Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodles - Soft, Chewy, Delicious Recipe!

These are the softest, fluffiest, most delicious vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles you will ever put in your mouth!

What makes these the best vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles?

Classic cinnamon snickerdoodle texture and flavor.
Easy to make using pantry staple ingredients, plus no cream of tartar.
Unlike many other vegan pumpkin snickerdoodle recipes, this one does not require chia eggs or flax eggs.
Tastes 10 times better than Traer Joe’s pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie mix.
Each bite is filled with Fall pumpkin spice. These cookies are a Thanksgiving or holiday party crowd favorite, and for good reason!

Also try these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step by step recipe video

Key ingredients

Pumpkin puree – Look for 100% pure pumpkin when buying canned pumpkin puree at the grocery store. Pumpkin pie mix looks similar but includes extra ingredients, like sugar and spices added.

Alternatively, you can make your own homemade pumpkin puree at home.

Flour – The pumpkin cookies work best with all purpose white flour, whole grain spelt flour, oat flour, or all purpose gluten free flour.

I also include a keto option, made with almond flour, in the recipe box.

Sugar – Use either regular sugar or your favorite granulated sugar free substitute that measures like sugar, such as xylitol or granular erythritol.

Vegan butter or oil – For soft cookies with a chewy texture and brown butter flavor, choose full fat plant based butter, such as Violife or Country Crock dairy free sticks.

Refined or unrefined coconut oil yields a crispier edge with less spreading. The results are delicious either way, so it is entirely your choice.

Spices – A healthy dose of ground cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice adds festive flavor to these cozy autumn cookies. If you are out of pumpkin spice, either make your own or simply increase the cinnamon in the coating.

Other ingredients – You also need baking soda, salt, baking powder, and pure vanilla extract for the cookie recipe.

Want more pumpkin? Make Pumpkin Brownies

Pumpkin snickerdoodle flavor ideas

White Chocolate Chip. Stir half a cup of regular size or mini nondairy white chocolate chips in with the dry cookie mix.

Chai snickerdoodles. Mix 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp each ground allspice, cloves, and cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, and a pinch of black pepper in a small bowl. Substitute one teaspoon of this chai spice mix for one teaspoon of the ground cinnamon in the cinnamon sugar topping below.

Cranberry pecan. Add a small handful of chopped dried cranberries and diced pecans with the dry ingredients.

Cream cheese stuffed. Follow the recipe for these Cinnamon Sugar Pillow Cookies. Swap two tablespoons of pumpkin puree for all of the milk, and add a fourth teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the topping.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls

How to make vegan pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies

Start by gathering all of your cookie ingredients and preheating the oven to 325° Fahrenheit (165° Celsius).
In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and half a cup of sugar. Stir well until evenly incorporated.
Mix in the pumpkin puree, melted oil, and pure vanilla extract just until it forms a pumpkin cookie dough texture. For best results, do not overmix.
Using clean hands or a mini cookie scoop, roll into tight cookie balls. Place on a nonstick cookie sheet or silicone baking mat.
In a cereal sized bowl, stir the remaining sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to make the coating.
Use a spoon to cover the entirety of each ball in cinnamon sugar. Then return the unbaked cookies to the baking sheet.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for eleven minutes.
Carefully remove from the oven and let the cookies cool. They will be soft at first but firm up as they cool.
Once no longer hot, transfer cookies to an airtight container. It is important to make sure they are fully cooled before closing the lid.
Stored on the counter, leftover cookies should stay fresh for up to five days. To keep them soft, you can add a slice of fresh white bread to the container.
For longer storage, freeze in a covered container with a layer of parchment paper in between each layer of cookies. Thaw before enjoying.

Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe Tip

Depending on the specific flour and sugar you choose, the pumpkin snickerdoodles may not flatten in the oven. If yours are still cookie balls after baking, simply press down lightly with a spoon to flatten.

Soft Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

The recipe was adapted from my Healthy Pumpkin Cookies and Vegan Snickerdoodles.

*The recipe works best with spelt flour, all purpose white flour, oat flour, or all purpose gluten free flour.
1. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit (165° Celsius).
2. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Mix well.
3. Add the melted oil, pumpkin puree, and pure vanilla extract, and stir just until it forms a cookie dough texture.
4. Roll tightly into balls with your hands, and place the balls on a cookie sheet.
5. Stir the remaining sugar, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a cereal bowl.
6. Use a spoon to coat each cookie dough ball in cinnamon sugar, then return them to the baking sheet.
7. Place the sheet on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake 11 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven. If you prefer flatter cookies, you may press each down with a spoon.
9. Let cool, then serve and enjoy.