Soft, fluffy gluten-free pumpkin cookies are a classic for a reason! They’re perfectly pumpkin-y, lightly spiced and loaded with chocolate chips. These are some of my all-time favorite cookies!
This recipe was originally published in 2016. With dozens of 5-star reviews, it’s a recipe my readers and I come back to every year! Fall isn’t complete without making a batch or two of these cookies!
If you want a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe that’s delicious and gluten-free, you’re in the right place.
A combination of pumpkin, spices, and chocolate chips make these gluten-free, dairy-free cookies the ideal fall treat. Made with a moist, pillowy soft texture, these gluten-free pumpkin cookies are a total crowd pleaser!
Fall just isn’t fall without pumpkin desserts. I LOVE baking with pumpkin, and it shows! Check out some of my other favorite fall recipes for gluten-free pumpkin snickerdoodles, gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread, gluten-free pumpkin whoopie pies, gluten-free pumpkin pie, gluten-free pumpkin bars and gluten-free pumpkin muffins.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Moist and pillowy soft
- Classic fall flavors
- Easy to make
- Made with simple ingredients
- Crowd pleaser
- Gluten- and dairy-free
This gluten-free pumpkin cookies recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free, yet tastes just like the classic pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I grew up eating.
And though I sometimes want healthier versions of my favorite desserts, other times, I just want something that tastes like the classic. These soft cookies are the real deal!
This is the kind of recipe you can fearlessly make for a big group, party, or gathering of friends and nobody will even notice the cookies are gluten-free.
VIDEO: How to Make Them!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need to make delicious gluten-free pumpkin cookies.
- Gluten-free flour: I recommend using a high-quality gluten-free 1:1 baking flour that contains xanthan gum. I use and recommend King Arthur Flour 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour!
- Oil: I like to use coconut oil for this recipe, but you can substitute another type, like vegetable oil or canola.
- Sugar: This gluten-free pumpkin cookies recipe uses both white sugar and brown sugar to add sweetness and molasses flavor to the pumpkin cookies.
- Pumpkin: Make it easy on yourself—take a shortcut and used canned real pumpkin, which offers the same pumpkin flavor of a freshly baked pumpkin. (Note: Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling.)
- Spices: Pumpkin spice like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are the ultimate combination for any pumpkin recipes.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds greater depth of flavor and a hint of molasses to these cookies.
- Vanilla: I like to use real vanilla extract for better flavor, but imitation vanilla works too.
- Egg: Use one large egg to bring the batter together and add moisture and richness.
- Baking powder/baking soda: Both baking powder and baking soda are needed to achieve the perfect rise and fluffy texture for these gluten-free pumpkin cookies.
- Salt: I prefer fine sea salt for all of my baking, including in this recipe.
- Chocolate chips: Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips for this pumpkin cookie dough. Mini chocolate chips work well too!
You also might like this gluten-free pumpkin bread.
Dairy-Free? Be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips to keep these cookies dairy-free!
How to Make these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the gluten-free flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin and oil on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until incorporated.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer and mix on low speed to to fully combine.
- Stir the chocolate chips into the gluten-free pumpkin cookies batter.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized dough balls onto the baking sheets.
- Bake the gluten-free pumpkin cookies for 14-16 minutes, until set. (Do not under-bake, or the gluten-free pumpkin cookies will be too wet.)
Storage Instructions
Like most gluten-free cookies, these soft pumpkin cookies are best eaten the day they are made. But if you do have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
FAQs
Adding an extra egg or egg yolk can help make gluten-free cookies more moist. For better texture, it’s best to let the dough rest for up to 30 minutes in order to allow the gluten-free flour to absorb all of the liquid.
Because of the high moisture content, pumpkin cookies taste best on the day they are made. However, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Pumpkin cookies can be stored in the freezer in a freezer bag for up to three months.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- For the ideal texture, be sure to bake these gluten-free pumpkin cookies for the full time until they are set.
- For best results with this gluten free pumpkin cookies recipe, make sure the gluten-free all-purpose flour blend you use contains xanthan gum or another binder.
- If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use vegetable oil or any other liquid oil in these gluten-free pumpkin cookies.
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes
I hope you love this easy recipe as much as we do! If you try these gluten-free pumpkin cookies, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar 105 grams
- 15 ounce can of pumpkin 100% pumpkin
- 1/3 cup oil vegetable or coconut will work
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour 375 grams
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin and oil on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until incorporated. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the gluten-free flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer and mix on low speed to to fully combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized mounds onto the baking sheets. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until set. (Do not under-bake or the cookies will be too wet.) Like most gluten-free cookies, these are best eaten the day they are made, although leftovers can be stored in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the ideal texture, be sure to bake these gluten-free pumpkin cookies for the full time until they are set.
- For best results, make sure the gluten-free all-purpose flour blend you use contains xanthan gum or another binder. I recommend King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour.
- If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use vegetable oil or any other liquid oil in this recipe.
