Gluten-free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles–Your New Favorite Cookie
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If you love pumpkin and snickerdoodles, you’ve come to the right place. These Healthy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are not only gluten-free & sugar-free with AIP, vegan, and keto options, but they’re super delicious too.
These Gluten-free Snickerdoodles are so good, our boys ask for whenever I’m in a baking mood. They like them better than store bought “healthy cookies” too–win for mom, win for kids!
This is one of our all-time favorite cookie recipes.
Pumpkin recipes are just one of my favorite things no matter what time of year it is. We have a few of our favorites on the blog like these Soft Pumpkin Cookies, and homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice, and even a Dairy-free Pumpkin Creamer, but these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are something special.
And for a cookie, these are quite healthy and adaptable to almost any special diet. Not only are the gluten-free and —these fabulous cookies can now be made grain-free and low-carb.
Literally, every time I talk about baking cookies, my sons ask for these.
And if you’re in the mood for snickerdoodles now, but don’t feel like baking, try my 5-Minute Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls.
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Ingredients
Following are the ingredients you’ll need for the recipe. For more details and amounts needed, scroll down to the recipe card.
flour – gluten-free flour is what I use, or you can do a keto / grain-free version as well. See the Table of Contents or the Recipe Card for that information
pumpkin puree – make sure to not buy pumpkin pie filling for this. You want plain pumpkin puree
coconut oil – butter can also be used
sweetener – I use a low-carb sweetener, but really any granulated sweetener should work out as long as it’s a 1:1 substitute for sugar
egg or egg substitute – either one works well
spices
How to Make Make These Cookies with Almond Flour for Keto Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
There are other options of low-carb flours that you could try, but using almond flour is the most obvious version. As mentioned in the Recipe Notes above, here is how you can do that.
Use the same amount of almond flour as the gluten-free flour amount.
Increase the baking soda by 50% and use only 1/4 cup coconut oil.
This version is great. We actually like it even better than the regular gluten-free pumpkin snickerdoodle version.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Sweetener: Although I use xylitol for a candida-friendly option, you can substitute any healthy sweetener.
- Egg Substitute: My Homemade Powdered Egg Replacer is a great homemade option for an egg substitute. A flax egg or chia egg would be great as well.
- Flour: See my Gluten-Free Baking Tips for gluten-free flour blend info. For a grain free or paleo version, use either organic tiger nut flour, which is also AIP, or 2 cups organic almond flour, for low carb. If using almond flour, increase the baking soda by 50% and use only 1/4 cup coconut oil. These work out GREAT this way. I haven’t tried the AIP option, but we love the keto version.
- THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is a crossover unless you use the almond flour option, which will make these snickerdoodles qualify as an “S.”
- Topping: You could also use my Healthy Cinnamon Sugar as a topping for these cookies.
- Soaking Option: For better digestibility, you could also soak the flours overnight, per instructions in my post on How and Why to Soak Grains. Be warned, however…you will get quite a workout mixing a batter this thick after it soaks :-). Note that for some reason, the fermenting process doesn’t seem to work so well with these cookies so it’s up to you if you want to try it.
- Cookie Spread: These cookies don’t spread out much when baking, so as much as you press them down, that is the size that the baked cookie will be.
You can find tiger nuts on Amazon here. They are not nuts, but they’re a fabulous treat and source of flour that is 100% gluten-free, nut-free, allergen-free, dairy-free, high in fiber, low in calories & fats, high in nutrition and they taste great.
You can also find Tiger Nut Flour here. The nuts themselves are a great snack (I LOVE them), plus the flour can pretty much be substituted 1:1 for regular or whole grain flour. I haven’t worked with it a lot, but that is what the tiger nut people claim.
Other Healthy Fall Recipes
– Nut Butter Fruit Dip (perfect for apples, pears, whatever :-). Great drizzled on the cake, cookies, ice cream, or warm cereal
– Pumpkin Pie Spice – perfect for all of your pumpkin recipes
– Paleo Shepherd’s Pie – low-carb with roasted veggies
– Healthier Gourmet Caramel Apples
– Pumpkin Pecan Cookies – the perfect fall combo!
– Healthy Pumpkin Custard – like an easy crustless pumpkin pie
Healthy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles – gluten-free, sugar-free, with vegan and keto options
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (or healthy fat alternative like butter)
- 3/4 cup low carb sweetener
- 1 large egg (or egg substitute like this Powdered Egg Replacer)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten-free flour (whole grain preferred. Use Almond Flour for grain-free. See Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine ingredients for Cinnamon Coating and set aside for later use.
- Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices in a medium-sized bowl.
- If coconut oil is not soft enough to mix easily, melt in a pan over low heat. Place in a bowl.
- Add sweetener and egg (or substitute) to the softened oil. Beat well. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla. Beat well again.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly, but do not over-mix.
- Take a small amount of dough (I use a small cookie scoop for this process), roll into balls, drop in cinnamon sugar topping, and roll to coat. (NOTE: For gluten-free cookies, the smaller the cookie the better as they will crumble more easily than those made with gluten flours.)
