Easy and gluten-free, these vegan pumpkin sugar cookies are perfect for the holidays! Plus, they’re fun to make, and delicious too!
Fall baking is my favorite and I think that’s mostly because I love cinnamon so much! So, these vegan pumpkin sugar cookies have plenty of festive spices.
As soon as the air gets a bit chilly I start dreaming of pumpkin everything. I mean can there really ever be too much pumpkin? I don’t think so! Which doesn’t mean I love my Maple Snickerdoodles any less.
But we sure do love these vegan pumpkin sugar cookies and think you will too!
Why we love these vegan pumpkin sugar cookies
These cookies are everything you could dream of from a pumpkin cutout sugar cookie, plus they are gluten-free and dairy-free!
We love them because they are:
- Soft & Chewy
- Full of cinnamon
- Made with real pumpkin – hello extra health benefits 🙂
- Allergen-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free
- Made with simple ingredients
- Super cute!
So, let’s learn how to make these vegan pumpkin sugar cookies!
How to make vegan pumpkin sugar cookies
The best thing about these cookies is how simple they are to make!
To begin, let’s get together our ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for these amazing gluten-free pumpkin cookies:
- Gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
- Vegan butter
- Pumpkin puree
- Coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- Vanilla
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Ginger
- Cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
You might have noticed a unique ingredient, cornstarch, and be wondering why? Well, as I was testing dough I realized that by adding a little cornstarch the cookies stayed together better, and it added the perfect amount of chewiness! Cornstarch acts as a binder much in the way an egg would in a non-vegan recipe.
Don’t worry if you don’t have cornstarch or don’t want to use corn. You can swap it out for arrowroot powder instead! However, I wouldn’t leave it out completely! The cookies just won’t be the same, AKA soft & amazing!
Then, prepare the cookie dough, like most cookie recipes! Whisk together the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, baking soda, spices, and sugar.
Next, fold in the wet ingredients: pumpkin, oil, vanilla, and set inside the fridge for 30 minutes or more to chill. Then the fun part, cut out the cookies into desired shapes and bake. Oh, wait, actually the eating part is the most fun!
How to decorate pumpkin shaped cookies
While the icing is obviously optional, is it really? I mean cute little decorations make these cookies even more irresistible! You can choose to decorate them in any way you choose! I found that using Wilton piping bags and tips, helped me make these lines and little dots, but you could even make them have jack-o-lantern faces
The icing is easy too, here’s how to make it!
- Mix 3 tablespoons coconut milk with 2 cups of powdered sugar.
- I added a tiny pinch of turmeric to naturally die the frosting orange. This is totally optional and doesn’t change the flavor.
- If the frosting is too runny add more powdered sugar and if it’s too dry add small amounts of coconut milk. The frosting should come out smoothly from the piping tip but be firm enough to stay where you place it.
- Scoop the frosting by spoon into the piping bag and get decorating!
Tips for the best cookies:
Chill the dough– I know I know, the most annoying part is waiting for the dough to be ready to eat. Chilling the dough will really help the cookies to stay in the shapes you cut them into.
Using a silicone baking sheet- Silicone baking sheets are my favorite! I love how they make the edges of the cookies perfect and leave the inside soft and chewy.
Sugar vs. coconut sugar- I love the toasty flavor the coconut sugar gives these cookies but, if you want a brighter orange colored sugar cookie use regular sugar instead.
Store them in an airtight container- These cookies will stay fresh for 5-7 days in an airtight container. Also, you can freeze them to enjoy later for up to 5 months!
We think you are going to love these cookies! They are super fun to make, and even more fun to eat. So grab a warm blanket and snuggle up with a few cookies!
More healthy cookie recipes you’ll love:
If you recreate these Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies, let me know how you liked them by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @flaxandsugar, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for more deliciousness!
Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 9
- Total Time: 49 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: baking
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Easy and gluten-free, these vegan pumpkin sugar cookies are perfect for the holidays! Plus, they’re fun to make, and delicious too!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cup Bob’s gluten-free flour
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened at room temperature
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/8 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 3 tablespoons corn starch (or arrowroot powder)
Frosting (optional):
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional-for color)
Instructions
For pumpkin cookie:
- In a large bowl combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla bean paste, and pumpkin puree.
- In a medium bowl combine: gluten-free flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, cloves, turmeric, baking soda, and corn starch. Whisk together.
- Add the flour mixture to the large bowl of wet ingredients. Stir until mixed.
- Shape the dough into a disc, cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface, until it’s 1/2″ thick. Then slice the cookies into the desired shape using a cookie cutter. Remove the scraps and repeat until the dough is gone.
- Place the cutout sugar cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting (optional):
- Mix together sifted powdered sugar and turmeric in a bowl.
- Add non-dairy milk to the desired consitency.
- Scoop the frosting by spoonful into a piping bag and frost cookies as desired or use a butter knife and frost the tops of the cookies.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
Keywords: sugar cookies, pumpkin, holiday cookies, cutout cookies, refined sugar free, gluten free cookies, healthy sugar cookies, pumpkin sugar cookies
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