Healthy Pumpkin Oat Cookies
on Apr 15, 2020, Updated Jul 24, 2024
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These healthy pumpkin oat cookies are more of a nutritious snack than a decadent cookie but they’re still delicious and satisfying. You’ll need less than 20 minutes and just 3 ingredients to make them.
Why Make this Recipe
- low-calorie – without the extras, these cookies are less than 80 calories each
- 3-ingredient – the most basic version of this recipe calls for just 3 simple ingredients
- dietary restriction and allergy-friendly – this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and can be sugar-free
What You’ll Need
- Oats. Rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, and quick oats are all suitable.
- Pumpkin. Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I suggest canned pumpkin but homemade also works.
- Sweetener. The cookies can be sweetened with coconut sugar, maple syrup or agave. For a sugar-free cookie, use liquid or powder stevia or monk fruit sweetener.
Quick Note: Optional but recommended ingredients include cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and chocolate chips.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Mix all of the ingredients together to form a thick dough. There’s no need to worry about over-mixing, just keep working it together until you have a uniform dough.
Step 2. Form the batter into 12 cookie shapes using your hands and place them on a baking sheet.
Quick Note: These cookies will not spread or change shape during baking so be sure to create the shape you want before baking.
Step 3. Bake the cookies!
They need just 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes then enjoy warm or let cool before storing.
Tips and FAQs
- Pumpkin. Good quality pumpkin puree will make a big difference in these cookies. I recommend Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin and if you can’t find that, E.D. Smith will do the trick.
- Add-ins. These cookies are easily customizable with your favorite add-ins. Mix and match up to 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, pumpkin seeds, coconut, chocolate chips and raisins.
- Spices. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use 1 tsp of cinnamon plus a pinch of ground ginger and nutmeg if you have them. If not, just cinnamon is good too!
What do they taste like?
These taste more like a health food cookie than a dessert but they’re still hearty, yummy and satisfying. The texture is soft and somewhat like baked oatmeal or a hearty muffin.
If you’re looking for a super sweet, decadent dessert, this isn’t it but these are great for a pre or post-workout snack or healthier option to satisfy a craving. I recommend adding the chocolate chips to make these more of a treat!
How should I store them?
Let the cookies cool after baking then store at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 6 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Related Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Healthy Pumpkin Oat Cookies
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups 250 g rolled oats or quick oats
- 1 cup 240 g pure pumpkin puree
- 3 tbsp maple syrup, agave syrup or coconut sugar
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, optional but recommended
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, optional but recommended
- pinch of salt, optional but recommended
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients, including the optional ingredients if using, in a bowl to form a thick dough. If your’e adding any additional ingredients like nuts, seeds or coconut, add those as well. Start with 3 tbsp of sweetener and adjust sweetness as desired. The cookies are not very sweet with 3 tbsp and this can be increased if desired.
- Use your hands to create 12 cookie shapes. The cookies will not spread or change shape during baking so be sure to create the shape you want before baking.
- Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper or place cookies directly on the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and enjoy warm after a few minutes. Let cool completely before storing. Store at in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This recipe was originally published on October 16, 2015. It was updated in April 2020 with new photos and text.
I doubled the recipe and added all the optional ingredients. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and added an extra tablespoon of maple syrup. I still felt as though they were missing something, so I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and that did the trick! They’re super yummy! I highly recommend 🙂
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed.
Baking these cookies made my fire alarm go off 😵💫 worth it though these are delicious 😋
Just made these and they are delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe and the recommendations! I followed the recipe as is, used a little extra maple syrup and used white chocolate chips because that’s all I had on hand. So so good! For me, they are the perfect amount of sweetness, such a tasty treat that hits my sugar cravings bang on! Will be making them on repeat 😊
taste is good but they fall apart and do not look like the picture.
What can I sub for oats since I’m allergic?
Oats are the main ingredient in this recipe so I’m not sure about a sub. Possibly quinoa flakes but I haven’t tested it.
I realized after mixing everything together that I didn’t have time to bake them before getting the kids from school. Thought, oh well, the oats will absorb some of the moisture so they’re softer and no big deal. Well, it made forming them quite difficult as the mix just became crumbly. Choc chips definitely didn’t want to stay in. I was worried how they’d be out of the oven. Some were definitely crumbly while others were fine.
May I substitute the sweetener with honey?
Yes.
Just made these and they are delicious!! Will be making them again. They are obviously not the sweetest treat but with the chocolate chips and honey they are just sweet enough to curb my sweet cravings. Love love love!!
Thanks, Hannah!
Made it with half almond flour and stevia / erythritol instead of maple syrup. Also added a half scoop of vanilla protein powder. It was so good that we ate half of it raw. It was amazing. Thanks
That’s awesome, thanks Pat!
These are a great breakfast cookie or anytime of day you want something just a little sweet! I have made them several times! Thanks!!