Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
These healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies are perfect for fall! They’re full of cozy spice flavor and perfectly soft, with lots of comforting oats and pumpkin in every bite. This breakfast cookie recipe is easy to make too. You only need 15 minutes to make the cookie dough!
During high school and college, I helped prepare nearly every dish for our Thanksgiving feast, other than the turkey. My dad handled that, preferring to barbecue it outside on his charcoal grill, and I stayed firmly planted in the kitchen, carefully reading our well-worn family recipe cards, measuring ingredients, and mixing them together by hand until tantalizing aromas wafted throughout the entire house.
Despite small gatherings with no more than six people, we still cooked enough to feed a small army. Stuffing, cranberry salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, whole wheat bread rolls… And especially dessert.
At the bare minimum, we baked both a pumpkin pie and pecan pie completely from scratch. Anything else, whether soft pumpkin cookies or cozy pumpkin cheesecake or other festive treats, was always welcome at the table — but those two pies were absolutely mandatory. Certain family members might have mutinied and jokingly refused to join us or headed to neighbors’ houses instead if we didn’t serve both!
We always ended up with leftovers of everything, so the morning after, when I pulled open the refrigerator to reach for slices of whole grain bread for toast or the carton of milk to splash into cereal for breakfast, those two pies stared back at me… Tempting me with their flaky crusts and sweet fillings and oh so irresistible flavors.
On multiple occasions, I nearly caved and snuck a slice. With its luxuriously creamy texture and extra cozy spices, the pumpkin was my favorite! A small piece of that for breakfast sounded like pure bliss, yet I rarely mustered up the courage to follow through. I didn’t want to upset anyone else by eating more than my fair share of the pies!
I would’ve looked straight past the pies and immediately reached for these healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies if they were in our refrigerator on that day though — or any other fall morning! They remind me of pumpkin pie with their cozy spiced flavor, and they have the same texture as regular “dessert” oatmeal cookies. However…
Unlike those Thanksgiving pies, these definitely qualify as a breakfast food! They’re also portable and wonderful for busy mornings, meal prepping, and make-ahead breakfasts or snacks. (Whether for kids, teens, adults… Or all of the above!)
QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY PUMPKIN OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES
Difficulty: Fairly easy, including for many beginner bakers.
Taste: Very lightly sweetened with plenty of warm spices, comforting oats, and cozy pumpkin flavor.
Texture: Supremely soft, moist, and chewy.
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY PUMPKIN OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to bake a batch of these healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies! Since your cupboards likely hold common baking staples (like vanilla, baking powder, and salt!), we’ll mainly go over the more interesting and important ingredients right now.
Oats. Definitely a key ingredient for oatmeal breakfast cookies! For this recipe, you’ll need instant oats. They’re also called “quick cooking” and “one-minute” oats. Despite what some labels may suggest, they’re not the ones that come in individual packets with flavors like maple brown sugar or apple cinnamon!
Just like old-fashioned rolled oats, instant oats only contain one ingredient: oats! The main difference? Instant oats are smaller and thinner than their old-fashioned counterparts. This means they soften faster, which gives your breakfast cookies an exceptionally soft and chewy texture. It’s the best — and why I use instant oats in basically all of my healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Hint: Instant oats are usually sold in bags or canisters right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store!
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies gluten-free, then swap in certified gluten-free instant oats. They work perfectly!
Flour. To make these breakfast cookies healthier, I opted for whole wheat flour. It contains more fiber and other micronutrients compared to all-purpose flour, and its subtle nutty undertones also boost the cozy flavor in these cookies.
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve included my top recommendations there!
Pumpkin pie spice. This might be my favorite part of these healthy breakfast cookies! Pumpkin without spices feels as if it’s incomplete or missing its other half… Like cereal without milk or pizza without cheese. They make the perfect pair!
Although store-bought premade jars can certainly come in handy, I prefer to make my own pumpkin pie spice blend. I’ve found that many premade options contain a lot of cinnamon and very little of the other spices, which gives them a more one-dimensional taste. I fancy a much richer and cozier flavor!
