Pumpkin cookies? We like. Snickerdoodles? Double like. Pumpkin snickerdoodles?! Loooooooove entirely! Name that movie, friends (The Grinch!), then make these tender, spicy, perfectly pumpkin-y cookies!
They’re unbelievably soft and pillowy and undetectably gluten-free and vegan. It’s a win-win-win situation. Just 30 minutes stand between you and fall-filled cookie perfection. Let us show you how it’s done!
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
The base of these pillowy pumpkin cookies starts the way many great cookies do: creaming the (vegan) butter and (coconut) sugar to add air pockets, which makes them light and fluffy. Then we add in pumpkin purée, which keeps the cookies moist and tender, plus pumpkin pie spice for BIG fall flavor. Yum!
Next come the dry ingredients. First up is our NEW 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. It’s the gluten-free flour of our dreams and is ideal for the home baker who loves an effective replacement for all-purpose flour. It creates tender, fluffy, and undetectably gluten-free baked goods, and we can’t wait for you to try it!
In addition to our dreamy flour, these pumpkin cookies need just a touch of almond flour and cornstarch for added flavor and fluffiness.
After a quick mix, the cookie dough is ready for rolling in classic sugary snickerdoodle fashion! But it’s even better, because we swapped cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice.
After baking, these cookies are soft, crackly, pillowy perfection. Time to whip up your favorite fall drink or pour a glass of (dairy-free) milk and dig in!
We hope you LOVE these pumpkin snickerdoodles! They’re:
Fluffy
Pumpkin-y
Subtly spiced
Perfectly sweet
Quick & easy
& PERFECT for fall!
They’re the ultimate treat to bring to fall gatherings or freeze before baking to enjoy fresh-baked fall flavor any time of year!
Love Pumpkin Recipes? Try These Next:
- 1-Bowl Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars (V + GF)
- 1-Bowl Pumpkin Bread (V + GF)
- Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Pillowy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (V + GF)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (we prefer Earth Balance buttery sticks in this recipe)
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin purée*
- 3/4 cup MB 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see notes if using DIY blend or store-bought)
- 1 ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
TOPPING
- 1/4 cup cane sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
- 1 ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla until pale and slightly fluffy. Add the pumpkin purée and beat again until well combined and fluffy.
- Add the remaining ingredients — gluten-free flour, almond flour, cornstarch (or arrowroot), baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt — and beat on low until well combined.
- In a small bowl, make the topping by combining the cane sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Mix to evenly combine. Set nearby.
- Use a cookie scoop (like this one) or a tablespoon to measure out 1 ½ Tbsp amounts of dough to gently roll into balls. The dough will be very soft, so be gentle. Roll in the pumpkin spice/sugar topping and arrange on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down gently with the palm of your hand or a glass to flatten slightly.
- Bake cookies for 18-20 minutes, or until slightly spread and fluffy. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and, for best texture, let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying!
- Once cooled, store leftover cookies covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for 1 month.
Video
Notes
*We tested this with our DIY GF Flour Blend and it works but requires ~1/3 cup extra for the right texture. If using a similar store-bought blend such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour we would also suggest using extra flour.
*Loosely adapted from our 1-Bowl Snickerdoodle Cookies (Vegan + GF).
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Jenn O. says
These won me second place in the Gluten-Free category at my church’s fall baking contest! First place were apple streusel cinnamon rolls. Tough competition! These were so easy and quick, I’ll definitely be making these for many falls to come!
Wow! We love to hear it. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jenn! xo
Dusty Fancher says
I often go to vegan recipes to avoid using eggs and dairy. We didn’t have GF flour so we used all purpose flour. We also didn’t flatten the cookie. The result was a doughnut hole like cookie! It was great! We served it with apple butter dipping sauce. Delicious, will make again!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Dusty!
Sheryl says
Could you substitute almond flour with more gluten free flour I the case of a nut allergy?
Hi Sheryl, you could try it with all GF flour, but the cookies might be more dense and floury. We’d suggest using a lesser amount since it’s more drying than almond flour. Another option might be to replace the almond flour with 1/4-1/2 as much coconut flour (if not allergic to coconut). We haven’t tried with either of these modifications though, so can’t guarantee the result. Let us know if you try it out!
