is why I love it so much, especially when I’m rushing to get something amazing baked before book club starts!
You absolutely must have 1 cup of all-purpose flour and all your drying agents ready: 1 teaspoon of baking soda, plus our secret sauce of spices—1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Don’t forget that pinch of salt!
For the fat and sweetness, we use 1/2 cup of vegan butter that’s softened (room temp, remember?), which blends beautifully with 1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the white granulated stuff. This combo is crucial for chewiness!
The star, of course, is the 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree—and pay attention, dear baker—it absolutely cannot be pumpkin pie filling! We need that pure pumpkin goodness. Mix that with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and your pre-mixed flax egg. And finally, you need a full cup of vegan chocolate chips waiting in the wings. This recipe is so popular, you can find a great companion for it, like this pumpkin cheesecake with Biscoff cookies!
Expert Tips for Making the Best Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Listen, the steps in the recipe are easy enough, but getting that bakery-style soft chewiness? That requires a little insider knowledge. Getting the temperature right is step one! Make sure your vegan butter is genuinely soft—you should be able to press a finger into it easily, but it shouldn’t be greasy or melted. That’s crucial for creaming right!
And speaking of creaming, don’t rush it! Beat that butter and sugar until it looks lighter and fluffier. This traps the air we need! Also, when you add the pumpkin and the flax egg, mix just until they disappear. We don’t want tough cookies, so seriously, stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated. If you have time, chuck that dough in the fridge for 30 minutes first. If you skip the chill, your Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies will spread a little more—but they’ll still taste amazing!
If you want to check out some other fun fall flavors, these pumpkin spice muffins are fantastic, and so are these pumpkin spice waffles!
Achieving the Right Dough Consistency for Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Because pumpkin puree has a lot of water content, our dough can sometimes feel a little looser than a standard cookie dough. That’s why we emphasized not overmixing once the flour goes in! Overmixing develops gluten and tightens things up too much, leading to a cakey, dry cookie instead of a chewy marvel.
When you look at the dough after folding in those chocolate chips, it shouldn’t be runny, but it shouldn’t be stiff either. If it looks suspiciously loose for dropping, pop it in the fridge! That 30-minute chill helps the vegan fats solidify just a touch, keeping those beautiful Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from turning into flat puddles in the oven.
Ingredient Substitutions for Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I always get asked about flour swaps, since we rely on standard all-purpose flour here. If you decide to use almond flour instead—just know the outcome changes significantly. Almond flour doesn’t absorb liquid the same way wheat flour does, so those cookies will be softer, maybe a little more delicate, and they won’t spread as much. You might even need a *tiny* bit less pumpkin puree if you notice it’s getting too wet.
The flax egg is non-negotiable, though! It serves as our primary binder since we aren’t using chicken eggs. Make sure you let that ground flaxseed sit in the water for a full five minutes until it gets gelatinous. That slimy texture is what saves our cookies from crumbling apart!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Alright, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit right now, and get those baking sheets lined with parchment paper. I actually use those little silicon mats when I can, but parchment works perfectly for easy cleanup!
In a medium bowl, we need to quickly whisk together our dry ingredients: the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Just a quick 30 seconds to make sure that baking soda is evenly distributed. Set that gorgeous spice blend aside.
Now for the fun part! Grab a big bowl and cream that softened vegan butter with both the brown sugar and the regular sugar. Beat it until it looks genuinely light and fluffy—we’re talking 2 minutes here—that’s where the secret chewiness starts for these Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Next, mix in the pumpkin puree along with your vanilla and that flax egg you prepared earlier. Beat it just until everything is incorporated. Remember what I said about not overmixing? This is key!
Now, add those dry ingredients in gradually, mixing on low speed. Stop as soon as you don’t see any more white streaks of flour. Seriously, stop! Then, gently fold in your cup of vegan chocolate chips. Don’t crush them with the mixer!
Drop rounded tablespoons of that dough onto your prepared sheets, making sure they have space—about 2 inches apart because they will spread a bit, even if you chilled them. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. They are done when the edges look set, but the center might still look a *little* soft, that’s the secret to gooey centers!
Don’t touch them right away! Let them rest right there on the hot pan for a full 5 minutes. This lets them firm up enough so they don’t break when you transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you love pumpkin, you absolutely have to try my recipe for pumpkin French toast with praline sauce!
Storing Your Delicious Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whew! You managed to keep your hands off them long enough for them to cool—great job! Now, proper storage is super important, especially since these Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies rely on pumpkin puree for moisture. We want to keep that soft, chewy texture locked in!
The number one rule is to let them cool completely before you even think about putting them away. If you put warm cookies into a container, you trap steam, and steam means soggy cookies. No thank you!
Once they are totally cool, I store mine in a simple airtight container right on the counter. Forget the fridge; cold tends to dry out cookies quickly. Stored properly, these stay perfectly fresh at room temperature for about 3 or 4 days. They rarely last that long in my house, but that’s the official shelf life!
