Publised on 19/09/2024. Last Updated on 06/12/2024 by Richard
Soft, chewy vegan pumpkin spice cookies. They're perfectly spiced and drizzled with sweet icing. Ideal for Halloween or Thanksgiving!
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Soft, chewy, and bursting with all the cozy, warm flavors of fall—these vegan pumpkin spice cookies are gonna be your new best friend for the season. Technically, they’re snickerdoodles with a twist, but we’re calling them cookies because they’re special like that. Plus, we’ve got icing, folks. I mean, can you even have Thanksgiving or Halloween without ‘em?
You’ll get everything you crave from these cookies: the perfect balance of spice and pumpkin flavor, soft centers, and crisp edges that make you feel like you’re wrapped in a cozy blanket. And that chewy cookie texture? Oh man, let me tell ya, these vegan pumpkin spice cookies are on another level. Whether you're a cookie veteran or new to the game, these are the perfect fall treat to share with friends, family, or just yourself (no judgment). I mean, who doesn’t love a good excuse to eat cookies all through Thanksgiving, right?
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cookies Ingredients
Now, let’s get into what makes these vegan pumpkin spice cookies magical. If you’re in a rush, feel free to scroll down to the full recipe card at the bottom, but here’s a quick rundown of the simple ingredients you’ll need.
- Vegan Butter: The base of any great vegan cookie recipe! Make sure it’s at room temperature so it creams well with the sugar.
- Granulated Sugar: Aka plain old white sugar. You can replace for coconut sugar or brown sugar but it'll affect the flavour, texture and appearance of the cookies.
- Pumpkin Purée: Canned pumpkin purée is a staple in pumpkin recipes, but homemade pumpkin purée works just as well.
- Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla brings out all the flavors, trust me, don’t skip it!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: This is where that cozy, spicy magic happens. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and ground cloves—a fall flavor explosion. I've given the quantites to combine your own but feel free to use store-bought.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular flour works great here, but if you need to make chewy vegan pumpkin cookies gluten-free, swap it for gluten-free flour.
- Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda: These two help give the cookies their signature rise and chewy texture.
- Icing: A simple mix of powdered sugar and plant milk to drizzle on top—this takes the cookies from delicious to extra-special!
So, you’ve got your wet ingredients, your dry ingredients, and your pumpkin! Pretty straightforward, right? Scroll down for the full recipe, or let’s keep going!
Which is the Best Pumpkin Purée?
I know what you’re thinking—“Is all pumpkin purée created equal?” My answer: kinda. Here are my top 5 canned pumpkin purée brands to keep your cookies on point:
- Libby’s Pumpkin Purée: A classic, consistent, and always reliable for all your pumpkin season baking.
- Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin Purée: Organic, smooth, and with a pure pumpkin flavor.
- 365 by Whole Foods Market: Affordable and doesn’t skimp on flavor or texture.
- Trader Joe’s Organic Pumpkin Purée: Perfect for all things pumpkin. Trader Joe’s just gets it.
- One-Pie Pumpkin: Great texture and flavor, but sometimes a little hard to find.
Of course, if you’re feeling ambitious, homemade pumpkin puree is always an option, and it’s super easy! Just roast some pumpkin, scoop it out, and blend until smooth. Fresh pumpkin flavor for days.
The Method!
Time to break it down! The full recipe is at the bottom, but here’s a sneak peek of how easy these cookies are to make.
- Mixing the Dough: We're making two kinds of dough here. Pumpkin and vanilla. You’ll need a large bowl and a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream your vegan butter and sugars. Then you’ll add in the pumpkin purée and mix up those dry ingredients separately.
- Portioning the Dough: Grab your cookie scoop and divide the vanilla and pumpkin dough into portions. Chill ‘em in the fridge before shaping and baking! The dough can be quite sticky and soft at room temp, which makes combining the doughs tricky, so don't skip the chilling!
- Baking Time: Pop those cookie balls into a bowl with some spiced sugar and roll to coat. Then pop on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake until they’re chewy pumpkin cookies perfection.
- Icing: Once cooled on a cooling rack, drizzle with that sweet, simple icing.
Easy, right?
