Soft Pumpkin Cookies – gluten free & vegan with grain-free options
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
These gluten-free soft pumpkin cookies are soft, tasty, and not too sweet. Made with nutritious, whole-food ingredients, they are the perfect snack to keep on hand all year round.
Although pumpkin is typically a fall food, I personally think it should be eaten year round. We love these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles and this Pumpkin Spiced Creamer, but today I am sharing a favorite recipe for pumpkin cookies that we've been making for years.
These Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies are amazingly low in sugar (which is great if you are on a candida diet) and yet they still taste great. The pumpkin adds a natural sweetness and the orange flavor adds a nice hint of orange.
Often when you add flavors or extracts you can get away with less sweetener.
These cookies are soft and moist and my whole family loves them. When I first made them, our oldest was walking around the kitchen, nibbling on them and saying, “Now these really remind me of something.” And then he remembered what it was, and my youngest agreed. They reminded them of Enjoy Life's Gingerbread Spice cookies.
Even in my sugar-aholic days, I never really bought those, mainly because they're expensive. We'd sample them at gluten-free fairs and then feel plenty sick afterward.
Not that there is anything technically wrong with Enjoy Life. We just couldn't handle all of the sugar and white flour.
Well, he was sure right. These soft little Pumpkin Cookies are like Enjoy Life's yummy treats, minus the white flour and all the sugar. Healthy. Yum.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies – 4 Ways
We made these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies four different ways – with and without nuts and with and without rolling them in this Low-Carb Cinnamon Sugar. Hubby likes nuts in his cookies and oldest son does not like crunchies in his cookies. In my opinion, the rolled-in sweetener option, either with or without nuts, is the best option.
When you roll them in sugar, you get a nice punch of sweetness without a bunch of added sweeteners to the whole recipe.
The top photo shows the plain version and here is a photo of the nut-filled version with walnuts.
If you end up using stevia for this recipe, you will for sure want these mini measuring spoons since you'll be measuring out such teensy amounts. The 2nd smallest size is the one that you will use, but I am finding that stevia powders are now greatly vary in their strengths, so sweeten to taste.
Either way, you will find these spoons to be a huge help.
I think you are just going to love these and love how good they are for you. It's a great way to have healthy sweets around to help you avoid eating junk.
Particularly if it's around the fall and winter Holiday season when those kinds of sugar-laden treats are everywhere.
Here Are More Pumpkin Treats to Enjoy:
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Creamer (DF & SF)
Pumpkin Custard
Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Pumpkin Pie Spice – DIY for use in your own recipes!
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Sweetener: You could substitute any healthy sweetener for the xylitol, although if you use a liquid sweetener you may need to use a different amount, so read this post for tips on substituting sweeteners. Although xylitol is a good low-carb option, vegetable glycerin and stevia (use 2-4 scoops) are as well. So is erythritol, but you will need about 25% more sweetener if using erythritol. If using a granulated sweetener, use coconut sugar, sucanat, or this Bocha Sweet sugar substitute for AIP, and if using a liquid, use honey, maple syrup (read Choosing Maple Syrup), or yacon for AIP. Omit the water if using a liquid.
- Stevia: Stevia is much stronger than other sweeteners. Read What Stevia Is and How to Use it for more tips. Here is a great brand of stevia scoops. If using pourable stevia, use 3-5 teaspoons, to taste. You can substitute approximately 4-8 tablespoons additional sweetener, to taste, for the stevia. If using stevia, add it to either wets or dries.
- Nuts: For nuts, we used walnuts. Almonds, macadamias, or even pumpkin or sunflower seeds would be great. Please use soaked and dried nuts if possible.
Both the nut-filled and plain versions were great, but my boys and I much preferred the plain version (my husband simply loves nuts in just about anything.) - Flour: Try whatever gluten-free flour blend, or individual gluten-free flour, that you have on hand. Each will give the final cookies a bit of a different result, but they should still be delicious! I do recommend combining flours when baking gluten-free, however, as noted in this post about gluten-free baking tips.
If you make them with a nut or seed flour, they will have to bake longer. Add on at least an additional 5 minutes but keep an eye on them.
For almond flour or any other nut or seed flour, increase the baking soda by 50%, using 3 cups almond flour, and 1/4 cup coconut oil. - THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe will be a crossover.
Soft Gluten-free Pumpkin Cookies (vegan w/ gluten and sugar-free options)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (or other healthy fat, melted)
- 1/4 cup low-carb sweetener (see Recipe Notes for sweetener alternatives)
- 1 tablespoon orange flavoring or extract (try Nielsen-Massey or Frontier Flavor)
- 1 tablespoon water
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (use almond flour for low-carb, tiger nut flour for AIP – see notes above)
- 3-4 scoops stevia extract (each scoop is 1/32 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped or ground nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Combine pumpkin, oil, sweetener, and orange flavoring in a medium bowl.
- Add flour, baking soda, & seasonings. Mix just 'til combined.
- Fold in nuts if using.
- Make spoonfuls or scoops with a 2 tablespoon muffin scoop. If desired, roll in a bit of granulated sweetener before baking. You get a really nice "punch" of sweetness without adding a lot of sweetener when you coat cookies rather than adding more to the batter. :-P.
- Place spoonfuls or scoops on a baking sheet (the scoops result in a cookie that really resembles the Enjoy Life ones :-)).
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. They will harden a bit as they cool, but will still be nice and soft.
