Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Cookies + Pumpkin Spice Topping

Name: Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Cookies + Pumpkin Spice Topping
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Cookies
Ingredients: 260 g All Purpose Flour (About 2 Cups); 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar; 3/4 Cup Cane Sugar; 1/2 Teaspoon Salt; 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder; 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda; 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice; 3/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree; 1/2 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter; 1 Flax Egg (1 Tablespoon Ground Flaxseed + 2 Tablespoons Water) See Note 1 on how to make.; 1.5 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract; 1/2 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar; 1/4 Heaping Cup Turbinado Sugar; 1/2 Heaping Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

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Vegan Pumpkin Cookies are the best way to celebrate this fall season! They're chewy and sweet with ton of pumpkin flavor. Mix the batter in a bowl, roll each cookie in the pumpkin spice sugar mix and then bake!

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Hey Internet, we've got the perfect fall treat for you today! The fall season is starting up and we've been planning for it for a while. We've got soups, entrees, and especially desserts that we'll be posting soon.

Until then, we have a ton of other fall recipes on ZardyPlants that you can test out. For breakfast, we have our Pumpkin Chia Pudding and Easy Pumpkin Protein Shake. For entrees, you can't beat our Vegan Pumpkin Mac or Vegan Pumpkin Risotto for an easy dinner. Also, we have a ton of vegan pumpkin desserts! They include our Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Easy No Bake Protein Pumpkin Balls Recipe, and Pumpkin Pie Vegan Custard.

Now we are adding these easy vegan pumpkin cookies to our list of desserts! Do you love all things pumpkin spice? These delicious cookies use real pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice to really get that pumpkin flavor into them. It also helps that they have a Turbinado sugar topping with fall spices mixed in. All the ingredients work really well to make these cookies taste like pumpkin season.

These chewy vegan pumpkin spice cookies have become our favorite cookies for this time of year. We've recently demolished two batches of these so fast that's it a little embarrassing.

They're not hard to make either! Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, so unless you are missing a canned pumpkin puree, you'll likely already have what you need to get baking. All you need to do is make the cookie dough, maybe chill it briefly, and then scoop it with a cookie scoop into balls and then roll the dough balls in the sugar mix. Then bake and then they are ready!

So let's make these perfect cookies that have soft middles, crisp edges, and all the warm flavors of fall.

Why You'll Love the Best Vegan Pumpkin Cookies

Easy Recipe: Mix, scoop, roll, and then bake! They should be ready in about 25 to 30 minutes of baking with only a little work.
Crispy or Chewy Texture: Depending on how long you bake these cookies, you can have soft vegan pumpkin cookies or crispy ones!
Pumpkin Flavors: ¾ cup of pumpkin puree and plenty of pumpkin spice, you'll get that amazing fall flavor in this seasonal favorite.

Ingredients

Pick up the following basic ingredients for the best cookies the next time you're at your local grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of our ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet certain daily values of any nutrient). we give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

Dry Ingredients

260 g All Purpose Flour (About 2 Cups)
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
¾ Cup Cane Sugar
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Wet Ingredients

¾ Cup Pumpkin Puree
½ Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1 Flax Egg (1 Tablespoon Ground Flaxseed + 2 Tablespoons Water): A flax egg is super easy to make. Grind up you flaxseeds in a spice grinder if yours are whole. Then add it to a small bowl, add the water, and then mix it together. Then chill it in the fridge for about 5 to 10 minutes.
1.5 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
½ Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Sugar-Spice Topping

¼ Heaping Cup Turbinado Sugar
½ Heaping Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Substitutions

All Purpose Flour: Gluten-free Cup for Cup or 1:1 Flour should work in place of the all purpose flour but we have not tested trying to make these cookies gluten-free.
Brown Sugar: Coconut sugar could work instead or you could do all granulated sugar (white sugar), but keep in mind that brown sugar affects cookie texture too (makes them softer).
Cane Sugar: We aren't sure how this would come out using all coconut sugar or all sugar substitute.
Peanut Butter: Almond butter or another nut butter will work just fine, but you can also use room temperature or slightly melted vegan butter, just use like half the amount; should still work. But we really loved the flavor of the peanut butter in this vegan pumpkin cookies recipe.
Flax Egg: A chia egg also works (same process and you don't have to grind the seeds but it is nicer if you do), or you can use a vegan egg replacer, or 4-8 ounces of blended tofu.
Turbinado Sugar: You can use brown sugar, raw sugar, or cane sugar in place of the Turbinado. It adds warm flavor and the crystals remain relatively intact, making the topping textural and flavorful. If you've ever had a store bakery muffin, this is what they generally top their muffins with. Now that you mention that, vegan pumpkin muffins with Turbinado topping is a good idea...
Addition: If you really like chocolate and pumpkin together (we get it; we have a really good vegan gluten-free pumpkin bread that features that pairing), add some vegan chocolate chips!

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Cookies

Prepare and Preheat: Preheat your oven to 325 F (162 C) and cover two baking trays with parchment paper.
Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, add the flour, sugars (except Turbinado, we'll use that later), salt, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. With a whisk, combine the ingredients until uniform.
Mix in the Wet Ingredients: To the mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, peanut butter, flax egg, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Mix with a spatula and switch to hands if need be. Once combined, if you mixture if a bit sticky, chill it for ten minutes in the fridge.
Prepare the Sugar-Spice Mixture: In a small bowl, add the turbinado sugar and remaining pumpkin pie spice. Mix with a small whisk.
Make the Dough Balls: Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls. Add them one at a time to the sugar bowl. Give each one a quick roll in the sugar dust and then add them to the cookie tray. Press each ball down slightly to help the cookies spread.
Bake: Add the trays to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Bake to desired crispness.
Enjoy: Remove cookies from oven and then let cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Storage Instructions

Once they are cooled, add them to a airtight container. They should stay fresh for 3 to 5 days. You can also store them in a sealed container (freezer safe) in a freezer and reheat them as you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

I don't have pumpkin pie spice. Is there something I can replace it with?

Cinnamon makes up the bulk of pumpkin pie spice. It is usually followed by ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. You can easily make your own pumpkin pie spice if you have these individual spices at home.

Can I use pumpkin pie filling?

In a pinch, yes. Some pumpkin pie mixes have sugar and spices in them already. Those will likely affect the flavor of your cookies, so proceed with caution.

Can I use other vegan egg replacers?

Yes! We've even made these cookies using half a block of extra firm tofu. Just blend it up. We had add a ¼ water when it wasn't getting smooth in our blender. Other egg replacers will work but will likely alter the texture. One of our favorites is Bob's Red Mill egg replacer.

My brown sugar is rock solid! Can I do anything to save it?

Yes you can and I wish we knew about this trick sooner. Remove the sugar from the package and place it in a large enough microwavable bowl. Then microwave it for about 30 seconds at a time. Each time open the microwave door and press the sugar to see if its softening. The mass should begin to break up.

More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes

Oh, and if you're looking for more vegan cookie recipes, try our Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, Vegan Almond Butter Cookies with Coconut, Soft Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Shortbread Cookies, Vegan Matcha Cookies, Vegan Ginger Cookies with Maple Icing, or Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies!