Nutritious Breakfast Cookies (Vegan)
Readers love these top-rated breakfast cookies! They’re soft, chewy, and so easy. Made with nutritious ingredients like oats, pumpkin, almond butter, nuts, and seeds – they’re such a delicious, healthy treat you can enjoy for breakfast or at any time of the day! Recipe is gluten-free, flour-free, vegan, and freezer-friendly.

Cookies for breakfast? You heard that right! These healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies are full of good-for-you ingredients that pack in a nutritious punch.
As a dietitian, I’m always looking for wholesome and healthy breakfast recipes that contain a source of complex carbs, healthy fat, fibre, and protein to keep you full and energized to start your day. These breakfast cookies have all 4!
This recipe is vegan and gluten-free, to suit a variety of dietary needs and preferences.
Plus, it’s made without flour, bananas, or eggs – I have absolutely nothing against these ingredients, I just know that some of you are looking for breakfast cookie recipes without these 🙂
Want more healthy-ish oatmeal cookie recipes? You may also love my fan-favourite Honey Tahini Oatmeal Cookies or these Blueberry Lemon Oatmeal Cookies!
What Are Breakfast Cookies?
Breakfast cookies are essentially cookies that are full of nutritious ingredients and lower in sugar than regular cookies.
They’re often made with fibre-rich oats, dried fruit, and heart-healthy nuts or seeds. Think of them like oatmeal, but in a cookie form!
While “breakfast” is in their name, you can easily enjoy these healthy oatmeal cookies at any time of the day. I love them for an easy make-ahead snack, as they’re perfect for on-the-go or to keep on hand at home.
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Breakfast Cookie Ingredients
To make these healthy breakfast cookies, all you need are these 9 simple ingredients:
- rolled oats
- pumpkin seeds
- walnuts
- dried cranberries
- canned pumpkin purée
- almond butter
- maple syrup
- pumpkin pie spice
- salt
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
How To Make Breakfast Cookies
These breakfast cookies are super easy to make, even if you’re not a pro at baking! I most certainly am not, and I can assure you that these are pretty simple 😉
To start, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 1: In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (oats, nuts, seeds, cranberries, spices, and salt).
STEP 2: In a separate large bowl, mix the wet ingredients (pumpkin purée, almond butter, maple syrup).
STEP 3: Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients, stirring them until they stick together well. Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into your hands and roll into balls. Place them on the baking sheet and press flat (these cookies will not flatten when you cook them).
STEP 4: Place the baking sheet in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Remove and let them cool at least 15 minutes before eating!
Recipe Modifications
While I love the flavour and ingredient combination of this recipe, the beauty of breakfast cookies is how versatile they are! Here are some ideas for how to swap ingredients:
- Use any nut or seed in place of pumpkin seeds and walnuts. Try pecans or sunflower seeds, for instance!
- You can swap the dried cranberries with raisins, or add in chocolate chips if you’re feeling like it.
- Almond butter can be swapped with another nut butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
- While I have not personally tried this, you could try swapping the pumpkin purée with mashed banana or applesauce (for a similar consistency, but different taste).
How To Store Breakfast Cookies
These healthy breakfast cookies can be stored in an airtight container or reusable bag for about 7 days at room temperature.
If you’d like to make a large batch to freeze, you can do so for up to 3 months. Just be sure to thaw them before serving.
More Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas
- Homemade Berry Granola Clusters
- Overnight Oats With Frozen Fruit
- Quinoa Breakfast Porridge
- Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
Did you give these Chewy, Healthy Breakfast Cookies a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: Nutritious Breakfast Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1.5 cups rolled oats (GF if needed)
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
Wet ingredients:
- 3/4 cup pumpkin purée (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup almond butter (unsweetened, creamy)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
- In a separate large bowl, mix the wet ingredients together until well-combined.
- Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients into one bowl, stirring them until they stick together well.
- Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into your hands and roll into balls. Place them on the baking sheet and press flat (these cookies will not flatten when you cook them). Depending on the size of your cookies, this recipe will make about 10-12.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for about 12-15 minutes (they should be lightly browned when done). Remove and let them cool at least 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use any nut or seed in place of pumpkin seeds and walnuts. Try pecans or sunflower seeds, for instance!
- You can swap the dried cranberries with raisins, or add in chocolate chips if you’re feeling like it.
- Almond butter can be swapped with another nut butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
- While I have not personally tried this, you could try swapping the pumpkin purée with mashed banana or applesauce (for a similar consistency, but different taste).
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
62 Comments on “Nutritious Breakfast Cookies (Vegan)”
This is the perfect snack for the golf course. I substituted dates for the cranberries. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Kathryn! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I love that you brought these with you to the golf course – they’re such a great snack for that!! Thanks so much for sharing that dates worked as well – that sounds delicious 🙂
I made these today and they are super yummy!! So easy to make as well 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing Sharmeen!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these 🙂
Delicious, & so quick & easy to make.
Hi Kerrie! Thank you so so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
These cookies are a morning saver! I have such a sweet tooth and the cranberries satisfy that completely. I might have to have these on hand at all times now.
