Gluten Free Vegan Breakfast Cookies
Start your day off with these superfood-packed gluten free vegan breakfast cookies. Made in just 30 minutes for a breakfast or snack that will fuel you up all morning long.
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The first time I heard of a breakfast cookie was when working as a baker at Whole Foods.
One of our most popular in-house items was the gluten free vegan breakfast cookie. I guess that should be no surprise. I mean, when given the opportunity, who wouldn’t choose to eat a cookie for breakfast?
Now that I’m in the middle of my 30 day cleanse there is little more I crave than a sweet and chewy vegan cookie. Fortunately for me, I remembered the breakfast cookies from my past and set out to recreate them, altering them, of course, to make them cleanse-approved. Filled with healthy fats, lots of protein, some of the best super foods, and sweet delicious flavor, these cookies are quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to start the day.
See the recipe in action:
I think I’ve got breakfast figured out for the rest of this cleanse.
Many of my days start off fairly stressfully as I rush to get my daughter’s school lunch packed, kids fed and dressed, myself dressed, and all of us out the door before school starts. Sometimes I find that it’s 10:00 am and I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. By the time I realize it, I’m so hungry that I can’t take the time to make my favorite scramble or even my go-to smoothie. On those mornings I dip into my stash of cookies; these vegan breakfast cookies save the day.
They make a quick grab-n-go breakfast that satisfies my taste buds and fills me up for hours.
Better yet, my kids love this recipe as well.
Of course they do; I’m giving them cookies for breakfast. And I feel great about it! With them they are getting all kinds of super foods, proteins, vitamins, and nutrients that keep them energized and healthy.
So when I’m cleansing, I always make sure to have a batch of these gluten free vegan breakfast cookies in the freezer. That way they stay good all month for a quick any-time-of-day energy boost. Are you ready to start eating cookies for breakfast?
Whip up a batch of these simple gluten free vegan breakfast cookies today!
Looking for more healthy, plant-based recipes? Make sure to grab a copy of my FREE ebook, Clean Eating Vegan!
Start your day off with these superfood-packed gluten free vegan breakfast cookies. Made in just 30 minutes for a breakfast or snack that will fuel you up all morning long.
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 flax eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup cranberries or raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped walnut
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a medium-sized bowl combine oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt.
In a small blender combine the water and flax seeds to make flax eggs.
- In a small bowl combine flax eggs, coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine.
- Fold in pumpkin seeds, cranberries, walnuts, and chia seeds.
- Round about 1/4 cup of dough into a ball and place on baking sheet. Repeat until dough is gone. Press down lightly and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and let cookies cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Video
To make 1 flax egg: blend 1 tablespoon of flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water until mixture is thick and creamy.
Natasha says
I make these cookies every week! I change things up, like instead of maple syrup I use coconut syrup. I had 1/4 cup of hemp seed and occasionally I’ll add 2 tbsp of dairy free vegan chocolate chips. These are definitely a staple to my morning routine!
Chenica R. says
These cookies are so delicious. I bake a big batch and then freeze them and just take a couple out when i need to. And they don’t harden completely when frozen, so I could really eat them right out of the freezer. However, I would like to know how to add a bit more sweetness to get my son to eat these. In what amount should I add more maple syrup? Would I need to increase or decrease any other ingredient? I’ve also thought about just adding more dried fruit pieces. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks for sharing!
Sarah says
If you increased the maple syrup by just 1 tbsp or so, you wouldn’t need to adjust any of the other ingredients.
Kim says
Just got done making the second batch for this week. I have shared them with my sister and a friend. We all give them a big thumbs up. The first batch was pretty soft and fell apart easily, so I am cooking this batch a little longer. I hike a lot and thought about putting them in the backpack, but I don’t think they will survive. I love all of the healthy ingredients, protein and fiber. These will be in regular rotation around here. Thanks so much for posting this!!
Trish says
I’m wondereing with what should I replace the coconut??? We dont mind the oil but we dont like the shredded !
Sarah says
You could omit it and add about 1/4 cup more almond meal. That should be about the right wet/dry ratio.
Janelle says
These are soooooo good! I make a double batch and take one to work every day for a morning snack to hold me over to lunch. I substitute unsweetened applesauce for the coconut oil and it works just fine. Delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Kdjitija says
Which coconut oil u used vergin or extra verging thanks for the recipe.i will surely try it.
Sarah says
Either would work!
