Vegan Cardamom Pecan Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie and are gluten-free, oil-free, dairy-free and full of rich cardamom spice, soft texture and buttery pecans.
Here’s a completely new vegan holiday cookie to add to your collection. We all love classic holiday Christmas cookies like sugar cookies, gingerbread men, snickerdoodles, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, etc. right? I love all of those too, immensely, but I don’t like to just recreate known flavors. One thing I love about running a blog and baking is creating new recipes and new ideas that can become classics. Classics for me, anyways, lol.
EASY VEGAN HOLIDAY COOKIES
These Vegan Cardamom Pecan Cookies right here just shout holiday to me! Spices and pecans pretty much define the holiday season, so that was the inspo here. I’m a cardamom-loving fiend. Ya’ll know I love my spices, especially Gingerbread Spice, but cardamom by itself is so freaking yummy to me. It is very strong and unique, so my dedication to this flavor in a cookie turned out so fragrant, rich and delicious.
As always, these are easy and require just 8 ingredients:
- oat flour
- coconut sugar
- baking soda
- ground cardamom
- maple syrup
- roasted creamy almond butter
- vanilla extract
- pecans
First, make the batter all in 1 bowl. Roll into balls. Bake. Super easy.
If you hate cardamom, then you will not like these cookies, haha. You could always just sub cinnamon if you like. But, if you love cardamom, I think you will love these! They are soft, gluten-free, oil-free, wonderfully spiced and made in 1 bowl and about 20 minutes!
Cardamom is a key ingredient in chai-spiced recipes, like these Chai Spiced Waffles and this amazing Masala Chai<<<which has been getting stellar reviews, by the way! If you want a true authentic tasting Masala Chai, richly spiced and not overly diluted with milk or powdered store-blends, then you must try it!
Also, these cookies are amazing served with the Masala Chai, just check out these reviews:
“This chai is so delicious. I have almost drank this entire batch in one sitting. Thank you so much! It has the perfect sweetness and the spice is so very tasty.”
“Made this with almond milk first. I wasn’t sure about the peppercorns but followed the recipe to the letter. It is heavenly with a rich exotic flavour. The balance of spices is perfect. Made it again with cashew milk. Divine. If you want to pamper family and friends this is the ticket.”
As you can see from the photos, I made these pecan cookies 2 ways. One version is with just a pecan placed on top, which is yummy and very pretty. But the 2nd version I chopped up tiny pieces of pecans and put them in the batter. That was my favorite version! Since these are oat flour based cookies, oat flour tends to dry out easily and quicker. So, these buttery pecan bits throughout give a wonderful flavor and texture, but both versions are delicious!
I hope you love these Vegan Cardamom Pecan Cookies!
Other Vegan Cookie Recipes to try:
- Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Coconut Coookies
- Thin Mints
- Old-fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Chewy Maple Pecan Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Vegan Cardamom Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) superfine oat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons (24g) coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom (see NOTE)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (160g) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (160g) super creamy roasted almond butter (roasted is more oily and will produce a much more moist cookie)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (70g) tiny pieces chopped pecans OR 14 pecans for just the topping(see NOTE)
NOTE
- As always I recommend a scale for accuracy with baking. As you can see from the photos, I made them 2 different ways. One version is with just a pecan placed on top, which is pretty. But the 2nd version I chopped up tiny pieces of pecans and put them in the batter. That was my favorite version! Since these are oat flour based cookies, oat flour tends to dry out easily and quicker. So, these buttery pecan bits throughout give a wonderful flavor and texture. These have a strong cardamom flavor. If you do not like cardamom, you can try subbing cinnamon, I have not tested this personally.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the oat flour, baking soda, coconut sugar, cardamom and salt and whisk very well.
- To the same bowl, pour in the syrup, almond butter, vanilla and 1/2 cup pecans. Stir together all the ingredients until a thick, cohesive dough forms. This may take a minute or so before it all comes together and should be moist and the dough easy to work with and form into balls.
- Roll into balls about 1 1/2 tablespoons worth of dough. With the version for the 1/2 cup chopped pecans, you will get 18 cookies. For the version with just a pecan on top, you will get 14.
- Place the balls onto the pan spaced 2 inches apart, as they will spread. Bake 1 batch at a time.
- Press each ball down between 1/4-1/2 inch thick, molding the edges to keep them round. Be careful you don't press them too flat or they will overbake/dry out.
- Bake for just 7-8 minutes. They should have spread some, puffed up and have nice cracks throughout. This doesn't seem long, but trust me, since these are made with oat flour, they dry out much quicker, so over-baking them will result in dry cookies. Do NOT be tempted to bake them longer. See how the first batch goes before first.
- Cool on the pan just 10 minutes. They will flatten back out some as they cool. Use a spatula to transfer them (if you pull off with your hands, they may break) to cool another 5 minutes on a cooling rack, then devour. They will continue to finish cooking as they cool, so leave them to cool as instructed. Since ovens vary, you may need to test the first batch to see if they need another minute more, or less, baking time.
- As soon as they've fully cooled, store in a sealed container to keep them moist. These are best the first day, as they do start to dry out due to the oat flour.
Even though this is not a “traditional” christmas cookie, they should be! These flavors are perfectly cozy and festive, not to mention just amazing together I am sure. I love that you mix things up🤗 I was just digging through my spice cabinet for the ginger (hello gingerbread baking already) and found a whole jar of cardamom, now I know what to do with it. I love the flavor but don’t think to use it enough. And actually cardamom with cinnamon too would be yummy I think. Also those crinkly tops too😍 I am so impressed especially for an oat flour cookie, I’m sure the texture is perfect inside. I would LOVE a batch with chopped pecans inside and a mug full of your chai right about now. The weather is finally chilly enough here, that would be my snack time dreams come true☺️
Hi, these look amazing, I’m in Australia, so I just want to make sure of the measurements in this recipe, are they in imperial or metric ?
Thank you 🙂
Hi! It’s metric, just use the gram weights and teaspoons for the small measurements listed 🙂
This looks like another delicious cookie from you and I can’t wait to make them. Sorry to ask but what gf flour can I use instead of the oat? I don’t eat oats. Thanks so much.
Hi Naomi, I really don’t know, as I’ve only tested it with oat flour. I would say these cookies could be finicky with other flours, as some could really make them dry. The only flour I can think of is sorghum, but I have no clue how they would hold up, structure-wise, and the flavor will be different, as well as possibly more grainy. It’s a recipe I created based on using oat flour, so I just don’t know, you’ll have to experiment!
we just made a batch of these for our church holiday bake sale — wow! we don’t normally eat sugar, so they were a bit sweet for us, but we think they’ll be perfect for the sale. we made the version with chopped pecans, and used regular sugar instead of coconut sugar. our batch turned out 21 cookies, 27 grams each. the cardamom flavor really sings, and the maple and oat flavors are also pronounced. the cookies hold together nicely, look pretty, and taste wonderful. thank you!!!
Yay, so glad you loved them Heather! Thank you so much for making them and leaving feedback! Just fyi, regular sugar is sweeter and more finely ground than coconut sugar, so that will definitely make them sweeter 🙂 I always have to use more coconut sugar in recipes than if I was using regular white sugar. If you make them again with white sugar, just use half the amount.
Yum yum yum! New favorite recipe!
Awesome Christina, so glad to hear that, thank you so much for making them and leaving your feedback!
Dear Brandi…
These were the BOMB! as my kids would say!
Buttery and yummy in a different way.
My experiences…. I added the chopped pecans AND one on top – cause I just love pecans that much! I made my cookies bigger too so cooked them longer about 12 -15 min….ovens vary so much.
When I measure 1 1/4 cup flour the cookies turned out perfect…..crispy and not too dry but when I made a batch (yes I have made 2 batches in 2 days!!! & they are history!) adding 160gms flour they were too dry and I couldn’t even mix the batter. Odd I know …you would think the other way around! delish!
Thanks so much for making these! You are a kitchen wizard and plant based! solid gold girlfriend….
Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Yay! So glad you loved these! And I love that you made 2 batches already! They definitely must have been big because mine would be a dry rock at the listed sizes if I cooked mine that long, lol! Like 8 minutes TOPS on all my batches. And weird with the weight. I specfically write my recipes using SOLELY weight so that is very odd. I made 3 batches too and they all turned out the same. The batter does seem dry when you first add the liquids but after stirring for one minute it all becomes rather moist as the oat flour soaks into the liquid. If you are in a really dry climate, that can affect things too. Regardless though, glad you loved them!
I made these cookies to bring to a friend yesterday. They are terrific. We all loved the cardamom. I plan to make them for an upcoming Vegan potluck soon. I have your new cookbook and love it.
So wonderful to hear that Lois! Thank you so much for the lovely review! So happy to hear you love the cookbook as well! Would you mind clicking the star rating, they help me out so much, thank you!
I LOVE cardamom. This cookie is sooo incredibly good and super easy to make. Can’t wait to share it with both vegan and non-vegan friends! The cookies are awesome.
Oh my, these were so delicious. They didn’t last one day in my cookie jar!
So happy you loved these, haha!
My grandson and I made these the other night. He rarely eats cookies unless they are chocolate chip and I was quite surprised to see him gobbling these up! Me of course, well, I had to practically staple my mouth shut so I wouldn’t eat them all!
Haha, that is awesome to hear and it made me laugh! So glad you both enjoyed them Rafaella, would you mind clicking the star rating, please. They are so helpful!
I’m planning to make these this week. I’m just curious if you have tried making them with toasted pecans? I love toasted pecans in cookies, so I’m just wondering (or maybe they will get toasted anyway when the cookies bake…)?
Hi Becca! They get toasted on the top while baking but if you want to toast them first before adding them into the batter, I’m sure that would be even more delicious!
What happens if you leave the sugar out? Would the recipe still work? I’m no fun, I know, but just don’t eat sugar!
It’ll still work technically but the balance in flavor will be a bit off. It’s a cookie so the sugar is there to sweeten it properly, so it’s up to you if you want to make them knowing they may taste a lot less sweet.
This was amazing!! We subbed the coconut sugar for brown sugar. You can definitely cut the maple syrup if you prefer less sweet.
So glad you loved them Rebecca! Since you subbed with brown sugar, that is a lot different than coconut sugar, as it is much sweeter and also has added molasses and moisture, but if using coconut sugar, I wouldn’t advise cutting the maple syrup. It does add sweetness and moisture. I can see how it would work if using brown sugar though since they both are pretty different!
This is my new favorite cookie recipe. So darn good, so easy, so healthy! Definitely one to share with vegan/non-vegan friends.
Yay! Thrilled to hear that Jen!
I imagine another nut or seed butter would work, any recommendations as a daughter is allergic only to almonds
Yes you can use cashew butter in the same weight amount. Only thing is cashew butter has less natural oils in them and less runny than almond butter, so it may make them drier and not spread as well.
Made these today and the were easy to work with and shape, used the chopped nuts inside and still put a half pecan on top. I think they came out beautiful and I loved the flavor of the cardamom!!
Wonderful Sue! So happy they were a hit!!
Delicious! I made these while some repairs were being done to the house, and it was all I could do to part with a couple of them and add them to the plate of cookies I sent home with the repairman.
(Just a thought… if it’s possible, you might want to put the “rate this recipe” star rating somewhere above the “submit comment” button because I suspect people aren’t seeing it or don’t realize it’s meant for us to click on or don’t realize we have to click on it before submitting the comment. I missed it last time I left a comment. You deserve ALL the stars, and I hate to see you missing out on them!)
So kind Brenna, thank you! That is so sweet of you to share these with your repairman! So glad you loved these!
I’m one of a very small percentage of celiacs who also cannot eat oats.
Do you have any suggestions to substitute for the oats?
Thanks!
Iumi
I really don’t know. It’s the main ingredient, so subbing it will yield an entirely different result. You could try white rice flour with the same gram weight amount, but I have a feeling they will be very dry that way and maybe gritty. I just don’t know without testing any other flour.
I am so excited to make these. What a wonderful combo, Brandi, pecans and cardamom! Genius! I love cardamom so much. It’s great that these are made with oat flour. I think that means they are healthy enough for breakfast right?? 🙂 Cheers from Alaska!
These are good year round! Oat flour is great and we also use pecan meal/flour, too! Both great options. Always looking for a healthier way…
Wonderful, so glad you enjoyed these!
These cookies look wonderful. I have a question about the roasted almond butter. Do you have a recommendation on a brand that you use? I was wondering if I would have success with dry roasting my almonds and making my own butter? Very new at vegan baking but I am having so much fun making your recipes.
I love the roasted almond butter fromTrader Joes. The one without any added oil or salt is important. Or, I have a tutorial how to make it here. Just make sure it’s cooked before using it. You can make it the day before. https://thevegan8.com/how-to-make-homemade-roasted-almond-butter/
I’m wondering if I could use pecan butter instead of almond butter. Grandson and son in law have issues with almonds.
Have you tried this substitution?
Hi Gail! I think pecan butter would be delicious. Only thing is that it’s much, much oilier than almond butter and runnier. So it would make the batter too wet/greasy. Since it’s so much earlier, I’d try just using 1/2 cup of pecan butter. This is a guess.
I made these this evening! They are sooo good! I made th for my husband because he loves cardamom and ended up loving them myself!! Thank you for all of the delicious recipes!! I can always find something to make from your blog!!
I have started making these every year for the holidays, but I need to remember them at other times because I could eat them year-round. So simple to make with ingredients I almost always have on hand. The cardamom is just divine! And the almond butter adds the perfect nutty undertone to pair with the pecans and bind the cookie together. I just pulled a batch out of the oven and ate three as soon as they were cool enough!
That is so wonderful to hear Katie, so happy you love these so much!
I made this recipe today and it was fantastic! Everyone gobbled them up. I’ll definitely be making them again and will add cinnamon and little but if ground ginger as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
So happy to hear that Michelle!
These sound delicious. I’m wondering if I can freeze the dough or the cookies as I’d love to make ahead for Christmas.
I don’t recommend freezing the dough, that tends to dry it out really badly. You can always do a test batch early but since they are oil-free, I feel it will make them dry.
Very, Very delicious! Thanks
So glad you enjoyed them!
WOW! These cookies are so amazing and will be a traditional holiday treat for my family from now on. I put pecans into and on top of the cookies. Thank you for creating such wonderful recipes and for turning me on to how much better it is to use a kitchen scale compared to using measuring cups! You deserve 5 stars, not just this recipe!
SO happy to hear this Debora!