Notes
-
- Sweetener: You could substitute any healthy sweetener for the xylitol, although if you use a liquid sweetener you may need to use a different amount, so read this post for tips on substituting sweeteners. Although xylitol is a good low-carb option, vegetable glycerin and stevia (use 2-4 scoops) are as well. So is erythritol, but you will need about 25% more sweetener if using erythritol. If using a granulated sweetener, use coconut sugar, sucanat, or this Bocha Sweet sugar substitute for AIP, and if using a liquid, use honey, maple syrup (read Choosing Maple Syrup), or yacon for AIP. Omit the water if using a liquid.
-
- Stevia: Stevia is much stronger than other sweeteners. Read What Stevia Is and How to Use it for more tips. Here is a great brand of stevia scoops. If using pourable stevia, use 3-5 teaspoons, to taste. You can substitute approximately 4-8 tablespoons additional sweetener, to taste, for the stevia. If using stevia, add it to either wets or dries.
-
- Nuts: For nuts, we used walnuts. Almonds, macadamias, or even pumpkin or sunflower seeds would be great. Please use soaked and dried nuts if possible.
Both the nut-filled and plain versions were great, but my boys and I much preferred the plain version (my husband simply loves nuts in just about anything.)
- Nuts: For nuts, we used walnuts. Almonds, macadamias, or even pumpkin or sunflower seeds would be great. Please use soaked and dried nuts if possible.
-
- Flour: Try whatever gluten-free flour blend, or individual gluten-free flour, that you have on hand. Each will give the final cookies a bit of a different result, but they should still be delicious! I do recommend combining flours when baking gluten-free, however, as noted in this post about gluten-free baking tips.
If you make them with a nut or seed flour, they will have to bake longer. Add on at least an additional 5 minutes but keep an eye on them.
For almond flour or any other nut or seed flour, increase the baking soda by 50%, using 3 cups almond flour, and 1/4 cup coconut oil.
- Flour: Try whatever gluten-free flour blend, or individual gluten-free flour, that you have on hand. Each will give the final cookies a bit of a different result, but they should still be delicious! I do recommend combining flours when baking gluten-free, however, as noted in this post about gluten-free baking tips.
-
- THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe will be a crossover.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
This recipe was adapted from one on Whole Approach, a candida forum. Sadly the form is gone now.
What is YOUR favorite pumpkin recipe?
Please consider removing ‘allergy friendly’ from your post about this recipe if you are using coconut and nuts in it. These two ingredients are known allergens. I clicked on the recipe hoping to find something that I didn’t have to modify because you wrote allergy friendly and was disappointed. I love cookies and will probably try a modified version of your recipe that i can eat.
Hi again, Sabrina. I am not clear what you are asking for – where are you thinking I shouldn’t write “allergy friendly”? And of course, the nuts are optional. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
These look great! How do I substitute sugar for the stevia?
Check out this post: https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
I love the flavor of these cookies! I used just half the amt of orange extract, though. But my problem was, they were all crumbly. Did I do something wrong?
What kind of flour did you use?
Yeah, I thought that might be part of the problem. I used a combination of almond flour and coconut flour (it’s what I had on hand!). I was reading through some of your blogs, is brown rice flour best for baking?
Coconut soaks up water like crazy so you can’t sub that easily. I think sweet brown works the best personally but I use a mix. Search GF Baking tips on my site and you can see more of what I do.
I made these tonight and I must say, they are amazingly delicious! I was a little bad and added a handfull of white chocolate chips. I’m definitely making them again and want to try them with some chopped dried apricots or cranberries. A picture of the ones I made, along with some strawberry banana ice cream we had. Soo good! Thank you!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200364565304350&set=a.2248093689455.2107790.1461582981&type=1&theater
They look great!!! Did you see my White Chocolate Chip recipe? You could add those and not be so “bad” :)!
The cookies sound delicious, except that I do not use stevia. Would I just use more honey? Or a combination of honey & maple syrup? Thanks!
Yes – typically, though I might need to revise this, I use 1 scoop stevia instead of 2 Tbsp typical sweetener. Enjoy!
Do you think almond flour would work for this recipe? My daughter was just put on the SCD, and I am overwhelmed trying to figure out what she can eat. She battles yeast and sugar and bread are her favorite foods! Thanks!
I think it will work out OK – just try it! It won’t behave exactly the same since there is no “stickiness” to almond flour – maybe you could add some gelatin to it – about 1 tsp for each batch – and see how it goes? Did you see my no bake coconut cookies? They are really good! I hope to do more grain free in the future!
You can eliminate the added sweetner entirely if you use fresh Japanese pumpkin, also called Kabocha. It’s naturally very sweet.
Another great naturally sweet Japanese foodstuff to use in healthy baking is Satsuma Imo, a Japanese kind of sweet potato.
With either of these added sweetner is totally unnecessary for a mildly sweet cookie, and for a very sweet cookie I’ve never had to add more than a tablespoon of sweetner to a batch.
Both are probably hard to find but I’ve heard from friends that Kabocha is sold in specialty and health-food grocery stores. Check it out!
Thanks! I used to live in Japan so I am familiar with both of these!
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Hi. It really depends on how big you make them :). I keep forgetting to do serving sizes. Sorry – but I’ll just have to make them again to figure it out :). If you do try them please let me know.
When you say: “3-4 scoops stevia extract, or approx 4-8 T additional sweetener” Do you mean mini scoops of stevia powder? If I want to do a 1:1 sweetness ratio of Stevia and any additional natural sweetener, how much of each?? Thanx. (Oh, my new devotional blog is up)
Each scoop of stevia typically corresponds to about 2T sweetener, but of course, that varies. Thanks!
Have you tried these replacing pumpkin with sweet potato?
No – let me know if you do. 🙂