The Best Vegan Oatmeal Cookies (Nut-Free)
The BEST vegan oatmeal cookies that also happen to be nut-free! These cookies are made with simple ingredients you likely already have at home. They're crispy around the edges and perfectly chewy in the center.
Servings 10
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flax seeds, ground
- 1 1/2 cup (125g) rolled oats
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (138g) all-purpose white flour, spoon and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 3/4 cup (165g) golden cane sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (see notes)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips or chunks, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make your flax egg: In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 4 tablespoons of room temperature water. Set aside and let it thicken while you prepare the recipe.
- In a medium or large bowl, combine your rolled oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a different medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Stir in the maple syrup, flax egg and vanilla until combined.
- Transfer the wet mixture to the dry mixture and combine. Don't overmix! Fold in the chocolate if using.
- Form 10 cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving some distance between each cookie. They do spread. Form a little mound with each cookie. This limits the spread and makes thick and chewy cookies (see photos).
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F. Let them cool for at least 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet. They will be delicate when warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Want to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? Simply add your favorite vegan chocolate chips or chunks! You can start with 1/4 cup and add more if desired. You can also add raisins for oatmeal raisin cookies.
This recipe was tested with golden cane sugar (turbinado sugar). Feel free to use regular white granulated sugar, but the cookies will lose a bit of that caramelized flavor. Make sure your sugar is vegan to make this recipe 100% vegan.
The cookies stay fresh and chewy for a few days on the counter, but they will become drier with time. To keep them chewy, let them cool completely and store them in a sealed container.
I bake mine for 15 minutes using a light baking sheet. A darker baking sheet can bake the cookies faster, so check them after 13 minutes. Each oven can also be slightly different.
Make sure to spoon and level the flour. This means, don’t scoop the flour using your measuring cup or you’ll have too much flour! Instead, scoop the flour using a spoon and transfer it to the measuring cup. Then level the top with the back of a butter knife.
I haven't tried other flours in this recipe yet, but I will update the recipe when I do. Let me know in the comments if you try other flours!
There are two amounts suggested for the cinnamon. If you want just a hint of cinnamon, try 1/4 teaspoon (my favorite). If you want a little more cinnamon flavor, go for 1/2 teaspoon.
I use Becel Vegan Margarine for my "vegan butter". This is a soft tub margarine. If you use a harder vegan butter, the results may vary. I also use my "butter" and maple syrup straight from the fridge. They will warm up a little as you mix the ingredients, but you don't need to wait for the ingredients to be completely at room temperature. Having very cold or warm ingredients may affect the spread of the cookies.