Soft and chewy vegan oatmeal cranberry cookies that are quick and easy to make! Each bite is filled with bursts of tart cranberry and sweet chocolate chips. They’re dairy-free, egg-free, and if you use gluten-free oats and oat flour, they're gluten-free, too!
Customize by adding walnuts, omitting the chocolate chips, or adding white chocolate chips. All the details are below.
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Cookies are, of course, a popular and delicious treat to have on your baking list any time of year, but if you want to make something a little different, these easy vegan oatmeal cranberry cookies make a nice addition to your fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas baking lineup.
Not only do they taste and look good, they're also VERY easy to make and require minimal ingredients and steps.
PLUS, they're vegan, gluten-free (if you use gluten-free oats and flour!), egg-free, and also dairy-free.
They're perfect for your family to snack on (with a glass of almond milk or another plant-based milk of your choice!), to share with friends, to bring to a potluck, or to bring into the office to treat your co-workers.
They can also be given as food gifts...because what better gift is there to give and receive than food?! (For some non-food gift ideas, check out these Gift Ideas for Vegan Foodies.)
Before you go through all the need-to-know details to make these irresistible chewy oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies, here are some more vegan gluten-free Christmas cookie recipes to make this holiday season:
- Vegan Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
- Chewy Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies
Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!
Ingredients You'll Need
Just like all of my other vegan gluten-free cookie recipes, this one also calls for simple ingredients.
I always recommend sticking with the recipe the way it's written for the best results, but below you will find info about each ingredient and what you can and cannot substitute.
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
Oat Flour – You’ll need to use oat flour, for this recipe. It gives the cookies a great texture and heartiness. You can use store-bought oat flour, but you can also make your own (click here to learn how to make your oat flour), BUT, if you do make your own, make sure to sift it to get rid of any hard bits and THEN measure / weigh it out for the recipe. If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, be sure to buy oat flour that is certified gluten-free and if you are making your own, make sure your oats are gluten-free.
NOTE: When baking, measuring your flour accurately is so important to get the best results. Check out my article all about how to measure flour correctly, before you start.
Rolled Oats – Use only rolled oats, do not use steel-cut oats, quick oats, or instant oats. Buy certified gluten-free rolled oats if you need the cookies to be gf.
Dried Cranberries - This recipe has only been tested with dried cranberries; I have not tested this recipe with fresh cranberries. Since fresh cranberries have moisture, it may affect the texture of the cookies, especially after they have been stored.
Chocolate Chips - I always use vegan semi-sweet / dark chocolate chips, use your favourite.
Not sure which brands make vegan chocolate chips? Read this article: "Are Chocolate Chips Vegan" to find an extensive list of vegan brands to look for at your grocery store and online.
Flax Eggs – The flax egg acts as a binder. If you can’t have flax eggs, chia eggs will work as a substitute.
Baking Soda – This is essential to the texture of the cookies and it helps them to brown and rise. It cannot be substituted with baking powder.
Coconut Oil – If you use extra virgin coconut oil, your cookies will have a slight coconut taste so if that’s something you don’t think you’d like, then use refined coconut oil. I tested this recipe with vegan butter and the results were good, but I found that the cookies softened quite a bit more than the coconut oil version after they were stored.
Coconut Sugar – If you don’t have coconut sugar, brown sugar can be used instead. I have not tried making this recipe with any sugar alternatives or with liquid sweeteners.
Want more cookies? Be sure to look through this list to see all of my vegan gluten-free cookie recipes!
Preparing the Cranberries
I like to roughly chop the cranberries so the pieces are smaller. This way, you won't get bites that are overpowered with whole tart cranberries and there will be more cranberry pieces in each cookie.
The smaller pieces balance nicely with the dark chocolate chips and you'll get some in every bite!
How to Make Them
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)
1. Mix the dry ingredients, and set aside.
2. Mix the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix them into a dough.
4. Add the chocolate chips and chopped cranberries to the dough.
5. Stir the chocolate chips and cranberries in until they have incorporated evenly into the cookie dough.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the dough and place each cookie dough ball onto your cookie sheet(s).
7. Slightly flatten the cookie dough balls, they don't spread very much while baking, so they need a little help.
8. Bake. When time is up and they are golden brown, carefully remove the cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for a few minutes so they can firm up before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Variations
- If you like raisins, you can make my vegan oatmeal raisin cookies instead.
- If you prefer white chocolate chips, replace the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips like in the image below.
- You can use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips.
- You can also add a little crunch to the cookies by adding some nuts (walnuts, pecans) or seeds (sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds).
What’s the Texture Like?
After they have cooled a bit, the outside edges will be a little crispy and, on the inside, they'll be soft and chewy.
After you store the leftovers in an airtight container, the crispy edges will become soft like the rest of the cookie.
