Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, cinnamon spiked Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with applesauce are soft and chewy. This healthy vegan oatmeal cookies recipe is easily made gluten free with gluten free oats and almond flour! | Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Bob’s Red Mill.
This recipe was first published Jan. 2019, and has been updated with additional recipe and makers notes and photography. The recipe remains unchanged.
Why You’ll Love Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
They’re a maker favorite! The V&B commuity is loving these healthier oatmeal cookies. We gotta have healthier options anyway for that pesky sweet tooth! We love em’ for a grab and go breakfast cookie or snack. Here’s why you should give these healthy raisin oat cookie recipe a go:
- easy to make
- naturally sweetened with maple syrup
- made with whole grains oats
- freezer friendly
- gluten free or not
What Makes These Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Healthier?
- Naturally Sweetened: maple syrup is a perfect partner in healthy oatmeal cookies. It helps make them soft and chewy and offers a naturally sweetened oatmeal raisin cookies option.
- Wholesome Ingredients: whole grain and nutty goodness support a wholesome cookie. Organic rolled oats and oat flour, almond flour, (gluten free for healthier gluten free oatmeal cookies) and almond butter make up the bulk of these cookies. To keep the cookies vegan, I use unsweetened applesauce to aid in binding and for added moisture.
Start with Quality Ingredients
These healthy vegan oatmeal cookies are made in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. I’m super excited to share ingredients with the Vanilla And Bean community from a brand I trust for high quality pantry staples to fuel my family’s lifestyle. Bob’s Red Mill ingredients are accessible and offers a wide array of baking flours, whole grain and gluten free options.
Bob’s Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats have an earthy flavor, soft texture and whole grain goodness in these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. For healthier gluten free oatmeal cookies, make this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats and Almond Flour. Oats and almond flour are naturally gluten free, but to ensure that these ingredients maintain their gluten free integrity, Bob’s Red Mill handles them with care in their dedicated gluten free facility and batch tests to ensure gluten free status.
Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies Ingredients
What I love about this oatmeal cookie recipe is it’s easy to make and the ingredients are pantry staples. Grab a bowl and wooden spoon, here’s the what you’ll need from the larder (see recipe card for details):
- Raisins: look for Thompson raisins in the bulk bins for best value. If you have raisins on hand, and if they’re been in the pantry forever like mine, they’ll be dry. Soak them in hot water before mixing into the batter to plump them up!
- You can opt to omit the raisins in favor or chocolate! See recipe card notes for the swap.
- Almond Butter: you can use smooth, no stir, which is rich and thick or the runny gloppy variety with just a few adjustments. Either work in this recipe.
- Pure Maple Syrup: a perfect partner with oatmeal and keeps these oat raisin cookies soft and chewy.
- Apple Sauce: Apple sauce acts as a binder and keeps these cookies soft and moist. Use unsweetened for best flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: just a teaspoon vanilla extract! A must in cookies.
- Almond Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour. It adds nutty flavor and a tender texture to these cookies. And, by the way, it’s gluten free!
- Oat Flour: You can DIY oat flour for ultimate ease. I have a How to Make Oat Flour tutorial if needed.
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (gluten free if needed): Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats – my choice an earthy flavor, pure and delicious. For healthy gluten free oatmeal cookies, choose Bob’s gluten free rolled oats and almond flour.
- Cinnamon: just a touch adds richness and depth to these healthy oat and raisin cookies.
Quick Guide: How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These healthy oat cookies prep time is about 15 minutes! Just one bowl, a whisk, spoon, a few baking sheets, parchment paper and a cookie scoop are the only tools you need. There’s no resting or refrigerating the cookies, so they can be whipped up when a craving strikes! Here’s how to make em’ (see recipe card for details):
- First, let the raisins soak in hot water to plump em’ up!
- Second, whisk the maple syrup, almond butter, apple sauce, and vanilla.
- Next, to the wet ingredients, add the oat flour, rolled oats, almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Last, mix throughly, add the raisins (or chocolate), mix again, scoop and finally, bake for about 13 minutes.
