Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
These vegan oatmeal cookies are perfectly soft and chewy, with warm notes of brown sugar and cinnamon. They’re easy to make and come together in one bowl with common pantry ingredients!
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Brown sugar and regular granulated sugar. We’re using a combination of sugars for the best of both worlds! The brown sugar gives beautiful molasses flavor whereas the granulated sugar provides a more classic sweetness. Alternatively, you can use just brown sugar.
Vegan butter, of the block variety. If you only have spreadable butter, it will still work but your cookies will spread differently! Coconut oil will work but I’d recommend adding extra salt for flavor and an extra dash of milk.
Rolled oats (old fashioned oats), not quick oats.
Dairy-free milk such as soy, almond, or coconut. The liquid helps hydrate the oats and brings the ingredients together. You don’t need a flax egg to make these cookies!
Preparing the cookie dough
These chewy vegan oatmeal cookies are made just like regular chocolate chip cookies! It’s easiest to use an electric mixer or stand mixer but, if you don’t have one, you can use a wooden spoon and a little arm power.
First, beat the sugars and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. This aerates the cookie dough and dissolves the sugars. Once, I didn’t beat the sugar 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 just 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla extract and beat until combined. All brands of oats absorb liquids differently so you may need the rest of the milk later.
Next, add all your dry ingredients (except your oats), then mix until the dough comes together. By now, it should be a thick paste with no lumps of butter, sugar or flour.
Lastly, add the rolled oats and beat until most of the oats have broken down and the mixture is well combined. You should see only some whole rolled oats in your dough. If the oats haven’t broken down, your cookies will spread too much.
The final cookie dough should be slightly tacky, but not sticky. If your dough is not coming together, mix in the rest of the milk. If your dough sticks to your hands, refrigerate it for around 10-20 minutes.
Top tips: shaping your perfect cookie!
To shape the cookies, I recommend using an ice cream scoop OR clean damp hands.
For thicker cookies, keep the cookie dough as balls on your cookie sheet and bake them for 10-12 minutes.
For soft and chewy cookies, slightly flatten your cookie dough balls (like below) and bake for around 12 minutes.
If you prefer thin and crispy cookies, flatten your cookie dough balls more than pictured and bake them for around 14-15 minutes.
Optional add-ins
These cookies are amazing by themselves. However, you can also add:
- vegan chocolate chips (either dark, milk or white)
- raisins (or check out my oatmeal raisin cookies)
- 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.
Expert tips and substitutions
These cookies work well with King Arthur’s measure for measure flour and other all-purpose gluten-free flour blends! If making this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use gluten-free rolled oats.
The gluten-free cookie dough is much tackier than the original, so I suggest adding an extra 1-2 tablespoons more flour and less milk. Your final cookie dough should still be soft and slightly tacky! Even though the dough is stickier, please ensure you don’t overbake the cookies.
I recommend using coconut sugar. 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 more before baking. Some sugar replacers also don’t caramelize as easily so your cookies may be paler in color.
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Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (115g) vegan butter, room temperature (note 1)
- ¾ cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoons (13g) granulated sugar, or more brown sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30g) dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (95g) all-purpose plain flour, spooned and leveled (note 2)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (150g) rolled oats, gluten-free, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper.
Making the vegan oatmeal cookies:
- Add the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat until fluffy and well combined. Add the vanilla extract and just 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat until well combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt then beat until combined.
- Add the oats and beat until very well combined and most of the oats have broken down. The final dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky. If your dough is not coming together, add a little more milk and mix again. If your dough sticks to your hands, chill it in the fridge for 10-20 minutes.
- Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon measure to divide the cookie dough into 14 balls (around 40g each). Arrange the balls on your lined baking sheets, leaving around 2 inches (5 cm) between each, as they will spread.
- Optional: for slightly thinner cookies (like pictured), slightly flatten each ball with your fingers.
Baking the vegan oatmeal cookies:
- Bake the cookies for around 11-15 minutes. For soft and chewy cookies, bake them for less time, or for crispy cookies, bake them for more time. The cookies are ready when their edges look set but the centers are still soft – they will continue baking on the trays when you remove them from the oven (note 3). Allow the cookies to cool on the trays on a wire rack.
- Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Video
Notes
- These cookies will work with spreadable vegan butter but your cookies will spread differently. Use the butter chilled and add the milk at the end, only if needed. Softened coconut oil will also work but your cookies may spread more. If using, I recommend adding an extra dash of milk for moisture and extra salt for flavor.
- Measuring the flour: Make sure you measure the flour accurately otherwise, your cookies won’t spread as much. If you’re using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in the bag, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. I don’t recommend using the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container as this will add too much flour to your dough. For the best results, use the grams measurements.
Gluten-free cookies: These cookies work well with King Arthur’s gluten free measure for measure flour. I’ve also tested these cookies with gluten-free all-purpose flours and some brands are less absorbent than regular flour so you may need to add an extra tablespoon of gf flour. Your final cookie dough should still be a little tacky. - This is a very forgiving recipe, though keep inmind that different oat brands absorb liquid at different rates, which can affect how your cookies spread. If your cookies spread more than you’d like, you can gently nudge them back into shape with a larger cookie cutter, glass cup or a knife. For flatter cookies, gently press them down with the back of a spoon while they’re still warm.
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Thanks for this recipe! What would happen if I used instant oatmeal?
Hi Susan! If you use instant oatmeal, the cookies will be drier, spread less and potentially cakier. Hope that helps!
Hmm, they spread way too much idk why.
Hi! This can happen if your butter was too warm or if the oats weren’t adequately beaten in. The oats need to break down a little as they absorb the wet ingredients. Hope that helps!
I’ve made these 5 times in 1 month already! They are so chewy, delicious and flavourful. I’ve added some add ins to a few batches like chia seeds, coconut flakes etc and they turn our great but the ori recipe is top notch…I’m not even vegan haha so yummy.
Oh that’s amazing and I’m so glad you found the recipe adaptable!! I’m getting hungry thinking of all the different combinations haha. Thanks soo much for letting me know!!
Absolutely delicious and an easy recipe to whip up!
Hi Carol, aw that’s wonderful to hear!! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Easy recipe and delicious cookies! But a bit on the sweeter side for me, any way to make them a bit less sweet without changing the texture or overall flavour?
Hey Rj! Glad you enjoyed these cookies! Reducing the sugar by even a few tablespoons will change the texture but they’ll still be great to eat (they’ll just be thicker and spread less). Alternatively, you could add a little extra salt to balance out the sugar. Hope that helps!
Excellent recipe even using coconut oil instead of vegan butter was perfect.
I didn’t have dried cranberries which is my fave add-in, but I added a few chocolate chips and it’s a win!! Thank you!
I’m so happy that you loved these cookies! I’ve got to try them with choc chips next time. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
OMG!! So good! I made as directed, but added a 1/2 raisins and 1/2 cup walnuts. Great recipe…Thanks!
Hi Linda, I’m thrilled that you lvoed these cookies!! Walnuts would be a delicious add-in too. Thank you so much 🙂
Can I add vegan chocolate chips to this? Would that affect the cookie or baking? Thank you!! I can’t wait to try these!!
Hi Lexi, yes vegan chocolate chips would be an amazing addition! The cookies and other ingredients will be the same, but you may need to bake the cookies for extra 1-2 minutes. I hope that helps and let me know how you go!
My goodness, I made these cookies all by myself, and they were also the first cookies that I’ve ever made all by byself, and they were delicious!! Mango would be (and I’m sure is) proud!!
Hi Isiah!! I’m thrilled that you found these cookies approachable and that they worked out for you! Go you! Thanks soo much for taking the time to leave a comment here, and for your support 🙂
Thanks for this great recipe! I substituted the butter for peanut butter and added more milk. They turned out amazing!