Nory says
I made these for thanksgiving this year and they were a huge hit! I followed the directions to the letter but baked the first batch for 18 minutes and the second for 20. Both turned out great but I think I would go for 20 minutes for all of them next time. Now I’ve got to make more MB pumpkin butter to have on hand because it freezes so well!
Lovely! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Nory! Next time would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful to us and our readers!
Jenny says
I’ve made these twice and love them. They are perfect. (I baked for 20 minutes the second time around which was just right!)
Yay, thanks Jenny!
Sheetu says
Absolutely delicious. We made this for Thanksgiving yesterday and loved the cookies. They were soft and pillowy. We also added some drizzle on top for fun and extra sweetness. Thank you for another great recipe. This is a keeper and we would be baking it every fall.
Love it! Thanks so much for the review, Sheetu!
Blythe says
Yum! These were so good. Texture and flavor are great. Reminded me of molasses cookies a bit. I made these with Bob’s red mill GF and it was great. I used raw sugar for the outside which give a nice crunch but next time I would only dip the top side instead of rolling the whole ball in it.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Blythe. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Liz Martino says
These turned out amazing. I used real butter and AP flour and they were perfection. They were moist, light and pillowy. I will definitely be making them again, and soon!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed, Liz. Thanks for the great review!
Viktoriya says
These are so fluffy! I made half a batch yesterday and saved the other half of uncooked dough in plastic wrap in the fridge. Buuut the first batch was gone quick, so i made the other half today =)
I followed the recipe almost exactly (only had regular white flour) and will definitely have to make again.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Viktoriya!
Sierra says
This was amazing, I have recently switched to gluten free and this is by far the best baked good I have made with gluten free ingredients.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Sierra. So glad you enjoyed!
Michelle says
My first time making snickerdoodles! Totally a good flavor! I have some toppings that I meant to use up but I just made some more because I like rolling the dough balls in plenty of it. It’s just an OCD thingy! 😆 I used the bag of Pamela’s gluten free flour that I have here and guestimated everything. I only have Earth Balance buttery spread that’s in the tub so I had to guestimate the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for. Refrigeration helps the dough for me. Also flattening with my palm. Baked to perfection in my toaster oven at 330F for 18 minutes! Thanks again, Dana! ❤️
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Michelle!
Sara says
I was creaving for snickerdoodles, But didn’t have pumpkin puree so I used apple butter insted… they turned out great!😍😍
Love your work, thx!!
Yum! That sounds delicious. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Sara!
Stacy B says
Oooh, good to know. I was searching the comments for whether I could use pumpkin butter instead of puree!
Becca says
Is there any way to make this nut free also? Maybe with oat flour instead of almond flour?
Hi Becca, you could try it with all GF flour, but the cookies might be more dense. We’d suggest using a lesser amount since it’s more drying than almond flour. Another option might be to replace the almond flour with 1/4-1/2 as much coconut flour. We haven’t tried with either of these modifications though, so can’t guarantee the result. Let us know if you try it out!
Grace says
Perfection! Made these with coconut oil instead of butter, AP flour, and added some cardamom and they got rave reviews! Pillowy is the perfect description for them.
Woohoo! Thanks for the review and for sharing your modifications, Grace!
Zoë says
These were incredible! A new crowd fave! Baked them Sunday morning and they’re already gone! Subbed regular white flour for the gluten free and brown sugar for the coconut sugar (just used what was on hand) and they turned out pillowy perfect. Autumnal heaven!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed these cookies, Zoë. Thanks for the great review and for sharing your modifications!
Val says
I just made these. Delicious, absolutely delicious. I didn’t have all the ingredients: I used regular butter, and gluten free flour blend (store bought). Other than that I followed the recipe and it turned out amazing. They didn’t taste like a gluten free dessert. Thank you so much for another amazing recipe!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed these, Val. Thanks so much for the review!
Kate says
Sooo delicious.. like the title says, very pillowy. It did yield 20 cookies when I made it
Woohoo! Thanks, Kate!