Kathi Bilkie says
Amazing! These may be my new favorite! I just took a batch out of the oven, the house smells wonderful! Since I am the only vegan in the house, I often make something and freeze it to eat over the next couple of weeks. These taste amazing…yep, couldn’t wait for them to completely cool. I love breakfast foods, and cookies, so they are already on the menu for breakfast tomorrow; a sliced apple, hot tea and a COOKIE!!!!
Jenny says
These are awesome! Will make them again!
Josie says
This is my new favorite cookie! Healthy & delicious! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Sharon says
My cookies were falling apart can you tell me what never held together
Sarah says
Without more information, I can’t tell you want happened. They definitely shouldn’t be falling apart.
Ana Clara says
Sarah, thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. I was really looking for something like this for a while. The only problem I had was the cookies were not crunchy at all no matter how long I kept them in the oven. On the following day they still tasted good, but were mushy. The two things I did different were that I used real eggs and honey instead of maple syrup (insanely pricey here in Brazil). Am I supposed to use 2 real eggs or less? Any other ideas of what I could have done wrong to get this weird cakey consistency?
Thank you so much!!!
Cheers from Brazil
LUmfleet says
Just came out of the oven. I made a few alterations—dates instead of raisins, almond butter instead of peanut butter, gg whites instead of flax eggs, agave syrup instead of maple syrup, and chopped almonds instead of pumpkin seeds. Drum roll please…..they are delish!!! Don’t be afraid to experiment. ??
Sarah says
Glad you tried some new things. Thanks for sharing what you did!
Heather says
These are a go-to in our house and I just realized I never did a star rating with my initial comment, as I sent the link to a friend who asked for it. We often sub chocolate chips for the dried cranberries and everyone is perfectly happy with these for a dessert cookie or a snack or quick breakfast. The recipe is super versatile – I’ve used real eggs or flax eggs, different variations of nuts, wheat flour when I was out of almond flour, made them big and smaller, and the cook time is forgiving. These are just the best!
Brigitte says
These were delicious, definitely making them again! I did add 70% chocolate chips to them…made them awesome! Thanks for a healthy and satisfying way to fill my hunger!
PATRICIA L CUNNINGHAM says
These were delicious–and a pretty flexible recipe. I made a few substitution to use what I had & still had great results, e.g. sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, avocado oil, and almond butter. Posted on Facebook, and a couple other people tried & liked. So happy to have found you. Thanks
Sarah says
Glad you found me too!
Erie says
How long would you bake if you decided to make smaller cookies for snacks instead of the larger breakfast cookies? I’m thinking of 20 instead of 10
Sarah says
I would try 8-10 minutes and check them to see if they’re done.
Disne says
What could I substitute for the oil? Applesauce?
Sarah says
Yes, I had some other readers do that. It will change the texture, but it should work.
Karen says
Sarah,
I love these so much! I did have to use almond butter but they are so delicious. I did the calories in my Lose it app entering all the ingredients. I only get 9 servings but this is what it boils down to per cookie
295 calories
20.8 Fat
7.2 saturatied
149 mg sodium (sea salt)
23.4 g. Carbs
4.7 fiber
11.7 sugars (grade B maple syrup)
7.1 Protein
I really do love these! They are a meal though. They keep me very full. I plan to make them with raw honey soon. Due to cost of maple syrup.
I may try sukrin gold for non glycemic too.
I would love your vegan cook book
Casandra says
Likewise. 9 cookies. Thanks for your calculations on calories.
Diana says
These cookies are delicious. Nice combination of flavors.
Marcy says
These cookies are delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Marcy! I appreciate it!
Norah says
I LOOOVEEEE these!!! I make them EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND!!!!! I like to add dried blueberries to them along with the cranberries and raisins!!! How many calories are in them?
Sarah says
Thanks, Norah! I’m glad you are enjoying them and thanks for letting us know how you’ve adapted it. I love the idea of dried blueberries and cranberries! I don’t have a calculation on calories for these cookies. If you decided to figure it out, let us know what you come up with.
Susan says
I have made this recipe 3 times in three weeks!!! We love the taste. However, they do seem to crumble easily. (My husbands complaint) Any suggestions to help them hold together better?
Sarah says
I’m glad they are a hit! I would suggest baking them 25 degrees higher (your oven might run a little low) or chilling the dough first before baking. Let me know if either of those methods work for you!
TL says
These are delicious. Can you freeze them?
Sarah says
Yeah, you could freeze them either baked or, for a slightly fresher cookie, just the dough and then bake them as needed.
