These Healthy Pumpkin Cookies are flourless, free of refined sugars, and don’t use any oils or butter. These cookies are also very simple to make — whip them up in one bowl in less than 30 minutes.
Use leftover canned pumpkin in these Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Protein Shake, or this Healthy Pumpkin Bread.
How To Make Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
- Made with wholesome ingredients like oats and pumpkin.
- Free from refined sugars and unhealthy fats.
- Quick and easy to make in one bowl.
- Customizable with add-ins like nuts or chocolate chips.
- Enjoyable all year round, not just in fall.
Ingredients
- Canned pumpkin puree keeps the cookies moist and adds pumpkin flavor.
- Egg yolk holds everything together and adds richness. Use leftover egg white in Meringue Cookies.
- Almond butter provides a nutty taste and creamy texture.
- Pure maple syrup naturally sweetens the cookies.
- Vanilla extract brings out even more flavor.
- Baking soda helps the healthy pumpkin cookies rise and become fluffy.
- Spices balance and enhance the flavors.
- Blended oats serve as a gluten-free flour substitute, adding structure and fiber.
- Dark chocolate chips add sweetness and texture.
How To Make Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets.
- Mix pumpkin puree, egg yolk, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, baking soda, salt, spices in a bowl.
- Blend oats into flour, add to bowl.
- Stir in chocolate chips; chill for 10 minutes.
- Form dough balls, flatten, and bake for 6-7 minutes.
- Cool on sheet for 10 minutes; optional: add extra chocolate and sea salt.
Tips For Success
- Make Them Pretty: Press extra chocolate chips on top right after baking for better looks and chocolate distribution.
- Customize: Replace chocolate chips with nuts like pecans or walnuts, or use dried cranberries for variety.
- Cool Fully: Allow healthy pumpkin cookies to cool completely to avoid crumbling; they stabilize as they cool.
- Watch Baking Time: Avoid over-baking; remove from oven when tops are set, around 6-7 minutes at 350°F.
Storage
- Room Temperature: Store healthy pumpkin cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate: Keep in a sealed container for up to a week for freshness.
- Freeze: Wrap cookies individually and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature.
More Fall Desserts
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Steamer
- Pumpkin Scones
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
With no refined sugars or flour, these Healthy Pumpkin Cookies are both simple and delicious!
Equipment
- 2 sheet pans with liners
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin
- 1 large egg yolk discard the egg whites or use in a different recipe
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup blended old fashioned oats or quick oats, see note 1
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips coarsely chopped
- Flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper or a nonstick liner and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the pumpkin, egg yolk, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon. Mix until smooth.
- Grind up oats in a blender or food processor until the oats are the texture of regular flour. Make sure to measure the 1/2 cup after grinding the oats so you have a leveled 1/2-cup measure of blended oats. Add to the cookie dough. Mix dough with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until the dough is smooth and well combined.
- Coarsely chop the chocolate chips and stir into the batter. Cover dough and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out balls of cookie dough. It is sticky, so use a finger or another spoon to coax the dough from the spoon onto the prepared trays. Smooth and flatten the tops of the cookie dough balls. Space them about 2 inches apart to fit 8 per tray. Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 6–7 minutes. Cookies should still look very soft; watch carefully to not overbake. As soon as the tops are no longer wet and glossy, they are done.
- Remove the trays from the oven and let the cookies stand on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes without touching. If desired, press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt flakes. Then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. These cookies are very fragile and will fall apart right out of the oven if handled while still hot. They set up and solidify as they cool.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Be sure to measure the oats after they've been blended—not before. You should have a leveled 1/2 cup of blended oats.
Note 2: This recipe has been modified slightly to completely remove the refined sugars and improve the texture a bit. Here's the recipe from 2014 if desired.
Safety: Ensure all the products you are using are indeed gluten-free. While all the ingredients listed are naturally gluten-free, they are sometimes made in facilities with gluten. To be safe, always check the labels of what you’re using.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or keep in a sealed container for up to a week. You can also wrap cookies individually and freeze for up to 3 months, thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 15cookies | Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 328IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great option for a cookie but I needed more spice!!! And then we FROZE them and OMG, they are so good frozen!!!!
Yes definitely feel free to adjust the spice to personal preference since everyone’s is so different! And I LOVE the idea of freezing these – I’ll definitely need to try that!! Thanks Jackie 🙂
These are great! I blended the oatmeal in a mason jar instead of the blender container (in case you don’t know that trick, most standard mason jars screw right into the blender base). The smaller container made it easier to blend, and easy to measure because the jars have markings. The jar filled loosely about 3/4 of the way made 1 c. of oat flour. And so much easier to clean! Thanks for the great recipe – my kids will be thrilled to have a treat waiting when they get home from school – I won’t tell them they’re healthy! (I know there is still sugar, but no butter/oil is a win in my book).
Okay I’ve never heard of that trick!! I must try that ASAP – thanks Michelle :)! Thanks for the comment!
These look wonderful. I love the idea of healthy, flourless cookies!
Thank you Teresa!!
These look delish! And FYI, to make oat flour AND clean your blender in 30 sec, put hot water and dish soap in the blender, and blend it for a few seconds. Rinse, dry, and voila, clean blender! 🙂
Brilliant!! I love it 🙂
I found your recipe this morning and made the cookies this afternoon… they were absolutely delicious! I’m an October birthday so pumpkin is my favorite and I have made my fair share of pumpkin cookies in my lifetime. These were honestly the best pumpkin cookies I have EVER made. No joke. I’ve even tried those “Iced Pumpkin Cookies” that have rave reviews on allrecipes.com a few times, and didn’t care for them at all. Too cakey and dry. Yours were a million times better!
I quadrupled the recipe and measured loosely – which tells me this is a forgiving recipe b/c it turned out wonderful still. Didn’t quite grind enough oats so I used whole wheat flour for 1/4 of the flour called for. My children are the pickiest eaters alive and I fully expected them to turn their noses up after one bite – but they both loved them and also said they were the best I’ve ever made. So, TWO THUMBS UP – WAY UP! And THANK YOU SO MUCH!
This comment made my morning!!! Thanks so much Sabrina! I’m so glad to hear you all loved them 🙂 and happy birthday soon!!
I made these tonight and they are amazing. I added some flax and vanilla, and sea salted the top. Super great! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!! And sea salt? Definitely trying that next time – yum!! 🙂
I made these this morning. Added a dash of salt and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract to your recipe. So so good! Love that they are healthier too!
Great additions! Thanks so much for the comment Kara! 🙂
These look delicious…but it is misleading for the Tastespotting caption to say there is only 2 T of brown sugar when it also includes 2T of honey…….but I will still make them cause I love sugar…lol
And chocolate chips which also have sugar. I noticed a lot of little shops often boast “sugar-free,” but still use honey, agave, and chocolate chips. It’s misleading to people. They still look delish though and would love to try these.
I’m so sorry!! Wasn’t trying at all to be misleading- I meant refined sugar. But then you are right – the chocolate chips have sugar too! I updated the description to be more accurate!
Lilly’s chocolate chips are sweetened with stevia- ZERO sugar. 😉
W
I cannot wait to make these!
A way to clean your blender is to make a smoothie–oats are a great addition. Yes, I realize you would still have to clean out the blender after that too but may be easier 😉