Vegan Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies 🌱 Simply the best soft and chewy oatmeal cookies made with just the right amount of sweet & spice. Old fashioned oats, flour, vegan butter, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, oat milk and a splash of fresh lemon combine into the yummiest, tastiest cookies.
When I stopped eating dairy and eggs, this was the first family recipe I veganized. It was so important to me to recreate the textures and flavors I knew and loved using all vegan ingredients.
Once I dialed it in, I knew it was possible to update other heirloom recipes. Just like my mom's beloved lemon meringue pie recipe, my Aunt Velma's dreamy chocolate devil's food cake, her scrumptious old-fashioned applesauce cake, and this one - my Swedish great grandmother's old-fashioned oatmeal cookies.
★★★★★ "These are so delicious!" Dream
Table of Contents
This recipe for simple vegan old-fashioned oatmeal cookies is a big deal in our house. Passed down through at least 5 generations, it's the most popular dessert recipe in my family. There is nothing fancy or complicated about it, which I think is why it has withstood the test of time. It's recipes like these that become so much a part of our DNA that we keep them alive by sharing them with our children and grandchildren.
We enjoy baking these soft and yummy cookies throughout the year, but my favorite time to serve them is during the fall and winter holidays. I love cozying up in my favorite chair with a couple oatmeal cookies and a cup of coffee on Christmas morning. It's like having a bowl of oatmeal - in a cookie!
Why you should try this recipe
Making these vegan oatmeal cookies from scratch is quick and easy to prepare. All you need are a few basic ingredients & tools and you'll have a nice hot batch out of the oven in less than 30 minutes. Your kitchen will smell amazing with the aroma of cinnamon and vanilla! They're delicious with a morning cup of coffee or tea.
🌱 Ingredient Notes
- Flour - All-purpose (may be replaced with 1:1 gluten-free flour if needed)
- Rolled or old-fashioned oats - preferred. You can also use quick cook oats
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vegan butter - Use your favorite
- Vegan egg replacer - See FAQ's below for suggestions
- Oat milk - or your choice of rice, almond or soy
- Lemon juice - or apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon - ground
- Baking soda
- Salt
🥕 See the printable recipe card below for quantities and details.
🌱 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190.5° C
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine oat milk and lemon juice. Set aside for a few minutes, allowing the milk to sour (for vegan buttermilk).
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda & cinnamon. Set aside these dry ingredients.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla. Cream together until smooth. Beat in egg replacer.
6. Add creamed butter/sugar mixture to dry ingredients. Begin stirring while adding oats, soured milk and any add-ins, alternating a small amount at a time until fully combined, but don't over-stir.
7. Using a rounded tablespoon or or small ice cream scoop, drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto baking sheet, allowing space for the cookies to spread.
8. Bake at 375° for 10 - 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and place on a rack or clean cutting board to cool.
🥕 Baking Tip
I prefer to hand mix these cookies. Yes, you can use an electric mixer, but be careful not to over-mix, as it can cause the cookies to become tough. It's helpful to let your butter soften slightly before using, which will make hand mixing a lot easier. I use a silicone spatula or a long handled old-fashioned wooden spoon, just like my grandmothers used.
🥕 Variations/Add-ins
You can create several different varieties of cookies from just this one easy recipe. Want chocolate chip oatmeal cookies? No problem! How about vegan cranberry oatmeal cookies? I suggest adding no more than ¼ cup each of one or two extra ingredients. Watch the baking time, as some ingredients will tend to make the cookies brown faster.
- Vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Vegan white chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts - walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia, peanuts
- Raisins or chopped dates
- Dried cranberries
- Dried cherries
- Flaked coconut
- Lemon zest
Learn everything you need to know about baking without eggs or dairy in this article featuring our Top Tips For Egg-free and Dairy-Free Baking.
🌱 Equipment
These are the kitchen tools I use to prepare this recipe:
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- A large spoon for stirring or an electric mixer (optional)
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat (optional)
- Cooling rack
🥕 FAQ's
Why use parchment paper for baking cookies?
Here's the scoop: Parchment paper may not be necessary, but there are some very useful reasons for using it.
It can help keep cookie dough from spreading too much while baking. The surface texture or "tooth" of the paper helps hold the dough in place.
A layer of parchment helps provide even baking by creating air space between the baking sheet & paper which can regulate the overall temperature of the baking surface. Ever notice how some pans get hot spots?
Parchment also keeps cookies from sticking to the pan, which can be an issue particularly with chocolate chip cookies (if the chips burn onto the pan).
I always use a layer of parchment whenever I use aluminum foil or an aluminum baking pan. I don't like aluminum to come into contact with my food.
Finally, using parchment keeps your pans looking new and makes clean-up a whole lot easier.
What to use instead of eggs in vegan old-fashioned oatmeal cookies?
The original (non-vegan) recipe calls for eggs, which I've substituted with vegan egg replacer. There are several packaged powder egg replacers available which work well. You can also make your own by combining one tablespoon ground flax meal with three tablespoons of water (per egg). Allow it to sit a few minutes to thicken before using. Learn more about vegan and egg-free baking in this informative article.
How do I make vegan buttermilk?
The original recipe also includes buttermilk. I have replaced it with oat milk and a small amount of lemon juice to sour the milk. You can also use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar instead of lemon juice.
Did you give this recipe a try? I hope so! Here's a few more sweet surprises!
If you love this recipe ★★★★★ please be sure to rate it below! Sharing your experience lets me know that you enjoyed it and will help other readers decide if they should give the recipe a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Vegan Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- A large spoon for stirring or an electric mixer (optional)
- baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat (optional)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup oat milk or your choice of rice, almond or soy
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (to sour milk)
- 2 cups flour all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 2 cups oats rolled or old fashioned - preferred.
- ¾ cup vegan butter softened but not melted
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs vegan egg replacer equivalent -I prefer Bob's Red Mill egg replacer in this recipe - see other options in notes below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190.5° C
- Line baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine oat milk and lemon juice. Set aside for a few minutes, allowing the milk to sour.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda & cinnamon. Set aside these dry ingredients.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla. Cream together until smooth. Beat in egg replacer.
- Add creamed butter/sugar mixture to dry ingredients. Begin stirring while adding oats, soured milk and any add-ins, alternating a small amount at a time until fully combined, but don't over-stir.
- Using a rounded tablespoon or or small ice cream scoop, drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto baking sheet, allowing space for the cookies to spread.
- Bake at 375° for 10 - 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden brown.
- Remove from baking sheet and place on a rack or clean cutting board to cool.
Notes
- Vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Vegan white chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts - walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia, peanuts
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Flaked coconut
- Lemon zest
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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Dream says
These are so delicious!
Rebecca says
This recipe is AWESOME. I made mine gluten free by using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour and Bob's Red Mill GF Oats. I substituted soy milk, used real eggs, and I replaced the sugar with honey and only added half the amount. I'll absolutely be making this recipe again!
I also added the Gluten free, Vegan chocolate chunks to the cookies.
Thanks a bunch for the recipe, so happy I came across this.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
Hi Rebecca, thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe, it is definitely one of those that can be adapted as needed. I'm happy you enjoyed your cookies!
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
You know a recipe is a keeper when it's been a #1 family favorite for more than 5 generations! Enjoy this all-vegan version of the best old-fashioned oatmeal cookies you've ever tasted!💚🥕