Cool then enjoy! Healthy gluten free oatmeal cookies will last up to a week stored at room temperature or they an be frozen so you don’t devour them all in one setting! They become even softer as they set.
*Makers Notes*
I love reading all your tips and adaptations for these tasty cookies. I’m amazed at how versatile they are! Thank you for sharing. Many thanks to Hope and others who shared their tip about using gloppy/runny almond butter and how to thicken the cookie dough (see recipe notes). Here are a few highlights from the comment section:
- Alexandra said: “I opted for cranberries instead of raisins.”
- Cassandra said: “…did not have almond flour and… so I used Bob’s whole wheat pastry flour. I couldn’t believe how easy and how delicious they are.”
- Laura said: “I used half the batter to make the raisin variation and the other half to make the chocolate chip. Both were equally delicious! One substitution: I switched 1/3 cup applesauce for 1/3 cup of mashed banana, since that is what I had on hand. It was delightful”
- Amber said: “I used sunflower butter because that’s what I already had in the Pantry. They turned out awesome the while family likes them!”
- Madeline said: “I swapped half of the rolled oats for quick oats, and half of the almond butter for peanut butter. I also reduced the maple syrup just slightly and increased the cinnamon to 1 tsp. I will definitely be making these again!!”
A Few Recipe Notes
- Can I freeze cookies? Yes please! To make these healthy gluten free oatmeal cookies ahead of when needed, scoop the cookie dough and place the scoops on a sheet pan. Pop the pan in the freezer for about an hour. When frozen, place the cookies in a storage container. Remove the cookies from the freezer, place on a parchment lined sheet pan and thaw at room temperature. Once thawed they’re ready to bake. You can also freeze the cookies after baking.
- Oat Flour: I DIY my own using Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (gluten free if needed). It’s super easy and economical – see my DIY How To Make Oat Flour for more details.
- Gluten Free? Look for Bob’s Red Mill Organic Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats and Almond Flour to make these healthy oatmeal raisin cookies gluten free! They’re processed in a dedicated gluten free facility. It’s an easy swap!
- Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: Chocolate Fans, I gotchu! Omit the raisins and, for the best texture and flavor, use two different types of chocolate; chunk and chip. You’ll need a dark chocolate bar – go for 70%-80% dark and semi sweet chocolate chips (vegan if needed).
For more recipes using Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats and so many other fabulous ingredients, head to their website and see my shortlist below!
More Healthy Recipes with Oats
Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe [vegan + easily gluten free]
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (105 grams) Raisins *see notes for chocolate chunk/chips
- 3/4 cup (230 grams) Pure Maple Syrup room temperature
- 1/2 cup (130 grams) Smooth Almond Butter no stir or fresh ground almond butter with no additives at room temperature (**see note if using gloppy/runny almond butter)
- 1/3 cup (70 grams) Unsweetened Apple Sauce room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) Almond Flour I use Bob’s Red Mill
- 1/2 cup (55 grams) Gluten Free Oat Flour I use homemade, linked here
- 1 3/4 cups (165 grams) Old Fashioned Rolled Oats I use Bob's Red Mill
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon ground
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
Instructions
- Set oven rack to center of the oven and preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the raisins. If the raisins are dry, pour boiling water over them until they're just covered. Allow to set, to plump up, while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain and press out the any remaining water before mixing the raisins into the dough.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the maple syrup, almond butter, apple sauce, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and emulsified. To the wet ingredients, add the almond flour, oat flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Stir for one minute, vigorously, to incorporate the ingredients. Fold in the raisins. The batter should be thick.
- Using a #50 ice cream scoop (or heaped Tablespoon), scoop the cookies and place them on the prepared sheet pans in 4×5 rows, about 1 1/2 inches apart. The cookies should hold in scoop form when placed on the sheet pan. If not, see notes**. Bake in a preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, or until golden on the bottom and top.
- Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest on the sheet pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To Store: Store cookies at room temperature in a lidded container, stacked between sheets of parchment for up to a week (otherwise they stick together). The cookies will soften further as they set.
