We’re having a pumpkin spice fest here on Go Dairy Free. Alisa just shared a huge round-up of seasonal dairy-free pumpkin spice goodies, and today I have a recipe for delicious vegan pumpkin spice snickerdoodles.
It’s no secret that my daughter Katherine and I love pumpkin spice. Last year we whipped up a Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Spice Latte, complete with Homemade Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Sauce. We’ve also baked Frosted Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Roll Cake, Pumpkin Pasties, and Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Cobbler spiked with warm spices. And this fall, we’re craving cookies.
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles that Everyone will Fall For
During the holiday season last year, my mom clipped a recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles from USAToday. Katherine and I thought these cookies would be a perfect autumn treat. With a few alterations, we made the cookies dairy-free and vegan.
These vegan pumpkin spice snickerdoodles have a crisp exterior and a soft, cake-like interior. Two days after baking, they tasted just as good as when they were fresh. This makes them a great make-ahead treat for football games, hayrides, bonfires, or any other fall activities you have planned. But I would double the batch if you’re expecting a crowd!
Like many pumpkin spice-themed items, the cookies taste more of spice than of pumpkin. But the pumpkin does add a hint of seasonal flavor and a nice texture and color to these scrumptious snickerdoodles.
Kids Can Bake Tips
Children can help with almost every stage of the mixing and shaping of the cookies. Rolling them in the cinnamon sugar mix is especially fun! Older kids and teens can make the entire recipe by themselves.
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- ½ cup dairy-free buttery spread (we used Smart Balance)
- ½ cup lightly-packed light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the buttery spread and sugars.
- Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and beat to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Divide the dough into approximately 18 portions, and roll each portion into a ball.
- Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Roll the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
- Place the sugared cookies on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are a light golden brown.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
More Fun Vegan Cookies for Fall
Maple & Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Cookies
Mummy Cookies
Bake Sale Chocolate Chip Cookies
10 Comments
Do we need cream of tartar or is there a substitute for it?
Cream of tartar is what makes them “snickerdoodles” vs sugar cookies. But they can still be tasty without. I haven’t made them without cream of tartar, so I can’t suggest a good tested substitute, but this post covers the options well -> https://www.simplyrecipes.com/the-best-cream-of-tartar-substitutes-5213170
These are SO delicious! I made them for a friend who is going dairy free while nursing her son, and I was so surprised at how good these are! And my friend loved them too! I just used Country Crock plant butter and the results were amazing! I did chill the dough before rolling to help them keep their shape.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Kristen! And thank you for making note of your variations on the recipe. I’m glad you both enjoyed them.
Can I make the dough the dough the day before and refrigerate it? Or will chilling it affect how the final product will turn out?
Hi Linda, you can definitely do that! Sometimes chilled dough will rise a touch more and/or spread a little less. But overall, not much difference. A lot of people prefer the results with chilled cookie dough, and it’s easier to shape after refrigeration.
Hi!! I’m a vegan teenager that LOVES pumpkin everything and this recipe is already one of my favorites (and I bake a LOT). I was about to start when I realized that I did not have any vegan butter, so I replaced in with coconut oil and the recipe worked just fine!!
That’s wonderful! So glad the recipe is a hit with you Shriya and thank you for sharing your coconut oil success.
Hello, I’m really excited to try this recipe, but I have one issue. I’ve read through the ingredients and instructions a few times and you never indicate when to mix in the pumpkin puree. Is it with the butter and sugar? Or later when the dry and wet ingredients come together?
Thanks for putting this recipe together for dairy-allergy people like myself!
That’s my fault in editing. Sarah beats it in with the spices. I’ve added it.