The absolutely most delicious VEGAN OLD-FASHIONED ICED OATMEAL COOKIES made dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free and just 8 EASY ingredients!
Annnd cue the drooling. These cookies need to come with a warning. Like, I seriously can’t get over how incredibly delicious they turned out. I have so many fails in my kitchen when testing recipes. So many. But sometimes I have a successful recipe that even blows my own mind. Haha! These cookies are a perfect example. These Vegan Old-Fashioned Ice Oatmeal Cookies totally blew us all away at my house. They are that good.
I did the icing a couple of different ways. The full icing is of course the classic look of the Iced Oatmeal Cookies we ate as kids from the Mother’s brand or similar, but I have to say, the drizzle effect looks so much more pretty to me!
My weakness is cookies. I don’t struggle with wanting to gorge myself with things like candy or ice cream.
But. Cookies. I was nicknamed the cookie monster at one of my old jobs years ago because I ate them daily and apparently was in somewhat of a trance while I ate them, lol! I think that’s why one of my specialties has always been at creating cookie recipes because I am so passionate about eating them!
My point is that these cookies are so darn nostalgic and trance-worthy.
These cookies are the result of a little survey I took on my Facebook page asking which recipe to post next. It was between these Iced Oatmeal Cookies and Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Waffles.
My goodness, you all mean business with wanting the oatmeal cookies, lol. There was 300 comments and these won.
Since there was such a high demand for these cookies and a couple of requests regarding allergies, I worked endlessly in my kitchen creating 2 different versions and 4 different icing choices so that everybody could make these. Am I good to you all or what? 🙂
Guys, the originals are made with white flour, butter, lots of sugar and the store versions are of course full of processed ingredients. My version is SO much easier, so much healthier and yet, taste so similar?! Maybe they are magic cookies?
I ultimately had success doing a modified version of my Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on the blog.
UNBELIEVABLE HOW EASY THESE VEGAN ICED OATMEAL COOKIES ARE
Hard to believe these amazingly nostalgic Vegan Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies require JUST 6 main ingredients for the cookie base and 2 for the icing, so 8 total (+salt):
- Old-fashioned whole oats
- White rice flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Maple syrup
- Raw Cashew butter
And the icing:
- Powdered sugar
- Plant milk, which I used coconut for the true bright white icing and thick texture
I kind of still can’t believe how much they look and taste like the original but made with completely different ingredients! I swear, these are every bit as delicious and so much less guilt eating them.
These Vegan Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies bake up and spread round and flat just like the originals and are wonderfully chewy like the original. The cashew butter, oats and rice flour really give them that awesome chew.
I always make my own cashew butter at home because it is so easy and cheaper. Plus, it’s so hard to find store versions that don’t have added oil. You do need a strong food processor though in order for it to work properly. I use my food processor on a near daily basis, so it is an incredible investment.
These beauties are soft, with an ever-so-slightly crispy edge and a decadent, rich and chewy center. Oh gosh. I’m salivating just typing that out.
Now, guess what? Before any of you start panicking that there is cashew butter and you or your kids are allergic to nuts, I also tested and created a nut-free low-fat version.
These Low-Fat Iced Oatmeal Cookies are truly delicious as well, so make these if you are needing to watch the fat or nuts!
OTHER VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Butter Blossoms
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Grain-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) old-fashioned GF rolled oats, NOT quick oats
- 6 tablespoons (60g) white rice flour, do not use brown, they will crumble
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (240g) pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup (204g) raw cashew butter* (with NO added oil or sugar)
CLASSIC WHITE FULL ICING (This will yield the best most classic result and is enough to frost 18 cookies. For a lower sugar option, do half the recipe for the drizzle effect)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) canned "lite" coconut milk, can shaken well first
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (140g) powdered sugar, sifted if it is lumpy
- Please understand that other milks tested...soy, almond, rice ALL made a thinner, less white frosting that did not dry as well and is NOT recommended. Something magical about coconut milk that works best.
LOW-FAT & COCONUT-FREE ICING (this was my favorite for the drizzle effect & the one I used in the photos. It has a delicious cream cheese flavor)
- 4 teaspoons (20g) soy or almond dairy-free yogurt
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (70g) powdered sugar
UNREFINED SUGAR & NUT-FREE ICING (this obviously has a coconut flavor and is more yellow than white and is for drizzle only)
- 1/4 cup (60g) melted LIQUID coconut butter (make sure you've thoroughly mixed the jar before measuring)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (30g) maple syrup, room temp
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (25g) non-dairy milk (I used coconut)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
UNREFINED SUGAR & COCONUT-FREE ICING (my least favorite for these cookies and I ONLY recommend the drizzle effect for this version)
- 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons (64g) raw cashew butter
- 2 teaspoons any milk to thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the oats, white rice flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and stir well.