- Place on a baking stone or cookie sheet (I highly recommend baking stones) about 2 inches apart, flattening a bit with your hand (or the bottom of a glass).
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.
- Cool for approximately 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet to cool on a cooling rack.
- Try not to eat them all at once :-).
Notes
- Sweetener: Although I use xylitol for a candida-friendly option, you can substitute any healthy sweetener.
- Egg Substitute: My Homemade Powdered Egg Replacer is a great homemade option for an egg substitute. A flax egg or chia egg would be great as well.
- Flour: See my Gluten-Free Baking Tips for gluten-free flour blend info. For a grain free or paleo version, use either organic tiger nut flour, which is also AIP, or 2 cups organic almond flour, for low carb. If using almond flour, increase the baking soda by 50% and use only 1/4 cup coconut oil. These work out GREAT this way. I haven’t tried the AIP option, but we love the keto version.
- THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is a crossover unless you use the almond flour option, which will make these snickerdoodles qualify as an “S.”
- Topping: You could also use my Healthy Cinnamon Sugar as a topping for these cookies.
- Soaking Option: For better digestibility, you could also soak the flours overnight, per instructions in my post on How and Why to Soak Grains. Be warned, however…you will get quite a workout mixing a batter this thick after it soaks :-). Note that for some reason, the fermenting process doesn’t seem to work so well with these cookies so it’s up to you if you want to try it.
- Cookie Spread: These cookies don’t spread out much when baking, so as much as you press them down, that is the size that the baked cookie will be.
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.
I’d love to hear what you think about these cookies once you try them!
Do you think you could use 1 c almond flour and 1 c oat flour and it still work well? Thanks
Not sure but it sounds like a delish combo. I think you need less oat flour in recipes so maybe go a little lighter on that at first.
This are so so so good. The flavor is amazing. I made the gfree version and they are incredibly crumbly but still delicious. Maybe I’ll try xanthum gum next time? Thank you for the treat! Will be making these again!
Yea!!!
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe! I have tweaked it a bit to adapt to our specific diet but these are wonderful! My boys and myself love them! Super easy, super quick and oh so yummy!
These look so good. I have been reading your gluten free tips. Do your recipes already have the added 25% baking soda/powder or do I need to add the extra?
Yes -that’s for converting recipes that use gluten.
This recipe looks great except for the artificial sweetener. I have little tolerance for any type I’ve found so far (though I do have Nectresse in the house). Anyway, I may try to make these without the sugar or maybe add some unsweetened coconut and vanilla. I’m also thinking to substitute almond or coconut flour. Any comments or suggestions for these modifications?
Almond flour might work – not coconut. It’s a totally different animal. I don’t consider xylitol to be totally artificial but I hear you. You can try veggie glycerine, jerusalem artichoke, yacon and stevia.
Just remember when using Xylitol that it is a death sentence for dogs and other pets if they accidentally or purposely get a cookie or human treat. It is a sweetener usually used in diet gum and as little as one stick of the gum can kill a small dog. I don’t touch the stuff. Gonna try the recipe but not with Xylitol
I know about xylitol – and I am concerned about the sugar alcohols a little – I need to do more research about them. But one thing to remember is that dogs can’t have chocolate or raisins or grapes either and I don’t typically see folks up in arms about them. It’s a good thing to know about but I don’t think that is should be vilified b/c it isn’t good for dogs. Thanks for commenting :)!
What is your ratio/flour recipe for the gluten free option? I can’t wait to try these!
I just put a link in the post – hope it helps!
THANKS!!!!
What a perfect cookie for the autumn season! Thanks for highlighting the recipe on Facebook!
Thanks! Hi Julia!
These look good. The kids love snickerdooles and I had to open a can of pumpkin this morning when I made pumpkin pie dip for their lunches. I was wondering what I would make with the pumpkin I didn’t use. I think I will make these today for when they come home from school.
Pumpkin Pie Dip? Recipe please :)! Let me know how they turn out :)!
Pumpkin Pie dip is easy. Dairy and wheat are not an issue in my house we have peanut and nut allergies here.
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I use Stonyefield organic) If I am using plain yogurt I do add a sweetner not necessary with the vanilla yogurt. 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (I used Trader Joe’s pumpkin pie spice this morning because I had it in the house and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. That’s it pretty easy and the kids like it to dip their apples and graham crackers in it.
I made these tonight with sucanat as the sugar. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Blend and some white rice flour with the amount of xthantham (however that is spelled) gum the flour bag called for. I also used homemade pumpkin puree. The texture of these cookies was GREAT. Soft and fluffy. The problem I had was with the taste, they had a weird after taste. I think it was the homemade pumpkin puree. I would try these again but with a canned pumpkin. I roasted my pumpkins so they have a heavier flavor probably better suited for a savory dish. I just wanted to say that this is the first gluten free cookie I have made that was not a disaster!