Can I make these without the chocolate chips?
Hi Kathy, that should work! We hope you enjoy the cookies!
This is one of the very few recipes from Erin that didn’t quite turn out the way I thought. As others have said they didn’t really spread and because the dough is so soft the baked cookies had the little “tufts” of dough sticking up, instead of having a smooth top. I ended up flattening them a tiny bit halfway through baking because I didn’t want such mounded cookies. It sort of worked. Next time I would flatten them beforehand a bit. Just wondering if there’s a reason they didn’t spread at all and get a little smoother. You call for a 15 ounce can of pumpkin. I’m in Canada so the 398ml can was just a bit short of 15 ounces. Is that it? I also used veg oil, not coconut oil – would that make a difference?
Hi Rosalie, the slightly smaller measurement of pumpkin shouldn’t cause doming, but different brands have different moisture levels and texture which can change how pumpkin cookies spread. We like to use Libby’s. We find coconut oil works best, but other oils like vegetable oil, work well too. Other factors can be dry/wet measurements being off, the material type of the baking sheet, etc. We hope these ideas help!
This recipe is so forgiving! I had half a can of pumpkin leftover from another recipe. Since I could not cut the egg in half, I halved everything else, then added 1/2 cup GF, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/8 tsp. baking soda to give enough structure to the dough to scoop. Though the dough was very soft – the cookies barely spread, so I pressed them down a little for the second pan and they remained moist and tasty!
We’re so pleased you enjoyed the cookies, Deborah! Thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us. Happy baking!
So moist and yummy! Perfect, my granddaughter and I made them. I love the fact that there is very little oil and no butter.
We’re so pleased the cookies were a hit! Thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us, Naomi!
Hello, if using plain GF flour, how much xanthan gum should I add?
Hi Andrea, the general guideline is 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum for every 1 cup of gf flour when making cookies. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I made this recipe Vegan by substituting a flax egg for regular egg and using certified vegan chocolate chips. I also used AP flour.it came out amazing! I will try recipe again with gluten free flour next time.
We’re so pleased you enjoyed this recipe and that the vegan substitutions worked well! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Simone!
My family absolutely loves these cookies. I have been making them since 2019, when I first printed off the recipe, and they still disappear quickly whenever I make them. I just came back to find the link to send to my daughter-in-law and I noticed changes in the instructions for mixing. You no longer add the egg at the initial mixing of wet ingredients, but add it later. And you no longer drizzle the oil into the mix slowly, but throw it in with the pumpkin and sugars from the get-go. Reasons for these changes? Just wondering if I need to reprint the recipe and how it could possibly improve on perfection?
Hi Janet, we’re so pleased to hear this recipe has been such a family favorite! Erin only updates recipe instructions if, after further testing, she has found it benefits the overall results. In this case, adding the oil earlier helps those initial ingredients to fully emulsify into a smooth base. Adding the eggs separately can help them more evenly incorporate as well. Still, you are more than welcome to use the old recipe if you love that one more!
These were surprisingly so good and fluffy! The texture keeps me eating 10 of them at a time!
Hi Taylor, we’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies so much! Thank you for your positive feedback!
I just made these and they were delicious!! Question could you substitute the pumpkin purée for mashed bananas and if so how many bananas?
Hi Dawn, we’re so pleased you loved the cookies! Mashed bananas wouldn’t work as a 1:1 swap for the pumpkin puree and would require additional changes to the recipe. Instead, we would recommend using this gluten-free banana cookie recipe. Happy baking!
These pumpkin cookies are AMAZING!!! My picky teenage daughter even loves them. They are so fluffy and delicious. Thank you!
Yay! We’re happy to hear the cookies were a hit with everyone! Thank you, Corinna!
These taste amazing. I made them for a shower and no one knew that they were gluten free until I told them. I will say that the smaller sized cookies baked faster and better than the bigger ones. So I will make a note to make smaller sized ones from here on out.
We’re so glad the cookies were such a hit at the shower! Thank you for your kind feedback, Melissa. Happy baking!
Can you make the cookie bigger, say 2.5 to 3 tablespoons?
Hi Janet, that should work! They’ll need more space on the baking sheet to spread and will most likely need a few extra minutes. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Do you think these could instead be made into cookie bars?
Hi Pamela, that should work! The dough should be enough for a 9×13. We’d recommend keeping the temperature at 350°F. The bars will most likely need 25-30 minutes, but it’s best to keep a close eye on the bake and adjust the time accordingly. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Can you freeze the unbaked cookies until ready to use and if so how long in the freezer?
Hi Bonnie, good question! Yes, this dough should freeze well and will keep for up to 3 months if stored in freezer bag or airtight container. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Made these with my kid today and everyone loves them. They turned out great. I had gf AP flour I had did not have xantham gum so I added an extra egg and it worked out.
We’re pleased to hear the cookies were a hit and worked well with those substitutions! Thank you for sharing your positive feedback with us, Terri!