IT’S HERE! The first pumpkin recipe of the season. Healthy Pumpkin Cookies that are thick, pillowy soft, and filled with pumpkin spice and everything nice.
Packed with whole-grain goodness in the form of oatmeal and happy-life goodness in the form of warm fall spices and dark chocolate chips, these healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies belong in your cache of repeat-worthy fall desserts (right aside Sweet Potato Cookies).
Every fall, I feel a moment of hesitation around the inaugural can of pumpkin.
The weather is usually still fairly warm, and I worry that I’m rushing sweater weather.
And then the scent of cinnamon fills my kitchen with warm nostalgia.
Initial feelings of hesitation are replaced by the excitement of change…or is it the excitement of a warm batch of cookies about to emerge from the oven?
I’ll evaluate the first plausible cause (change) while eating my first cookie, and the latter (freshly baked cookies) while munching my second.
If I’m still not sure, well, that’s what the third cookie is for!
These healthy chocolate chip pumpkin cookies are tender and buttery.
The flavor of the pumpkin is front and center, thanks to a rich array of warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and a generous quantity of pumpkin.
No being disappointed by the lack of pumpkin or the lack of pumpkin spice here!
As with my iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, the addition of rolled oats lends these healthy pumpkin cookies a pleasing texture, touch of hominess, and an excuse to go in for more (hello, healthy whole grains!).
Dark chocolate chips give the cookies true dessert flare. As this Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread and this Paleo Pumpkin Bread can attest, I’m all-in for the pumpkin and chocolate combo.
If you are more of a purist with your pumpkin baked goods, or if you are looking to lighten these up a bit and serve them as healthy pumpkin breakfast cookies, you can swap the chocolate chips for another of your favorite pumpkin mix-ins. The cookies do already include walnuts (more texture!), which you can increase or complement with other yummy additions like chopped toasted pecans or dried cranberries.
Or you can take your pumpkin cookie cravings the opposite direction and go all-out indulgent with these chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
Just promise me you won’t wait long to bake these healthy pumpkin cookies. They are truly scrumptious and sure to be one of your favorite healthy fall desserts.
How to Make the Best Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
You’ll love how fast these easy pumpkin cookies come together. You don’t even need to chill the dough prior to baking.
While many healthy pumpkin cookies include applesauce, I found that applesauce made the cookies *too* cakey. (If you are looking for cookie recipes with applesauce, check out these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies instead.)
The moderate amount of butter here yields a more traditional chewy cookie texture. Pumpkin cookies generally do have a touch of cakiness (a product of baking with pumpkin in general), which I don’t typically love in my healthy cookie recipes, but it’s not overwhelming and 100% works here.
The Ingredients
- Pumpkin. On its own, pumpkin can be ho-hum, but the ingredients in these cookies help it reach its full cozy flavor potential. Make sure to use pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) for this recipe.
- Flour. A mixture of white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour makes these cookies wholesome while keeping their texture light.
- Oats. A nutritious and filling addition. Oats bring in fiber and create a satisfying textural element.
- Butter. Hello, perfect chewy texture and real-deal cookie flavor!
- Spices. Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg put the “spice” into our pumpkin spice dreams.
- Sugar. A mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar is ideal in these cookies.
- Vanilla. Vanilla complements the pumpkin and warm spices perfectly.
- Mix-ins. Dark chocolate chips and walnuts were my mix-ins of choice, but you could easily swap in pecans, dried fruit, or more chocolate chips instead.
The Directions
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together.
- Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to the butter mixture, beating until blended.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until the flour disappears.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Scoop the dough into balls, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 11 to 12 minutes. Let cool, then ENJOY!
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips for Cookies & Cookie Dough
- To Freeze Unbaked Cookies. Scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen as directed, adding extra baking time as needed (usually about 3 to 5 minutes).
- To Freeze Cookies. Transfer fully cooled cookies to an airtight freezer-safe storage container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy whenever a craving strikes!
- To Store. Store cookies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes
- Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- And all of these healthy pumpkin recipes!
Recommended Tools to Make these Cookies
- Mixing Bowls. Durable, easy-to-store, and one of my most-used kitchen essentials.
- Baking Sheet. Your pumpkin cookie BFF!
- Cookie Scoop. The easiest way to create perfectly-sized cookies.
What’s the first thing you plan to bake with pumpkin this year? If you haven’t decided yet, I have a tasty contender for you right here.
As always, if you do make these healthy pumpkin cookies, I’d love to know what you think! Please leave a review in the comments below. I adore hearing from you, and your feedback is very helpful to others too.