Make This Recipe Ahead
Want to prep these ahead of time? You totally can! Just get everything ready up to the cookie dough balls stage, then store the dough in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. On the day of, just roll and bake! Alternatively, shape the dough balls and roll in sugar then freeze in a ziplock bag. You can bake these cookies from frozen, just add an extra 3 mins to the bake time.
More Sweet Vegan Recipes for Fall!
Here are some other vegan Thanksgiving and fall recipes I’m obsessed with from the blog:
- Vegan Apple Pie – Warm apples, flaky pastry, and the perfect fall dessert.
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins – Another fall favorite, with loads of pumpkin flavor and fall spices.
- Maple Pecan Pie – My vegan twist on pecan pie.
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls – SO soft and SO delicious?
- Classic Snickerdoodles – Soft chewy cookies, packed with cinnamon!
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars - An easy twist on the Fall classic!
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cookies FAQs
Yes! Just swap out the regular flour for gluten-free flour for some seriously amazing cookies gluten-free style.
Absolutely! Homemade pumpkin puree works just as well and adds even more fresh pumpkin flavor.
Store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Trust me, they’re still gonna be chewy and delicious!
Not necessarily! You can mix by hand, but a hand mixer or stand mixer makes the process faster and ensures a super-smooth dough.
And that’s it! These vegan pumpkin spice cookies are everything you need for the fall season—soft, chewy, spiced just right, and drizzled with icing. Be sure to snap a pic of your creations and tag @schoolnightvegan on social media so I can see your baking skills in action! You should also sign up to my newsletter, since there's loads of good stuff over there (like exclusive recipes!).
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Spatula
- Cookie scoop
- Baking sheet
- Cooling Rack
- Whisk
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Dough
- 65 g vegan butter block variety works best, at room temperature
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 25 g soft silken tofu or unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 90 g plain white flour aka all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda aka baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Pumpkin Dough
- 65 g vegan butter block variety works best, at room temperature
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin puree canned
- 90 g plain white flour aka all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda aka baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon orange food dye optional
For the Spiced Sugar
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
For the Icing
- 100 g icing sugar aka confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon plant milk unsweetened and unflavoured
Instructions
Prepare the Vanilla Dough:
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar until light and fluffy.65 g vegan butter, 75 g granulated sugar
- Add the silken tofu (or applesauce) and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth.25 g soft silken tofu, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sift in the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, and sea salt. Stir until just combined to form a dough. Set aside.90 g plain white flour, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Prepare the Pumpkin Dough:
- In a separate bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar.65 g vegan butter, 75 g granulated sugar
- Add the pumpkin puree and mix until smooth.2 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- Sift in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, and sea salt. Stir until the dough comes together.90 g plain white flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, pinch ground cloves, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the orange food dye, if using, and mix until the dough is uniformly colored. Set aside.½ teaspoon orange food dye
Portion the Dough:
- Using a cookie scoop, portion out both the vanilla and pumpkin dough side by side onto a lined baking sheet. Each dcoop should be around 1 tbsp.
- Ensure the two portions are next to each other, as they will be combined later.
Chill the Dough & Preheat the Oven:
- Place the portioned dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.
- While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F).
Prepare the Spiced Sugar (while the dough chills):
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, pinch ground cloves
- Set aside for coating the cookies after shaping.
Shape the Cookies:
- After chilling, take one portion of vanilla dough and one portion of pumpkin dough, and roll them together in your hands to form a marbled ball.
- Roll the dough ball in the prepared spiced sugar mixture, coating well, then place back on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with all portions of dough.
- Once all the balls of dough are coated in the spiced sugar, space them out on the sheet to allow for spreading while baking. You may need to use two baking sheets.
Bake:
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will still be puffy and soft in the centre, but don’t worry, this is correct.
- Tap the tray of cookies on the counter gently a few times to deflate the cookies then let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Icing:
- In a small bowl, mix the icing sugar and plant milk until smooth and thick enough to drizzle.100 g icing sugar, 1 tablespoon plant milk
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies. Leave to set for at least 30 mins before serving.
TWilshaw
Richard these were so good. The texture and flavour is perfect!
Ruby
So autumnal!
Ai Romero
These are amazing!
Harry
Woof! The hubby LOVED these!
THG
These worked so well!!