Soft Gluten-Free & Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies! They're so delicious and cozy. Just like grandma used to make.
Oh, how I wish you could have smelled these soft and chewy gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies baking. The sweet smell of natural sugars, savory cinnamon, and toasted rolled oats all wrapped up in one mouthwatering aroma of deliciousness was almost too much to handle. I made the mistake of taking a bite of cookie before it was cool enough to eat and a hot raisin burned the roof of my mouth. The hazards of being an impatient homemade cookie lover.
My love of this special cookie stems back from my childhood. There’s just something about the chewy oat filled texture, mixed in with sweet plump raisins, and a hint of cinnamon. It’s the kind of cookie that reminds me of grandma’s kitchen. They just feel like home.
Last week my friend and I drove to Cincinnati, Ohio to attend the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament. If you’re into tennis, and seeing all of the best (Nadal, Plishkova, Isner, Stephens….) professional tennis players, this is the venue for you. It’s smaller, which means that you have a good chance of meeting players, and it had several really good vegan food options. I had veggie tacos, veggie sushi, and falafel. All were really, really good.
Anyway, as I was saying, my friend and I drove to the tournament on Thursday morning. We left at 5:00 am with coffee and cookies in hand. She’s a foodie, so I was thrilled when she gave them two thumbs up. She was mostly impressed that they were gluten-free and didn’t have the texture of sand, which is an unfortunate occurrence in many GF cookies. These refined sugar-free and oil-free vegan oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, with a hint of cinnamon.
Another thing that makes these cookies taste amazing is that I toasted the rolled oats before making the cookie dough. Toasting them in the oven for a few minutes intensifies the flavor and gives them a nice nutty taste.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
It’s really hard to mess these up. If you follow the instructions carefully and you toast the oats first, you’re going to make some delightful gluten-free oatmeal cookies that your family will love.
First – Toast the oats in the oven for approximately 5 to 8 minutes, or until they turn slightly golden.
Second – Whisk the dry ingredients together
Third – Cream the vegan butter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, flax eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Next – Add the flour mixture to the butter and beat until blended. Add the toasted oats and beat until just combined.
Then – Stir in the raisins until they’re evenly distributed.
Finally – Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until golden in color. Let cool on a wire rack.
These classic oatmeal cookies are addicting. I kept going back for more, and I started to feel guilty about it, until I reminded myself that they don’t have any refined sugar and they’re gluten-free. They’re also filled with healthy oats, raisins, and ground flax seed. #noguiltcookies
Make these and come back and let me know what you think. I always love hearing from you.
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Soft Gluten-Free & Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups 146 g gluten-free flour blend (we use King Arthur brand)
- 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon 5 g ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground sea salt
- 8 tablespoon 116 g vegan butter (we use Miyoko’s or Earth Balance), room temperature
- 1 cup 223 g coconut sugar (you can use brown sugar if you don’t have coconut sugar)
- ¼ cup 60 ml pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon 30 g ground flax seed plus 6 tablespoon (90 ml) water, mixed well
- 1 tablespoon 15 ml pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups 163 g rolled oats (make sure they’re gluten-free)
- 2 cups 307 g raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat
- In a small bowl, whisk the ground flax seed and water until it turns into a sticky paste. Let sit
- Toast the oats in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn. Remove from oven and let cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, maple syrup, flax egg, and vanilla on a high speed until smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and blend on a low speed until combined. The cookie dough should look smooth and creamy. Add the oats and beat until just blended.
- Stir in the raisins until evenly combined. Scoop out heaping tablespoons (15 g) and roll into balls. Slightly press the balls down on the cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are firm and golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy!
Amelie says
Hello there Linda,
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve got one annoying question for you ☺️: By how much could I reduce the sugar without modifying the texture a ton? Coconut sugar or not, I still find that it’s a lot. If I can put less sugar then I can eat more cookies, you know? I do love your idea of adding some maple syrup in there so I definitely don’t want to change that.
Best!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Amelie, reduce it by 1/4 cup and it should be fine. We love your philosophy about less sugar = more cookies. 🙂
Hannah says
Your cookies look great! I've been searching for a good gluten free vegan oatmeal cookie but the only thing I don't have is gluten free flour mix. Do you think I could use a blend of almond and buckwheat flour?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Hannah! I'm sorry, I don't know, I haven't tried that combination before. If you try it and they turn out, please let us know. 🙂
robinm333 says
Hi Linda,
I was wondering if you thing substituting the vegan butter for coconut oil would work?
I do not have vegan butter but want to try these.
Thanks.....robin
Linda Meyer says
Hi Robin! I haven't tried using coconut oil, I'm afraid it might result in a greasy cookie. If you try it, let me know how they turn out. 🙂
robinm333 says
Hi Linda,
I made the cookies today using coconut oil. I used sprouted spelt flour instead of gluten free and the cookies turned out well. Not greasy at all. I wasn't the most exact measurer of the coconut oil
I also made the apple cake and that worked well with coconut oil in the topping instead of vegan butter. I used a pastry cutter and cut it in and then felt i needed to add a tad more so i melted it. I also added walnuts and sunflower seeds to the topping with great results.
Thanks for such yummy recipes. My sister turned me on to your site...Here's to delicious food....robin
Linda Meyer says
Hi Robin! I'm so happy to hear that they turned out using coconut oil. Great to know! Thanks for letting us know and for the kind words. Have a wonderful 2018!
The Vegan 8 says
These look so incredible Linda! I love oatmeal cookies so much, they are so classic. I love that you used maple and coconut sugar for the sweeteners, those give the most delicious flavor to cookies!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much, Brandi! Yes, I've been trying to stay away from refined sugars if possible. These cookies are even better because of the maple syrup and coconut sugar. 🙂
Alisa Fleming says
These were my favorite cookies growing up! Since I've warmed up to chocolate as an adult, I often add chocolate chips now. But recently made some with raisins and remembered how much I actually prefer this combo! Can't wait to try your version.
Linda Meyer says
Me too, I'm a huge fan of oats and raisins, and when you toast the oats and turn them into cookies they're the best! Thanks, Alisa. 🙂
Dianne says
That was so nice of you to make cookies for your friend for the road trip. I wish I had a thoughtful friend like you!
Linda Meyer says
Awww, thanks Dianne. Although I ate them too, so there was some selfishness behind the making of those cookies. Ha!
Casey - Two City Vegans says
Oatmeal cookies are one of the best foods ever. I might have to go make some tonight now... 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hey Casey! I agree, they're one of my favorite cookies. Let me know what you think if you make them. 🙂
Sarah says
Wow! These look perfect!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Ooh, these look amazing! I rarely bake, but when I do I will definitely try these cookies!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much, Amy! Let me know what you think if you make them.
Mel @ avirtualvegan.com says
Oh how I wish I could smell them baking right now! They look so good and i love that they are gluten-free. And you sound just like me when baking or cooking in general. I can never wait and always end up burning my mouth or tongue!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Melanie! Ha! It's good to know that I'm not the only one who constantly burns my mouth on food.
veggiesdontbite says
Soft and chewy sound SOOOO good. I love oatmeal raisin cookies, I just want to reach in and grab one. Or ten....
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Sophia! If I lived close to you I'd bribe you with cookies so I could swim in your pool. 🙂
Strength and Sunshine says
Oatmeal raisin cookies will always be my favorite (and I may just choose them over chocolate chip too!)
Linda Meyer says
They're the best!
Jenn says
I bet your kitchen smelled amazing!! I'm not really a big fan of raisins, but I would totally throw some chocolate chips in there and devour!
Linda Meyer says
It smelled SO good, Jenn! Chocolate chips would work just as well. 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Oh my, these sound delicious! I am obsessed with oatmeal cookies, but it's been ages and can't wait to try these. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Christine! They're so good, I hope you try them. 🙂