Hi Annie! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy these!! Thank you so much for sharing! I approve of having these on hand at all times haha 😉
I have been looking for an easy breakfast cookie recipe and this pumpkin recipe fit the ticket! It’s really easy and tastes delicious! I’m allergic to walnuts, so I subbed almonds instead. I didn’t have cranberries either, so I used tart cherries. Both of these swaps turned out great! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Courtney! Thank you so much for sharing this!! So happy to hear you enjoyed these. Love that the substitutes worked out for you – I need to try three with dried cherries next time!! I love those haha 🙂
These cookies are chewy and delicious!! They’re very easy to make, too.
Hi Charlotte! Thank you so much for sharing! So happy you enjoyed these and found them easy to make 🙂
Just made these, they are SO GOOD. the perfect amount of sweet: not too much, not too little, and lots of varied textured. Thanks!
Hi Erin! Yay I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience 🙂
These were so great! Such simple ingredients, and so easy to make!
Hi Olivia! I’m so so happy to hear you enjoyed them and found them easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing your experience 🙂
Made these little gems after dinner last night for a little treat and to get ahead for breakfast the next morning…
14 hours later:
Gone! My partner and I polished off all of the cookies by morning! Oops?
These cookies are absolutely delicious and perfectly balanced, leaving us feeling good and not sluggish post-indulgence. (The week of Halloween left me feeling so blah!)
Thank you Carrie for this yummy autumn cookie. Will be back for more!
XO jen
Hi Jen! Thank you SO much for the sweet review. So happy to hear you both enjoyed these cookies and that you felt good eating them! I’m planning a Christmas version of this cookie so stay tuned!! 😉
These gems were super easy to make and satisfy my pumpkin craving. I swapped the cranberries for white chocolate chips. Will make again 🌟
Hi Stacey! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these. I LOVE that you added white chocolate chips to these – that sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for sharing!!
This recipe is amazing and so easy! Such a nutritious breakfast! One of the best cookie recipes I’ve tried yet! It is a MUST!
Hi Lora! I’m not a confident baker so this comment means so much!! Thank you!!! I’m so so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies 🙂
Love these! So delicious and warming!! Not too sweet, the perfect fall treat! Thanks for another great one, Carrie!
Yay!! I’m so so happy to hear you enjoy these cookies Natalie :). Thank you for sharing your experience!!
Can you substitute the pumpkin purée for bananas
Hi P! I haven’t personally tried it, but I think it could work as they have a similar consistency. Just a heads up that the banana will likely make it a bit sweeter!
Hi Carrie,
i’ve tried numerous breakfast cookie recipes but none compare to this one! I will keep coming back – just the perfect way you’ve put together the ingredients – it is a lovely cookie! I made two versions – yours as recipe is, and a nut free version for my little one’s school snack where I subbed the walnuts for 1/4 Cup each shredded coconut and chia seeds, and almond butter with tahini – everything else the same and they are great! I prefer the nut version, but ya know you do what you gotta do for school 😉 Thank you for sharing 🙂 stay safe
Colleen xx
Hi Colleen,
Oh my gosh I’m so happy to hear that!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much. That tip for making a nut-free version for school is super helpful, I hope your little one enjoyed it too!! I actually have a nut-free “PB&J” oatmeal cookie here on the blog too if you’re interested in another school-approved snack :). Thanks so much again and hope you’re staying safe as well xx
So so good! I’ve been snacking on these everyday since I made them. I swapped the cranberries and pumpkin seeds for dried coconut and sliced almonds, just because that’s what I had on hand and pulsed it in my food processor to make them more consistent. Will definitely make again and may try with peanut butter next time too 🙂
Hi Ashlen! Yay I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying these as a snack!! Thanks so much for sharing all your modifications – I love hearing how versatile they are and all your additions sound amazing. I think I need to try these with coconut next!!
Hi Carrie,
Just made these delicious cookies. I never manage to make good cookies but this was a blast. I just put tart cherries and dates as I didn’t have cranberries and it came out delicious. Everyone in the house loved them. Thank you so much 😊
Hi Nimet! Ah I’m so happy to hear this!! As someone who does not think of themselves as much of a baker, I can totally relate with what you’ve said haha. So glad you found them easy to make and that they were a hit with the whole house. Love the tart cherry and date addition as well. Thanks so much for sharing your experience 🙂
Super easy and so delicious! Will be making these on repeat! Thanks Carrie!
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Marie. I’m so happy you enjoyed them and hope you continue to love them again and again 🙂
Baked these last night – absolutely delicious! I subbed raisins for cranberries + hemp seeds for pumpkin seeds since that’s what I had lying around my house. I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful and crave-able these cookies are! Easy to make, too! I definitely recommend 🙂
Hi Melissa!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! So appreciated and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these ones. Love that you substituted for the ingredients that you had on hand. I will need to try them with raisins and hemp seeds myself – sounds delish 🙂
Delicious! Easy to make and nutritious! Thanks I love it!
Thank you so much Kimberly!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these 🙂
Best breakfast cookies I’ve ever had – hands down.
