These soft and chewy Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are the ultimate fall-inspired treat, combining the warm flavors of pumpkin and spices with a cinnamon-sugar coating. Made with vegan butter and pumpkin purée, they add a seasonal twist to the classic Snickerdoodle cookie. They have a light pumpkin flavor, are soft and chewy on the inside with crispy golden edges and a light cinnamon sugar dusting on the outside.
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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
The inspiration for these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles comes from the irresistible combination of two fall favorites: pumpkin and my original Snickerdoodle cookies recipe, which is made with applesauce. I think I have actually improved upon the original recipe here with the texture. These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles have just the perfect chewy, slightly underbaked center and a crispy golden bottom. I coated mine in chunky turbinado sugar mixed with cinnamon for an extra little crackly texture on the outside, but you could also use regular sugar.
Also, if you love seasonal baking then make sure to try out my Sweet Potato Muffins or my sweet and sticky Pecan Pie Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft & Chewy Texture: The pumpkin purée makes these cookies incredibly soft, but they spread enough to get that thin, lightly crisp golden base.
- Vegan Friendly (but you’d never know): Made with vegan butter and no eggs, the pumpkin puree binds the ingredients together, so they are still just as chewy and don’t crumble.
- Spirit of The Season: You know when a food just *tastes* exactly like a feeling, or a season? These cookies literally taste like fall, the holidays, spice and all things nice. So if you want to get into the vibe of the season, no matter what time of the year it is, then whip up a batch of these. The pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and all spice will get you right into that holiday spirit.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find the specific quantities for each ingredient listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but for your convenience, here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need:
- Vegan butter or margarine
- Pumpkin purée
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Salt
- Pumpkin pie spice mix (or cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice)
- Ground cinnamon (for the cinnamon sugar coating)
Instructions
Here’s a detailed guide on how to make your own vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. I’ve taken a photo of every step of the way, so you can see exactly what you need to do. I admit, it looks like there are a lot of steps, but it’s actually very easy and doesn’t even require a mixer. It will take you about 10-15 minutes of hands-on time to prepare the dough.
Check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed timings, temperatures, and exact quantities.
Step One: In a large bowl, combine the melted vegan butter, pumpkin purée, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
Step Two: Mix until smooth and well combined.
Step Three: In another bowl, add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, pumpkin pie spice (or your spice mix).
Step Four: Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Step Five: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until no flour streaks remain and a soft dough forms.
Step Six: Use a cookie scoop to form 1-ounce balls of dough.
Step Seven: Shape the cookies by rolling them into a ball between your hands.
Step Eight: In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Use a cookie scoop to form 1-ounce balls of dough. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture, ensuring they are well coated on all sides.
Step Ten: Transfer the coated cookie dough balls to a lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart (they will spread a lot).
Step Eleven: Slightly flatten the dough balls by pressing down with your hand or gently using the bottom of a glass.
Step Twelve: Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Step Thirteen: The cookies will look quite puffy straight out of the oven. As they cool, they’ll shrink down. The edges will appear set but the center may appear soft – that’s a sign you’ve achieved a perfectly soft yet chewy consistency!
Step Fourteen: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely
Substitutions and Variations
Cookies, especially those as soft as Snickerdoodles, can be a little finicky when it comes to ingredients and ratios. I would recommend sticking to the quantities listed as closely as possible. However, there are some minor swaps you can make if needed:
- Butter: You can substitute the vegan butter with regular unsalted butter if you’re not following a vegan diet.
- Pumpkin Purée: This isn’t widely available in Australia, so I actually made my own homemade pumpkin purée from scratch. It wasn’t much effort and worked really well – just make sure to dab it down with some kitchen towel if it’s a little runny (see my video below for the right consistency). If you can buy canned pumpkin purée though where you live, feel free to do so, it’s so much more convenient. I am told from readers that Libby’s Pumpkin Puree is the best option.
- Sugar Variations: Sometimes I like to use Turbinado sugar (known as raw sugar in Australia) for an extra little bit of crunch on the outside of the cookies.
- Spice Mix: I have written out the quantities of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in the recipe in case you don’t have pumpkin pie spice available at your local supermarket. Of course, you can also just buy pumpkin pie spice mix and use that instead for convenience. You could also swap out the cinnamon from the cinnamon sugar coating for pumpkin pie spice if you wanted to make it even more fall-flavored.
- Cream of Tartar – this really gives Snickerdoodles their signature taste and consistency, but if you don’t have any you can replace it with a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice (for the acidity) or omit the bicarb soda as well as cream of tartar and use an equal quantity of baking powder instead. If you use baking powder, note that your cookies will likely be a bit more cakey and less chewy.
Storage
These will taste best on day one, but you can keep your Pumpkin Snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. I have to say though, I doubt they’ll last that long, because they’re so tasty 😉
I have also tested freezing the unbaked balls of cookie dough and it works very well. Just place them in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen and add 1 additional minute to the bake time.
Expert Tips
Chilling isn’t necessary for this recipe, as the cookies are supposed to spread (make sure to place them at LEAST 2 inches apart). However, if you’d prefer a slightly thicker cookie, then you can of course chill the dough for 30 minutes (or up to one day) before shaping and baking. The advantage of chilling is that it makes the dough easier to handle when rolled into balls. If you have used a watery batch of pumpkin puree and the dough is very soft, this chilling method can be a good way to compensate.
FAQ
When stored in an airtight container at room temperature, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles can last up to one week. They taste best on the day of baking though, so if I’m not going to eat a whole batch within 3 days, I prefer to freeze the raw dough and bake when I’m ready to eat (see Storage section above for more info on how to do this).
Yes, you can use fresh pumpkin purée! Just make sure to cook and thoroughly drain the pumpkin to remove excess moisture before using it in the recipe.
If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can use baking powder, lemon juice or vinegar. The texture will be more cakey if you use baking powder. See the Substitutions & Variations section above for specific quantities.
Absolutely! That sounds delicious. Snickerdoodles is a very soft cookie dough, so just add the chips gradually to make sure the dough is able to stick together and hold them sufficiently.
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy Warm: These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are best enjoyed warm from the oven. Get all nostalgic and dunk them in a glass of almond milk – heaven!
- With Coffee or Tea: Pair them with a hot cup of coffee, chai, or tea.
- Ice Cream Sandwiches: If you wanted to make these into a more indulgent dessert, they’d make a mean cookie dough ice cream sandwich.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
If you have a sweet tooth like I do, I must insist you try some of my other cookie recipes 😉
- Pecan Pie Cookies – these are another fall-inspired cookie that’s like a handheld mini pecan pie.
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies – the ULTIMATE chewy chocolate chip cookie that requires no egg replacers or unusual ingredients (I always try to avoid these).
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies – an extra rich twist on my Choc Chunk Cookies – these also work really well with white chocolate chips for visual contrast.
- Lemon Blueberry Thumpbrint Cookies – these are like a buttery lemon shortbread with a dollop of blueberry jam in the centre.
- Vegan Linzer Cookies – these buttery sandwich cookies just scream Christmas (in the best way possible) and are easier than they look to make.
If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d be thrilled if you could leave a star rating and review—it helps me share my recipes with more people! Don’t forget to tag me in your photos on Instagram @glowdiaries___ so I can repost your baking adventures 🙂
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup vegan butter or margarine melted
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix (or 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp allspice)
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (8g)
- Tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the cinnamon sugar coating by mixing the sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until no flour streaks remain and a soft dough forms.
- Use a cookie scoop to form 1-ounce balls. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture, ensuring they’re coated on all sides.
- Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Slightly flatten them with the bottom of a glass or your hand.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still appear soft.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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