- Pour the maple syrup and cashew butter over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until it all comes together into a very thick and sticky batter.
- Drop by large spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons) onto the pan, placing 9 on each sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart as they will spread a lot. With damp fingers (dipped in water), press the cookies down to about 1/4 inch thick and form a round shape with your fingers in a patting motion and round out the edges. The batter will be way too sticky to roll into balls. Please refer to my video above for a visual. This is an important step for how the cookies bake up beautifully and round and flat.
- Bake one pan at a time on the center rack for 12 minutes. The cookies should have spread nicely and have a beautiful crackle and light golden top. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack with a spatula. Do not use your hands to pull them off. They will firm up as they cool, so let them cool!
- For the classic icing (this was my favorite), add the powdered sugar and milk to a small bowl and whisk until completely smooth. It will seem too dry at first but keep whisking and it will come together. Do not be tempted to add more milk! It should become thick and white. Ice the cookies quickly as it does start to dry out fairly quickly. Use a spoon to dollop each cookie and spread out with the back of the spoon. Or, for a less sugar topping, add the icing to a baggie, cut a small tip off the corner and drizzle it on. FYI: I used the yogurt version for the drizzle. Please place the cookies in the fridge to allow the icing to set quickly and then you can either store them at room temp or fridge. I place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer of cookies so the icing doesn't stick to the other cookies.
- If using the coconut butter version, melt it gently (if it's hard) in the microwave for 30 secs or until warm and soft and is liquidy. Add the syrup, milk and vanilla and mix with a fork until totally smooth and a thick pudding consistency has formed. Add to a baggie and trim off a small corner and drizzle on the cookies. Place in the fridge to set.
- If using the cashew butter icing version, add the ingredients to a small bowl and mix with a fork until smooth. Add to a baggie and trim off a small corner and drizzle on the cookies. Place in the fridge to set. This will not harden as well as the powdered sugar version and it wasn't my favorite. The cashew flavor is strong, which is why I only recommend drizzling, not completely frosting.
Thank you for this recipe. It’s one of the best vegan cookies I’ve made. I’m wondering if it would be possible to use a different nut butter? Would almond butter work? Also, is there a way to reduce the sugar (less maple syrup)? I find that when I reduce the sweetener, cookies tend to be drier. Thanks again!
So glad to hear that! The thing that makes these taste so authentic and amazing is the cashew butter, so it just won’t taste the same with another nut butter. You could try almond butter but it’s much runnier and more oily than cashew butter, so the cookies will be more flat and taste much stronger in nut flavor. The syrup is needed for moisture and structure. You could try replacing 2 tablespoons with milk, but the batter will likely be more loose.
I’m writing this review while I still have the taste of these cookies in my mouth. A vegan oatmeal cookie to match my mom’s growing up had been incredibly difficult. UNTIL NOW! And not only are they as good as my mom’s, but gluten free, too?! Brandi, you are an absolute genius!
Made these with the classic icing. Such great flavor and sweetness, and a really easy recipe. Loved them so much!
These cookies are the closest thing to crack cookies! So.Good!!!!! Brandi, I have yet to make a recipe of yours that I didn’t like.
Absolutely LOVE these!! Made them today and they are a HUGE HIT with the family!! Thank you for the recipe!
Awesome Heather, so happy to hear this!
These cookies are awesome! The thing I love about Brandi’s cookies is they are dessert, but they can generally be breakfast too and these were an awesome breakfast. I went with the lighter amount of icing which was great. Success for a house with ages 9 to 56!
My husband and I just started a plant based diet and I figured my cookie eating days were over. Wow was I wrong how sweetly wrong. Thanks to you Brandi, my life is now complete again with cookies!!!
So many times I have found incredible or what I thought was incredible, recipes on the Internet for cookies and tried them only to have them turn out nothing like the picture and tasting horrible.
So I tentatively began making the recipe for these cookies. I had made the cashew butter the day before which turned out beautifully. So the cookies came together very quickly and very easily. I ground my own rice in my Vita mix to make the rice flour and ran it through a sifter
I tasted a bit of the batter, of course one cannot make cookies without taste testing before they go in the oven right??
Then I formed them on the cookie sheet and waited the agonizing 12 minutes for them to bake.
With growing excitement I watched as they grew large but stayed firm and puffy. I was in cookie heaven by this point.
Then the 1st bite…..Of course I did not wait until they cooled down for that is a cardinal sin for any cookie monster. Ahhhhhh that first bite took me away to my childhood days of archway packaged cookies but all this bliss without the guilt!!!!!
And I haven’t even put the frosting ou yet!!!!
Thank you again brandy for making this recipe free and I can’t wait to try your other ones you truly are as Anne of Green Gables would say a bosom buddy in cookie making.🤣🤣🤣
Thank you so much for this recipe. I used plain goat yogurt for the yogurt in the icing, I can’t believe how easy the recipe was and they turned out great everyone loved them.