My boyfriend and I make a batch every weekend and eat throughout the week (if we don’t eat them all up right away which does happen). They’re easy to make and so delish. I’ll sometimes add dark chocolate but they’re just as good without.
Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for sharing, Frankie!! I’m so flattered to hear that you two make these weekly!! Love the dark chocolate addition – I’m going to have to try that myself next time 🙂
Hope you have a great long weekend!
First of all my husband, all 3 of my kids and myself all LOVE these cookies and I make them EVERY. SINGLE. SUNDAY. for the week. I’ve used bananas, only because I couldn’t find pumpkin, it was just the start of fall, and they were great! I added banana and dark chocolate chips and used pecans and cinnamon instead of walnuts and pumpkin pie spice. Only thing is, with the banana your hands need to be little wet when forming for them to stick together. Also, I used bananas that were yellow once and ones that were more green another time, and the ones that were green worked better and didn’t make the cookies quite as sweet.
I wanted to ask if you had a nutrition panel on your original recipe?
Hi Yaya! Thank you SO much for the kind comment. I’m so happy to hear that your whole family loves eating these cookies every week! I’m so flattered. Love that it worked with bananas for you and thank you so much for sharing those tips with my readers 🙂
Regarding the nutrition panel – unfortunately I choose not to include the exact nutrition breakdown of my recipes for both personal and professional reasons. It ultimately goes against my nutrition philosophy to focus on the numbers and I much prefer to focus on the unique health benefits of the whole food ingredients I use. If you want a more in-depth explaining for my reasoning, I answer this question at the top of my FAQ Page! I hope you can understand my reason for not including them <3
Just made these and they are really good! My 3 year old loves them too! They were super easy to make and I love all of the clean ingredients! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Katie! Thank you so much for the kind review – it’s so appreciated. I’m so happy to hear that you and your little one enjoyed these!!
I would love to know the nutritional values for these “cookies”
Hi Jane!
For both personal and professional reasons, I intentionally choose not to include the exact nutrition breakdown of my recipes. Ultimately, focusing on numbers goes against my nutrition philosophy as a dietitian and I much prefer to highlight the various health benefits of the whole food ingredients that I use! I share more about this on my FAQ page.
That said, if you would like to calculate the nutrition breakdown you can always enter the recipe into a nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal! Thank you for understanding <3.
Love these! I made them with banana puree, Lily’s chocolate chips, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. My son with many food allergies was able to eat these without problem and with great delight. So glad to have found this recipe, thank you Carrie!
Hi Deb! Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! I love all the additions you made to these, and I’m so happy to hear that your son was able to enjoy these too 🙂 Wishing you a very happy start to the new year!
Wow! Delicious!
We have a nutritionist on staff at our company wellness center and she had posted about adding oats to a healthy balanced diet. We’ll, I’ve never been a fan of oatmeal for breakfast so I asked what alternatives would there be. We’ll, she referred me to this site. Incredible recipes and this is just fantastic. Thanks.
Hi Terry! Aw that is so nice to hear – I’m so glad your nutritionist pointed you this way!! Love that you found a new way of incorporating oats into your diet in a way that isn’t just oatmeal. These cookies are one of my favourites, for sure 🙂
I love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times.
Thank you so much, Colleen! It’s so appreciated. I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Has anyone tried subbing in hemp hearts for cranberries? Or pb2 for almond butter? I’m trying to think of ways to make them lower carb. They look delicious as is. I just like to stay around 10-15g of carbs for breakfast.
Hi Kelly! I have not personally tried those swaps, but I’ll leave this question up to see if any other readers have answers!! Just wanted to add that the almond butter is key to help things stick together 🙂
I love this recipe. They are delicious and satisfying..Will definitely make them again! Can you share any nutrition information about them? I am on Noom and trying to log them in for my breakfast…❤️
Hi Jan! Thank you so much for your kind review. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these 🙂
I’m afraid I don’t have the nutrition facts available for them as I don’t count calories or macros. If you’d like, you can copy and paste the recipe into an online nutrition calculator (like MyFitnessPal) to get an estimate of the nutrition facts per serving!!
AWESOME COOKIES, DON’T HESITATE!!! I used Sunflower Butter in place of Peanut Butter as I am allergic and I used Pecans instead of Walnuts, as I am allergic. I made 11 cookies and baked for 15 min, perfection!!
**I know it says you can store at room temp in airtight container or bag, but can you refrigerate these cookies?
Hi Kelly!! Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m so happy you enjoyed these and love the swaps you made to suit them to your allergy needs 🙂 Yes, you can store them in the fridge too!!
Are these recipes diabetic friendly?
Hi Nancy! I’m sure that many of my recipes can fit in a diabetic-friendly diet. However, it’s difficult for me to say without knowing your medical history personally, so I would double check with your doctor or dietitian! There is no one perfect diet for diabetes, as everyone’s body responds differently to different types of foods or meals. With that said, I try to focus on a balance of fiber-rich carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein in each of my recipes. I have it on my to-do list to add nutrition info, it’s just going to take me a while with over 400+ recipes on my site!!!
I used bananas instead of pumpkin puree. Delicious!
I love that, CV! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I’m so happy you enjoyed these 🙂