These Vegan Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies are perfectly chewy and packed with nuts, dates & caramelized carrots. Part carrot cake part oatmeal cookies these little bites are perfect for those of us who cannot decide between those two favorite desserts! Gluten-free, nut-free option.
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies – a cookie that combines everything I love into one chewy cookie! Part oatmeal cookie, part carrot cake, these little bites are perfect for those of us who cannot decide between two desserts!
We have a perfectly chewy spiced oatmeal cookie made with almond flour and studded with caramelized carrots, dates and chopped nuts. Pistachios on top add a fabulous flavor! All the carrot cake spices like cinnamon and nutmeg are added to the mix! Divine.
The base of this recipe is a classic oatmeal cookie dough with a few flavorful upgrades like warming spices and maple syrup. What takes these to the next level and what sets this recipe apart from other carrot cake cookies: we CARAMELIZE the grated carrots with brown sugar and maple syrup before adding them to the dough. Sounds like a hassle but it’s rather quick and SO worth it as it intensifies the flavor and natural sweetness of the carrots and makes the cookie taste like a frsdhly baked carrot cake!
The rest of the recipe comes together in one bowl in no time at all. Make a double batch – these are great for gifting and freeze well.
Why you will love these carrot cake oatmeal cookies!
- Wholesome ingredients, no flour!
- These cookies are Gluten-free and can be made without nuts
- the caramelized carrots take these to the next level
- dates add a chewy sweet texture
- They are not too sweet and are great for snack or breakfast.
More vegan cookie recipes:
- Chocolate Tahini Cookies
- Gluten-free Thumbprint Cookies
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Pistachio Cookies
- Lemon Chia Cookies
- Ginger Tahini Cookies
- PB Oatmeal cookies
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour
- 3/4 cups (60.75 g) oats (old fashioned oats) , instant oats will work as well
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- good pinch of ground nutmeg, cardamom, all spice and cloves
For the wet ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons flaxseed meal
- 1.5 tablespoons warm water
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons oil
additions:
- 1/4 cup (36.75 g) chopped dates
- 1/4 cup (30 g) chopped pecans
caramelized carrots
- 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup (160 g) grated carrots use more for more carroty. I hand grate the carrots so a small grated size
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- raw pistachios or pecans for topping
Instructions
- Mix the dry : In a bowl, mix in the almond flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and the spices and mix well.
- Make the flax egg: In another small bowl, mix the flaxseed meal and water. Mix well and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Then add in this flax egg, maple syrup, vanilla, and oil to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well to combine. Add in the pecans and dates.
- Caramelize the carrots by adding the carrots to a skillet with the maple syrup and sugar and cook until the maple and sugar thicken and the carrots caramelize a little bit.
- Cool this mixture for 3-4 minutes then add to the bowl with the dough. Mix everything really well. Then refrigerate to chill for at least 20 minutes. The dough is pretty sticky so you want to refrigerate so that the oats absorb some of that stickiness from the extra moisture.
- Take the bowl of the dough out of the fridge and oil your hands using a cookie scoop or a spoon, take about 1 1/2 tablespoons or more worth of the dough. Roll it into a ball and then flatten it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Top it with either pistachios or pecans and flatten it really well. I love pistachios with the carrot cake flavor here. The cookie is going to expand so you want to flatten them to about 1/4 inch or less thickness.
- Preheat the oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit (171 c ) then bake the cookies for 16-19 minutes depending on the size and the thickness of the cookie.(bake at 330 deg F (165c) if using darker or thinner baking sheets as almond flour tends to brown easily)
- The cookies will be soft when they are just baked. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheet then remove them from the sheet and let them cool completely. Store on the counter for the day and in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- oats: I recommend old-fashioned rolled oats, not the quick-cooking kind
- almond flour is my flour of choice here
- baking powder gives these a slight rise
- flax eggs help bind the dough together
- brown sugar caramelized carrots give the cookies a pop of color, moisture, and an added rich, molasses-y flavor that tastes like caramel.
- cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves lend extra excitement. Play around with the amount if you want them extra spicy
- maple syrup gives the cookies both a pop of flavor and added moisture.
- nuts and dates add texture and crunch
Tips:
- add whatever you like adding to your carrot cake. It could be some shredded coconut, or some chopped pistachios or candied pineapple, ginger, or mango
- To make these cookies without nuts, you can use oat flour instead of almond flour. You will need 1/2 to 3/4 cup of oat flour. Omit the pecans and add in some chopped pumpkin seeds hemp seeds or other seeds of choice instead
How to make Carrot Cake Cookies:
In a bowl, mix in the almond flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and spices and mix well.
In another small bowl, mix the flaxseed meal and water. Mix well and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Then add in this flax egg, maple syrup, vanilla, and oil to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well to combine. Add in the pecans and dates.
Caramelize the carrots by adding the carrots to a skillet with the maple syrup and sugar and cook until the maple and sugar thickens and the carrots caramelize a little bit.