Marion says
Made two batches and gave to friends. They love them so much that I forwarded the recipe to three who tried them. I omitted the cranberries and replaced them with sultanas. I’m a huge fan of them. Delicious and thanks.
Ana says
Made these on the weekend and they were fabulous! I used crunchy peanut butter and omitted the walnuts – added some dark chocolate chips instead 😉
Heather says
Another winner! Another step towards fewer animal products in our home! I was concerned the peanut butter flavor would be overpowering, but all the textures and flavors melded wonderfully. I knew when I had a bite (or 3…) of the dough that these were going to get eaten fast. Thanks for making vegan recipes that are accessible AND appealing!
Sarah says
“Vegan recipes that are accessible and appealing” That’s what I strive to do with this entire blog so that’s great to hear. Thanks!
Victoria says
These look fantastic! My 3 year old is not a breakfast eater but I bet I could get her to eat cookies 😉
Question: Can I just use regular eggs instead of the flax egg?
Sarah says
Thanks! And yes, that would work just fine.
Thayne says
Wow!!! These are so good! My new go-to breakfast item…..though I like them so much, I have to remind myself that they are more of a meal than a snack!!!
Sarah says
Glad they are a hit. They make a good, hearty snack too! 🙂
Maria B Hansson says
Im going to try these. It should be possible to use vegan margarine instead of peanut butter (due to allergy)
The link to flax egg directs me back to this page again…
Sarah says
Can you do any other kind of nut butter (almond or cashew) or perhaps, sunflower or pumpkin seed butter? All those would work better than vegan margarine because of the different textures between nut butters and margarine when heated. Thanks for letting me know about the flax egg link. I’ll fix it now!
pam says
hello … could you recommend a nut-free substitute for the almond meal? it’s easy to sub sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter and sunflower seeds for the walnuts … but i’m stumped on the almond meal … could you use corn meal? gluten-free is optional in our house but not nuts! thanks …
Sarah says
Can you do coconut? You could try coconut flour. You could also make oat flour by grinding up oats into a fine meal. Those would be the two I would try.
Jodi Barbosa says
What about flax meal to replace the almond meal? Would that work?
Sarah says
That would affect the taste and texture too much so I wouldn’t recommend it. You could sub another nut meal if you’d like.
Wendy says
What about using Besan (chickpea) flour? I’m working to reverse my type 2 diabetes with no meds at all, just with food, walking and doing my movement-based work for stress relief and integrating childhood reflexes that re-emerge due to illness. I’ve had great success this past year; however, it seems I’m super sensitive to all grains and starchy carbs. I can get away with eating 2 Finn Crisp (only the rye version – not the one with wheat) but then that’s IT! I recently had 2 pieces of toast and my blood sugar soared to 13.0 Cdn / 234 US – definitely only something to do once a qurter, right after my quarterly A1c test ;-). I do have 1/2 TBSP of oat bran in my breakfast, so I might try that in this recipe. But I’m also thinking I’d try the chickpea flour. Your thoughts?
Wendy says
Another question…because I don’t usually use any form of sweetener other than Stevia, what would you suggest I use to replace the maple syrup, please? Would a couple of dates blended with the melted coconut oil work, do you think? Thanks for your grrreat recipe. I’ll be making it tomorrow!!! Yours in Gratitude, Wendy
Sarah says
If you were able to get the same consistency, I imagine that would work just fine.
Sarah says
You could try that. Chickpea flour has a very strong taste when raw and sometimes I find that taste still lingers after baking but it sounds like it has worked for you!
Cassandra says
While I have not used it in this recipe, I do regularly substitute ground pumpkin seed meal for almond meal in a few other recipes I use with great success.
Sarah says
That’s a great suggestion. Thanks for sharing!
Laura says
You can also use ground up sunflower seeds to make a nut free substitute. You can just put the seeds in a food processor until it makes a wet sand like texture. I have tried coconut flour and it doesn’t work well because it’s too absorbent.
Sarah says
Thanks for the tip, Laura! 🙂
Jan says
I made a double batch using raisins and they were gobbled up with enthusiasm! I cooked longer than suggested and enjoyed the crunchier texture. Excellent recipe!
Sarah says
Glad they were a hit. Thanks for sharing!
Tricia Berkow says
It is hard for a wanna be vegan when they don’t like coconut. Is the shredded coconut necessary to the recipe? If not, what would be a good substitute?
Thanks !
Sarah says
You can just omit it from the recipe. It won’t do much to alter the texture.