Michaela says
Wow, these cookies were DELICIOUS. Easy to make and made the house smell amazing.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Michaela. Thanks for the lovely review!
Jan says
These are so good! Not too sweet (so I added a smidge of simple powdered sugar icing for the hubs on 1/2 the batch) he loves them. I also messed up and put 1 3/4 cup gf flour and 3/4 cup almond flour in. Came out perfect! Used Miyokos butter as that’s what I had on hand and they turned out great but next time I’ll try the Earth Balance. I will be making these again! So very yummy, thanks for the wonderful recipe MB!
Yay! Glad you both enjoyed these cookies, Jan. Thanks for the lovely review!
Barbara says
They look great. Can I make these cookies using conventional flour, butter, etc?
Hi Barbara, that might work, yes. We haven’t tried it but other readers have had success. You could probably use 1 – 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour in place of both the almond flour and the gluten free blend. Let us know how it goes!
Maris says
Delicious recipe! Made a batch for my run club and everyone loved them! Perfect way to start the Fall season.
Modifications:
– Regular GF AP flour instead of the blend
– Miyoko’s vegan butter
Yay! So glad everyone enjoyed, Maris. Thanks for sharing your modifications!
Cara says
Ok humor me….I have a very ripened acorn squash that I would love to use instead of pumpkin (feeling a lil lazy b/c I have most of the ingredients with exception of the flour mix at home); what are your thoughts or guidance, thanks! :)
Hi Cara, we think acorn squash might be too fibrous, but perhaps if you steam it then blend in a food processor, it could work in place of the pumpkin. Let us know if you try it out!
Chelsea says
They really did come out pillowy! I subbed coconut oil for the vegan butter because I didn’t have it, but they turned out great. Love the flavor and texture!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modification, Chelsea!
Manning says
Used homemade applesauce in lieu of butter and they are so yum! Plus the entire house smelled DIVINE!!!!!!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modification, Manning!
MONICA GORDON says
Sorry meant to ask about replacing the coconut sugar?
Hi Monica, you could substitute cane or brown sugar for the coconut sugar, they will just come out a little different.
Roslyn says
Can I use regular butter?
Hi Roslyn, that should work! Let us know if you try it!
Cheyenne LaPrade says
My child has many food allergies. We love your recipes and can easily adapt them to our dietary needs as necessary. Unfortunately, Minumalist Baker branded products aren’t safe for my child. I hope in the future you’ll include more simple substitutes (a one ingredient flour, etc.) when posting recipes that call for specific products like your gluten free blend. The DIY blend calls for ingredients that I don’t think most would have on hand, and I think makes this recipe unnecessarily complicated.
Hi Cheyenne, Thank you for the feedback! The tricky thing with gluten-free baking is that usually a single flour isn’t going to provide the right texture. If your child can have another store-bought gluten-free flour blend, that might work!
Nicole says
Oops I see this was already asked and answered – disregard!
Nicole says
These look delicious. For those of us who aren’t GF, can we sub the same amount of regular AP flour for the GF flour blend (while still using the almond flour and corn or arrowroot starch)? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, we haven’t tried these with all purpose flour and can’t guarantee results, but a 1:1 swap for the gluten-free flour should work! Let us know how it goes!
Esther says
Would it be possible to make this with regular flour instead of gluten-free? Would the portion change?
Hi Esther, we haven’t tested it that way, but it should well work as a 1:1 sub as long as you’re keeping the almond flour. Hope that helps!
MONICA GORDON says
what can you use in place of coconut flour?
Hi Monica, this recipe doesn’t contain coconut flour. Did you mean to ask about another ingredient?
Katarina says
Any suggestions on almond flour substitutes for a nut-free version? Thanks!
Hi Katarina, you could try it with all GF flour, but the cookies might be more dense. We’d suggest using a lesser amount since it’s more drying than almond flour. Another option might be to replace the almond flour with 1/4-1/2 as much coconut flour. We haven’t tried with either of these modifications though, so can’t guarantee the result. Let us know if you try it out!