Soft, Chewy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies (Dairy-Free)

Crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy inside, these delicious gluten-free pumpkin cookies are the perfect treat or snack for the fall. Super easy to make, a batch of these pumpkin cookies comes together in under an hour. Make a batch or two to enjoy during the fall! Totally gluten-free and dairy-free too, but no one would care!

Jump to:

• Fall means Pumpkin Season!
• It’s Time for Pumpkin Everything
• Amazingly Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
• Why This Recipe Works:
• Ingredients You’ll Need:
• Recipe Notes/Substitutions:
• How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies (Step by Step)
• Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Other Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
• Pumpkin Recipes to Enjoy This Fall:
• Soft Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies (Dairy-Free)

Fall means Pumpkin Season!

Each time fall rolls around, bringing with it the crisp autumn air and auburn leaves that line the streets, my heart literally skips a beat.

Fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons – it’s sweater weather, which is a great excuse for sipping on tea or getting a cup of coffee, but most importantly, it’s pumpkin season!

Once I see pumpkins appearing everywhere (at farmers’ markets, at the entrance of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and on the neighbors’ front porches), it means we are officially in fall.

It’s Time for Pumpkin Everything

Pumpkin fans, you’ll probably understand why each fall season we go on a pumpkin binge – from making multiple batches of homemade pumpkin puree, to savory recipes such as creamy pumpkin soup, easy pumpkin gnocchi, and hearty pumpkin risotto.

We also make sweet treats on repeat – such as our favorite crustless pumpkin pie (or with a gluten-free crust if you prefer), pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins.

Amazingly Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Cookies

Basically, if you can put pumpkin in a recipe, we’ll do it. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Since pumpkin season also overlaps with cookie season, I decided to make pumpkin cookies. And mind you, these delicious pumpkin cookies that are filled with pumpkin flavor definitely do not disappoint.

In fact, these chewy cookies are so good we’ve been eating them nonstop.

Why This Recipe Works:

• Simple Ingredients: The ingredients required for these gluten-free pumpkin cookies are easily accessible, and you probably already have them in your kitchen!

• Easy to Make: All you need to do is mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients to get a dough, then chill the dough until firm before forming dough balls and baking! How much easier does it yet?

• Soft and Chewy: With a crispy exterior, and an inside that’s softer than a traditional cookie, but still chewy enough that it doesn’t feel like cake, you’re going to love these pumpkin cookies for sure!

• Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free: Most importantly, this pumpkin cookie recipe is totally gluten-free and dairy-free, which means that those with Celiac disease on a gluten-free diet, or those that have gluten or lactose intolerances can still indulge and enjoy the cookies without worries. Now that’s a double win for me!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for this gluten-free pumpkin cookies recipe.

(For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

Recipe Notes/Substitutions:

• Sugar: I used white sugar, but you can also use brown sugar or coconut sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index).

• Coconut Oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil because it has a more neutral taste (compared to extra virgin coconut oil which as a stronger coconut taste). You may use vegan butter instead. However, I do NOT recommend using another oil that does not solidify when chilled as you’ll need the cookie dough to firm up to be able to roll it into balls. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you may use normal dairy butter instead.

• Pumpkin Puree: I highly recommend making your own pumpkin puree. It’s super easy, fresher, and does not come with the additives or preservatives that come with store-bought puree.

• Egg: I use the egg for binding the ingredients together. Alternatively, if you are allergic to eggs, or simply want to make vegan pumpkin cookies, you can use a flax egg, aquafaba, or an egg-replacer if you prefer.

• Vanilla Extract: I like adding vanilla extract for extra flavor, but you may leave it out if you rather not, or if you simply don’t have it on hand.

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I highly recommend using a good-quality gluten-free flour blend that is made up of a mix of lighter flours and starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch or potato starch). I do NOT recommend using blends that include heavier flours such as garbanzo bean flour.

• Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum replaces gluten in gluten-free flours and helps to bind the ingredients together. If your flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure you add it in for best results.

• Baking Powder: In this pumpkin cookies recipe, baking powder helps the give the dough a very very slight rise (just enough to make the cookie soft without becoming cake-like, but not so much so the cookie stays chewy). If you have Celiac disease or are gluten-intolerant, make sure you use certified gluten-free baking powder.

• Spices: I use a mix of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground ginger for a delicious pumpkin pie flavor. Alternatively you amy replace the spices with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Making Homemade Pumpkin Puree is Easy!

I always recommend making your own pumpkin puree because it is so simple and given the abundance of fresh pumpkins during the fall, you can easily make a big batch to use in your pumpkin recipes!

Not only does fresh pumpkin puree taste better, it’s also free of the additives and preservatives that come with canned pumpkin puree!

Here’s my easy tutorial for making pumpkin puree at home. Make sure you bookmark or pin this recipe because I can assure you that you’ll be making it over and over again!

How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies (Step by Step)

1. Beat Sugar, Oil, Pumpkin, Egg and Vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, softened coconut oil, pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla extract. Beat well to incorporate.

2. Whisk Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (if using) baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger until combined.

3. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients to Get Dough

Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well to get a homogeneous cookie dough.

4. Chill Dough Until Firm

Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes until firm.

(It’s very important that you chill the dough to be able to better handle the dough, so don’t skip this step!)

5. Preheat and Line

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350F and line two cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

6. Scoop Dough into Balls

Once the pumpkin cookie dough is chilled and firm, use a cookie scoop to scoop out 1 heaping tablespoons of dough per cookie. Using the palms of your hands, roll the dough into a small ball and place the balls of cookie dough in a single layer on the lined cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each ball (you’ll get around 18 balls, which you can divide between the two cookie sheets).

7. Flatten the Dough Balls

Use a wet spatula to flatten each ball of dough to the thickness that you would like your cookies.

(Note that the cookies will not expand much and will roughly keep the shape they are baked in).

8. Bake

Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes (the cookies will be soft when they come out but will firm up slightly once they cool).

9. Cool Completely

Let these pumpkin spice cookies cool at least 10 minutes in the cookie sheet, before placing on a wire rack to full cool before enjoying!

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• Lining with Parchment or Silpat: I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat to prevent the cookies from sticking to the sheet. I personally love using a silpat because it’s reusable and the cookies never stick.

• Make Larger or Smaller Cookies: I used a heaping tablespoon per cookie and got 18 cookies in total. For larger cookies, you can use 2 tablespoons per cookie and you’ll probably get 9 to 12 large cookies. For smaller cookies, use 1/2 tablespoon per cookie and you’ll get 28 to 36 small cookies.

• Optional Add-Ins: If you like, you could also fold 1/4 cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips into the batter before chilling.

• No Pumpkin? Use Sweet Potato! If you don’t have pumpkin puree on hand, but you happen to have sweet potato puree instead, you can use that. The taste and texture of the cookies will be very similar.

• Softer or Chewier Cookies: For softer cookies, bake the cookies for just 12 minutes, but for slightly chewier cookies, bake the cookies for at least 15 minutes.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:

• Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Buckwheat Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Snickerdoodle Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Crunchy Almond Biscotti (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Gingerbread Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Chewy Molasses Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Coconut Macaroons (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Pumpkin Recipes to Enjoy This Fall:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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