No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies (Vegan, Keto)
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These no-bake pumpkin cookies are healthy melt-in-your-mouth cookies with delicious pumpkin spice flavors.
Plus, they are vegan, gluten-free, and keto-friendly.
What Are No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies?
No-bake pumpkin cookies are easy soft vegan cookies made with 5 simple ingredients.
They are perfect for any occasion as a healthy vegan snack or healthy vegan dessert for Thanksgiving.
How To Make No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies
You will be surprised to see that all you need to make those no-bake pumpkin cookies are 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
- Sunflower seed butter – it is very bland in flavor, and that’s perfect for enhancing the pumpkin flavor of these no-bake cookies.
- Canned pumpkin puree – or fresh pumpkin puree, see note in the recipe card if you want to use fresh puree. Learn how to make your own pumpkin puree.
- Liquid sweetener – any liquid sweetener works in this recipe. The best results are with maple syrup, but you can use agave syrup, coconut nectar, or Sugar-free Monk fruit syrup if you are on a vegan keto diet.
- Coconut flour – it is the best flour for no-bake cookies as it gives a real cookie dough texture. Plus, it is gluten-free and low-carb. If you are concerned about eating raw flour, read my article about the raw flours that are safe to eat.
You can serve them with or without vanilla cashew topping.
If you like vegan desserts, it is highly recommended to add creamy vanilla frosting.
Can I Use Nut Butter?
Yes, you can use any nut butter you like to make these no-bake pumpkin cookies.
However, note that nut butter usually has a strong flavor, especially peanut butter.
This will slightly mask the delicious pumpkin flavors.
Storing Pumpkin No-Bake Cookies
These no-bake pumpkin cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Also, you can freeze them in ziplock bags or in an airtight container and defrost them for at least 3 hours before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Pumpkin No-Bake Cookies Taste?
Don’t expect any crunch but a burst of fall flavor on each bite! These are soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a delicious pumpkin flavor.
These cookies are even better the next day, after 24 hours in the fridge. In fact, the pumpkin flavors get more intense with time.
Plus, the vanilla cashew frosting sets after a night in the fridge.
Can I Make Keto No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies?
As you may have noticed, I like to give some keto vegan options to my recipes when possible.
In fact, I can’t have sugar myself. So when I can twist my husband’s favorite vegan dessert recipes, I am excited!
Keto vegan readers, I hear you, one cookie with frosting has 5 grams of net carbs, and you think it is high. But hey, we are talking treats and dessert here!
I believe it is better to indulge in a keto treat with 5 grams of net carbs than no treats or a high-carb one.
Here are some tips for you.
- Sugar-free maple-flavored syrup – replace the liquid sweetener with my favorite brand Lakanto. Their syrup is tasty, keto-friendly, and vegan. Plus, it doesn’t contain any artificial sweetener.
- Swap cashews for macadamia – macadamia nuts soak as well as cashews and contain barely any carbs and sugar. That is your best option!
- Freeze them – that is the best way to have a quick keto treat and void overeating the whole batch!
More Vegan No-Bake Cookie Recipes
If you love easy no-bake vegan desserts, I recommend also trying:
Enjoy the recipe and share a picture with me on Instagram if you make these lovely no-bake pumpkin cookies!
No-bake Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sunflower Seed Butter - no added sugar, no added oil – see note for options
- ¼ cup Pumpkin Puree - canned see note for fresh puree
- ¼ cup Coconut Flour
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup - or sugar-free Monk fruit syrup if keto – see note for more options
Spices – 2 teaspoons pumpkin spices or the blend below
Vanilla cashew frosting – optional
- 1 cup Cashews - soaked, raw or macadamia if keto
- ⅓ cup Coconut Cream - canned
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla - seeds or extract
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil - melted
Instructions
- Place the cashew nuts in a bowl, cover with boiling water, soak for 30 minutes, or cover the raw cashews with cold water and soak overnight to keep all their nutritional benefits. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sunflower seed butter, canned pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices, and coconut flour.
- Combine with a spatula. It is wet at first and dries out as you go. Next, you can use your hands to knead the dough and gather the pieces into a ball. If the batter is slightly too wet (this can happen if you are using homemade puree), adjust with 1 teaspoon of coconut flour.
- Shape 16 cookie dough balls. Place them on a plate covered with parchment paper and flatten each ball with your fingertips.
- Freeze for 10 minutes to set and then transfer the plate to the fridge.
Frosting
- Place the soaked cashews and the rest of the frosting ingredients into a blender. Blend on high speed until a creamy cashew cream forms. It should take about 1-2 minutes for the cashews to turn into a smooth puree.
- Place the cashew cream in the freezer for 15 minutes to quickly thicken.
- Spread a teaspoon of cashew cream on top of each cookie.
- Sprinkle some pumpkin spices or cinnamon on top of each cookie and use a toothpick to swirl the spices into the cream.
- You can enjoy the cookie straight away. The cashew cream will be runnier or store the cookies in the fridge overnight to fully set the cashew cream.
Storage
- Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze and defrost the day before.
- Store the leftover vanilla cashew cream in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Serve with fruits as a dessert. It can be frozen and defrosted the day before in the fridge.
Can the coconut flour be substituted in this recipe?
Yes ! Usually 1/2 cup fine oat flour will replace the 1/4 cup cococnut flour really well. Enjoy the cookies, XOXO Carine.