MEET THE SOFT HEALTHY PUMPKIN COOKIES that convince people to fall in love with pumpkin. I perfected this recipe a couple of years back and AK readers fell in love — for good reason!
Here’s the deal, Tony told me he didn’t like pumpkin. I was like WHO ARE YOU? Then I made these soft pumpkin cookies covered in a light salted maple frosting and he basically ate the entire batch over two days. That’s when you know they’re really, really good.
Honestly, I’m obsessed too. I couldn’t stop myself from sneaking bites here and there throughout the day.
They’re pillowy, healthy pumpkin cookies that taste like a cross between pumpkin pie and a soft pumpkin Lofthouse style cookie, which is perfect because that was basically my inspiration for this recipe.
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Ingredients in these healthy pumpkin cookies
Guess what? These soft pumpkin cookies are pretty dang healthy, too! They’re made with simple ingredients that you might already have in your pantry. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Coconut oil: you’ll need a bit of coconut oil for moisture in these pumpkin cookies.
- Pumpkin puree: for that delicious pumpkin flavor! Feel free to use a can or make your own pumpkin puree with fresh pumpkin.
- Organic cane sugar: I like to use organic cane sugar in this recipe but you can also use regular sugar or coconut sugar. Just note that coconut sugar will make the cookies a bit darker in color.
- Maple syrup: just a tablespoon of pure maple syrup gives these cookies that cozy fall flavor.
- Egg: you’ll just need 1 egg in this recipe. I also think that a flax egg would work well to keep these pumpkin cookies vegan.
- Vanilla extract: for a little additional flavor.
- Almond & coconut flour: we’re using a mix of almond flour and coconut flour to keep these cookies gluten and grain free.
- Baking soda & salt: so that they bake up properly.
- Pumpkin pie spice: feel free to use pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice or you can use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger & allspice or cloves.
- For the salted maple frosting: you’ll need some more maple syrup, butter (or vegan butter), almond milk and powdered sugar (or my paleo powdered sugar).
The best salted maple frosting
The cookies themselves are paleo and dairy free without the frosting, but honestly, what’s a pumpkin cookie without a little creamy frosting on top?! Not as good if you ask me.
To make it you’ll simply mix together the powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, melted butter and almond milk. Add a pinch of sea salt to taste. At first, it will seem a little thin, but after sitting for 5 minutes, it gets nice and thick for spreading.
I personally love the frosting because it’s light, yet both sweet and a tiny bit salty, just the way most things in life should be. Pretty sure I want to frost my favorite carrot cake muffins with it too!
Tips for making these healthy pumpkin cookies
- Do not use substitutes. Almond flour should not be replaced with any other flour, nor should you attempt to replace the coconut flour. The cookies are perfect as-is! I do have dairy free & vegan options to try substituting below and in the notes section.
- Pack your almond flour. You can pack the almond flour just like you would with brown sugar. It makes all the difference! Do not pack the coconut flour.
- DIY the pumpkin puree. Check out all of my tips and tricks for making your own pumpkin puree if you can’t find any canned!
- They’re delicious from the freezer. These cookies get softer as the days go on so I recommend keeping them in the freezer. I know this seems weird, but I froze a bunch of these cookies, then tried one straight from the freezer and they were incredible!
How to make these pumpkin cookies vegan, dairy free & paleo
- To make dairy free: these gluten free pumpkin cookies can easily be made dairy free by just swapping in vegan butter in the frosting. The cookies themselves are delicious even without the frosting (though the frosting takes these the next level).
- To make vegan: try using a flax egg instead of the regular egg (learn how to make one here!) Also, remember to use vegan butter in the frosting (or omit the frosting).
- To make paleo: use coconut sugar in the cookies themselves and simply omit the frosting.
Store or freeze them for later
- To store: feel free to keep these healthy pumpkin cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, then transfer them to the fridge or freezer. I recommend the freezer.
- To freeze: make sure the cookies are completely cooled, and then transfer them to an airtight container lined with wax or parchment paper or freezer-safe bag before storing them in the freezer for up to 2 months (with or without the frosting). I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy!
More pumpkin recipes you’ll love
- Nourishing Almond Butter Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins (that taste like CAKE!)
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Blow Ya Mind Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (gluten free!)
- Mini Paleo Pumpkin Pies with Gingerbread Cookie Crust
- Nourishing Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread
Get all of our amazing pumpkin recipes here!