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour or swap all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or swap pecans, chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries, or additional chocolate chips
Instructions
- Position rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (If you’ll be baking multiple batches, line an additional sheet.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- In a separate, large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until smoothly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat once more, just until reincorporated.
- To the bowl with the butter mixture, add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat again, just until evenly blended.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating on low speed. Stop as soon as the flour disappears.
- By hand with a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- With a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons so that you have balls that are about 1 1/2-inches each. Leave about 1 inch of space around each cookie (they will not spread much during baking). Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator while the first batch of cookies bakes.
- Bake the cookies on the center rack for 11 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the tops feel dry to the touch but the center is still soft underneath. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies, ensuring that you always scoop them onto a cooled cookie sheet. Enjoy!
Notes
- TO FREEZE UNBAKED COOKIES: Place cookie dough balls in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen as directed, adding extra baking time as needed.
- TO FREEZE COOKIES: Transfer fully cooled cookies to an airtight freezer-safe storage container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy whenever a craving strikes!
- TO STORE: Store cookies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
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These just caught my eye on Pinterest, Erin and I had to say…BRAVO! What a great cookie! :)
<3 Caroyln. Thank you!
Oh, how I wish I had a few of these yummy looking cookies in my cookie jar! They are gorgeous!!
I wish I could mail you some! Thank you so much Jocelyn.
Haha, I love the way you think about priorities, friend! I probably would be the exact same ;) especially if these cookies are the ones going in the jar! Although, they might not even make it IN the jar – they look too good to be put away :)
Self discipline would not exist next to these cookies!
Obsessed. I’ve got a PSL recipe coming at the end of the week and this is getting me all sorts of excited to drink more and more!
These look like soft pillows of yumm .. that I just want to get lost in!! They sound outrageously delicious — and I can’t get enough pumpkin spice latte in my life!!
I’ve yet to cave and buy the pumpkin spice latter, BUT I almost did yesterday, and I definitely caved at the bagel shop and ordered by bagel with pumpkin smear. No regrets. I might as well go all in now, because these little goodies sounds fabulous!
Pumpkin SCHMEAR??? That sounds outstanding. Must try immediately!
Not sure I would hide the cookie jar if I had cookies like this in it. Unless I was hiding it from everyone else. These look amazing. In my opinion you can NEVER have too many pumpkin recipes. YUM.
Thank you so much! And I love your sneaky ways :-)
So I’ve never been a huge PSL girl (salted caramel hot chocolate all the way), but I can totally get on board with the combo in cookie form! These look amazing!
LOVE that one too Maggie! And now I am feeling thirsty…
You are a freakin’ genius – turning pumpkin spice latte into cookies!! Having that warm drink in one hand and one of your cookies in the other is going to be my new guilty pleasure ;)
True story: I have already had two pumpkin lattes in the last two weeks AND I just bought a pumpkin spice chai mix from the grocery store. I can’t stop myself. Just as I can’t stop myself from drooling all over the photos of these cookies.
Ooooh…I don’t know if these would even make it to a cookie jar in my house. YUM!
Good idea – inspired by a PSL, but this has real pumpkin and is at least a little bit (a lot?) healthier :)
WAY healthier. Which means we can have six :-)
…so I can eat these for breakfast, right? So good – love these, Erin!
Yezzzz to all things pumpkin!
These cookies look so good!
Thank you so much! They hit the spot around here :-)
Wait, some people have self control? Who are those people? Clearly they’ve never been around cookies such as these!
These look delicious!! Can’t wait to give them a try :)
Thanks so much Becky!
These cookies look so delicious and they are making me excited for fall!
I don’t think I would have any self control whatsoever around these cookies! I can almost taste them just looking at your pictures and now my mouth is watering! That is awesome that you guys finally found a home! Congratulations!!
Oh my gosh, I am obsessed with PSL and would not be able to resist these cookies! They look amazing and I love that you made my favorite coffee drink into cookie form – such a brilliant idea lady :)
i always get skim milk in my lattes with whip, and they always ask me every single time. :) great cookies!
Wow! These look awesome!
I just made these fabulous cookies. It made 18 beautiful, moist, rich cookies. I used organic pumpkin. Will definitely make again!! Thank you for this recipe!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Marla! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Rang in the first day of Fall with this recipe. It was so quick and easy. I had basically all the ingredients in my pantry which is a huge win. The cookies had a crisp exterior with an ooey googy pumpkiny center. The chocolate chips added just enough sweetness. The best part, they are guilt free! I love this recipe and will definitely be making them again soon given this batch is not going to last!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Halley! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made these and they look exactly like the picture and taste good, but feel kind of “wet” or clammy? They taste fine and are a nice soft texture but wondered if I did something wrong. It states a can of pumpkin purée but didn’t say what size so I went with the 15 oz can.
