Soft and chewy vegan oatmeal cookies that are gluten-free too! You won’t miss the eggs and butter in these delicious oatmeal cookies made in one bowl and ready in under 30 minutes! Hey guess what? They’re refined sugar free too!
Here’s a fun fact for you: I’m currently dairy-free! We’ve discovered that my baby has a dairy sensitivity and since I’m nursing, I haven’t been consuming dairy to help his little tummy out. He also has an egg sensitivity (what fun!) so while we’ve been giving him little bits of egg and some for me too, I overall have been trying to limit my egg consumption.
And you know what tends to have a lot of dairy and eggs? Cookies!
Thankfully I’ve got a bit of practice in the kitchen so I got to work coming up with a delicious vegan cookie recipe that doesn’t feel like I’m sacrificing. As it turns out the rest of my family loves these vegan oatmeal cookies too! So much so that I have to double the recipe every time I make them. Here’s why you should make them:
The BEST Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Fully vegan – no eggs, no dairy! I’m using a flax egg in place of regular eggs and instead of butter the base is almond butter.
Gluten-free too – these might be the best gluten-free oatmeal cookies I’ve tried.
Easily customizable – Not a fan of chocolate chips? Use raisins! How about some chocolate oatmeal cookies? Add some cocoa powder! Easy swaps and substitutions included below.
Ingredients in Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Ground flax – we’re making a flax egg using ground flaxseed and warm water.
- Warm water – it’s a 3:1 ratio of water to ground flax in order to replace the egg.
- Almond butter – any nut or seed butter will work here but I find almond butter has a more neutral taste.
- Maple syrup – yup! These chewy oatmeal cookies are refined sugar free. You could also use honey (not vegan) or agave nectar.
- Vanilla – or use almond extract for a nuttier flavor.
- Cinnamon – you could change up the spices but I find cinnamon is the perfect pairing for these chewy oatmeal cookies.
- Salt – for amping up flavor and additional flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top (if desired!)
- Rolled oats – be sure to use old fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats. Do NOT use steel cut oats!
- Chocolate chips – Be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips. I like these ones!
How to Make Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
STEP 1: MAKE FLAX EGG
In a small bowl combine ground flaxseed and warm water and stir to combine. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
STEP 2: MIX BATTER
In a large bowl combine almond butter and maple syrup. Add in vanilla, cinnamon, salt and rolled oats. Stir in flax egg and then fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be very wet – this is normal!
STEP 3: BAKE
Using your hands or a cookie scoop roll out 12 golf-ball sized balls and place onto lined baking sheet. Flatten cookies slightly with the palm of your hands (pro tip: wet your hands or cookie scoop slightly so that batter doesn’t stick to your hands or scoop). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and inside is still gooey. You want the inside to still look a little raw so they stay chewy. Don’t worry – they’re vegan! Sprinkle cookies with flaky sea salt and let sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Easy Swaps + Substitutions
Looking for some easy mix-ins? Here are some ideas:
Raisins – stir in a 1/3 cup raisins to make vegan oatmeal raisin cookies. Pro tip: Chopped dates are also delicious!
Crushed peanuts – stir in a 1/3 cup crushed peanuts or other nuts for a little texture.
Cocoa powder – add 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to your dough to make chocolate oatmeal cookies.
Use a different nut or seed butter – I generally like using almond butter or cashew butter for a more neutral flavor but you can sub in peanut butter, tahini or any other nut or seed butter of choice.
Change the spices – You could change up the spices or add more like ginger, cloves and all-spice!
FAQs
Don’t panic! Your cookies should look under baked when you take them out of them oven. We want them to be a little soft so you get that chewy oatmeal cookie texture. That being said, make sure you leave your cookies on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes so they can firm up and won’t fall apart. They will continue to harden as they cool.
Yes! This vegan oatmeal cookie recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled. Just be sure to bake each dozen on their own cookie sheets.
Nope! You could use a different liquid sweetener like honey (note they will no longer be vegan) or agave syrup.
Yes! Feel free to replace with a different nut or seed butter in equal amounts.
Storage Instructions
Store your leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
To Freeze: Place cookies flat into a Ziploc or freeze-safe bag. Remove all the air and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and eat or eat frozen if you’re anything like me!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes:
Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Soft and chewy vegan oatmeal cookies that are gluten-free too! You won’t miss the eggs and butter in these delicious oatmeal cookies made in one bowl and ready in under 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Diet: Vegan
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 1/2 cup smooth almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- Optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine ground flaxseed and warm water and stir to combine. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine almond butter and maple syrup.
- Add in vanilla, cinnamon, salt and rolled oats.
- Stir in flax egg and then fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be very wet – this is normal!
- Using your hands or a cookie scoop roll out 12 golf-ball sized balls and place onto lined baking sheet. (pro tip: wet your hands or cookie scoop slightly so that batter doesn’t stick to your hands or scoop).
- Flatten cookies slightly with the palm of your hands.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and inside is still gooey. You want the inside to still look a little raw so they stay chewy. Don’t worry – they’re vegan!
- Sprinkle cookies with flaky sea salt and let sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Remove from baking sheet and allow cookies to cool on a wire rack.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or longer in the fridge. See freezer instructions above.