For my homemade mix in these breakfast cookies, I combine Saigon cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves. As confusing as it sounds, allspice is a single spice! It earned its name because it tastes like a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. If you haven’t tried Saigon cinnamon, I hope that changes ASAP! It tastes a bit warmer, stronger, and sweeter compared to regular cinnamon. I’m obsessed — and it’s basically the only kind I now use in my baking! I buy it online here. It’s really affordable!
Hint: Pumpkin pie spice is often shortened to “pumpkin spice” — and that moniker simply refers to the spices typically used when making pumpkin pie. Therefore, “pumpkin spice” doesn’t contain any pumpkin!
Coconut oil or butter. You have three options here! Coconut oil, stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), or unsalted butter. All three produce the same soft and chewy texture in these pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies, so reach for whichever one you feel most comfortable with or normally keep on hand!
Hint: If you use coconut oil or stick-style vegan butter, your healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies will be vegan and dairy-free!
Pumpkin. Zero surprises here… You obviously need pumpkin to make these healthy breakfast cookies! Make sure you buy regular pumpkin purée. It’s also called “canned pumpkin” or “100% pure pumpkin,” and the only ingredient on the label should be “pumpkin.” For whatever reason, many US grocery stores place it on the baking aisle, rather than with the rest of the canned vegetables and fruits… Perhaps because they recognize how much we love making sweet treats with it??
Hint: During the fall, many stores also set out cans of pumpkin pie mix. Don’t be fooled! Pumpkin pie mix also contains spices and sugar, which can change the way it behaves in baking recipes. Stick with regular pumpkin purée!
The pumpkin provides more than just flavor. It adds moisture to the dough, which yields a beautifully soft cookie texture, and it also replaces the eggs. That’s right — these pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies are completely egg-free!
Sweetener. Instead of refined granulated sugar, I reached for pure maple syrup to sweeten these healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies. It’s the kind that comes directly from maple trees and only contains one ingredient: maple syrup! It often comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this).
Tip: Skip the pancake syrup and sugar-free maple syrup! These contain other ingredients, which changes the way they behave in baking recipes. This is particularly true of sugar-free maple syrup! It’s often water-based, which gives your cookies a cakey, bready, and drier texture.
Milk. To ensure these qualify as breakfast cookies, you’ll use half the amount of sweetener compared to regular “dessert” oatmeal cookies. To compensate for the missing other half and achieve the correct cookie texture, you’ll stir milk into the cookie dough. Almost any type will work! I generally use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It’s the kind my family buys and drinks the most — and if you do the same, then your healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies will naturally be dairy-free too!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY PUMPKIN OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES
Now that you’ve assembled your ingredients, let’s cover how to make these healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies! As I promised earlier, this recipe is easy and straightforward. These tips should help ensure your batch turns out with the best flavor and texture!
Measure correctly. This is just as important as those two mandatory pies at my family’s annual Thanksgiving feast. I could probably say it in my sleep… And wouldn’t be surprised if I actually do!
It’s extremely important to measure all of the ingredients correctly.
For the oats and flour, use this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) As tempting as it may be, do not scoop either one out of its container with a measuring cup. This can result in adding 1 ½ times as much — and that extra amount will quickly dry out your dough and give your cookies a cakey or bready texture! This is especially true of the oats. They act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture!
However, for the maple syrup and milk, I recommend regular measuring cups, not a kitchen scale. This is because most liquids have different densities, so they weigh different amounts (grams) per volume (mL or cups). Unless you want to look up the exact density and do the math to convert each one in order to use your kitchen scale, regular measuring cups are more accurate — and much easier too!
Make the dough. This is really easy to do! Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in the other, and gently stir to combine. Unlike many of my other oatmeal cookie recipes, no chilling is necessary for these!