I named as directed, maybe a minute longer and then cooled as directed in the pan.
Hi Karen! This recipe calls for 1 cup pumpkin puree, which is about half of a 15-ounce can. If you used the entire can, that could’ve been what went wrong. I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them!
These were SUPER easy to make, and they came out AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!!!! I made half the batch without walnuts because my son doesn’t like nuts in cookies, and half with. Made for yummy cookies that everyone in my house declared a winner!!!!! So good!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Courtney! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Every time I hit the link for the pumpkin spice latte cookie it takes me to this healthy pumpkin cookie recipe. Do you have a PSL cookie recipe?
Joyce, I’m sorry for the confusion! This recipe is an updated version of the original PSL cookies; if you’d like them to have a coffee flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder to this recipe.
Why do you use white whole wheat flour? Is there a flavor/texture/baking difference between white and not-white whole wheat flour?
Hi Carol! White whole wheat flour offers the same nutritional benefits as regular whole wheat flour, but is much less dense in texture and strong in flavor. For this reason, I prefer it in dessert-type baked goods, as you can’t taste the stronger “grain” flavor. It’s also a little less dry so it keeps baked goods from drying out. If you want to use regular whole wheat flour, I’d substitute the amount called for in the recipe for a 50/50 blend of regular whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour to lighten it up.
So good! Light, moist, and easy to make. Subbed pecan pieces for walnuts.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Heather! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Love the recipe and can’t wait to make this! Quick question… if I’m trying to avoid butter, what can I use as a substitute for this recipe? Is the butter absolutely needed, or can I possibly use maybe half the amount of EVOO? Thanks so much, and keep up the great work that you do!
Hi Dale! Olive oil won’t work here, as the butter substitute needs to be creamed. You could experiment with coconut oil, but I worry the flavor might be lacking. I think the best option would be a vegan butter substitute. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
I like the flavor and mild sweetness of these, but I found the consistency to be more like pancakes/bread than cookies.
I’m happy that you enjoyed the flavor, Bonnie! Thank you for trying the recipe!
Hi Erin,
I’m about to make these and wanted to know if they can be frozen so we can enjoy them a few at a time? Thanks!
Absolutely!
I generally love recipes from this site but this one was a fail for me. I double checked myself wondering if I’d missed or messed up an ingredient but no. The flavor is fine but the texture is cakey, almost mealy, to the point that I kept upping the bake time hoping for a more solid center. Edible but disappointing.
I’m sorry to hear that these weren’t to your tastes, Daphne. I (and many other readers) really enjoyed them, so I truly wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Amazing!! So tasty and love the spices. I made a batch for a friend using gluten free flour and they turned out great. Then I made a batch for myself ?
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cookies, Alisa! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Really easy to make and delicious cookies! I adore them! Thank you for the recipe!??✨
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Taya! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Just made these delicious cookies. So moist and flavorful.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, TinaMarie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These cookies are awesome. They don’t spread out and are fairy moist. Even more tasty right out the oven when the choc chips are warm and gooey. I made them for a friend dieting as a somewhat healthy choice. She loved them.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Cj! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I used almond flour to replace wheat and coconut flour to replace all purpose. I also used stevia instead of sugar. Very good cookies. Now diabetic friendly.
Hi Kathy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Can u use coconut oil instead of butter.
Hi Tamara! You could experiment with coconut oil, but I worry the flavor might be lacking. I think the best option would be a vegan butter substitute. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Like some other commenters, this was a miss for me due to the fact that they came out spongey and cakey rather than cookie-like. The flavours were ok, but the consistency was a bit off the mark. I followed the recipe perfectly. Also not sure what makes these “healthy?!” Still full of butter, flour and sugar!
Hi Alex! I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t a hit for you. Many others have tried it and enjoyed it, but I know everyone has different tastes. I truly wish you would’ve enjoyed it!
One request: Would you provide the ingredients, particularly the flour, in grams and/or ounces? All long time bakers such as myself (a baker of many decades) will tell you that the way the flour is measured can make a big difference in the end result. Is it cup and scoop (yielding the most flour)? or whisk and spoon? Weighing the flour and other ingredients ensures consistent results. Kitchen scales are cheap (about $15 on Amazon) and truly do make an enormous difference.