I highly suggest baking yourself a batch of these healthy pumpkin cookies and frosting them up ASAP. They really soft, but get even softer as the days go on. Everyone is gonna go CRAZY for these bad boys.
I hope you enjoy these healthy soft pumpkin cookies. If you make them, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe — I really appreciate it! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Soft Paleo Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Frosting
Ingredients
- For the cookie dough:
- 1/4 cup melted and cooled coconut oil (or sub melted butter)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar (regular sugar or coconut sugar will also work!)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups packed fine almond flour (do not use almond meal)
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Optional if not using frosting: Roll dough in cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamon)
- For the Salted Maple Frosting:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk, plus 1-2 teaspoons more to thin if necessary
- Pinch of sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the coconut oil, pumpkin puree, sugar, maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined and smooth. Next add in almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Process until a dough forms. Allow dough to sit for 5 minutes.
- Next use your hands to roll dough into golf sized balls. Roll in cinnamon-sugar if you'd like. Place on prepared cookie sheet then flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand, but still keep the cookies nice and round. They should be about 1/4 inch thick before baking because we still want them to be nice, thick and fluffy. Bake for 8-11 minutes.
- Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. Makes about 12 cookies.
- For the frosting: In a medium bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, melted butter and almond milk. Add a pinch of sea salt to taste. If frosting is too thick, you can add a teaspoon or two more milk to make it spreadable. Frost each cookie then enjoy! Sprinkle top of frosting with a little cinnamon for a gorgeous look. Cookies will get softer each day. Cookies can be stored in a container at room temp for a few days, then I recommend storing them in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 11th, 2018, republished on October 17th, 2021, and republished on September 12th, 2022.
My wife thinks there might have been something wrong with our coconut flour, but I had to bake these for twice as long as the recipe stated to get any kind of structure. The first batch just fell apart in my hands.
So strange! What did the batter look like?
DELICIOUS!!!! I didn’t make a single change to the recipe, these cookies are a hit!
So glad you loved them!
These were really yummy. Thank you. I modified the recipe as I’m allergic to almonds, doubling the recipe and mixing oats and pecans in the blender for the almond substitute. Overall, will make again!
I’m glad that worked out well! Perfect treat 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe except replaced the egg for a vegan version with bobs red mill vegan egg substitute. They turned out perfectly and are so soft. This will be a repeat recipe.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
I really wanted to like these, but mine turned out chalky and grainy. I subbed a flax egg for an egg, so maybe that’s why?
So strange! Did the batter look/feel grainy? Did you use fine, blanched almond four?
Me encantan estás galletas 😍
Can you use all almond flour and forgo the coconut flour?
I wouldn’t recommend it, sorry! The texture will be different. You could try using oat flour, but please note that I haven’t tested it.
I made these last year and took them to church. They disappeared quickly—SO good! Highly recommend this recipe!
One of my fav fall treats!
By far, this is the best pumpkin cookie we have ever had. Thank you for such an excellent recipe.
So happy to hear that!!
So happy you loved them!!
Can I use all purpose flour in substitution for the almond and coconut flours?
I wouldn’t recommend it – sorry! Try my Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles instead.
This is similar to the Ambitious Kitchen Birthday Cake Cookied recipe, which I love, so I knew I would love these too! They’re soft and perfectly spiced. My icing never looks like the pictures. It’s more off white and a bit transparent, but still delicious.
Absolutely! Glad you found these ones!
i did it with the “rolling in sugar” version – took em out at around 9 or 10 mins and they are so goood. i love the texture – the dough came together perfectly.
So happy to hear that!
Have made these cookies so many times, super easy, and always a crowd favorite !
You offer a lot of substitution options to make these vegan, dairy-free, etc. but then are adamant that people not substitute regular flour. Could you offer a version with regular AP flour? These sound delicious but I don’t always have alternate flours available.
These are so good! Very soft with the perfect amount of sweetness. I did not include the glaze and they were still amazing.
Amazing! So glad you’re loving these cookies and they turned out amazing for you!
Made recipe as written and it was delicious! I’m normally not a big fan of of pumpkin or pumpkin spice, but I really enjoyed these. They are so soft, and perfectly sweet. I would make these again!
So good! Glad you gave this recipe a try and are loving it, Erin!
where are the reviews
I am interested in baking these cookies as an alternative for those who are gluten-free when I host coffee hour at my church in November. To get accurate measurements for flour, I like to measure by weight. Do you have a weight measurement for the packed almond flour? Thanks!