Drop + shape. This cookie dough is very sticky, so use a spoon and spatula to drop it onto your baking sheet — not your hands! Trust me, it’s a good thing. That moist and sticky consistency is part of what makes these breakfast cookies so soft and chewy! I love these mini spatulas for doing this. They’re really handy (and cute too!).
Next, flatten the mounds of cookie dough and smooth out their edges. These cookies don’t spread at all while baking, so they’ll look exactly the same before and after you pop them in the oven… Just no longer raw!
And because someone always asks… No, I don’t use any special equipment to make my cookies look so neat and round. Just this mini spatula, time, and patience!
Bake. These breakfast cookies finish baking relatively quickly, so don’t stray too far from the kitchen! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the centers still look and feel somewhat soft and underdone. ← This is my #1 tip for soft and chewy oatmeal cookies!
The residual heat from the baking sheet will continue to cook those centers all the way through while you let them rest before transferring them to a wire rack. If you waited to pull your tray from the oven until the cookies felt completely firm and done, they’d end up overbaked and on the cakey/bready side because of that additional residual heat. Yet if you remove them a bit sooner, your pumpkin breakfast cookies will taste perfectly soft and chewy!
Reshape (optional). This is my other tip for perfectly round cookies! If you notice any lopsided or misshapen edges when you remove your cookies from the oven, then immediately grab a butter knife and gently nudge those bits back into place. The cookies will still be a little malleable when you first slide them out of the oven. They set and firm up quickly though, so act fast!
Again, this step is entirely optional. It only changes the way your cookies look — not the way they taste!
Wait to eat. Okay, so this is more of a recommendation than a requirement… But my taste testers and I noticed that these breakfast cookies tasted even better 24+ hours after baking them. That gave the spices a chance to meld and marry, so the spice flavor was a touch stronger and much cozier the following day. If you can plan far enough ahead — or wait that long — I highly suggest it!
FAQS ABOUT HEALTHY PUMPKIN OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES
Are these healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies vegan, gluten-free, clean eating, low calorie, or low fat?
Yes — to everything! When following the recipe as written, these pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies are naturally vegan, dairy-free, eggless, clean eating, low fat, and low calorie (compared to other more traditional recipes!). I’ve also included gluten-free options in the Notes section of the recipe!
Can I use old-fashioned rolled oats?
In a pinch — but briefly blitz them in a blender or food processor first! Aim to make them about ⅛ to ¼ of their original size. This makes them closer to the thickness and size of instant oats, so your cookies should have a similar soft and chewy texture.
What about a different flour?
Absolutely! White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, and all-purpose flour all perform just as well. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) also works, but be extra careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours.
Or store-bought pumpkin spice?
Sure! I realize just how handy those premade jars can be. (See the “Pumpkin pie spice” header in the “Key Ingredients to Make Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies” section above for why I prefer to make my own!)
Can I substitute more pumpkin for the butter or coconut oil?
Please don’t! That will give your cookies a cakey, bready, and drier texture. It’s a small amount, but it makes a noticeable difference in their consistency!
Would a different sweetener work?
You bet! Honey and agave are the two best alternatives.
What about another kind of milk?
Yes again! Almost any type will work, so feel free to substitute whatever you normally keep on hand.
My cookies turned out cakey, bready, or dry. Why is that?
There are a few common culprits! First, make sure you’re measuring the ingredients correctly. Too much flour or too many oats — or not enough sweetener, milk, or pumpkin — will yield a cakey, bready, and drier cookie texture. (See the “Measure correctly” header in the “How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies” section above for details!)
Second, substituting certain ingredients also yields a cakey and bready texture. Using sugar-free maple syrup is a notorious one! (See the “Sweetener” header in the “Key Ingredients to Make Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies” section above for more info about this.) Replacing the coconut oil or butter with more pumpkin purée has the same effect, as well as substituting coconut flour in place of the whole wheat flour, so don’t be tempted to try these swaps either!
