The perfect fall cookie does exist! These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are here with the ideal amount of cozy warming spices and melty chocolate chips. They have slightly crispy edges, pillowy soft centers, and are undetectably vegan and gluten-free. Hubba hubba!
Your next fall baking adventure is just 1 bowl away! Let’s get started!
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies begin with one of the best techniques for a light and fluffy result: creaming the (vegan) butter and (brown) sugar. Next comes the pumpkin purée for a festive orange color and to add moisture for a soft cookie texture.
Vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt ensure the batter leaves no element of flavor forgotten, while baking powder helps them rise for soft and fluffy centers.
And now for the star: Our NEW gluten-free flour blend carries the dry ingredient team with a little assist from almond flour to keep the cookies moist.
Lastly, we stir in the chocolate chips (mmm, chocolate makes everything better) and chill the dough to allow the ingredients to meld together and help the cookies hold their shape.
Then, friends, the finish line is near. Pop them in the oven and in minutes you’ll arrive at cookie-munching central!
We hope you LOVE these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! They’re:
Fluffy
Warming
Pumpkin-y
Soft with slightly crisp edges
Chocolaty
& Perfectly sweet!
Enjoy them on their own or with a Masala Chai Latte, Easy Pumpkin Spice Latte, or glass of (dairy-free) milk.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (V/GF)
- Fluffy 1-Bowl Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (Plant-Based, GF)
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (V/GF)
- Fudgy Vegan Brownie 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!
Fluffy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup packed organic brown sugar
- 1/2 cup softened vegan butter (we used Miyoko's salted)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup MB 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend*
- 1/2 cup almond flour (we like Wellbee's)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (we used Enjoy Life)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl beat together the brown sugar and softened vegan butter with an electric mixer until pale in color — about 1 minute. Next add the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract and whip again until fluffy.
- Add gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt. Stir to fully combine. Then fold in the chocolate chips/chunks. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- When the 30 minutes is up, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scooper (we like this one) or tablespoon to measure 1 ½ Tbsp amounts of dough. We like leaving them in a domed shape instead of flattening them. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Recipe as written makes about 18 cookies.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes until the edges are golden and the center is soft.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to fully cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
Video
Notes
*If freezing the dough for future baking, scoop the dough in step 3, then freeze for future baking. They can be baked directly from frozen.
*Prep time includes chilling.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Erica says
I made these for a Halloween party and they were tasty! I did have to bake them even longer than the recipe said- maybe more like 20 min. And maybe I should have gone longer? (See below)
Question – these were like a cookie when fresh, lightly crisp on the edges and soft in the center. I cooled them and put them in a container with a lid to serve the next day – but the ones I ate the next day were more like a muffin top than a cookie. Did I do something wrong or do they really soften up once cooled? Thanks
Hi Erica, they will soften a bit, but it sounds like they might have had too much moisture, causing them to soften a lot. Which GF blend did you use? We wonder if it wasn’t as absorbent and may have benefitted from adding a little more flour.
Maddy says
Hi! can I sub the vegan butter for regular unsalted butter? Also can the dough sit in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes before cooking?
Hi Maddy, yes, dairy butter will also work! It should be fine to refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours.
prashanthi atluri says
Hi, I was wondering if this recipe could be made oil-free and if I could sub in dried fruit or chopped nuts for the chocolate. Thanks, your recipes have helped me a lot throughout my health journey.
Hi Prashanthi, we’re so glad our recipes have been helpful! Dried fruit or nuts would work, but we aren’t sure this one would work oil-free. It would be too dense.
Leona says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I used half the amount of sugar and half the amount of chocolate chips and they turned out delicious!
We’re so glad they turned out well, Leona! Thank you for sharing! xo
Kyle says
I substituted applesauce for the butter and they turned out tasty. I did cook them for more like 20 minutes and probably something like 17 would have been perfect. My family enjoyed them thoroughly!
Laura says
I already ate too many of these delicious cookies. I used half date powder and half brown sugar and your flour recipe. I did have to cook them for 20 minutes but otherwise all was well.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Laura!
Summer Merrylees says
These were amazing!
Whoop! We’re so glad you’re enjoyed them, Summer. Thank you for sharing! xo
Ann says
So yummy! Eat them warm with a glass of almond milk. I didn’t have almond flour so subbed oat flour and they tuned out great.
Yay! We’re so glad to know that oat flour works in this recipe. Thanks for the review, Ann!
Traci says
I just made these for my family, and we love them!!!
Thank you for this recipe!!!
I used Earth Balance butter because that’s what I had in the fridge, and I used Enjoy Life chocolate chunks.
Aw, thank you SO much for the lovely review! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed them, Traci! xo
Lisa says
These were super easy and delicious! Sometimes pumpkin spice recipes don’t land for me, but these cookies really did! Thank you!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Lisa!
EzzaE says
I made these today and really like them. Soft, yummy, and full of fall flavors. Thanks for always sending out such interesting recipes!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed!
Evelyn says
When recipes call for almond flour, may I sub with ground almonds ? What notable difference will there be ?
Hi Evelyn, ground almonds are technically almond meal which can be a bit heavier than almond flour. We haven’t tried almond meal in this recipe and we suspect it might make them too dense, but we aren’t sure. Hope this helps!
valerie says
Question, can you dub out the almond flower for extra Gluten free flour? My kids have a tree nut and peanut allergy, which is such a bummer. but these look amazing!!!
Hi Valerie, we haven’t tried this recipe without the almond flour and can’t guarantee results, but you could try using extra gluten free flour! We suggest adding small amounts of it slowly and checking the consistency of the dough to keep the mixture fluffy! You can reference the photos above for the correct texture! Hope this helps!
Charmain says
Hi! This sounds like the perfect cookie for fall—and the addition of chocolate chips to pumpkin sounds great! But I don’t follow a vegan diet. Is it safe to simply swap out the vegan ingredients (vegan butter and gluten-free flour blend) to non-vegan (real butter and all-purpose flour) without ruining the recipe? Thanks for your advice, as I’m anxious to bake!
Hi Charmain, we haven’t tried it, but we do think real butter and all-purpose flour might work well in this recipe in place of the vegan butter and gluten-free flour! However we do still suggest using the almond flour to get the correct texture!
Charmain says
That’s great! Thanks so much for the quick response, and will note that the almond flour will keep the texture as originally meant to be. Will try it tonight! You’ve got a great website with scrumptious recipes—keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for your kind words and support, Charmain! xo
Jen says
I was curious if you could sub coconut sugar or maple syrup in place of brown sugar?
Hi Jen, we haven’t tried this recipe with coconut sugar or maple syrup but we think coconut sugar should work fairly well. Let us know how it goes!
Nicole says
I can confirm that these turn out with regular all-purpose flour instead of GF flour and regular butter!
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Nicole!
Aleta Spitaleri says
What if you are grain free – any recommendations on a GF Paleo flour that could work in this recipe (and others)?
Hi Aleta, we haven’t tried this recipe with grain free flours and can’t guarantee results. If you do try it we suggest using slightly less grain-free flour than the suggested amount of gluten-free flour because it is much more absorbent! Hope this helps!