Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Name: Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup (145g) light brown sugar ((note 1)); 1/2 cup (115g) vegan butter (softened (note 2)); 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar (or more brown/coconut sugar); 2 tablespoons (30g) dairy-free milk (or water, as needed); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or extra water or milk); 3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose plain flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour (note 3)); 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; Pinch of any good quality salt (if using unsalted butter); 1 1/2 cups (180g) rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)

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5 from 9 votes

Easy vegan oatmeal cookies which are soft and chewy and come together in one bowl. These cookies use common pantry ingredients, are easily customized and don't need to be chilled before baking.

Close up of vegan oatmeal cookies with sprinkle of flaked salt on parchment paper.

Ingredients you'll need

Flatlay of ingredients for oatmeal cookies.

Notes about the ingredients

Brown sugar and regular granulated sugar. We're using a combination of sugars for the best flavor and texture. The brown sugar provides a delicious molasses flavor whereas the granulated sugar provides a more classic sweetness. Alternatively, you can use just brown sugar!

Vegan butter. I used vegan block butter for this recipe. If you can only access spreadable butter, it will still work but your cookies will spread a little more! Coconut oil will work but I'd recommend adding extra salt for flavor.

Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats), not quick-cooking oats.

Dairy-free milk such as soy, almond, or coconut. You can even use water! The liquid acts as a partial egg substitute as it brings the ingredients together and encourages the cookies to spread. You don't need a flax egg to make vegan cookies!

A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.

These vegan oatmeal cookies are made just like regular chocolate chip cookies! I recommend using an electric hand mixer or you can just use a wooden spoon and a little arm power.

First, whisk the sugars and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. This helps aerate the cookie dough and dissolve the sugars. Once I didn't do this properly and when I baked the cookies, the sugar separated and caramelized on the bottom... not a complete fail but it's not what we're after.

Then add your milk and vanilla extract and whisk/stir until just combined. It's okay if your mixture looks a little separated at this point!

Two image collage showing how to mix the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Next, add all your dry ingredients (except your oats) then whisk until the dough comes together. By now, it should resemble a very soft cookie dough and have no lumps of butter, sugar or flour.

Lastly, add the rolled oats and beat until combined. Some of the oats will break down while mixing which is absolutely okay! Your final cookie dough should be a little tacky. If the dough is too dry, the cookies won't spread as much so I recommend adding a little milk/water if needed.

Four image collage showing how to make the rest of the oatmeal cookie batter.

Tips: how to shape your dough for your perfect cookie!

To shape the cookies, I recommend either using:

An ice cream scoop
Clean damp hands. Pinch the dough into parts and roll them into balls.

Make sure you arrange the cookie dough balls on your baking sheet with space in between as they will spread when baked!

For thicker cakier cookies, keep the cookie dough as balls on your baking sheet and bake them for 10-12 minutes.

To make thinner cookies with a soft chewy center, slightly flatten your cookie dough balls (like below) and bake them for around 12 minutes.

If you want crispy cookies, flatten your cookie dough balls a little more than pictured below and bake them for around 15 minutes.

Two image collage showing before and after the oatmeal cookies are baked.

Optional add-ins

These cookies are amazing by themselves. However, you can also add:

dairy-free dark, milk or white chocolate chips
raisins
cranberries
finely shredded (desiccated) coconut or follow my vegan Anzac biscuit recipe

I recommend adding any extras at the same time as the rolled oats. You may need to add a little more milk to help bring the ingredients together.

Overhead image of oatmeal cookies on rustic plate with ingredients surrounding the plate.

Expert tips and substitutions

How can I make gluten-free vegan oatmeal cookies?

Substitute the all-purpose flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour and use gluten-free rolled oats. Gluten-free flour is a little less absorbent than regular flour so you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons more flour or less milk. Make sure your final cookie dough is soft and tacky!

You can see the difference between the regular oatmeal cookies and gluten-free version in this post for Anzac biscuits.

Can I make these oatmeal cookies without sugar?

I recommend using coconut sugar instead. I don't recommend using a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup as it'll be too runny for this recipe.

I haven't tested this recipe using sugar replacers like erythritol. However, from experience, cookies made with sugar replacers don't spread as easily so you will need to flatten them before baking. Some sugar replacers also don't caramelize as easily so your cookies may be paler in color.

Close up of one oatmeal cookie with bite taken out revealing soft chewy texture.

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