Yea! So glad. I used canned so I hope that was the issue. I used no gums. 🙂
I’ve read that Xylitol can increase acid reflux, so if you suffer from this then look other sugar substitutes
It’s possible, but there are a lot of folks who are sensitive to starch digestion which can cause this issue. Additionally, you might find it interesting that I touched on this w/ my rosacea post–and what I found out :).
In your GF mix do you use xanthan gum? If not what do you use? I dont like using that since its corn based. Some recipes I have been using arrowroot powder. Can I use that here too?
Hi Danita. I typically don’t use gums since they can cause intestinal distress. I am experimenting with gelatin as an alternative but I typically use a mix w/ a high concentration of sweet brown rice as that adds some “stickiness” to the end product.
Yes, my changes are def not a gluten free recipe! However I do love how easily you can make substitutions to benefit almost whatever type of dietary concerns one may have! We were so happy to find a tasty dessert that incorporated our favorite fall ingredient…Pumpkin! I’d say any way you make these you can’t go wrong right? I’ve already got three other families who are trying these out tonight! Thanks again :0)
OMG…I don’t know whether you’ve helped or hurt me! Ha! These are TO DIE FOR! My husband and I are doing our best to begin a healthier lifestyle & have cut out sugars & white flours for the last 9 months, which has been great for our waistline no doubt, and has us feeling SO much better for it! However I have to say, we have been missing a little something “sweet” and these are IT! I did make a few changes, but your recipe was a fantastic base!
What I did seemed to make these more cake/brownie-ish (if that makes sense?) & added the addition of heart healthy oats which have them a great texture as well! Oh, & some delicious dark chocolate (70% cacao) chips!! Give it a try & see what you think sometime!! Thank you again for the wonderful recipe!
Here’s what I did:
– used whipped butter as the oil
– added 1 cup dark chocolate chips
– added 1/8 tsp. baking powder
– added 1 cup WW flour & 1 cup oat flour (made this myself by using a food processor to turn old fashioned oats into “flour”)
– added about 1/4 cup of milk (the oat flour has a tendency to soak up a lot of moisture, so the batter needed a little more of a “wet” ingredient)
That’s it! I followed the remainder of the recipe to a “T!”
My husband and I found that heating them a tad in the microwave made the chips so nice & ooey-gooey!
ENJOY!!! ;0)
Sounds great! I’m off gluten but might just have to try your version!
Hey Adrienne! I’m featuring this recipe on this week’s Healthy Vegan Friday! Thanks for submitting such a great recipe 🙂
Hope you’ll join us again this week!
Thank you!!!
Just a couple comments. First, I’d argue with butter being called “healthy” Not in my, or any reputable book I’ve ever seen. Really healthy would be no fat, or at most, a small amount of something like Canola. Butter is almost all artery clogging saturated fat. Read T.Colin Campbell’s “the China Study” (The largest, most comprehensive detailed epidemiological study of diet/nutrition and health ever done) and you’ll come away understanding the real risks of fats and benefits of low fat, and especially low animal/saturated fats in the diet. So if you want this recipe healthy, do it without the fats at all. And yes, it IS possible. The results are a little different, yes, but can be still delicious.
Second comment. Granulated sugar: The healthiest? Again, nothing much healthy about any refined sugar. White, granulated, powdered, they’re essentially all the same thing to the body. Brown or molasses adds some other nutrients, but the sugar is still sugar. Zylotol, a sugar alcohol, can get away from the sugar, yes, but it can tend to give many people stomach trouble or diarrhea. Not much fun. A slightly better option would be Agave Syrup. Here, the sweetener is mostly fructose, or fruit sugar. This too has it’s issues, such as tending to be easier for the body to store as fat. But it has a much lower glycemic index, having only a slight, slow effect on blood sugar. That’s good. And because it’s perceived sweetness is higher than table sugar or glucose, etc, you can use less of it. This last is it’s biggest advantage.
Hope this is of use to someone…
Hi Peter. I have checked into the China Study and find it interesting but think it may be flawed in that it is a study of a very small people group. Also, there is a lot on the internet about the healthy benefits of butter and other saturated fats. I used to think the same way but it appears that it might be carbs and sugar that are doing the artery clogging – not the fats.
Anyway, agave isn’t an option for those of us w/ candida. And I certainly do not recommend white sugar ever. I mentioned granulated sweetener b/c some folks use Sucanat or coconut sugar. I would prefer agave but I don’t use it for the reason I mentioned. Thanks for sharing – I so hope we can all learn from each other. This post is interesting. I haven’t read the whole thing but the part of fats might interest you:
These look delicious Adrienne! I love any recipe that allows me to utilize spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger!
Love, love, love. Dropping everything to make this – NOW! 🙂
hope you’re not dropping too much :).
Great Pic! These sound yummy. 🙂
These look SOOOO good. Pumpkin snickerdoodles. Just the sound of that is amazing. Can’t wait to try them.
Thanks for linking up to Healthy 2Day Wednesday! Hope to see you back this week.