Gluten-Free Soft Pumpkin Cookies
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Add as Google Trusted SourceThese soft pumpkin cookies are fluffy, cake-like and filled with pumpkin spice and mini chocolate chips. Made with almond and coconut flour, they’re naturally gluten-free with no added oil. Enjoy them plain or add your favorite frosting!
These soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies were inspired by the two-ingredient pumpkin cookies made with cake mix and canned pumpkin. After trying them with Simple Mills vanilla cake mix and sharing them on Instagram, I wanted to recreate that same soft texture in a gluten-free cookie made from scratch. Think little pumpkin cakes in cookie form!
The flour combination is what makes this recipe special. Almond flour adds richness, while a little coconut flour helps absorb the pumpkin’s moisture. You get pillowy cookies without adding butter or oil, and there’s no mixer or chilling required.
Table of Contents
“These are BEYOND good! Was looking for a good pumpkin cookie and I’ve found it!!! They’re soft and perfect.”
Why I Love These Pumpkin Cookies
- Soft and fluffy: These are for the soft-cookie lovers! Expect a tender, cake-like center in every bite.
- Naturally gluten-free: Almond and coconut flour form the base, so there’s no gluten-free flour blend needed.
- Easy to mix by hand: Two bowls, a spoon and about 10 minutes of prep are all you need before baking.
- Delicious with or without frosting: I love these cookies with mini chocolate chips, but topping them with my healthy cream cheese frosting or vanilla buttercream frosting makes them feel extra special.
Ingredients Needed
- almond flour – adds richness and forms the base of these cookies. Finely ground, blanched almond flour is a good choice for a smooth texture.
- coconut flour – you only need a few tablespoons! It absorbs moisture and works alongside the almond flour to give the cookies structure. One reader successfully replaced the coconut flour with 3 Tablespoons additional almond flour. I haven’t personally tested this swap, so I recommend using both flours for the intended texture.
- pumpkin pie spice – brings all that cozy fall flavor. Use store-bought or my homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- baking soda and sea salt – help the cookies rise and bring out the sweetness.
- eggs – help bind the dough and give these soft cookies structure.
- cane sugar – sweetens the dough. Coconut sugar also works, but makes the cookies darker.
- pumpkin purée – use plain canned pumpkin, not sweetened pumpkin pie filling. You can also use homemade pumpkin purée; it should be thick rather than watery.
- mini chocolate chips – their small size helps distribute the chocolate throughout the cookies. I like using Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips, but any brand will work. Choose a dairy-free option if needed.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Prep: Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix separately: Stir the almond flour, coconut flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt together in one bowl. Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin together in another.
- Combine: Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. The dough will be much softer and wetter than traditional cookie dough.
- Scoop and shape: Divide the dough into 24 portions on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them. Gently flatten with a spoon or your fingers, as the cookies won’t spread much.
- Bake: Bake for about 15 minutes, until the tops look set. These cookies should stay soft.
- Cool and frost: Let the cookies firm up briefly on the pan before transferring carefully to a wire rack. Once completely cool, spread or pipe on frosting if desired.
Brittany’s Recipe Tips
- Don’t add extra flour just because the dough looks wet: This dough is supposed to be soft! Extra flour can change the texture.
- Shape before baking: Since the cookies don’t spread much, flatten each scoop into the shape you want before it goes in the oven.
- Let them cool: They’re delicate while warm and become easier to handle as they cool.
- Frost when completely cool: Even slightly warm cookies can melt the frosting. A knife works perfectly for spreading, or use a #17 star tip for the swirls shown in the photos.
How to Store
- In the fridge: Let the cookies cool completely, then place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Separate layers with parchment paper. You can store them plain and frost before serving, or refrigerate them already frosted. If your frosting has a shorter storage window, follow that guidance.
- In the freezer: Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container or bag, with parchment between layers. Thaw in the fridge and add frosting before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
They’re soft, fluffy and cake-like, with very little spread. Think of a little pumpkin cake in cookie form rather than a crisp or chewy cookie.
Pumpkin adds plenty of moisture, so this dough is softer than traditional cookie dough. That’s expected. Measure the flours carefully and resist adding more to make it feel like a standard cookie dough.
No! Once the dough is mixed, you can scoop, flatten and bake it right away.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (175 grams) almond flour
- 3 Tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup cane sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips, I used Enjoy Life
- vanilla or cream cheese frosting, for piping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, coconut flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.1 ½ cups (175 grams) almond flour, 3 Tablespoons coconut flour, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin purée.2 eggs, ½ cup cane sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be soft and wet.⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- Scoop the dough into 24 portions, placing them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in batches if needed. Gently flatten each scoop with a spoon or your fingers; the cookies won’t spread much.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the tops look set. Let the cookies firm up briefly on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If desired, spread frosting over the cooled cookies or pipe it on using a piping bag fitted with a #17 star tip.vanilla or cream cheese frosting
Video
Notes
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze unfrosted for up to 2 months. Follow your frosting’s storage guidance if shorter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I live above 6000 feet, so I added 1 extra tablespoon of coconut flour and they turned out great. I LOVE pumpkin desserts and was so excited to try out some healthy pumpkin cookies.
Ah this is so great to hear, Nicole. I am so glad these turned out great for you, especially at a higher elevation. Thank you for taking the time to share your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
These cookies looked so good, and loved the description! I made them with my 4yo so I appreciated the relative simplicity and number of ingredients. I am also gluten and dairy free so wanted to try it.
I followed the recipe as written and I ended up with cookies that were yes very soft but almost looked undercooked at the 15 minute mark. I let them bake for 3-4 more minutes just in case it was my oven temperature not being correct. Others mention using all almond flour so I may try that next time, but have had luck in the past with other recipes using both coconut and almond flour. They tasted fine, but definitely more soft-like-cookie-dough than soft-like-pillow or airy like in the pictures. I love many other recipes here so it could surely be user error!
Hi Hannah – I am sorry to hear these turned out a but to soft for you. What rack did you have them on in the oven? Also the consistency of the batter when scooping out the cookies? I am wondering if either of those may have played into the cookies being too soft. I am happy to hear they tasted great though!
These are seriously soft pillowy pumpkin goodness… in a cookie. Always get great feedback when I serve them to friends and family. I didn’t even make the frosting (trying to keep them lower in calories), and they’re still delish
Woo! Love to hear that, Stephanie! Thanks for the review and star rating, I appreciate it so much!
My kiddos loved these! They were so easy to make together and the frosting made them a little fancier for a cookie exchange!
Ah yay! Happy to hear these cookies were a hit, Christina! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
These are BEYOND good! Was looking for a good pumpkin cookie and I’ve found it!!! They’re soft and perfect.
Ah yay! So happy to hear this, Sydney. Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means so much to me :).
Oh my goodness… these are heaven and they taste buttery. I didn’t have the coconut flour so I just added 3 more tablespoons of almond flour. And I did a couple of dashes of clove because why not!
I just made one batch and I didn’t quite put a whole half cut of sugar and for the next batch I’m going to try 4 tablespoons of cane sugar and see how they turn out(I am doing a no added sugar lifestyle, but I do have a husband and tot that still like sweets)
All that to say, very tasty recipe and thanks for sharing!
So glad you loved these cookies, Holly!! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it!