Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free)

These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are chewy, flavourful and easy to make. A great seasonal snack for busy days!

Originally posted on October 20, 2021. Updated on September 30, 2024.

Why I love these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since pumpkin is the flavour of the month of October, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to create these chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! 

As we make our way through the fall season there are so many opportunities for harvest recipes. Ingredients like apples, beets, brussels sprouts, pears, cauliflower and squash are at their peak (at least here in British Columbia). And of course, this pumpkin cookie recipe is an excellent way to utilize some of the seasonal pumpkin!

One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s pretty versatile. If baked as recommended, this recipe results in a soft, chewy and thick cookie. For crunchy cookies, you can flatten the mound of cookie dough prior to cooking. You could also increase the bake time by a minute or two, depending on your texture preference. 

 

These pumpkin cookies are:

• a delicious snack or dessert
• flavourful and chewy
• easy to make
• suits a variety of dietary restrictions or preferences
• freezer friendly

 

What you need to make these cookies

To make these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, you will need:

• Quick oats
  • I recommend using quick oats because of the texture. They take the place of all purpose flour in a traditional cookie recipe.
• Eggs
• Banana
  • I recommend using a ripe banana to add some extra natural sweetness to these cookies. 
• Pumpkin puree
  • Make sure you buy pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
• Light brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon
  • It’s not fall baking without some added cinnamon!
• Baking powder and salt
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Make sure these are gluten free chocolate chips if you need this recipe to be certified gluten free.

 

Ingredient substitutions and alternatives

If you don’t have some of the suggested ingredients or you would prefer to make some substitutions, here are my recommendations: 

• Rolled oats
  • You can use these instead of quick oats if these are more accessible to you.

• Pumpkin puree
  • Instead of banana, you can opt for additional pumpkin puree. However, the final cookie might not be as sweet. 
• Other types of brown sugar
  • Any kind of brown sugar will work in this recipe.
• Pumpkin pie spice
  • This can be used in place of the cinnamon. There are some additional seasonings in pumpkin pie spice like ginger and allspice that will add extra flavour and dimension to the cookies.
• Milk chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
  • Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use milk or dark chocolate chips. You could also use mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks!

Canned or homemade pumpkin purée?

For time and simplicity sake, I decided to use canned pumpkin in this recipe. Alternatively, if you would like to go all Martha Stewart on us and make your own pumpkin purée at home, check out this how-to-guide for instructions! You can go even further and reduce food waste by roasting the pumpkin seeds for a savoury snack or crunchy topping on salads or soups. Check out a recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds here!

 

How to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s how to make these chewy pumpkin cookies.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper, tin foil or a silicone baking sheet. Alternatively, you can grease it with butter or a non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, add the eggs, banana, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix well. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients (oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt) and stir together.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop about 2 tbsp of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to evenly distribute the cookies apart. Repeat with the rest of the batter. 
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes until removing from the tray. Enjoy!

 

Do Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies freeze well?

Yes! Once the cookies have baked and cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container. This could be a glass or plastic container or even a freezer bag! Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, either take them out 1-2 hours in advance or microwave them for 15-20 seconds, or until they reach your preferred temperature and texture. Enjoy!

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

As a non-diet dietitian, I encourage my clients and audience to include a variety of foods in their diet. Of course not everything we eat will have major nutrient benefits. However, it can be informative to learn more about what nutrients pumpkin provides.

• Fibre
  • excellent for digestion and cholesterol reduction.
• Vitamin A
  • beneficial for eyesight and supporting the immune system. It is found in huge amounts in pumpkin!
• Iron
  • used to make hormones, energy and hemoglobin, which transports oxygen around our body.
• Smaller amounts of vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and calcium.

 

Gluten free pumpkin cookies

This recipe is naturally flourless and gluten free, as long as you ensure the oats you use are also gluten free. Some oats have been cross contaminated with flour so make sure you have certified gluten free oats.

 

Other dietary considerations

In addition to being gluten free, these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies can be made to meet a variety of dietary needs.

• Dairy free: use dairy free chocolate chips
• Vegetarian: make as instructed, this is already a vegetarian recipe!
• Vegan: use an egg alternative (ex. Flax egg) and vegan chocolate chips

More Pumpkin recipes:

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies call for ½ cup of pumpkin puree so if you have any left over and want to make more pumpkin recipes, you need to check these recipes out!

• Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes (high protein)
• Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
• 10 Healthy Recipes with Pumpkin Puree

 

If you make these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creations of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutrition.rd!