Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made in one bowl with no chilling. Blotted pumpkin, coconut sugar and warm spices keep them soft, not cakey.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 24 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Serves
- 20
Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies is a vegan dessert recipe made with pumpkin puree (not pie filling), refined coconut oil, coconut sugar. It takes 44 minutes of hands-on time, plus 10 minutes resting, serves 20, and each serving has 174 calories, 2 g of protein and 1 g of fiber.
Pumpkin cookies usually turn out cakey because canned pumpkin is mostly water. Blotting the puree first takes out that extra water, so these bake up chewy with crisp edges. Melted coconut oil and coconut sugar give a deep, caramel-like base, and you mix everything in one bowl and bake straight away, with no chilling.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup184 gpumpkin puree (not pie filling), at room temperature, blotted down to about 1/2 cup (115 g)
- ½ cup109 grefined coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup192 gcoconut sugar
- 1 tsp4.2 gvanilla extract
- 2 cups250 gall-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tbsp8 gcornstarch
- 1 tsp4.6 gbaking soda
- 1½ tsp3.9 gground cinnamon
- ½ tsp0.9 gground ginger
- ¼ tsp0.6 gground nutmeg
- ½ tsp3 gfine salt
- ¾ cup128 gdairy-free dark chocolate, chopped (or vegan chocolate chips)
- 1 pinch0.4 gflaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
Kit: large mixing bowl, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper, paper towels, 2-tbsp cookie scoop, wire rack
Tips
- Blotting matters most. The drier the pumpkin, the chewier the cookie. If you skip it, you'll get soft, cakey mounds.
- Use refined coconut oil for a neutral flavor. Virgin coconut oil works but tastes clearly of coconut.
- Check the chocolate label. Many dark chocolates contain milk fat or milk solids.
- Pull the cookies while the centers still look soft. They firm up as they cool, and overbaking makes them dry.
Swap ideas
- Light brown sugar instead of coconut sugar
- Lighter color and a milder, more classic brown-sugar flavor. Use an organic or vegan-certified brand if bone-char refining matters to you.
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of the separate cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
- Simpler, with a similar warm spice profile.
- Half the chocolate replaced with chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
- Adds crunch and a nutty flavor, and makes the cookies a little less sweet.
- Softened vegan butter instead of coconut oil
- Slightly more spread and a richer, more buttery flavor.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
174kcal per serving
Everything else · 20 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 6.1 g 31%
- Sugars
- 10.3 g
- Sodium
- 273 mg 12%
- Potassium
- 185 mg 4%
- Calcium
- 56 mg 4%
- Iron
- 1.5 mg 8%
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg 0%
- Vitamin B12
- 0.02 µg 1%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Pumpkin, canned, without salt, Oil, coconut, COCONUT SUGAR (The Kroger Co., Branded; ingredients: organic coconut sugar), Vanilla extract, Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached, Cornstarch, Leavening agents, baking soda, Spices, cinnamon, ground, Spices, ginger, ground, Spices, nutmeg, ground, Salt, table, Chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids
Method
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Spread the pumpkin puree over a double layer of paper towels, then press another towel on top. Replace the towels and repeat until the puree is thick and paste-like and has shrunk to about 1/2 cup (115 g).
Scrape the blotted pumpkin into a large bowl. Add the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla, then whisk for about 1 minute until glossy and well combined. If the oil turns cloudy or firms up, your pumpkin was too cold. Warm the bowl briefly over hot water.
Sprinkle the cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt over the wet mixture and whisk until no streaks of spice remain.
Add the flour and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. The dough should be soft and scoopable but not runny. Fold in most of the chopped chocolate, keeping a handful for the tops.
Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds about 2 inches apart, 10 per sheet. Flatten each one slightly with your palm, because this dough spreads only a little. Press the reserved chocolate onto the tops.
Bake one sheet at a time for 11–12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned and the centers look puffy and slightly underdone. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if using, as soon as they come out.
Leave the cookies on the hot sheet for 10 minutes so the centers can set, then move them to a wire rack. Bake the second sheet the same way.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Add a slice of bread to keep them soft. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months, or freeze scooped dough balls and bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
Questions
- How much protein is in chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies?
- Each of the 20 servings has 2 g of protein, 1 g of fiber and 174 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies take to make?
- 20 minutes of prep and 24 minutes of cooking, so 44 minutes of hands-on time, plus 10 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies ahead?
- Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Add a slice of bread to keep them soft. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months, or freeze scooped dough balls and bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
- What can I substitute in chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies?
- Light brown sugar instead of coconut sugar — lighter color and a milder, more classic brown-sugar flavor. use an organic or vegan-certified brand if bone-char refining matters to you.. 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of the separate cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg — simpler, with a similar warm spice profile.. Half the chocolate replaced with chopped toasted pecans or walnuts — adds crunch and a nutty flavor, and makes the cookies a little less sweet.. Softened vegan butter instead of coconut oil — slightly more spread and a richer, more buttery flavor..
- Does chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 23, 2026 ·American