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This recipe for vegan gluten-free oatmeal cookie creates cookies that are perfectly soft and chewy. Using oat flour, flax seeds, coconut oil, and gluten-free rolled oats, these easy cookies come together quickly — you can have them ready to serve (and devour!) in under 30 minutes! I’ve also included a hint of cinnamon in the cookie dough for a subtle extra flavour. Recipe yields 16 cookies.
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When you think back to the treats you ate and loved when you were little, chances are, cookies are on that list, right? Oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies are on my list (my very long list!) of favourite childhood treats.
These simple oatmeal cookies will hopefully remind you of the warm, soft and chewy oatmeal cookies you had as a kid, except these are nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, flourless, and gluten-free...and you wouldn't even know it!
Before you scroll down to read all the details, if you happen to be looking for some other amazing cookie recipes to try, how about one of these?
Ingredients You'll Need
All you need for this recipe is nine simple ingredients you probably already have in your cupboards (10 if you count the water that goes into the flax egg!).
Rather than using regular flour, you'll need to use oat flour, which gives the cookies a great texture and heartiness (see below for my recommendation on the best type of oat flour to use).
Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
As always, I recommend sticking with the recipe the way it was written for the intended results, but I’ve included a few notes here about the ingredients and what you can and can’t substitute.
Oat Flour – You can use store-bought oat flour to make this recipe, but you can also make your own (learn how to make your own 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.
NOTE: When baking, measuring out your flour accurately is so important to get the best results. Check out my article about how to measure flour correctly before you start.
Rolled Oats - If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, be sure to buy rolled oats that are certified gluten-free. Stick with rolled oats, do not use steel-cut oats, quick oats, or instant oats.
Flax Eggs – I make this vegan cookie recipe with flax but chia eggs will work if you cannot have flax eggs.
Baking Soda – This is essential to the texture of the cookies and it helps them to 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. If that's something you don't think you'd like, then use refined coconut oil. I have not tried making this recipe with anything other than coconut oil, but I do think softened vegan butter will work well in its place.
Coconut Sugar – If you don't have coconut sugar, brown sugar can be used instead.
How to Make Them
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)
First, you'll mix all the dry ingredients, then, in a separate bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients.
You'll then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir everything together to form the cookie dough.
The next step is to scoop out the cookie dough, using a spoon or a medium cookie scoop (this is the medium cookie scoop I own, love, and use A LOT!), onto your cookie sheet.
The cookies will spread a tiny bit while baking, but you need to give them a little help, so you'll then press each cookie down to flatten slightly.
Next, bake the cookies and once they come out of the oven, let them sit for a few minutes before moving them over to a cooling rack.
Your gluten-free cookies are now ready to enjoy! What's better than a warm cookie fresh out of the oven?
The Best Type of Oat Flour to Use
I rarely buy oat flour, I like to make my own because it's cheaper. I outline how to make oat flour in this post.
Give it a try, because once you do it and see how easy it is (and how much money you'll save), you'll never go back to buying it again!
If you do make your own, as mentioned above, be sure to sift it before measuring and adding it to the recipe.
If you don't want to make your oat flour, which is perfectly fine, store-bought will work just as well for this recipe.
Can I Use Add-Ins?
If you prefer your oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips or raisins, I have separate recipes for those, too!
You can add those things to this recipe, but since each of my easy vegan oatmeal cookie recipes is slightly different, I encourage you to try the one that calls for your favourite add-ins, rather than altering this one.
Here are my other oat flour oatmeal cookies for you to check out:
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies
- Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Storing Leftovers / Freezing for Later
To Store Baked Cookies
Store your cookies for 5-6 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
To Freeze Baked Cookies
If you don’t feel that you'll be able to finish all of the cookies within 5-6 days, you can freeze them after they have baked, for later.
Place the baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag, 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.
What's the Texture Like?
After they have cooled a bit, the outside edges will be a little crispy and the inside, super soft and chewy (see the picture below to get a peek at the inside).
But after you store the leftovers in an airtight container, the crispy edges will become soft like the rest of the cookie. The only thing that changes after you store them is that the crispy edges will soften.
These cookies are just as good on day one as they are on day three and beyond...I actually think they get even better with time!