Hi Vera! Unfortunately, I’m not able to provide metric measurements. There are several online conversion sites—one good one is from King Arthur! Here’s the link: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart. I hope you enjoy this recipe if you give it a try!
Love these cookies but I can never get 26 out of the mix. I usually get like 12-15
Hi Amber, so glad you enjoy the cookies! Mine are made on the smaller side so I am able to get 26 out of the batter.
Terrible, I followed the recipe, after mixing the ingredients it was crumb like. I triedto roll into balls best I could. After cooking, they were still perfect ball shapes, they were so dry my cookies fell into crumbs after trying to pick them up.
I’m so sorry that the recipe didn’t come out for you, Baker. It’s hard to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not have it work out, so I truly wish you would have enjoyed this.
These cookies were delicious; I’ve finally found a flavourful Fall cookie! I will be making them again this week. :)
Hi Christina! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for this kind review!
These are my new favorite cookies! Love the spongey texture of it and that the cookies keep their shape while baking. I added dried apricots to mine. They were a hit at a party I brought them to!
Hi Sage! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I love these cookies.
Hi Amy! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for this kind review!
I think this might be my new favorite cookie recipe – they were AMAZING – super soft, such a good consistency, thank you so much for posting this :’)
Hi Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
What happens if I use salt that’s not kosher?
Hi! It will probably taste too salty.
Didn’t love them. The batter wasn’t thick enough, so I’d add more flour or oats next time…
I’m sorry you to hear had trouble with the recipe, Ina. I know it’s frustrating to try a new recipe and not have it turn out. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed them, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
definitely not what i was expecting. my cookies needed double the time in the oven and are still gooey in the middle. taste is just okay for me.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, KK. The timing has worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would of been a hit for you too.
I loved these! They remind me of muffin tops! I love baking with pumpkin and so I expected them to be at least a bit spongey and these were just right! Not crumbly at all. Perfect pumpkin cookie! I used chocolate chunks in all if it and added pecans after one batch. All delicious.
Next up: pumpkin cake! It was a big hit last year so I just have to make it again.
Hi Anneke! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is my second too me making these wonderful cookies.
I changed the recipe just a bit..I used one cup of unbleached flour and one stick of unsalted butter,a dash of clove, 1/4 coconut sugar, 1/4 of dark brown sugar, 60% cocoa chocolate chips and walnuts… I left it baking for 15 mins…. They were deliciously moist, not too sweet and nutty… so good with a cup of tea or coffee… yummy!!!
Hi Kathy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and feedback on changes!
Thank you so much Erin!! It turned out excellent!! Delicious and healthy! My kids loved them. 😍🙏
Great to hear, thank you Nazar!
Yum yum yum! Tasty cookies. I used all white whole wheat flour tho because I didn’t have any all purpose, I think they still turned out good. I put chocolate chips in half the batch and some walnuts throughout all of it. I may have made my cookies a little bigger than directed, but just baked them 15 minutes.
Great to hear, thank you Amber!
Made these wonderfully delicious cookies today!
They are light, fluffy and satisfying. I added a bit more flour (spelt) but mostly made with soft whole wheat and red hard wheat (homeground). Added a half cup more of oats and coconut, walnuts and dark choc chips (made with coconut sugar).
What a great treat, thank you for sharing these.
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Elaine!
I am so glad that I did not read the comments before making these, because these are AMAZING! What a great recipe. Thank you Erin! They are soft and slightly fluffy on the inside, and taste like a chocolate chip pumpkin pie! However, my batter looked very wet, so I did add more oats (3/4 C more) and doubled the walnuts. The 2nd time I made these, I used 3/4 C pumpkin and 1/4 C almond butter, which was even better the first time.
Great to hear! Thank you Ashley!
Hi Colleen! It’s available at many grocery stores (or online here). Otherwise, I think it would work just fine to use the same amount of regular sugar in the same ratio as the rest of the cookies: half brown and half white. I haven’t tried it this way, but I see no reason why they wouldn’t turn out deliciously!
I am such a sucker for cream cheese frosting too, and that definitely happened with the little bit that I had left over!
That is HILARIOUS Alice! I say good for you :-)
ABSOLUTELY!
GENIUS! I owe you three cookies for that one :-)
Scratch and sniff? How about scratch and eat? ;-) Thanks so much Anna!
Hi Barbara! If you no do not have whole wheat flour on hand, you can substitute the same amount of all-purpose flour. For the monk fruit, swap regular brown and granulated sugar (1/4 cup of each). I hope you love these cookies, and thank you so much for your kind words about my blog too! :)