These healthy Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies make a nutritious and grab-and-go breakfast that tastes like fall! This gluten-free and clean eating breakfast treat is made with wholegrain oats, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and honey.
In the 2 years since posting the recipe for these healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies for the first time, it has quickly become the most popular recipe on this site! Mainly thanks to Pinterest!
There is not much to be improved or updated on this post. The recipe for these healthy pumpkin cookies is ON SPOT! I've remade them many times since without changing anything.
Even 2 years later, I still love the images - the lighting was awesome that day. These were some of my first food photos that I truly loved. Maybe I could take slightly better ones now, but the difference would be minimal. And I want to hold on to these almost for nostalgic reasons.
The only one thing this post was missing was a video! Which is hereby remedied.
I am leaving the rest of the post and the recipe unadulterated for you below. And if you are interested in more healthy pumpkin recipes try these paleo pumpkin muffins, this pumpkin spice mug cake, or even these decadent (still healthier) chocolate pumpkin brownies.
Original post from Nov. 3, 2014
I have never been a fan of cooking first thing in the morning or making any breakfast that involves a lot of prep.
And some days I am especially happy to have my breakfast already waiting in the fridge.
I am not a morning person, still some mornings are harder than others. Like the morning after a night of my baby Olivia randomly deciding to wake up no less than 6(!) times for no obvious reasons.
Or when I went to bed waayy later than I should have either because I was working, binge-watching Netflix, or finishing just one more chapter of a book.
It's on those super-rough mornings that I could hug myself for having prepared some make-ahead breakfast like these pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies (or awesome overnight oats).
They are like having a bowl of yummy oatmeal with lots of mix-ins only without the bowl. The convenient cookie shape offers itself for breakfast on-the-go or for easy snacks.
This post contains affiliate links. If you end up buying through one of my links, I may make a small commission without any added cost to you.
How To Make Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
I am using both rolled and quick oats for a texture that isn't too dense but still holds together well. Note: To make these pumpkin oatmeal cookies gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten free oats. Although oats don't contain any gluten naturally, regular oats may be contaminated with gluten during processing in facilities that also process wheat.
Eggs help as a binder, but I have also been able to make vegan pumpkin breakfast cookies without eggs by soaking the flax meal in the recipe in ½ cup of water until gelled, before mixing with the other wet ingredients. Honey offers just a little sweetness to these pumpkin oat breakfast cookies. But again, you can make this recipe vegan by substituting maple syrup for example.
Pumpkin puree is complemented with aromatic pumpkin pie spice.
Ground flax seed ups the nutritional value of the cookies. And - in my opinion - pumpkin seeds and cranberries pair really well with pumpkin puree and give the cookies are great flavor and texture contrast. A combination of chopped nuts (like pecans or walnuts) or seeds (like sunflower seeds) and chocolate chips also make great add-ins.
Cranberries give the cookies a nice chewy texture and sweet-tart flavor. If you prefer, instead of sugar-sweetened cranberries, you can find apple juice infused cranberries or completely unsweetened dried cranberries on Amazon.
Last, but certainly not least, there is melted coconut oil. I love to use organic refined coconut oil for recipes where I don't want a strong coconut flavor - like these gluten free pumpkin oatmeal cookies in which I wanted the pumpkin to shine.
For all other recipes organic virgin coconut oil is a great choice.
To shape the batter into cookie shape, I am using my ¼ cup sized measuring cup. You can use any type of measuring cup, but it is easier with the ones that are wider than deep.
I just dip the measuring cup into the oat mixture to fill it up. Then I tap it onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and the dough already comes out looking like a cookies - flourless pumpkin oatmeal cookies that is.
I just flatten them a little bit, because these cookies won't spread at all during baking. And if shaping individual cookies isn't your thing, I've even had readers send me pictures of how they baked this recipe into pumpkin breakfast bars! Baking time may be a little longer, but this way you only need to cut them into shape after baking.
These healthy breakfast cookies are also great to make ahead. Often I make a double batch, then store the cookies in a ziplock bag in the freezer.
If this healthy pumpkin cookie recipe isn't quite your thing, I have FOUR other breakfast cookie recipes. Maybe these are more up your alley?
Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- â…” cup dried cranberries unsweetened
- â…” cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs * beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet.
- In a small bowl warm coconut oil and honey (either microwave, inside preheating oven or on the stove top).
