Start your seasonal baking off with these delicious vegan snickerdoodles. Made with pumpkin puree and spiced with the flavors of chai, these seasonal cookies are a guaranteed crowdpleaser. A soft and chewy cookie with a perfectly crispy outside, these delightful treats will be gone in minutes!
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Fall is in the air!
That means it's time to dust off the old whisk, don my apron, and get to work on some sweet and spicy Autumnal baking.
Where do we start? Pumpkin cookies, of course!
You're going to love these vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles. Flavors of allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg are paired with aromatic black tea and vanilla to create cookies that are mouthwatering, delicious, and perfectly seasonal.
This pumpkin snickerdoodles recipe is so easy anyone can make it! In just a handful of simple steps, you will have these cookies ready to be eaten and enjoyed. Ahhh-mazing.
Recommended Ingredients & Equpiment
All you need for this recipe is a variety of spices and some other pantry staples. If you don't already have them on hand, you can find these items at any local grocery store.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour - I have also made these cookies with 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend with great success. (<<affiliate link)
- Cream of Tartar - This is a key ingredient in snickerdoodles. The cream of tartar gives the snickerdoodles that signature tanginess and provides the extra chewiness/pillowy-ness that we know and love about vegan snickerdoodles.
- Vegan Butter - Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Pumpkin Puree - Make sure to use canned pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Granulated Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements.
- Black Tea: You will need about two bags or one tablespoon of your favorite loose-leaf black tea.
Recommended Equipment
For these pumpkin snickerdoodles, you will need kitchen utensils, measuring cups and spoons, parchment paper or silicone baking mats, baking sheets, and a wire rack. (<<affiliate links)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Combine the Dry Ingredients
First, in a food processor, combine the flour, cream of tartar, spices, ginger, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and black tea.
Pro Tip: I recommend using a food processor to help blend up the tea into small granular pieces. However, if you do not have a food processor, finely mince the black tea before whisking together in a large bowl.
Step Two – Cream the Butter
Next, with a standup or handheld mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and beat to combine. The pumpkin mixture will look curdled at this point which is fine. It will all come together in the end.
Pro Tip: Don't have a mixer? Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Just make sure the butter is warmed to room temperature.
Step Three – Combine Dry Ingredients
Next, slowly fold the flour into the butter and pumpkin mixture in two separate batches. Be sure not to overmix the dough or your cookies will become gummy and dense.
Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before baking.
Pro Tip: To get that perfect texture, vegan snickerdoodle dough needs to be firm. For that reason, it is important not to skip the chill step in the recipe card below. Snickerdoodle dough should be chilled for at least 1 hour before rolling. If you are short on time, you can freeze the dough for about 20 minutes instead.
Step Four – Bake the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Roll the dough into balls and toss in cinnamon sugar.
Place the cookies on the baking sheets and bake for eight to ten minutes. Pull the cookies out when they are slightly underdone. They will continue hardening as they cool, giving you that delicious chewy texture. Let your vegan snickerdoodles continue cooking on the baking sheet for 5 minutes after pulling them from the oven before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Serving and Storing
Storing – Store the leftover pumpkin cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
Freezing – To freeze these cookies, allow the cookies to cool and transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze the cookies for up to three months.
Freeze leftover cookie dough for up to two months. To do this, roll all the dough into balls. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer to freeze all the way through. Once frozen, transfer your cookie dough into a large Ziplock bag and return to the freezer. When you’re ready to bake, remove from the freezer, roll in cinnamon sugar, and bake!
Tips and Tricks
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you a gummy and dense cookie.
- Don't press these cookies down, they will spread on their own in the oven to create that perfectly crinkled crust and pillowy texture.
- Bake the cookies at a higher temperature. This allows extra chewiness on the inside while creating a delicate crispy shell on the outside. I choose to bake mine at 375F which, after a lot of trial and error, seems to give me the best texture inside and out.
- Pull cookies out when they are slightly underdone. I found 8-10 minutes to be the perfect baking time. They will continue to harden as they cool, giving you a crispy outside with a deliciously chewy center.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cream of tartar gives the distinct snickerdoodle tangy flavor while also offering its signature softness by activating the baking soda.
If you over-mixed the dough, the cookies can lose their pillowy texture during the baking process. Be sure not to overmix!
Nope! If you want to enjoy the spices and pumpkin without the tea flavor, feel free to omit it. Or you can reduce the amount of black tea by half to experiment.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Simple Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Easy Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Salted Chocolate Rosemary Cookies
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with Chai
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black tea, about 2 bags
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup 1 stick non-dairy butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients and pulse until well blended. Set aside. Note: I recommend using a food processor to help blend up the tea into small granular pieces. However, if you do not have a food processor, finely mince the black tea before whisking together in a large bowl.
- In a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the non-dairy butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and beat to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. It will look curdled at this point which is fine. It will come back together when the flour is added.
- Add the flour mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides in between. Mix until it comes together. Do not over-mix. Once you have a uniform dough, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Roll dough into balls about 1 tablespoon big, toss in cinnamon sugar. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. They should look slightly underdone but will continue to harden as they cool. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you a gummy and dense cookie.
- Don't press these cookies down, they will spread on their own in the oven to create that perfectly crinkled crust and pillowy texture.
