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Indulge in sweet healthy pumpkin cookies. These gluten-free easy to make cookies are a favorite recipe among kids and adults alike!
What if I told you there’s a way to make scrumptious pumpkin cookies from scratch that are full of nutrients and so healthy that you can eat them for breakfast?
Well, you just found your new favorite cookies! There’s so much to love about them. You will only need one bowl (less clean-up), they are gluten-free, and can be made vegan if you use a flax egg.
Are you crazy about pumpkin desserts? Try these paleo pumpkin muffins next.
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies That Are Keto-Friendly
I used almond flour to make these cookies gluten-free.
If you have a nut allergy you can substitute coconut flour instead. Both of them work great in these cookies.
Ingredients
Scroll on down to the printable recipe card if you want to read all the ingredient amounts. Here’s a quick overview of what you need from the store before you make these cookies.
- Egg – If you want to make this vegan, use flax egg instead.
- Coconut Sugar – This has healthy fats that are known to help lower cholesterol. If you can’t find this ingredient, you can also use maple syrup instead, but use less of it because it’s sweeter.
- Almond Butter – This is another source of healthy fats. If you are allergic to nuts you can use sunbutter instead.
- Pumpkin Puree – Any version of canned pumpkin puree works.
- Almond Flour
- Pumpkin pie spice – this is what truly makes these pumpkin muffins have that warm fall flavor that we all love. If you don’t have the ingredients to make it, you can just add in nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger!
- A few other baking ingredients like baking soda, vanilla, and salt.
- Chocolate chips – You can use sugar-free ones if you are watching your carbs.
Easy Swaps to Make it Keto-Friendly
This exact recipe is almost perfectly low-carb and keto-friendly. You just have to make a few super-easy swaps.
Instead of coconut sugar, use one of these keto-friendly sweeteners:
- Monk fruit sweetener
- Swerve
- Erythritol
Use sugar-free dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips.
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies With Chocolate Chips Baking Tips
Since I used almond flour and almond butter instead of your typical wheat flour and butter ingredients, baking them isn’t the same as baking traditional chocolate chip cookies.
Chill the Cookie Dough
It’s important to refrigerate the dough for at least half an hour. Chilling the dough solidifies the fat (which in this case comes from the almond butter).
When you chill the dough, it takes the fat longer to melt. This makes the cookies look fluffier and thicker.
Can you freeze pumpkin cookie dough?
Yes, you can freeze the pumpkin cookie dough. To save you time when you go to bake the cookies later, freeze them in one of these two ways:
- As a log
- As break-and-bake portions
If you roll the cookie dough up like a log, wrap it in plastic wrap. Then, when you are ready to bake the cookies, all you have to do is slice the frozen dough and bake them.
You can also make DIY break-and-bake cookies. Make a single layer of cookie dough balls that are all slightly touching each other. Put this layer of cookie dough flat in a zippered plastic bag.
That’s it! When you’re ready to bake them just break and bake. Simple!
How long do pumpkin cookies last?
Keep your pumpkin cookies tasting fresh by storing them in an airtight container (a bag or a tub). They don’t need refrigerated. They will last about two weeks on the counter or in the pantry.
Add Oatmeal For Added Fiber
If you want, you can also sprinkle in about 1/4 cup of steel-cut oatmeal. This will give you a little more fiber if you want.
Keep in mind this will also increase the number of carbs in your cookies too.
How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
First things first, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, mix everything together in a large mixing bowl. Save the chocolate chips for last.
After that, chill your dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Finally, roll the dough into balls and place them on the baking sheet. Press down on the cookies slightly. Then just bake them for about 12 minutes.
More Tasty Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love Too
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
Indulge in sweet healthy pumpkin cookies. These gluten-free easy to make cookies are a favorite recipe among kids and adults alike!
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger).
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg and coconut sugar.
- Stir in almond butter, pumpkin puree, and vanilla.
- Add in almond flour, baking soda, and spice.
- Stir till combined and then add in chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll into balls and add more chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Press down slightly before baking for 12 minutes.
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat.
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂
Brooke Ashley says
Wow, those were soooo good! My 6yo son voted these 5 star infinity. I made these before school start and before the end of the day they were gone. My brother and his gf popped by and they also gave glowing reviews. We will definitely be making this again. Thank you for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Brooke, so glad everyone enjoyed them! 🙂
Natasha says
These are so yummy! I make them every fall. Everyone in the family loves them and we don’t feel bad eating them.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Natasha, so happy you loved them! 🙂
AmyBlair says
What is the recommended way of storing these? They got soggy in the ziplock bag.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi AmyBlair, yes, just loosely cover. Almond flour gets soggy when tightly confined and needs breathing room. Hope this helps!!
Kaitlyn H says
I make these ALL of the time every fall. My friends and family always rave about them. They are a crowd favorite!! I am GF so I especially love them but none of my friends or family ever believe that they are because of how good they are! 5 stars.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kaitlyn, so happy these are such a big hit!! 🙂
McCall says
I’ve been looking for the perfect vegan, GF soft pumpkin cookie recipe and this is it! My almond butter was extra runny, so I added a bit more flour to compensate. Glad I did. We devoured the whole batch in no time. Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your recipes.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi McCall, so happy you love them and you’re welcome! Thanks for your support!!
Nathalie says
Made these today and they were so good! Will definitely be making these all fall and winter 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Nathalie, so happy you loved the cookies!!
Erin says
Hi Nathalie, so happy you loved them! 🙂
Dani says
These cookies are really great (like all of Erin’s other cookies)! I had leftover pumpkin purée from my dog 😀 and was able to double this recipe. I ran out of almond flour, and then oat flour, so used a little AP flour to round it out. My husband and I probably ate a dozen cookies today. They’re that good
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Dani, so happy you both loved them and made them your own! 🙂