These cookies are delicious! I took them to a social distancing get together today and everyone loved the taste of these yummy treats!
Brandi, you’ve done it again! I don’t know how I missed these when you first posted them, but I made them today, and they’re excellent (didn’t have white rice flour, used the oat flour/potato starch sub noted in a comment above — thanks!). I actually made oatmeal cookies from someone else’s recipe a few days ago, and they were duds, so then it occurred to me to check your site because I know you know your cookies! (And really, recipes for anything in general. If Brandi has a recipe for it, it’s typically the best version I’ve ever had.)
In an attempt to conserve my cashew butter, I made half a batch to make sure I’d like them before making a lot. Hahaha, boy was that a dumb thing to do! They were GONE before they had even fully cooled! My husband saw me starting to make them and asked if it would be much extra work if I made some “regular” ones (“you know, with sugar”) for him. I asked him to try these, and if he didn’t like them, I’d make him some others. Well, he tasted one and asked me to set some more aside for him. And that was even after I subbed half the maple syrup for date paste!
I made these cookies twice. The first time I had to text my mother to say “holy crap these are best oatmeal cookies ever!!” Scrolling through old text messages and seeing that message to my mom made me have to make them again. 🙂 First time I made them they were perfect. Icing was amazing! I made my own cashew butter and stored it in the fridge. When I made them the second time I didn’t measure the cashew butter soft, but instead still a tiny bit hard from the fridge. Would that affect the measurement? They turned out thinner this time around, still edible! But they did spread out worse than the first time. I’m guessing maybe my measurement was off or the cashew butter should have been softer when I measured it. I use the scale also who knows if that jacked up my numbers.
Hi Marilea! So glad you love these! If using the scale to my exact gram measurements, then that wouldn’t be it, since that is how you get the most accurate result. That is odd, but if the cashew butter was hard, maybe it just didn’t get mixed in all the way or somehow an ingredient measure was off. Just use the room temper cashew butter next time and weigh, just to be safe!
I found your recipe after becoming gluten and dairy intolerant. I missed my favorite cookie in the world and found this recipe. I ran out of maple syrup so since half the amount for honey. Kept everything else the same and followed the recipe to a T otherwise. These cookies are beyond amazing and a huge hit with all my normal eaters too. Nobody could believe how healthy they are compared to a classic version. Thank you!!!
Hello!! I’m 5 years vegan and just now getting the courage to try vegan baking. These look absolutely delicious — and something that I (as an extreme beginner) feel like I could tackle!! My question is — for the yogurt drizzle icing — should I use sweetened/vanilla yogurt? Or plain, unsweetened yogurt? Please let me know your thoughts!
Thanks again, I’m so excited to keep exploring your blog!
Hi Alex! You can use plain or vanilla. The icing is sweet enough from all the powdered sugar, so either will work!
Brandi!! My food processor almost died in the process of making the cashew butter but it was worth it because these cookies are bomb! I did not make the icing because the cookies alone were sweet enough for my taste. Thank you again for sharing your delicious recipes with the world – your blog and cookbook are my go to sources for plant based comfort foods. Both sources together have helped me to continue to adhere to a plant based diet for over 3 months going strong!
Thank you so much Emma, I’m so very happy to hear that! Thank you for the kind words, so glad my recipes and cookbook have helped your journey so much!
Hi,
With so many positive comments, this is surely worth trying. Can I use a gluten free flour as I cannot have white rice. E.g..buckwheat or quinoa.
I would not suggest either of those since it would really affect the flavor and I’m not sure how well it would bind the cookies. I would suggest oat flour instead, finely ground and you will likely need 2 more tablespoons or so of oat flour, but that’s a guess, as I haven’t tested it. Just look for the batter to have the same texture as in the video to help. Just keep in mind that using oat flour will make them more soft, less crispy, a bit.
A+++ Delicious… these are very good oatmeal cookies. They are excellent without the frosting too. I added a few chopped pecans to half the batter for variety and upped the cinnamon a tad because I love cinnamon. I love the use of cashew butter. Thank you for another wonderful healthy recipe. I am still reeling from your amazing butterfinger bars – can’t get enough of those! Much gratitude for your creativity and sharing. 💖
So awesome to hear that, thank you so much for the amazing review!!
Hi, thoughts on making these with sun butter instead of cashew butter to make them nut-free?
Hi Meera, it would technically work, but keep in mind that it will totally change the flavor and it won’t have that classic oatmeal cookie taste since cashew butter is naturally sweet and vanilla-ish and sunbutter is much more bitter, so as long as you are prepared for a sunbutter taste, then they would still bake up the same! Also, sunbutter reacts with baking soda when baking, yielding a green tint, so your cookies may turn a bit green, it won’t affect the flavor, but it’s just the chlorophyll in sunflower seeds that causes this reaction.
