Nutritious Breakfast Cookies (Vegan)

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.

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!

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.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (oats, nuts, seeds, cranberries, spices, and salt).

In a separate large bowl, mix the wet ingredients (pumpkin purée, almond butter, maple syrup).

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). 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. Remove and let them cool at least 15 minutes before eating!

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:

1. Use any nut or seed in place of pumpkin seeds and walnuts. Try pecans or sunflower seeds, for instance!
2. You can swap the dried cranberries with raisins, or add in chocolate chips if you’re feeling like it.
3. Almond butter can be swapped with another nut butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version.
4. 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).

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.