Here’s a little freshness preserving trick: sometimes I throw a tiny slice of plain white bread into the container with them. Sounds crazy, I know! But the bread sort of sacrifices its moisture to keep the cookies perfectly soft for an extra day or so. If you still have some cookie dough left over (lucky you!), you might want to try turning it into my chocolate chip cookie dough dip!
Variations on Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Look, I love the base recipe for these Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies exactly as written, but half the fun of baking is making it totally your own, right? Once you master the basic chewiness, you can start playing around with mix-ins and toppings. It’s where things get really exciting flavor-wise!
If you’re a nut lover, you absolutely have to try adding toasted pecans. They give such a wonderful crunch that contrasts beautifully with that soft pumpkin dough. Toasting them first really brings out their natural oils, so don’t skip that little step!
For the chocolate, while those semi-sweet chips are classic, try swapping half of them out for dark chocolate chunks. The bitterness of the dark chocolate pairs incredibly well with the sweet warmth of the pumpkin spice blend we use.
Spice junkies, listen up! If cinnamon and nutmeg aren’t enough zing for you, try adding a tiny pinch—seriously, a tiny pinch—of ground cardamom or even a whisper of ground cloves into your dry mix. It gives the cookies a more complex, almost mysterious warmth that I adore. If you are looking for ways to use up extra chocolate chips, have you seen my recipe for the best plain chocolate chip cookies? They are a great baseline!
Finally, here’s the easiest upgrade: right after you pull the cookies out of the oven (while they are still piping hot and shiny), sprinkle just a tiny bit of flaky sea salt right on top of each one. That salty pop cuts through the sweetness and makes the chocolate flavor deepen instantly. It really elevates these simple treats!
Frequently Asked Questions About Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I always get so many great questions after people bake these up! It’s exciting to see how many folks are looking for great dairy free and egg free recipes like this one. Here are some of the most common things readers ask me about their Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Can I skip chilling the dough for these Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies?
You totally can, but I really, really wish you wouldn’t! If you are in a massive rush, you can totally bake them right away after mixing, but they *will* spread out more while they bake since the vegan butter hasn’t had time to re-harden a bit in the cold. They’ll still taste delicious, of course, but they will be thinner and flatter—more like a traditional chocolate chip cookie shape rather than the puffy, soft mounds you see in my pictures.
What is the best way to measure pumpkin puree for these cookies?
This is something I learned the hard way when I first started working with vegan baking! Since pumpkin puree can vary slightly in how wet it is depending on the brand, measuring accurately makes a huge difference. Don’t just scoop it in! You should use the “spoon and level” method for dry cups, but for something wet like puree, you want to gently spoon the puree into your 1/2 cup measuring cup until it’s overflowing just slightly, and then use a straight edge (like the back of a knife) to scrape the excess off the top. This ensures you have exactly the right amount of moisture for that perfect cookie texture.
If you end up with too much dough, or are just curious about other great vegan options, I have a recipe for easy vegan chocolate bread that’s just as simple!
Estimated Nutritional Profile of Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I know some of you are counting macros, so here is the general nutritional breakdown for one of these lovely treats. Take this with a grain of salt, though, because what kind of pumpkin puree you use or which brand of vegan chocolate chips you buy can totally change these numbers!
Think of this as a fun guideline rather than a guarantee. It’s amazing how little cholesterol we have since these are totally egg-free, which is a huge win when I’m enjoying a couple of these!
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12g
- Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Protein: 2g
Remember, these are all estimates! If you want to chat more about the sugar content in your baked goods, I wrote a whole post about the surprising sugar content of fruits that you might find interesting!
Share Your Experience with These Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
And just like that, we’re done! You’ve got a batch of the softest, chewiest, most perfectly spiced Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies cooling on your rack. I truly hope the smell coming out of your kitchen right now is making you happy!
Now comes my favorite part—hearing from you! Baking is always better when we can share the results, so please don’t be shy. Did they turn out perfectly chewy? Did you use pecans, or did you stick to the classic chocolate? Head down to the comments section right below this and let me know!
I always read every single comment and I absolutely love seeing pictures of your successes. If you snapped a photo of your beautiful cookies, tag me on social media! It seriously makes my whole week to see our recipes coming to life in your kitchens.
If you ran into any little snags, or if you have a clever little trick you used that I missed, please share that too! We’re all learning together here. And if you need to reach out directly for anything baking related, you can always use the contact page for specific inquiries!
Go ahead, grab a glass of oat milk, and enjoy every single bite of those amazing dairy free treats!
Print
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 27 min
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Simple recipe for soft, chewy vegan cookies featuring pumpkin and chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, set aside for 5 minutes)
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and prepared flax egg until just combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the vegan chocolate chips.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set. The centers may look slightly underdone.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking.
- You can substitute almond flour for all-purpose flour, but the texture will change.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 90
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 19
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: vegan, pumpkin, chocolate chip cookies, dairy free, egg free, fall baking