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
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.
These cookies were amazing!!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed them.
I’m interested in doubling this recipe so that I can use a whole can of pumpkin. Do you think it’d be better to prepare the whole batch in a 9×13 pan, or split into two 8×8 pans? Any suggestion for the baking time? Thanks; I appreciate it.
I don’t think the pan size will matter. Not sure on cooking time but probably around 30 minutes. Bake until firm in the centre. I haven’t tried baking them in a pan though. Thanks!
My 2 year old brother LOVES these. Some days it’s one of the only things he will eat. The original recipe is kinda dry so I found adding extra pumpkin puree or leaving out some of the oats help significantly with that. The dryness is more for me and my parents because we sneak one or two here and there but my brother takes it regardless but it’s just something to note. Other than that, I’m constantly making this.
Thanks! Glad you guys like them.
These are great. I use a cupcake holder with small muffin paper. Makes 24.
Great idea! Glad you liked them.
Made these. They are hard too eat. Just a mouth full of dry oats. I also had to take out 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips while forming them. They would have been basically all chips. The flavors were ok, but I won’t make these again.
Loved these and they were great for the little ones. I used honey instead of maple syrup and added chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut and everyone liked them. They’re nothing fancy but great to have around for a snack. I’ll make these often…I like how you can just add whatever.
This is a good base recipe. I made the original but felt it lacked something~very bland . So upon making it again I added 1/2 tsp of sea salt (to taste), an extra Tbsp of maple syrup, and 1 tsp of additional cinnamon (plus the pumpkin pie seasoning). I then added a little more chocolate pieces and split the measurement of the optional nuts to 1/2 walnuts/1/2 pecans.
Very good.
Some mornings I need a little boost before exercise and these work well. I made 2 batches so the pumpkin was a scant cup in each and I cut the chocolate chips to 1/4 cup. Definitely add in the pumpkin pie seasoning. I used quick oats in one batch and old fashioned in the other. I would recommend the quick oats. They’re in the freezer ready when I need them.
These cookies are super plain, but I don’t dislike them. It’s nice grabbing a quick bite of autumn without all the processed sugar that often come along with it! I made them small and added a touch of salt.
Tasty and healthy!