- Bake the cookies at a higher temperature. This allows extra chewiness on the inside while creating a delicate crispy shell on the outside. I choose to bake mine at 375F which, after a lot of trial and error, seems to give me the best texture inside and out.
- Pull cookies out when they are slightly underdone. I found 8-10 minutes to be the perfect baking time. They will continue to harden as they cool, giving you a crispy outside with a deliciously chewy center.
- Why are my cookies so flat? If you over-mixed the dough, the cookies can lose their pillowy texture during the baking process. Be sure not to overmix!
- Do I need to use black tea? Nope! If you want to enjoy the spices and pumpkin without the tea flavor, feel free to omit it. Or you can reduce the amount of black tea by half to experiment.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Laurel says
Wow! These were excellent! I used 1 black tea bag and opened it to pour in instead of 2. I used coconut sugar for the sugar. So good! Very light and fluffy. Thanks!
Karolyn says
These are so yummy! I made one batch already and I've eaten most of them. Now I am making another batch to share at a potluck and a ladies Bible Study.
Heidi Knowlton says
These look wonderful and I want to make them. However, I live in Mexico and it is hard to find the appropriate non-dairy butter in stick form. My choices for fat for the cookies would be Smart Balance buttery spread, coconut oil, or Crisco. Which should I use or should I use some combination? As a side note, that 1 small container of Smart Balance buttery spread cost me $13 here. We pay a lot for exported items so I want to use the spread carefully and not waste it on something that might not turn out. Thank you.
Sarah says
I think Smart Balance would be the best option for these cookies but sounds like that's very expensive! You could try coconut oil (not melted). I'm not sure how to adjust for that exactly without having tried it myself.
lisa says
I doubled the recipe using fresh pumpkin puree and coconut oil, not melted and whoa...way too soft dough and the cookies just didnt make cookies, ANYONE FOR FLAT PANCAKES? WHOOPS! I could've used another whole cup of flour at least and probably a vegan egg to hold it all together.
Sarah says
Without more detail, I can't help you to figure out what went wrong. It's not the result anyone else has gotten so it seems you must have gotten some of the measurements mixed up when you doubled the recipe.
Heidi Knowlton says
If you used fresh puree from a pumpkin you cooked, it probably had more liquid than what comes in the canned version of pumpkin puree. I've tried using fresh pumpkin puree in other recipes and they also just didn't come out as tasty as using the can, again I think from the higher liquid content. Maybe it could be strained in cheesecloth to get some of the water out.
Lorie says
I've used fresh pumpkin pure as well you can bake it in foil so it does not absurd the water or rub a touch of any oil on the whole piece leave the peel on put it upside down bake then scrape the pumpkin out and let cool before adding to recipe
Nicole Theresa says
I made these tonight and they were INCREDIBLE. My whole family (non of whom are vegan) absolutely loved them. There's a perfect bit of crunch on the outside, giving way to a super fluffy inside. Perfect blend of sweetness and spice. The only change to the recipe I made was omitting the black tea. I had my doubts because since becoming vegan a year ago, I haven't been able to find many cookie recipes that are actually good. These were perfect. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Nancy says
Definitely a keeper. I am not vegan but try to find recipes to make for my special vegan friends. These cookies are delicious. Mine turned out more flat as the picture but I think it is due to using spreadable vegan butter as I made the recipe exactly as printed. Thanks for a great recipe.
Nancy says
I would like to make these today and have a question re. the black tea. Do you mean the dry tea leaves from the bags. Sorry to be dense but I have never used tea leaves in a recipe before.
Sarah says
Yep, that's what I mean! You could also omit it. That wouldn't do anything to the texture, just for flavor.
Courtney says
These are so amazing!! My friend introduced me to them and we can't get enough. My very picky two year old would eat the whole batch if I let him! Theser remind me of all things fall in a cookie form. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
Camille says
I have baked many many batches of cookies in my day, and these are THE. BEST. Pumpkin chai snickerdoodles, you have ruined me for all other baked goods!!
Sarah says
I'm glad you liked them so much, Camille. Thanks for taking the time to tell me.
Katie @ Produce On Parade says
Oh yum! I could definitely go for one of these right now! What a great combo, pumpkin and snickerdoodles!
Sarah says
Thanks! Its kinda perfect for fall, right?
Ida Lupines says
I am definitely making these!
Lisa says
These look amazing--and I love your description of fall being all wrapped up in these baked treats. I'm making some. Today.
Meredith @ Unexpectedly Magnificent says
Ooh, YUM! I love the idea of combining pumpkin and snickerdoodles. Two of my favorite things! 🙂
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
I cannot wait to try these. I am exactly like you - when I need a moment of calm or need to de-stress. The first thing I want to do is get in the kitchen and bake something. The entire process gets me lost in my thoughts and works wonders on making me feel calm again!
And these snickerdoodles - they look amazing! I cannot wait to try them this Fall! Pinned 🙂
Sarah says
I'm glad you understand 🙂
Hetal says
I can practically smell these right now. They look delicious! 🙂
Emma says
Perfectly pillowy! Who doesn't love those autumn spices?!
I know what you mean about baking being soothing but lately whenever I bake I make a big mess in the process which to me is pretty stressful! It's only once everything is cleared away and I'm tucking into whatever I've pulled out of the oven that calm is restored 🙂