These Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy sugar cookies infused with real pumpkin flavor. Perfectly spiced and rolled in sugar before baking, these cookies are an amazing fall treat. Let's learn how to make them!
Vegan cookies are just as delicious as their non-vegan counterparts. If you've never made them before and would like some tips, be sure to check out our post: How to Make Vegan Cookies.
That said, this recipe is made with easy to find ingredients and comes together in only 1 bowl.
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try our Vegan Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Vegan Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting and our Vegan Pumpkin Scones.
Ingredients in vegan pumpkin sugar cookies:
These ingredients are carefully chosen to create flavorful, soft, and chewy vegan pumpkin sugar cookies:
- Vegan Butter: Provides richness and a tender texture while acting as the fat component, replacing traditional butter. Use a name brand variety!
- Light Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and contributes to a balanced chewiness (brown sugar) and crisp edges (granulated sugar).
- Pumpkin Puree: Infuses the cookies with moisture and a natural pumpkin flavor. Dry to prevent excess moisture from making the dough too wet.
- Baking Soda: Leavening agent that helps the cookies rise slightly and creates a soft, light texture.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor by balancing sweetness and bringing out the spices' and pumpkin's depth.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a warm, sweet aroma that complements the pumpkin and spices.
- Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves: Classic pumpkin pie spices that provide a warm, spiced flavor profile associated with fall and pumpkin desserts.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the structure of the cookies by binding with the other ingredients.
Why you'll love these cookies:
- Vegan-Friendly: These cookies cater to those following a vegan diet without sacrificing flavor or quality, making them inclusive and accessible.
- Warm, Cozy Flavors: The pumpkin puree and blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves create a comforting, autumn-inspired taste reminiscent of pumpkin pie.
- Soft and Chewy Texture: The combination of vegan butter, sugars, and pumpkin creates a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s irresistible.
- Versatile Treat: Perfect for snacks, desserts, or gifting during fall or holiday seasons, they’re crowd-pleasers for various occasions.
- Easy to Make: This recipe is made with simple methods and easy to find ingredients.
- Cheap: Totally cost-effective recipe! You'll likely have many of these ingredients in your pantry already.
How to make vegan pumpkin sugar cookies:
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full instructions and ingredient measurements.
Begin by creaming together softened vegan butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Blot the pumpkin puree with an absorbent paper towel and add to the bowl. Beat until combined.
Add baking soda, salt, vanilla and spices to the bowl. Beat until ingredients are well-distributed. Add flour to the bowl and beat until just combined. Do not over-mix. Cover bowl and chill for at least 1 hour. Overnight works best.
Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of cookie dough using a cookie scoop. Roll the balls in granulated sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies on the center rack of an oven preheated to 350 degrees F (175 C) for 12-14 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips and tricks:
Here are some tips to help your cookies turn out perfectly:
- Use Quality Ingredients: Start with high-quality vegan butter, fresh pumpkin puree, and spices. Good ingredients make a big difference in flavor and texture.
- Chill the Dough: After mixing the dough, chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Chilling cookie dough overnight works best as it produces superior cookie texture.
- Don’t Over-mix the Dough: Mix until just combined to avoid overworking the gluten in the flour, which can make the cookies tough.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: For evenly sized cookies, use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to portion out the dough. This ensures consistent baking times.
- Make Perfect Circles: Gently swirl a large, circle cookie cutter or a wide mouth glass around each cookie right when they come out of the oven. This will give them a perfect, uniform shape.
How pumpkin affects baking:
Pumpkin is a versatile ingredient in baking that can affect both the texture and flavor of baked goods. Here's how pumpkin can influence your baking:
- Moisture: Pumpkin is a moist ingredient, and when added to baked goods, it contributes moisture to the recipe. This moisture helps keep the baked goods tender and prevents them from drying out, resulting in a softer texture.
- Flavor: Pumpkin has a mild, slightly sweet, and earthy flavor. It can enhance the overall taste of baked goods, providing a subtle sweetness and a hint of warmth.
