Soft Pumpkin Cookies – gluten free & vegan with grain-free options
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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 merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
This recipe was adapted from one on Whole Approach, a candida forum. Sadly the form is gone now.
What is YOUR favorite pumpkin recipe?
I made these using a couple tablespoons of maple syrup and used applesauce for the rest of the 1/4 cup sweetener and then approximately 1/8 tsp. stevia. I used a blend of almond, oat and tapioca flours and added my homemade sugar free chocolate chips. I baked them approx. 14 to 15 minutes. They were delicious and held together very well. Great recipe. Thanks!
Sounds GREAT!
These cookies were great right out of the oven. I let them cool completely then stored them in a plastic container. The next day the cookies had sweated out their moisture to the outside, were wet to touch, and very dry inside – very disappointing! How should I have stored them? I used coconut oil and gluten free flour blend with xantham. Baked as recommended. thanks for advice. I’d like to make these work.
HI there. Sorry for the delay. I am not sure what happened. Did you follow the main recipe?
I see what you used now. I’m sorry but that is very odd. I have done coconut oil with these many times. Have you tried again? What blend was it?
Just wondering how to get these to harden a bit. They are so soft they fell apart when I removed them from the baking sheet. Would adding an egg help to harden them a bit?
Hi there. Did you let them cool first? Yes and egg would help with binding. Hope they work out well!
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve been looking for something keto-friendly so I could use up my extra canned pumpkin, but a lot of the gluten-free/sugar-free recipes I came across required specific ingredients that weren’t already in my pantry. For these cookies I used flaxseed meal for the flour, powdered truvia for the sweetener, and almond extract (I didn’t have orange and thought almond would be a safer bet than my other flavors). It took almost twice as long to fully bake but they taste great! Sometimes they remind me of banana bread (if ever there was a banana bread recipe that included pumpkin pie spices), but I’m happy with that because I can’t have bananas anymore due to their high sugar content. Thank you again!
You are so welcome! Your adjustment sounds wonderful I am going to try it b/c I don’t eat bananas either and my youngest LOVES them….but he doesn’t do well w/ all of the carbs either. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this response! These cookies are AWESOME! Neither my husband nor I can eat cane sugar, and neither of us can tolerate other sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. I made this recipe with just 4-5 drops of liquid stevia, and the cookies turned out perfectly. My husband doesn’t usually like pumpkin baked goods, but he loves these cookies. He eats them plain — I like them with a little fruit-sweetened jam. I love how quick they are to pull together.
The first time I made them, I didn’t have the orange extract, and I could taste the pumpkin and spices more. The second time, I used the orange extract which gave them a wonderful aroma while baking, but I felt like I couldn’t taste the pumpkin as much. They were fantastic either way, just sharing observations in case anyone’s wondering what happens if you don’t add the orange extract. 🙂
Also, I’ve made these with coconut oil and Spectrum palm oil, and both versions were great. I actually tripled the recipe the second time so that I could freeze a bunch. Looking forward to forgetting about them and then rediscovering them in a couple of months for a nice treat.
So glad you enjoyed them! And that’s great your husband liked them too! Hope to see you around again.
I made your soft pumpkin cookies yesterday and tossed in ground sunflower seeds. When I went to take one out of the fridge today, the seeds had all turned green. Any idea’s as to why this would happen?
Yes it’s the chlorogenic acid in the sunflower reacting with the baking soda. Great for St. Patrick’s Day!
am curious whether you would have a suggestion for a sweetener problem i am facing.. about a yr ago i had a kidney stone issue and was given some major drugs for the pain.. almost immediately afterwards i noticed a significant change in my taste perceptions.. i can no longer tolerate any ‘fake’ sugars (no diet products ) and i was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.. so real sugar must be curtailed a lot..
with the holidays coming up am at a loss as to what i Can use and still have foods edible.. could you suggest what might work? these recipes sound wonderful but not sure what i can use.
thank you
Hello there. So sorry you had that issue. I wonder if you can do something about that? Stevia is not fake and xylitol and erythritol arguably are not either. Can those work? How about vegetable glycerine or lo han guo? Coconut sugar? I hope something can work.
Can you substitute agave nectar?
Yes, that should work fine. Enjoy!
Would you substitute 1/4 of a cup or how much?
Typically I would follow the guidelines in this post but since it’s such a small amount I don’t think it should matter if you just use 1/4 cup. https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/baking-with-honey-sugar-for-baking/
Am 85 and my mother passed away when I was 9 but the memories of her making what we called coconut icing are still so strong in my mind but have not found a recipe for making this. Do you have one by any chance?
Hi Travor. Can you tell me more about what it is, please?
I’d love to make this but WITHOUT the artificial sweeteners, what would be the substitute with Honey ?
Honey is about 1:1 for xylitol and stevia info is here. Stevia is actually very natural, but I understand what you mean: https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/