Making Ahead
To Freeze the Cookie Dough for Baking Later
Follow steps 3-9 in the recipe, then place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once completely frozen, place the cookie dough in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container in single layers, with parchment paper separating each layer, and freeze for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to bake them, remove them from the freezer, place them on a prepared baking sheet, and bake. Baking details are in the recipe notes below.
Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!
Storing Leftovers / Freezing for Later
To Store Baked Cookies
Store your vegan cranberry oatmeal cookies for 5-6 days in an airtight container at room temperature. The only thing that changes after you store them is that the crispy edges will soften.
Freezing Baked Cookies
If you won't be able to finish all of the cookies within 5-6 days, you can freeze them after they have fully cooled.
To do that, place the baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag in a single layer, separating each layer with parchment paper, for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to serve, just place them on a plate, bring them to room temperature, and enjoy.
Tips for Success
- Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily.
- If you make your oat flour, ALWAYS sift it before adding it to the recipe. Homemade oat flour does not get as fine as store-bought, so to ensure it's fine, sift it. If it's not sifted, the texture of your cookies will not be correct. (Learn how to make oat flour)
- Measure your oat flour correctly. Too much will make your cookie dough dry and very crumbly resulting in cookies that are also dry and crumbly. Please read my article about how to measure flour correctly. This tip also applies to all other ingredients, make sure to measure them accurately to get the best results. I highly recommend using a scale and my weight measurements (this is the scale I own (Amazon Link).
- Make sure your coconut oil is softened, not melted.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough. This will result in uniform-sized cookies so they all bake evenly. Using a scoop also makes this step quicker and easier.
- Don't skip the resting time after you've removed them from the oven. You must wait for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack since they are very soft and fragile right after baking. They continue to bake as they rest and will firm up as they cool.
- Read this post from top to bottom before you start. I’ve included a lot of tips and tricks so you get things right. Also read through the actual recipe before getting started.
- Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.
Not sure which brands make vegan chocolate chips and vegan white chocolate chips? Read this article: "Are Chocolate Chips Vegan" to find an extensive list of vegan brands to look for to use in all of your vegan cookie recipes and more!
Recipe FAQ
I always use dried cranberries for these cookies and have not tried making them with fresh or frozen cranberries, so I can't say from experience if the cookies will still turn out well. I do know that if fresh cranberries are used, they will release liquid as they bake which will likely alter the texture of the cookies, so proceed with caution.
No, dried cranberries do not need to be hydrated before adding them to cookies. The only time you would do this is if the recipe specifically states to do that.
I have not tried replacing the oil with another ingredient (like applesauce), so I can't say for sure if it would work very well.
If You Make This Recipe...
...let me know how your chocolate chip cranberry oatmeal cookies turned out! Share a comment and star rating below or share a picture on Instagram and tag me (@delightfuladventures) so I can see!
And If You Like This Recipe...
...you may also like these other vegan gluten-free cranberry recipes!
Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ cups (129g) oat flour (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (104g) soft coconut oil (see note below)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (100g) coconut sugar
- ½ cup (90g) chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup (45g) dried cranberries roughly chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Prepare your baking sheet(s) by lining with parchment paper.
- Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the flax mixture, soft coconut oil, vanilla extract, and coconut sugar.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips and cranberries.
- Using a tablespoon (or a medium-sized cookie scoop), scoop equal amounts onto the baking sheet(s).
- Flatten each cookie slightly. Leave enough space around each cookie, they will spread a little as they bake.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden around the edges. Don't overbake! (see note below)
- Leave cookies on the cookie sheet to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove them and place them on a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the helpful tips and FAQ above before making this recipe.
- The calorie count is based on 20 cookies, which is the amount you will get if you use a medium-sized cookie scoop, (medium scoops are usually 1.5 tablespoons), you will end up with a few more cookies if you use a tablespoon.
- For this recipe, you want your coconut oil to be soft, not melted.
- If you make your oat flour sift it to get rid of any larger pieces and only after it has been sifted, then measure / weigh it for the recipe. Don't skip the sifting or your measurement will be off and the texture of the cookies will not be correct.
- Make sure to measure / weigh your oat flour correctly.
- This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour or any other single gluten-free flour, please use oat flour for the intended results.
- Cookies may seem underbaked when you take them out of the oven because they will be very soft. Not to worry, they firm up as they cool.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 5-6 days.
- To make cookie dough and freeze it for baking later, follow steps 3-9 in the recipe, then place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once completely frozen, place the unbaked cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container in single layers, with parchment paper separating each layer, and freeze for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, remove them from the freezer, place them on a prepared baking sheet, start back at step 10, and bake for 11-12 minutes.
- To freeze baked cookies, place them in single layers in a freezer bag or airtight container, with parchment paper separating each layer, for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter and when you’re ready to serve, place them on a plate, bring them to room temperature, and enjoy.
- The nutrition info listed below is based on one cookie made exactly as the recipe is written. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Nutrition Info:
This post was updated in November 2022 to include more helpful info and new images. These are the old images:
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