Hi Claudia, that’s wonderful to hear!!! Thanks so much for letting me know and I’ll have to try it with peanut butter next time 🙂
I used refined coconut oil, and mine didn’t look at all like yours. It came out like a wet blob of oatmeal, but it tasted good. Way too sweet though. My sister loved them so I’ll keep making this kind, but it’s not for me. It’s strange how you say it will look unbaked when removed from the oven, but your pictures show a fully browned cookie. Maybe next time I will bake longer and soften them in an airtight container if they come out too hard or something. Or maybe use vegan butter instead since it contains fluid oils and water. I think maybe I added too much oat milk, I wasn’t sure about the “tacky” dough.
Hi Flora, cookies made with coconut oil naturally spread less and brown less than cookies made with vegan butter. If your cookies looked completely different, there was probably an issue with your ingredients or technique. Since your dough was overly tacky, your coconut oil was likely too warm (coconut oil has a lower melting point than vegan butter so the dough will look different). Since coconut oil isn’t as flavorful as butter, it makes sense that you found your cookies very sweet as there’s nothing to balance out the sugar. Finally, the ‘after’ shot of the baked cookie is after they cooled down and they’re made with vegan butter so they browned.
Thanks for the suggestions! I actually decided to experiment with your recipe and I came out with a very unique cookie. Instead of sugar, I subbed all of it with 1/2 cup of date powder that I found on Amazon, less oats and extra flour, and nutmeg. It’s pretty amazing and almost guilt free for me, nice for a breakfast snack or in between meals. It’s a totally different texture from any cookie I’ve ever made, the outer edges are light and crispy similar to the topping on apple crumble or a shortbread cookie. And the inner is moist and dark from the date powder, and the oatmeal is light and crispy and soft on the inside. It wasn’t hard at all which I was worried about. My mom loved it and asked to make more.
I did like the initial recipe even with my fails, but it was more of a sweeter oatmeal dessert cookie instead of a nice all day snack. I do have a big sweet tooth but don’t like my stuff too sweet, but you’re probably right about the butter…I used to make non-vegan stuff all the time with real butter and the recipes also had a lot of sugar. I only have Miyoko’s style butter that I make at home, but it has too much cashew/milk in it (my preference), so I’d have to add more coconut/sunflower oil for it to work for baking, it turns cookies cakey otherwise. I don’t want to use vegan butter from the store though because it contains palm and canola oils which I don’t feel great about eating…since I tend to eat a lot of the cookies when I make them!
can i substitute oatmeal or almond flour?
They may work if you add a flax egg or a binder of some sort, but they won’t work by themselves unfortunately.
My dough was crumbly (accidentally melted the vegan butter and had no dairy-free milk) so instead of making cookies I pressed it into an 7 x 11 baking dish and baked for about 20 minutes or so – I took the dish out when the top started inflating. These were fantastic baked that way…I am definitely making again!!
That sounds like a delicious outcome!! It sounds like you troubleshooted the situation well, and now I want to try the cookies in a baking dish. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Hi thanks for another yummy recipe. I used a combination of peanut butter and vegan butter for pb oatmeal cookies and they were so tasty!
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad that they worked with a bit of peanut butter 🙂
These are so simple but delicious!!!
So glad that you enjoyed them, Sarah!
I followed your recipe exactly and these have to be some of the sweetest, softest yet chewiest (in the best way!) cookies I have ever eaten.
I will definitely be making these again. Thank you.
Hi Cat, awww that’s wonderful feedback and now I want to make these cookies again! I’m so glad that the recipe will be a keeper for you. Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
I cut the sugar in half, used half coconut oil half grapeseed oil, about a 1/2 cup extra oats to absorb the oil. Baked 20 minutes! Crunchy, awesome!
That sounds delicious!!! I’ll have to try the cookies with oil one day. Thanks so much for letting me know how they worked for you 🙂
Hi Anthea,
I made these with 1 cup of rolled oats + 1 cup of unsweetened corn flakes and they are SO GOOD!
The corn flakes makes them crunchy and they didn’t flatten out in the oven. This one is sure a keeper!
Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
Hi Mel! Oooh, that sounds delicious! I’ve never tried them with corn flakes but reading your comment makes me want to immediately. Thanks so much for letting me know and for your support!! 🙂