- In a large bowl combine both kinds of oats, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, ground flax, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Add pumpkin puree, eggs and warmed coconut oil and honey. Stir until fully combined.
- Drop about ¼ cup sized scoops of the mixture onto a cookie sheet and flatten (cookies won't spread while baking). Bake for about 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet before moving to an airtight storage container.
Notes
Nutrition
Random Questions
Pumpkin itself is not very high in sugar. It is naturally sweet, but its sugar content is relatively low compared to many other fruits. When used in recipes like these breakfast cookies, it adds a delightful sweetness without the need for excessive added sugar.
Yes, you can substitute honey with other sweeteners like maple syrup or agave nectar to make the cookies vegan. Adjust the quantity according to your desired sweetness level.
Absolutely! You can make a larger batch and store the cookies in a ziplock bag in the freezer for later consumption. They can be easily thawed and enjoyed as a quick breakfast or snack.
The amount of sugar in these cookies is relatively moderate, primarily coming from the natural sweetness of pumpkin and a small quantity of honey. You can adjust the sweetness level by using alternative sweeteners as well.
Sheryl
Really liked this recipe, especially given the cookies are flourless. But I found they lacked flavor. Next time, I would add two tsp. bourbon (allergic to vanilla) and up the spices. Thank you for sharing your recipe and giving us with gluten allergies a good pumpkin breakfast cookie base for altering to fit allergy needs.
RB
This was the perfect ‘clean out the pantry’ recipe I needed to use up all my odds and ends- an open can of pumpkin purée, partial bags of random nuts and seeds, and the last few cups of oats. It’s also forgiving- I used a cup of pumpkin and all quick oats, and added a 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder to balance the extra moisture. Also added sliced almonds, dark choc chips, coconut flakes and chopped candied ginger. Didn’t have flax meal so I used chia seeds. Came out great after 20 mins in the oven and they look much like yours, despite the additions and substitutions!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
That sounds delicious! It's so wonderful when recipes are easy to adapt so you can use up some pantry items. 🙂
Bette
Am planning on making this recipe, but want to know why use 2 kinds of oats. Do not like to use anything but Old Fashioned Oats. How do I adjust.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Bette! The quick cooking oats have a finer texture and absorb moisture better than old fashioned oats so they help with binding the cookies together, and the old fashioned oats add that attractive flecked appearance and texture. You probably could just replace the quick cooking oats with more rolled oats but I'm not 100% sure how that will affect how the cookies hold together. If you blend some of them up in a food processor, the texture might be fine enough to absorb moisture better, though. Let us know how the cookies work out if you try this.
Martha Flanagan
I made these! Loved them. I only used 2 Tb m syrup and 2 Tb monk fruit. Only 2 Tb of coconut oil. I didn’t have any pumpkin seeds so I used 1/4 c chia seeds and 1/4 cup hemp seeds. They came out great. Had them with my Mocha tea
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
That sounds wonderful, Martha! I'm so glad you could make the recipe work with the variations. 🙂
Lori Spicer
Hi there, My girlfriend highly recommended these cookies, but I'm not supposed to have coconut oil; could I use extra light olive oil, or sweet almond oil instead, or would they fall apart?
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Lori! I think that extra light olive oil or almond oil would work in the cookies. They would just change the flavour a little but you are correct that a lighter tasting olive oil would be a good choice if you use it in baked goods like these cookies. Let us know how it works out for you. 🙂
Sharon
I made these this morning and they are delicious! I used butter instead of coconut oil and could only find sweetened cranberries but I think it was perfect! Shared some with friends and froze a few for a quick breakfast during the work week. Next time I will try maple syrup rather than honey.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thanks for your review, Sharon! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookies and maple syrup would be delicious!
Krist
Wondering if fresh cranberries would work. I have a hard time finding sugar free dried fruits. A 1/4 cup of dried cranberries has 4TBLs of sugar in them & being diabetic it just don’t work.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Krist! My only concern with replacing the dried cranberries with fresh cranberries is that the fresh ones would have more moisture and may impact how the cookies hold together. You could definitely try it, though, and if the cookies don't hold together as well, they could work as breakfast granola instead. However, you could also dry the fresh cranberries in the oven at a low temperature to have a sugar-free replacement for store-bought dried cranberries.