Healthy Pumpkin Cookies (with oatmeal)

Soft and chewy, these healthy pumpkin cookies with oatmeal couldn’t be easier to make! You just need 4 ingredients and 15 minutes from start to finish. They are the perfect fall treat to enjoy with your baby and kids.

Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Fall is here and that means bring on the pumpkin recipes!

Here’s a VERY urgent tip – grab as much canned pumpkin as you possibly can before your stores run out! It’s the fall season’s hottest commodity! 

That way, you can easily add to oatmeal, easy pumpkin oatmeal pancakes, pumpkin banana bread, pumpkin oatmeal bars, and more, all year round.

And of course these 4-ingredient pumpkin oat cookies! This is a spin-off of one of my most popular recipes, the 3-ingredient oatmeal cookies.

Instead of banana, you’re going to need pumpkin, some applesauce for sweetness, and pumpkin pie spice for that warm and cozy fall flavor.

These cookies are a flexible delight, suitable for breakfast, snacking, or satisfying your sweet tooth. Add extra ingredients like chocolate chips or dried fruits to make them even more special.

You should totally try these carrot oatmeal cookies too!

Ingredients

• Rolled Oats – Using a combination of rolled or old fashioned oats and oat flour produces the best texture and firmness. You can certainly purchase oat flour but buying oats in bulk and making it yourself will save you money!
• Pumpkin – be sure to use canned pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling! You can also use homemade pumpkin puree.
• Unsweetened applesauce – If using store-bought, make sure the only ingredient is apples. It’s also really easy to make homemade applesauce at home! You can also swap with banana.
• Pumpkin spice – You can find pre-blended at most grocery stores or make your own!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

You’ll need these fall spices:

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine the spices in a bowl, mix well, and store in a jar or spice container!

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Add ½ cup of rolled oats to a food processor or blender and blend into a flour. You can also use oat flour if you have it.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.
3. Scoop the batter and transfer to the lined or greased baking sheet. They won’t change shape during cooking so be sure to form into the shape you want them.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Variations

You will love how customizable these chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies are! Here are some suggestions to level up this basic recipe.

Sweetener – These cookies aren’t very sweet but are plenty sweet for babies and toddlers. Babies have a preference for sweets so it’s great to use this “window of opportunity” for them to learn to appreciate other flavors.

Taste the batter after mixing and if you feel it needs more sweetness, you can add some maple syrup or honey.

Nuts or seeds – pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds are especially great in these fall cookies. Be sure to finely chop for babies and young toddlers.

Chocolate chips

Dried fruits – such as chopped dried cranberries, raisins, and dates.

Tips for Success

• You can use all rolled oats (or quick oats) if you want to skip the extra step. Note that the texture will be crispier and denser. Steel cut oats will not work in this recipe.
• Once combined, taste and decide if you want to add any of the suggested add-ins above.
• The cookies will not change shape much during baking, so create the cookie shape you desire. Don’t flatten them too much.

Storage

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

You can also freeze for up to 3 months. Here’s how I like to freeze all my baked goods.

More Healthy Cookie Recipes

Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!