If You Make This Recipe...
...share a pic with me on Instagram, I love seeing your remakes! I'm @delightfuladventures on Instagram.
If You Like This Recipe...
...you may also like these other vegan gluten-free cookie recipes:
- Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Almond Butter Cookies
- Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft and Chewy Vegan Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ cups (129g) oat flour
- 1 cup (100g) gluten free rolled oats (regular rolled oats are also fine if you don't need the recipe to be gluten free)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons 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
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.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flax mixture, soft coconut oil, vanilla extract, and coconut sugar.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Using a tablespoon (or a medium sized cookie scoop), scoop equal amounts onto the baking sheet(s). (See image above)
- 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 over bake! (see note below)
- Leave cookies on the cookie sheet to cool for about 2 minutes, then remove and place on a cooling rack.
Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the helpful tips above and below before making this recipe.
- Calorie count is based on 16 cookies, which is the amount you will get if you use a medium sized cookie scoop, (medium scoops are usually 1.5 tablespoons).
- If you make your own 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 step or your measurement will be off.
- Make sure to measure / weigh your oat flour correctly.
- This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour.
- For this recipe, you want your coconut oil to be soft, not melted.
- 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 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 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.
- Nutrition info listed below is based on one of 16 cookies made exactly as written. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Caitlin says
Such a winner of a recipe! I subbed coconut sugar for treacle sugar (unpacked), and left them in for an extra 2min. They are delicious and everyone loves them! Also the recipe was super easy! Thank you 🙂
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome, Caitlin! I'm so glad you like the recipe, enjoy the cookies!
Maria says
Great recipe! I didn’t have flax seeds so for the “eggs” I used 1/4 cup apple sauce with ~3/4 teaspoon of cornstarch instead. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and the cookies came out delicious! Thank you! 🙏
Gwen Leron says
I'm glad you like the recipe, Maria, and I'm happy they turned out well with your substitutions. Thanks for coming back to leave your rating and review, I appreciate it!
Zoe Spalding says
I would love to try these. Can I use avocado oil instead of coconut (allergy)?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Zoe! I have not tried using avocado oil instead of the coconut oil, I would recommend vegan butter instead. If you do decided to give an avocado oil a try, please let me know how things work out.
Sam says
So yummy! I made a few adjustments to suit my needs: low-fat/low-sugar, so I used 1/2 cup homemade applesauce and one tablespoon coconut oil. And, instead of 2/3 cup coconut sugar, I used 1/4 cup real maple syrup combined with 1 tablespoon of liquid stevia. These cookies were delicious even with the adjustments! Thank you!
Gwen Leron says
I'm glad the recipe worked well with your substitutions and that you loved them! Enjoy, Sam!
Anna says
They turned out absolutely delicious!! I would say the best oatmeal cookie I've ever had.~ I followed the recipe almost to a tee, but I had to make up for the small amount of oat flour I had on hand by adding almond flour (which i had tons of)! It works just as well~ This is a truly great recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us!~
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome, Anna! I'm very happy to know you enjoyed the cookies so much and that the recipe worked out just fine with the small adjustment you had to make. Enjoy what you have left!
Beth says
I accidentally purchased whole flax seeds. Can I still use them in the recipe?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Beth, it won't work if you use the whole seeds, you'll need to grind them before you can make the flax egg. Do you have a small coffee grinder or a high speed blender? Both of those will work to grind them down to the powder that you need. I hope this helps, if you have any other questions, please ask!
Matias says
Hi! Can I use butter instead of coconut oil?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Matias, I have not tried it, but I think butter will work just fine. Let me know how things go! 🙂
Marian says
Yummy! Great directions/comments. I'm celiac and always looking for good GF recipes and this one is a keeper. I had to substitute brown sugar for the coconut sugar, but still these are delightful and so easy to make. I even used the flax eggs.
Gwen Leron says
Very happy you liked them, Marian. Brown sugar for coconut sugar is perfectly fine! Thanks for taking the time to leave your note 🙂
Sharon says
AWESOME!! It's easy to follow and the outcome is the BEST
Gwen Leron says
So glad to hear you tried the recipe and that you like them, Sharon! 🙂 Thanks for your note.