Cool this mixture for 3-4 minutes then add to the bowl with the dough. Mix everything really well. Then refrigerate to chill for at least 20 minutes. The dough is pretty sticky so you want to refrigerate so that the oats absorb some of that stickiness from all the extra moisture.
Take the bowl of the dough out of the fridge and oil your hands using a cookie scoop or a spoon, take about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons worth of the dough.
Roll it into a ball and then flatten it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can also make them larger for large chewy cookies
Top it with either pistachios or pecans and flatten it really well. The cookie is going to expand so you want to flatten it to about 1/4 inch or less thickness.
Preheat the oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit then bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes depending on the size and the thickness of the cookie.
The cookies will be soft when they are freshly baked. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheet then remove them from the sheet and let them cool completely.
How to store cookies:
Store these carrot cake cookies on the counter for the day and in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Kelly C
These were really good and held together well! I made the nut-free version so I could bring them in for a faculty breakfast at our kids’ nut-free school, and they traveled beautifully despite the warning that they’ll be soft when they first come out of the oven.
My 11 year old thought they were delicious, which is impressive since they’re packed with carrots. I have been looking for a breakfast cookie option that is the right combination of healthy and delicious and this is one of the best I’ve ever tried!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you for making and reviewing!
Jody
Love the flavor and texture. A little crunchy outside, “cake-like” inside. The spices really make this cookie flavorful and delicious.
Vegan Richa Support
Happy you enjoy the recipe, Jody!
Meggie
Team Vegan Richa does it again, perfectly nailing my cravings. I love the ingredients in here! Still a treat but loaded with the right things.
Vegan Richa Support
team richa! 📣
Rosie
Oh my goodness me! These are incredible. I used the oat flour version and only had cinnamon and all spice so thats the only spices I used but they were incredible. I may try and reduce the sweetness next time just to make them that little bit healthier for my daughter. Highly recommend!
Vegan Richa Support
jThank you Rosie! you’ll love them with the other spices I’ll bet too
Gail
Can I sub almond meal for the almond flour?
Vegan Richa Support
sure can
Cora
Extremely dry! I even added 3/4 a cup of water to moisten; would have added more had I known just how dry they would be. Good maple flavor however.
Richa
Thats odd. Did you change anything? Maybe you use coconut flout?
dan ng
I genuinely got out of bed on what I had planned to be an extra lazy Sunday to make these. They are AMAZING!!
Carrot desserts are my favorite (halwa to American-style carrot cake). Add in a few more of my favorites like pistachios and cardamom and I think I have the perfect forever cookie. The carrot flavor is wonderfully strong but balanced. The texture is nice and soft and chewy, but I’m guessing one could “over bake” to make it more crispy-crunchy. I can’t wait to try dried pineapple and coconut, maybe tilt the spice ratios around a bit for fun too.
As always I love how there are alternatives for different dietary needs as well as ideas to change it up. Whole food ingredients with options for no refined sugar or oils make this as healthy a cookie as one can hope for imo.
I had to bring the rest of the batch to work today to keep from eating the whole lot for breakfast lunch and dinner. No one could believe they are vegan!
Thank you Richa!!!
Richa
Awesome!! Yes bake longer for crispy ness. Adjust times based on preference
Mary
Hi, we were so excited to try this recipe! We’re not expert caramelizers, though. Do you have any tips for getting the carrots optimal for this? My husband used a small pan, and the carrots didn’t really sizzle. Should we have squeezed the shredded carrot? Would a wider frying pan be the way to go? Is there an optimal heat…? We have caramelized onions but fell short with carrots…
The cookies were quite good, crispy on the outside, moist inside. But I think the flavor could be even better if we get the carrots right!
Richa
The pan , stove , carrot size etc makes a difference. Just keep cooking them until the carrots are fully cooked. If the mixture is drying out and getting crispy, add a few drops of water and partially cover and cook them.
Nina
Hi, van you use regular plain flour (UK) instead of almond flour? Until I go shopping. Could I add egg instead of flaxseed? If so one egg? I am making these for a vegetarian hence I can use eggs. Thanks.
Richa
Yes use 1/2 cup all purpose flour. I haven’t used eggs in decades so I wouldn’t know if they will work.
Sean Oill
Could these cookies be made without the oil? What could be used as a substitute?
Richa
See recipe notes where it says oilfree. Omit the oil and add 1 more tbsp maple syrup
Sarah
Hi this recipe looks amazing! Could they be frozen?
Thank you!
Richa
Yes
Elaine
Yes, but you will probably them all first. They are awesome.
Mitzi
Amazing recipe!!
I love your cooking so much. Please, please, please, publish another cookbook!! (I already have your first two books and have preordered the vegan instant pot one coming out in 2022)
Thank you.
Richa
❤️❤️❤️
Leah Ritter
Wow! I found this recipe because I needed to use up some almond flour and I’m so glad I discovered it! All of my favorite carrot cake flavors but in a healthier everyday cookie. These turned out a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The spices, which include cardamom, give it depth. I did add a little shredded coconut. Definitely will make again! Thanks Richa for always knowing what I want to cook (often before I even know!) and for providing solid recipes.
Richa
Yes coconut is amazing in it!