I’m not the best baker, so I was very happy when these turned out so well. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I even followed your advice and made cashew butter from scratch for the first time in my food processor.
That’s wonderful to hear Lindsey! So glad these turned out so well! I always aim to make my desserts easy to follow and bake for even novice bakers 🙂 Thank you for the lovely review!
these look so delicious!! I have all the ingredients except cashews, but I do have peanut butter in the pantry. How do you think peanut butter would work ? I’ve never tasted a peanut butter oatmeal cookie and am worried about the taste.
Any experience in this area ?
Hi Joy! Yes, I definitely would get the cashew butter or make it (I always make mine) because classic old-fashioned iced oatmeal cookies have a very distinct taste and peanut butter, unless you want a peanut butter flavor, will definitely change them. I’m sure it would taste good, I just don’t know since I haven’t tried it and I wanted these to taste like the originals, which they crazily do!
These are absolutely amazing!! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a crunchy, chewy, oil-free vegan cookie. So glad you list weight measurements; otherwise, I would’ve been way off on the rice flour. My omnivore family loved these. I was too lazy to make the frosting, so ended up adding chocolate chips. Yum!
Yay! So happy to hear that Marlene! Thank you so much for making them!
Cashew Butter : I have an old Cuisinart from the 80’s and it made the cashews into a dough and not a butter. Should I add a bit of water? Also I also tried my Vita mix but it I think it was beginning to over heat.
Hi Marita, that sounds right, it reaches a dough-like stage, but you need to keep processing it as noted and it WILL turn into a super smooth, loose and creamy butter, similar to a frosting texture. You definitely do not want to add water, it will make it spoil faster. Just keep processing. It can take several minutes depending on the processor, but if it reached a dough, you are on the right track. Do not use a Vitamix, they are not good at making nut butters because the containers are too thin, food processor is all I use for nut butters.
Vita mixes are fabulous for nut butters, they have a ton of recipes on their site.*
The tricky part is when using raw cashews ( instead of roasted nuts) w/out oil, it wants to turn to flour-y dough and stay there. It can be done, it just takes ALOT of scraping the sides, every few seconds. ( would have been easier if I’d had enough cashews to make a full batch, so the tempter would reach sooner in the process..) once it gets soup hot it really comes together.
I didn’t get mine to drop off a spoon, but it was typical- peanut butter consistency.
I should also note that I have a countertop model, (shorter and fatter) the old-style vita mixes may be more difficult.
* find a vitamix approved recipe similar to this raw cashew butter and follow the directions for when to stop blending so you don’t stress your motor.
I experimented with a few different recipes for healthy plant based cookies for Christmas this year, and these were by far the best. I used almond butter instead of cashew, just because that was what I had at the time, and iced with the classic white icing made with coconut milk, which turned out great. I stored some in the freezer, taking out one or two when I wanted a snack. I couldn’t wait for them to defrost, so tried eating while still frozen, and they were even better like this – crisp, crunchy, light and delicious. Great recipe, thanks Vegan 8
Sorry, Brandi. It looks like I forgot to leave my name in the review above. But that’s OK. It lets me leave another 5 star review. Yes, these are THAT FANTASTIC!
I can’t believe I didn’t leave a rave review last summer for these scrumptious cookies! They are a HUGE HIT with everyone, even those who say GFV baked goods just aren’t as good as “regular.” They are consistently chewy with a nice crunchy outside. This morning I knew I HAD to make them again but was devastated to learn I was out of white rice flour. So it was either brave the snowy roads or try sweet white sorghum flour. I’m relieved to tell you they were still fabulous with sorghum. 🙂 I even used leftover cashew butter to make your Double Chocolate Fudge Crinkle Cookies. (I’m not a big fan of using sunbutter. The cashew sub makes them SUPER delicious!) Those and the Cinnamon Roll Cookies alone make me soooo happy I bought your cookie eBook last year!
Have a wonderful Christmas, Brandi! Thank you for the joy you bring to so many. 💜 I’m off to make your new gingerbread cake!
Oh, Colleen you totally made my day!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful and grateful message, it truly means so much to me! I always love hearing from you! So glad to hear they worked well with the sorghum flour, yay! I think since these are cookies, it is easier to swap flours (as opposed to a cake) and that is great to know. Oh, I cannot wait to hear what you think of the cake!! I really hope you are able to make the main version with the spelt and brown rice flour because it is truly perfect and the most fabulous soft texture. I did list a white flour sub, which is still good, but the texture is not as soft/light because of the higher gluten amount. Anyways, can’t wait to hear!
Ok I have one quick question. I am most likely going to make these this Sunday to bring into work on Monday and you suggested I make the powdered sugar version for the coworkers. Which powdered sugar one? The one with the coconut milk or the one with the plant yogurt?
I would do the icing with the coconut milk!