Third, baking your cookies for too long gives them a cakey, bready, and drier consistency. Try pulling them out of the oven a little sooner — and see the “Bake” header in the “How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies” section above for more details about how to tell when your cookies are done!
How should I store these healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies? And how long will they last?
Store your pumpkin breakfast cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep at least five days, if not closer to a week or more!
Can I freeze them?
Yes! Once fully baked and cooled, these cookies freeze really well. I like to thaw individual cookies in the microwave on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through. I think they almost taste freshly baked when thawed like that!
With how amazing these turned out, I’d happily eat them any autumn day… And all year long too! 😉 I’d love to see your healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies!
Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
These healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies are perfect for fall! They’re full of cozy spice flavor and perfectly soft, with lots of comforting oats and pumpkin in every bite. They’re easy to make too! Leftovers will keep for at least five days (if not closer to a week or more!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They also freeze really well!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 ¼ tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice (see Notes!)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly (see Notes!)
- ¾ cup (183g) pumpkin purée (room temperature – and see Notes!)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
- ¼ cup (60mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk (room temperature)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter or coconut oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stir in the pure maple syrup. Stir in the milk. Add in the oat mixture, and stir until just incorporated.
- Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet. Flatten to ⅜”-thick using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 8-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These breakfast cookies aren’t overly sweet — and that’s intentional! They have a sweetness level similar to muffins or breakfast scones. For sweeter cookies, substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for an equal amount of milk. (For example, add an additional 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate.) Alternatively, use my true “dessert” pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe instead.
These cookies taste better if you let them rest for 24+ hours after they’ve been baked! That gives the spices time to meld and marry, so the cozy spice flavor will be more pronounced on the second day.
For a stronger spice flavor, increase the ground cinnamon by ¼ to ½ teaspoon.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These cookies don’t spread. They’ll look the same before and after baking (just no longer raw!).
Do not over-bake these cookies! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the centers still feel slightly soft and underdone. The heat from the warm baking sheet will continue to cook the centers all the way through while you let the cookies rest for 10 minutes after pulling the pan from the oven.
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats and come in large canisters or bags, just like old-fashioned rolled oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal.
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free if needed) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours!
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE + ALTERNATIVE: For the homemade pumpkin pie spice, use the following blend: 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. (I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! ← I buy it online there, and it’s really affordable. It tastes slightly stronger, richer, and sweeter than regular cinnamon. It’s practically the only kind I now use in my baking!)
Store-bought premade pumpkin pie spice may be substituted. (See the “Pumpkin pie spice” header in the “Key Ingredients to Make Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies” section above for why I prefer to make my own!)
VEGAN BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), rather than tub-style, for the best results. Unsalted butter may be substituted for the vegan butter.
PUMPKIN NOTES: Pumpkin purée is also called “100% pure pumpkin” or “canned pumpkin.” For the best results, the only ingredient on the label should be “pumpkin.” I don’t recommend substituting pumpkin pie mix because it contains other ingredients, which affects the way it behaves in baking recipes.
I haven’t tried using homemade pumpkin purée, so I’m not personally sure how that will work. If you do, would you leave me a comment below? I’d love to hear how your cookies turned out!
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Alternatively, substitute ¼ cup (48g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar AND 2 ½ tablespoons (38mL) milk for the pure maple syrup. Regardless of which you use, make sure it’s at room temperature. If chilled, it will re-solidify the melted butter or coconut oil.
I don’t recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. Because it’s often water-based, it makes the cookies cakey or bready.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats and certified gluten-free oat flour. Alternatively, for a non-oat-flour version, use the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob’s Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: No modifications needed!
NUT-FREE VERSION: Use the stick-style vegan butter option, or substitute unsalted butter. Substitute your preferred nut-free milk (ie soy milk, rice milk, nonfat milk, etc) for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should last at least five days, if not closer to a week (or more!). Once baked and fully cooled, these oatmeal cookies also freeze really well!
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, nut-free option}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Scones
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy pumpkin recipes and healthy breakfast recipes!
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