There’s nothing quite like pulling a tray of freshly baked cookies out of the oven, especially when the air turns crisp and cozy fall days are upon us. These vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are my go-to treat for back-to-school lunches, afternoon snacks, or just when the house needs that warm, comforting smell of cookies baking.
I worked hard to find the sweet spot between indulgence and nourishment, and I think I’ve nailed it. These cookies are fluffy on the inside, ever so lightly crisp on the edges, and packed with fibre thanks to wholesome ingredients like spelt and pumpkin. Yes, pumpkin! While pumpkin gets the spotlight in fall recipes, it’s something I bake with year-round—it adds moisture, richness, and a boost of nutrition without overpowering the chocolatey goodness we all crave.
What I love most is how they’re reminiscent of a soft ginger cookie—warm, spiced, and cozy—but with an autumn twist of pumpkin and melty chocolate chips in every bite.
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Kid-friendly: Perfectly packable for school lunches (nut-free if you need them to be, just use tahini instead of almond butter).
- Wholesome but delicious: Made with fibre-rich ingredients to keep you satisfied.
- Seasonal but versatile: Cozy enough for autumn, but too good not to bake all year long.
These cookies prove that you don’t have to sacrifice flavour to eat a little more mindfully. They’re the kind of treat that feels indulgent but also nourishing—exactly the kind of balance I love to bring to The Gentle Table.
So grab your mixing bowl, preheat the oven, and welcome in the season (or any day, really!) with a batch of these chewy, spiced, wholesome vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy- Ava and Leela sure did!
Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Base Ingredients
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp salt
Remainder
- ¾ cup pumpkin
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp tahini or nut butter we recommend almond butter for best flavour, but tahini works for nut free. Apple sauce can be subbed in a pinch, as well.
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the Base ingredients with a whisk.
- Mix the apple cider vinegar and soy milk separately in a measuring cup and let sit to curdle a minute. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses, tahini or nut butter and then the apple cider/soy mixture. Whisk until smooth.
- Now, add the flour mixture in the large mixing bowl with the pumpkin and add the chocolate chips. Stir with a large spatula just until combined. The batter will be quite thick and a little wet. Avoid being over vigorous with mixing as it will make the batter gummy.
- Scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet, flattening them into small (2") pucks, leaving sufficient space around each cookie to bake evenly. Bake on the center rack of oven until the edges are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes (they should still be soft in the middle). Let rest on the pan a few minutes and then slide off with a spatula and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Discover more from The Gentle Table
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Loved these cookies – they were really yummy. I had to substitute maple syrup for the molasses and use only all purpose flour as I had no spelt flour, and increased the chocolate chips as you can never have too much chocolate. They turned out perfect – soft and chewy and the flavour was great. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing, Laura, and so glad you enjoyed. We definitely like to sneak in some extra chocolate chips too, from time to time!