Plant-Based Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Traditional oatmeal raisin cookies will often use butter, eggs, and sugar for moisture and sweetness. Even most vegan recipes call for refined white flour and refined sugar or syrup. However, for this plant-based recipe, I ditched all of those for whole foods ingredients.
An Oil-Free Sweet, Moist Cookie
Bananas, applesauce, and vanilla extract create the wet base for moisture and sweetness. Dried raisins are mixed into the batter for even more sweetness. All of these ingredients are natural, whole foods, and plant-based. Plus, they’re full of healthy nutrition including fiber, potassium, and other vitamins. You simply throw everything in a blender and puree until smooth.
Gluten-Free Plant-Based Batter
Delicious gluten-free, plant-based cookie batter? Yes, it’s a thing. The secret to this cookie batter is brown rice flour. Unlike traditional white flour, this whole grain flour has not gluten. Instead, it has a delicate, crumbly texture after it bakes. It’s similar to the subtle grainy texture of brown sugar.
Whole grain oats stay in line with tradition in this veganized recipe. I prefer old-fashioned oats for a chewier texture. But, you can use quick-cooking oats in a pinch. In addition, I increased the amount of cinnamon used in a traditional recipe. I love the spice pop of flavor from ground cinnamon. Plus, cinnamon helps highlight the natural sweetness in this recipe.
Will these taste like my Grandma’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies?
No, probably not. Your grandma’s recipe probably used white flour, butter, and brown sugar. This recipe is a little less rich (aka fattening) and less sweet. However, you’ll still love the pure, natural flavor from this recipe! Plus, you’ll love how energized these make you feel…without tons of calories.
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Baking Tips:
No Refined Sugar or Syrup? I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories. These cookies don’t use any refined sugar, maple syrup, or other refined sweetener. Dried dates, banana, and dried fruits provide sweetness, along with healthy fiber and essential nutrients.
Gluten-Free Celiac: Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they can processed in a facility near wheat. If this is a concern, check for “Certified Gluten-Free” oats.
Weigh Your Ingredients: For precise measuring and consistent results, always weigh your ingredients. A small kitchen scale makes this easy to do. This will save you time and give you more delicious muffins and breads.
Portion Scoop: A portion scoop makes it easy to quickly portion out consistent cookies
Dried Fruit and Chocolate Chip Variations: You can swap out the raisins for dried cherries, cranberries, or even chocolate chips. My favorite variation is with chopped up dried cherries.
Adding Plant-Based Protein: For extra plant-based protein, add a scoop of vegan protein powder to the dry ingredients. I’ve done this many times for my personal chef clients who are athletic.
Chef’s Tip: Mash up the banana before peeling it. Give it a good squeeze to get a mushy consistency. This will bring natural, whole foods sweetness to these pancakes, without refined sugar 
Applesauce, banana, and vanilla create the base for these plant-based cookies 
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for oil-free, plant-based baking 
Use a portion scoop to easily make consistent cookies of the same size 
Before baking, lightly press the cookies down to flatten. This will ensure even browning 
Cookies are done baking when golden brown on the bottom. Let them cool on the pan 10 minutes before eating or storing
Watch the Recipe Video for these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Oil-Free, No Refined Sugar or Syrup
- Easy
- Servings: 5
- Ready In: 25 minutes
- Yield: about 20 cookies
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Oil-Free, No Refined Sugar or Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 bananas about 220g
- 1/2 cup 114g unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup 135g Old Fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons 20g brown rice flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 80g raisins
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
- For the wet mixture: Combine the bananas, applesauce, and vanilla in a blender. Puree until creamy
- For the dry mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, brown rice flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the pureed wet mixture to the dry mixture. Stir well to combine. Add in the raisins and stir well
- To Portion and Bake the Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies: Portion about 2 tablespoons per cookie. This will make about 20 cookies. Dampen your fingers with water. Press lightly on each of the cookies to flatten.
- Place the cookies in the oven, and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through. The cookies are done when golden brown on the bottom.
- Remove from the oven, and let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for longer. Enjoy!
- Yield: 20 cookies
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/5 of a recipe (4 cookies)
- Calories 212.84
- Calories From Fat (8%) 16.55
- % Daily Value
- Total Fat 1.98g 3%
- Saturated Fat 0.38g 2%
- Cholesterol 0mg 0%
- Sodium 172.57mg 7%
- Potassium 428.42mg 12%
- Total Carbohydrates 47.02g 16%
- Fiber 5.81g 23%
- Sugar 8.47g
- Protein 4.49g 9%
- Calcium 10.21mg 1%
- Iron 58.64mg 326%
- Vitamin A 40.35IU <1%
- Vitamin C 0.16mg <1%
Shopping List
- 365 Everyday Value Organic Raisins, 15 oz
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- Anthony’s Brown Rice Flour
- Orgain Organic Plant Based Protein Powder, Vanilla Bean
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Is there anything I can substitute the brown rice flour with? (We are not gluten free, so can do regular flour if that would be an option).
I’d recommend oat flour if you have that. You can also use whole wheat pastry flour, but just be careful not to overmix (or the dough will get tough)