Vegan Trail Mix Cookies (Gluten-Free + Grain-Free)

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Homemade gluten-free vegan Trail Mix Cookies stacked in a bowl

Friends! They’re here! My new cookie crush.

Imagine this: a perfectly baked, tender cookie studded with dark chocolate (or dried fruit!) that’s naturally sweetened, vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free! Plus, it’s made with 10 wholesome ingredients you probably have on hand right now. Let’s bake!

Coconut, seeds, chocolate chips and other ingredients for making vegan trail mix cookies

The base of this cookie is inspired and adapted from my Best Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Aquafaba provides moisture and binding (acting as our egg substitute), almond flour and shredded coconut replace traditional flours, and coconut oil replaces butter.

To keep things naturally sweetened, we went with coconut sugar and a little maple syrup. To keep these entirely refined sugar-free, be sure to use a bittersweet dark chocolate chip (or unsweetened dried fruit!).

Stirring the dough for our delicious Trail Mix Cookies recipe

The star of the show is seeds! I used this lovely Superfood Burcha mix, which includes tasty things like pumpkin, flax, sesame, sunflower, and cacao nibs. But you can really use any combination of seeds you want!

The result is a cookie with lots of fiber, healthy fats, protein, and a subtle crunch.

Baking sheet with gluten-free vegan Trail Mix Cookies

We hope you LOVE these cookies! They’re:

Tender on the inside
Perfectly browned on the outside
Naturally sweet
Studded with dark chocolate
Easy to make
& Healthier than your average cookie!

These would make the perfect healthier dessert to have on hand throughout the week. Store in a cookie jar (because fun) or in the freezer to keep them fresh even longer! I could see making these in larger batches and tucking them away in the freezer for future snack attacks. Also, these would make the ideal trail, camping, or road trip treat! So many options.

For healthier cookie recipes, check out our 5-Ingredient Vegan Gluten-Free Cookies, 3-Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies, Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, and 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!

Bowl of fluffy vegan Trail Mix Cookies

Vegan Trail Mix Cookies (Gluten-Free + Grain-Free)

Vegan, gluten-free trail mix cookies made with 10 wholesome ingredients and simple methods. A delicious, tender, chewy snack or dessert!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Stack of Vegan Trail Mix Cookies in a bowl with scooped sides
4.98 from 70 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 7 (large cookies)
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 1 Week

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups almond flour
  • 1/3 cup vegan dark chocolate* (bar or chips), loosely chopped (or sub dried fruit of choice)
  • 1/4 cup mixed seeds* (such as hemp seeds, sesame seeds, ground pumpkin, or ground flax seeds)
  • 1/4 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup aquafaba (chickpea brine)
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond flour, dark chocolate chips, seeds, coconut, baking powder, salt, and coconut sugar.
  • In a separate bowl, beat aquafaba (using a handheld mixer or whisking vigorously) until light and fluffy and loose peaks have formed. (TIP: Add a little cream of tartar to help it along if not whipping.)
  • To the aquafaba, add the melted coconut oil, vanilla (optional), and maple syrup and beat or whisk to combine (aquafaba will deflate a little – that’s normal). Then add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You should have a firm, semi-tacky dough (see photo). If too wet, add a bit more coconut or almond flour.
  • Loosely cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight. 
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Scoop out 3-Tablespoon amounts of dough (I used this scoop, scooped out two balls, and then formed them together) and form into balls. Then slightly press them down into discs (see photo). Top with a few more chocolate chips if desired.
  • Place on a bare or parchment-lined baking sheet with about a 1-inch gap in between each cookie to allow for a little spreading. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the undersides are golden brown and the tops appear slightly puffy and cracked.
  • Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Then carefully loosen with a spatula – they can stick a little to the bare pan.
  • Enjoy immediately or let cool completely before storing leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature up to 4 days, 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer. 

Video

Notes

*To keep these entirely refined sugar-free, be sure to use a bittersweet dark chocolate chip (or unsweetened dried fruit!).
*The seed mixture I used is the Superfood Burcha from Feel the Lean. Feel free to mix and match any of these seeds. If using large seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower seeds), give them a blitz in a blender or food processor or chop finely with a knife before using.
*
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 1 Tbsp of each type of seed listed and without optional vanilla.

Nutrition (1 of 7 servings)

Serving: 1 Cookies Calories: 302 Carbohydrates: 20.9 g Protein: 6.4 g Fat: 24.7 g Saturated Fat: 10.2 g Sodium: 123 mg Potassium: 199 mg Fiber: 4.7 g Sugar: 14.1 g Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 70 mg Iron: 3.2 mg

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  1. Jade says

    Why does the cook time at the start of the recipe say 15 minutes, but the recipe says 20-25 minutes in the oven? Mine was in for 20 mins because I followed the recipe and didn’t notice the cook time at the start and the cookies ended up being a bit burnt. I feel 15 mins is probs more accurate?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jade, sorry for the confusion and thank you for letting us know about the error! 20-25 minutes is correct, but if the dough was more dry for some reason or the cookies were smaller, they could bake faster. We’re also assuming the cookie sheet was on the middle rack in the oven and it was on bake, not convection bake?

  2. heather says

    I’ve made these four times, and the best version was with oat flour over almond flour. it’s way chewier and a nicer less crumbly texture!!!

  3. Michael Jarvis says

    This one is a winner! I like to make it as a double batch, one batch immediately followed by the second. One batch just gets eaten too quickly…

  4. Marlene says

    I made these this morning and they are amazing. These are my favorite cookies so far the only change was I did not use coconut sugar instead I opted for monk fruit and it was a great choice.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Marlene. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Andrea, AP flour doesn’t sub well 1-1 because it’s much more absorbent than almond flour. You could try with half the amount, but the flavor/texture may vary!

  5. Alex says

    These are delicious! I love how they are a bit gooey, a bit crunchy, and not too sweet but still satisfies a sweet tooth. I probably doubled or tripled the seeds but it held up OK for me! I didn’t have aquafaba and am not vegan, so I used 2 eggs and it worked great. I also added a tiny bit of almond extract because I love the flavour, and it really went well with the seeds and almond flour. Definitely will make again.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Alex. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo