Vegan Gluten-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies made in just 1 bowl, 8 ingredients and are oil-free! So unbelievably delicious, just as good as the classic version!
VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
Most cookie recipes, even the vegan ones, call for butter or oil and white sugar. It is standard and easy to do. That is how I use to make them honestly. But I prefer to challenge myself more creatively with my recipes these days and try to make them a lot healthier. Honestly, though, these taste better than the ones I grew up eating AND if they are healthier and taste better, then why not?! I promise these do not taste like oil-free cookies one bit!
Eating oatmeal cookies that were full of junk was a regular thing before and I would eat so many that I would get sick and wonder what in the world was I thinking. I didn’t earn the title “Cookie Monster” for nothing. If you aren’t a fan of raisins, then you must try these Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! They are a different recipe than these and are out of this world.
These have a wonderful caramel-like flavor thanks to using roasted almond butter, maple syrup and a good dose of vanilla. Roasted has such a deeper sweeter flavor than raw almond butter. It’s a no-brainer for baking in my opinion. The batter is so incredibly delicious, it’s hard to make it to the actual baking.
I have received numerous requests for a classic oatmeal raisin cookie over time that was healthier than the traditional. Specifically, one reader, Estee, told me about a skillet oatmeal raisin cookie recipe she saw on the Rachel Ray show. Of course it was not vegan or remotely healthy. I knew I could make them taste just as yummy, but a whole lot healthier. Cookies are universally loved and these are easier than skillet cookies and I knew most of you would ask how to just make them as regular cookies, LOL!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:
- oats
- tapioca starch
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- maple syrup
- roasted almond butter
- vanilla
- raisins
They are so simple, soft, chewy, moist and sweetened with delicious maple syrup, unlike refined sugars in traditional oatmeal cookies. Don’t worry if you are allergic to nuts, sunbutter can easily be subbed, but keep in mind that it will leave a sunbutter taste. For the dry ingredients, I used just tapioca starch and oats. The tapioca is very important here, as it is what binds the cookies well since there are no eggs, as well as helps them to brown and keep moist. I use tapioca a TON in my baking and in these 6 Ingredient Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I hope you love these Vegan Gluten-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!
MORE VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES
- Old-fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Grain-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER
- Chocolate Coconut Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles (#1 cookie on my blog!)
- Chai Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) old-fashioned rolled oats (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup (32g) tapioca starch (this helps to bind the cookies and make them crispy)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (160g) roasted creamy almond butter (see Note)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30g) water
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (60g) raisins (or 90g chocolate chips)
NOTE
- If you are allergic to nuts, sunbutter can easily be subbed in place of the almond butter, but keep in mind that it will leave a sunbutter taste. It's important to use a very smooth butter so that the batter mixes properly. If yours is stored in the fridge, then heat it up just a bit to loosen it before measuring.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the oats, tapioca starch, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and whisk really well.
- To the same bowl, pour in the syrup, almond butter, vanilla and water. Stir until well combined. Add the raisins and stir again until it all comes together. It should be very sticky and wet. Try not to eat all the batter. Warning.
- Drop by heaping tablespoons or a heaping cookie scoop, leaving a couple of inches in between. I only put a dozen on my first pan, then the remaining batter on another. I got 18 cookies about 2 inches wide. If you want large cookies, do about 2 tablespoons worth of dough. Do not flatten out the dough. It should be a little wet, but very sticky and hold it's shape. Refer to the above photo. They will spread some but poof up a lot more than they will spread. Bake the first pan on the middle rack for 9 minutes. They should be poofed up and a nice light golden color. They may seem a bit undercooked but they will finish cooking as they cool, you do not want to overbake these. Then repeat with the second. This will produce a nice moist and chewy cookie with a golden color. I don't recommend baking any longer so they don't dry out.
- Let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to completely cool on a rack. Store in a tight ziplock bag.
Nutrition
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Hi- how about peanut butter? Would this change up things in a “bad” way?
Thanks!!!
Sure, I’ve had a couple of readers make this with peanut butter too! I haven’t tried it myself, but if you don’t mind the taste of peanut butter, I think it should work!
Another Update. We ate left over cookies yesterday and my husband says, “dump all the others and just make this one”. And he never really liked oatmeal cookies- until now,that is.
Ha, wow, that is so awesome Debbie!! 🙂
Update: Husband home and he says they are wonderful. Another five star cookie.
These are Wonderful, Awesome, Excellent!! I better get to eating before my husband gets home. I would have never believed that you could do what you did in your creation with almond butter. Since, I can’t have much sweet and have had to retrain my taste buds they are a little sweet for me but will just cut down a little on the maple syrup next time. And gotta say that the dough is great too. Thank you so much for these wonderful cookies. Oatmeal were my favorite home made cookies from my mom. She is in a nursing home now and will have to take her one. She will love it.
I have written before on these cookies,but I don’t know if you recieved the email. These cookies were great. Everyone loved them. The only plant based eater at the dinner party was me and my family and friends could not believe that these cookies were vegan. Some of them wanted the recipe and I directed them to your website. I have tried other recipes of yours and every last one of them did not disappoint. I would like to know if you plan on writing a cookbook in the future.
Hi Sharol! Yes, I got your email and replied to it, did you not receive it yet? I’m so happy that everybody loved these cookies so much! Thank you so much for your kind words and sharing my site. I absolutely am planning on writing a cookbook, thank you so much for your support and interest! 🙂
Hi Brandi! I want to make these tonight for a vegan meetup that I’m hosting at our local library tonight. Your chocolate chip cookies are always a big hit but I wanted to try something different. I make my own almond butter for your chocolate chip cookies using raw almonds, which is all I have in the house. Would I need to roast them first for this recipe and, if so, how do I roast them? Thanks!
Hi Nadine! The roasting makes the almond butter smoother and have more flavor in the cookies. It’s not 100% necessary but it does give a better flavor. To roast them just spread 2 cups on a sheet pan lined with foil and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes and then process until it reaches a very, very smooth consistency, almost an oil consistency. I can’t wait to hear what everybody thinks of the cookies! 🙂
Great, thanks! Going to make them right now! 😊
The cookies came out amazing and were a big hit! And they were so easy. I think roasting the almonds made the process of turning them into almond butter much quicker and easier too. I was actually able to pour it this time, which i was never really able to do after processing the raw almonds. And I finally bought a cookie scoop last week, which made it even easier. Wow, can’t believe how I struggled with sticky cookie dough for so many years! Anyway, I just ate the last cookie just now and I’ll be making another batch tonight. Jessie loved them too!
So wonderful to hear that Nadine, thank you so much for making them and the amazing feedback!!
I rated it 5 stars but it disappeared? I’ll try again!
It depends which device, for some reason an ipad doesn’t rate the stars, so it works best from a computer I believe, thank you so much Diana!
Brandi you’ve done it again! As you may remember, my husband is the only person on the planet who doesn’t like chocolate so I’m always needing cookie recipes without chocolate. He loooves oatmeal raisin cookies and I used to make him the ones from the recipe on the lid of the Quaker Oats canister. He’s missed those since we don’t eat that way anymore. He is so happy right now! He has little oatmeal cookie crumbs on his face and he’s smiling so broadly! This new recipe of yours is sensational! It’s so easy and absolutely perfect! I did save a bit of batter that I put chocolate chips in for meeee and it was equally excellent! Now he can’t decide which is his favorite cookie – these or your 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies which I have to make for him every couple of days! Ah such problems we have! You’re the best!
Oh Diana, that is the best feedback ever!! I remember how much your hubby hates chocolate, hahaha, so I’m so honored he loves these so much and I died laughing at your comment of him covered in cookie crumbs, LOL! Thank you so much for making them Diana!
Wow! Simply A-MAZ-ING! Fast and Easy instructions. Simple ingredients. I will definitely make a double batch next time. After reading all the comments I made sure to sample the batter before baking. Yummy. I had about 2 cookies worth that way.
Thank you so much for this recipe and your continued blogging. You are the BEST!
As much as I love chocolate, a good oatmeal raisin cookie is SO good to me. I have an old old recipe for them on my site that I have remade a few times without the oil, and they are one of my most loved cookies (I put pecans in mine though). These look so delicious! Drool worthy for sure! And that cookie dough shot, I’d drop that ball right into my mouth.
These look sooooo amazing Brandi! I loooove oatmeal raisin cookies! These look so moist and delicious. I could definitely eat the whole batch right now lol! Yum! Can’t wait to try them!
Thank you so much Harriet!
I made a batch of these, and they are tasty to have along side a nice cup of coffee or tea. I can’t say that they have the same flavour as a cookie made with butter and sugar, but they are reasonably good substitute, and not as unhealthy. I like the idea of using almond butter.
So glad you enjoyed them! Yes, they taste richer and have a deeper flavor than butter and sugar because they are made with actual whole food ingredients. I actually love these so much more than the butter/sugar ones because those tend to just taste like pure sugar with not much depth. The almond butter and maple syrup gives so much more flavor, so glad you like the almond butter idea, thank you so much!
Third time’s a charm?? I have a feeling the rating stars aren’t showing up b/c I use my iPad for reviews. (It’s portable and easier to follow along with the recipe.) I’m going to try again from my wired PC and see if they show up.
Oh yes, I see it now Colleen! Thank you so much for coming back and doing that, it was so incredibly kind of you!
I will gladly leave star feedback, Brandi! I’m not sure why it didn’t take the first time but I will try to again. These cookies were amazing!
Brandi, you did it again! You are amazing!!! Thank you so much for such an awesome recipe. Flavorful, easy to make, delicious and chewy. These are so good! My non vegan sister was so impressed and asked to make more with choco chips. Yummy!
Wow, thank you so much Lana for the amazing feedback! So happy to hear they were such a hit for both you and your sister, thank you for making them!
I just made these cookies and they are so yummy! You were right about the dough before cooking but I just had to taste it. Finally a vegan oatmeal cookie recipe that is awesome! I have tried a few of your recipes and so far I have loved everything. Thank you for developing such delicious recipes!
Haha, I know right…the cookie dough is hard to not eat it all first! I’m so happy you loved these and are loving all of my recipes so far, that really means a lot to me. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Thank you so much for the remake. They are beyond perfect. I have to admit I was a little concerned with the wetness of the batter, but once I stuck a spoonful in my mouth for “taste testing” I knew this would be a huge hit. I added chocolate chips, well just because. My son and hubby both LOVED them. they are just goodness of yumminess. I am really impressed and appreciate the quickness and ability to make this in one bowl with no food processor which will allow me to make this often on a whim! You are the best.
So so happy to hear that Estee, thank you so much for making them! So thrilled everybody loved them!
First of all, let me thank you again and again for the best vegan desserts! My daughter isn’t a vegan and when she first tasted these cookies, the first word she said was “wow”. We love them so much . I’m so glad as a mother can provide a healthy delicious cookies for all my family and that’s because of you Brandi ! 👍❤️😘
And I say “Wow” to your feedback! SO awesome to hear that Mimi! These are so good I can’t imagine anybody not liking them, vegan or not, haha! They are better than the butter-filled ones I used to shove down my face, lol! Thanks so much for your feedback… I’d love if you could add the star rating to the recipe too, it really helps me out, thank you very much again!
You are a mindreader, Brandi! My daughter just asked me yesterday if you had a recipe for traditional oatmeal raisin cookies! Neither of us could believe it when this recipe came through my email today.
🙂 Not only are these scrumptious, my house smells incredible! Before my family went gluten-free and vegan, I like to think I made the best oatmeal cookies. These gems definitely rival those cookies and they are so much healthier. I still used my trick of soaking the raisins first in warm vanilla water to plump them up, but no butter or sugar was needed with your wonderful recipe. Thanks so much, Brandi, and happy summer!
So wonderful to hear that you and your daughter both loved these so much Colleen! I loved reading your feedback and thank you for such an amazing compliment, it means so much to me! If you can, I’d love if you could add the star rating to the recipe too, it really helps me out, thank you!
Oatmeal raisin cookies are a staple here! We have always loved them! It’s like the perfect non-chocolate cookie!
where can I find Tapioca Starch. These cookies sound delicipos and I want to make them, but need to find tapioca starch
Hi Kerstin! Tapioca starch you should be able to find at pretty much any grocery store these days in the flour section. Where are you located?
Hi Kerstin! You can find tapioca starch at pretty much any grocery store these days in the flour isle or specialty flour section near all the Bob’s Red Mill flours. I see it at all my stores around here. Where are you located?
Just to be on the safe side I think mixing up two batches at one time, one for eating as batter one for baking into cookies, would be a smart idea 😀 Oatmeal raisin batter is the best, so chunky and sweet. These look absolutely perfect! Just the right balance of chewy and crispy. And I always love your milk glass balancing act pictures! You’d have to be crazy to choose want actual butter in cookies when you could have delicious nutty sweet almond butter instead. That flavor mixed with the necessary big spoonful of cinnamon sounds extra delicious! And skillet cookies sound really neat, something that would be a fun video idea, but yes probably not worth the endless questions for an oven modification lol. Mmm that gooey dough in the cookie scoop shot is pure mouthwatering gold <3
Hahaha! For real! The batter was soooo good, I would have been happy just eating the batter. It has a caramel flavor that was addicting. Thanks so much Natalie 🙂 Yes, the skillet version would totally work if somebody wanted to still do it but I figured I’d go ahead and do what everybody else would end up asking for in the first place, haha. Ha, that’s my favorite shot out of all of them, I think simply because it’s raw cookie dough straight in your face!
I literally just made oatmeal cookies today! They are oatmeal chocolate chip though and are slightly different that yours. Can’t wait to try these..my hubs would love them. He is a huge fan of raisins.
Ha, no way!! I made a few with chocolate chips too because I’m not a huge raisin fan! My hubby loves raisins too, so much!
I made these as soon as I saw the recipe! They are FANTASTIC!! Crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, perfectly sweet, and filling so there’s no way to eat too many (though I tried). The dough is hard to resist- I ate about 2 cookies worth of it! Thank you, Brandi!
Yay!!! Hahaha, that’s what I said above, the dough is so good it’s hard not to just eat all of it first! I’m so happy you loved these so much Liz and thank you for running to the kitchen to make them and leave feedback! Just saw your awesome pic on IG too!
I just made these yummy cookies. I follow a whole food plant based lifestyle so I just used powdered peanut butter which is extreme low in fat as compared to the nut butters. The cookies turned out fantastic. Thx for the recipe!
So awesome to hear that Tami!!
How did you use the peanut butter powder? Liquids? oils? – measurements? thanks
Hmm, I could only imagine how delicious they must taste and smell. Love those are so quick and easy! Almond butter makes everything better. I would probably add some chocolate chips here, you know I’m a chocaholic, haha. Your pictures are so beautiful and make me want to eat the whole cookie jar right now!
You are so kind Florian, so glad you enjoyed these pics! I really wanted this batter to be the star, so I went for a really white background which I normally don’t do, but it works with the cookies. Oh yes, you better believe I made a few with chocolate chips too, lol! I’m not a huge raisin fan but my daughter and hubby both love them and eat them near daily.