- Color: Pumpkin imparts a beautiful orange hue to baked goods, making them visually appealing, especially during the autumn season.
- Texture: Pumpkin puree, when added to recipes, can create a smoother and creamier texture in baked goods.
- Binding Agent: Pumpkin can act as a binding agent in vegan and egg-free baking. It helps hold the ingredients together, ensuring that the baked goods maintain their shape and structure.
- Natural Sweetener: Pumpkin contains natural sugars, which can reduce the need for additional sweeteners in recipes. This can be advantageous if you're looking to reduce sugar content in your baked goods.
Frequently asked questions:
This could be due to excess moisture from the pumpkin puree. Try drying the puree further or adding 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour until the dough is workable but still soft.
Definitely! Stir in up to 1 cup of your favorite mix-ins, such as vegan chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried cranberries, for added flavor and texture.
This could happen if the dough is too warm. Chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before baking to prevent spreading.
Yes, you can use fresh pumpkin puree, but it's important to ensure it's well-drained and not too watery. Canned pumpkin puree is often recommended for its consistent texture and moisture content.
Absolutely, you can omit the spices if you prefer a milder flavor. The spices add a warm and cozy touch, but plain pumpkin sugar cookies are still delicious.
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough. Shape it into individual cookie balls, place them on a baking sheet to freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, you can bake them straight from the freezer, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Why are my pumpkin cookies sticky after baking?
Baking with pumpkin can be tricky. Pumpkin cookies may remain sticky after baking due to a combination of the following factors:
- Excess Moisture in the Pumpkin Puree: Pumpkin puree has a high water content. If it wasn’t adequately dried before mixing, the excess moisture can make the cookies sticky even after baking.
- Under-baking: If the cookies are removed from the oven too early, they may remain soft and sticky on the surface.
- High Humidity: If you’re baking in a humid environment, the moisture in the air can make the surface of the cookies sticky.
- Pumpkin’s Natural Starchiness: Pumpkin can create a slightly tacky texture because of its natural starch and sugars, particularly in vegan recipes where no eggs are present to balance the structure.
- Failing to Chill Dough: Cookie dough that isn't adequately chilled prior to baking may bake with a sticky finish. Chill overnight for best results.
To avoid sticky cookies, be sure to sufficiently dry the pumpkin, chill the dough well and bake according to recipe instructions.
Storage:
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
If you'd like to freeze the cookie dough, scoop 2 tablespoon balls of dough onto a baking sheet and freeze for a couple of hours. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
If you make this recipe please tag @censoredbaker on Instagram!
PrintVegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Soft, chewy sugar cookies full of real pumpkin flavor. Perfectly spiced, rolled in sugar and all vegan.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 18 3-inch Cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
1 cup vegan butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup pumpkin puree, dried* (see recipe)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
extra granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy. This should take about 1 minute. Scoop pumpkin puree onto an absorbent paper towel. Blot it and shift it around so that the paper towel absorbs a good amount of liquid. Do not squeeze, as this will remove too much. Transfer pumpkin to the bowl and beat mixture until well combined.
- Make the Cookie Dough: Add baking soda, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to the bowl. Beat with mixer to distribute the ingredients. Add in the all purpose flour and continue mixing until just-combined. Do not over-mix!
- Chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. Overnight works best. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Assemble: Add about ½ cup of sugar to a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop, scoop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough into your hand. Roll the cookie dough in the sugar until it is coated on all sides. Place on prepared baking sheet. Continue until the sheet is full but do not overcrowd! Place any additional cookie dough back in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
- Bake: Place baking sheet on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow cookies to set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Be sure you are using pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie mix. These are two drastically different things even though they come in very similar-looking cans.
*Drying the pumpkin is important as simply dumping it into the bowl would introduce too much moisture into our recipe. Soaking 1 absorbent paper towel should do as it is not necessary to remove all of the moisture completely.
*Baked cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
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