I do not at this time (but hope to soon), I would recommend searching a metric converter online that would give you the most accurate answer. Hope that helps.
Way better than I thought. Perfect at 10,000 ft too. And, they got better after a couple days. Will make these again!
I really liked the texture of these but they were just a little too bland for me. I even added even a little more pumpkin spice than the recipe called for. My frosting was on the thin side. Next time I’d probably start without the milk and add as needed.
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Jen. Did you change anything about the recipe?
the cookies sound good can you make them with out nut flours as i am allergic
Hi Caroline – I do not recommend subbing the almond flour in this recipe. I recommend my brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodles.
OMG! These are so satisfying! The frosting is crazy good!! I encourage everyone to make these cookies asap. You need them.
Ah thank you so much for this, Alexandra. I am so glad you’re loving these cookies 😍
It was hard to tell when these were done in the oven because they remained so soft, ended up doing about 10 mins… and they are fabulous! With the icing, they are to die for.
WOW. These cookies are so easy to make and absolutely delicious. I think I’ve made them 5+ times and they always come out perfect. They are great to bring to events because they look soooo fancy. They taste like the filling of pumpkin pie! Someone I know that isn’t fond of pumpkin thought they were amazing too.
Just tried this recipe for the first time. I was looking for a pumpkin flavored cookie for Thanksgiving. The cookies turned out really well. I replaced the egg with a gelatin egg and used coconut sugar. I also made my own pumpkin spice with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 teaspoon cloves (no allspice or nutmeg). I accidentally forgot the vanilla extract. I baked the cookies for 11 minutes and did not frost them. They really taste good even with the modifications that I made. My other oops was to use a cold bowl and the coconut oil became too solid, not room temperature. I placed the bowl in warm water and the oil became soft again. Great recipe and it’s a keeper.
Ahhh this is amazing. So happy you loved this recipe! ❤️🙂
All your comments on these cookies are correct!! yes, theyre amazing, and healthy. I used coconut manna for the top and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.
My first attempt at baking with almond flour. I used the cinnamon sugar instead of frosting because I’m a little bit lazy. Totally amazing. I made smaller cookies and got 24 from the batch. Thank you for the great recipe.
Ah yay! So glad you are loving this recipe and that these cookies came out great ❤️
Yummi!! Can I sub almond flour (I am out 😅) with all purpose flour? Thank you!
I do not suggest making any substitutions for the flours in this recipe. So sorry.
Can you sub coconut milk for almond milk in this recipe?
I would not recommend subbing any of the ingredients in this recipe. The almond milk is for the frosting and I would not suggest substituting the milk in this recipe. If you do give it a try, let me know how it works out.
Another exceptional recipe! I baked mine 11 minutes, perfection!
Yay! Happy to hear it came out great 😊
Delicious and super easy to make.
I only deducted 1 star because they were a little bit crumbly but I will definitely make these again.
So happy to hear that. Easy and delicious!
I just made these and holyyy they are amazing. I didn’t use coconut flour and I subbed the egg for flax and just cooked them a bit longer and they are perfect – I will try with an egg next time!
The swaps sound great. So happy you’re a fan of this recipe!
Delicious, soft cookies and packed with nutrition. I do cheat sometimes by using store-bought icing either buttercream or cream cheese flavors.
Such a great treat! Your icing secret is safe with me 🙂 still delicious!
These are GOOD, but I won’t make them again. They are more like mini cakes than cookies, and perhaps I got sick of them since nobody else in my house would eat them. I will save the glaze recipe though, it’s insanely good and easy. I’ve never succeeded in making an icing/frosting until now!
Appreciate the feedback! Do you think they were a bit overcooked? They’re definitely soft but the texture should be more fudgy than cakey. Glad you loved the icing, though!
Love these and the banana version!! Perfect little soft treat! Do you think you could press the dough into an 8×8 and make these into bars??
Glad you love them! And I’m not totally sure, I’ve never tried it!
I followed this recipe except used butter instead of coconut oil. They were OUTSTANDING! Soft and flavorful. Will absolutely make again.
Amazing!! So glad they came out delicious. Thanks for commenting, Ellen 🙂
A killer recipe!!! Sooooo good. At first I thought the cookies were a bit undercooked but that’s how they’re supposed to be.
Don’t skip out on the frosting. They finish them perfectly!