Easy to make vegan oatmeal raisin cookies have chewy centers and slightly crisp edges. With brown sugar, molasses, oats, cinnamon and sweet raisins, these underrated cookies will soon become a family favorite!
Is there anything better than a chewy oatmeal raisin cookie? I love taking recipes that I grew up with and making them vegan. Some of my favorites include banana bread and my perfect chocolate chip cookies! It goes to show just how delicious plant-based treats can be.
These oatmeal cookies are so easy to throw together too – which makes this recipe even more enjoyable to make! And there are several different ways to accommodate food allergies or flavor preferences as well.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Flour – Nothing fancy here! Regular all purpose flour works just fine. For gluten free, use a gluten free mix.
- Rolled oats – Opt for rolled oats instead of instant oats. Instant varieties can turn mushy and they don’t retain their texture as well as rolled!
- Ground flaxseed – This is your egg replacer, making the cookies chewy.
- Vegan butter – All of that buttery goodness you’re after without any of the dairy. Alternatively, you can use coconut oil!
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar – The brown sugar adds a slight caramel flavor to the recipe!
- Vanilla extract and molasses – Warm, spicy vanilla and sweet, slightly smokey molasses blend so well with the brown sugar in these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies.
- Cinnamon – For that trademark flavor.
- Raisins – To add a bit of freshness, sweetness, and texture. Use chocolate chips if you prefer!
- Chopped walnuts – These are totally optional if you have a nut allergy.
How to make vegan oatmeal raisin cookies
This is simply an overview with photos. For the full, printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Prepare your flaxseed egg. Mix the flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven.
Start mixing your ingredients. In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat the softened butter and sugars for 1-2 minutes. Add in the flax egg, vanilla, and molasses. Stop the mixer and add in the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Mix on low until combined. Add your raisins! The dough will be moist but thick.
Scoop out your cookies and bake! Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough onto each cookie sheet. Press each ball down to slightly flatten them, and make sure that there is a little bit of room between each cookie. Bake for 11-13 minutes, then cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack or enjoy immediately!
Tips for success
- Equipment – You’ll need a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer and a large bowl) to properly cream the butter and sugar. Line your baking sheets with parchment to prevent sticking and use a cookie scoop so your vegan oatmeal cookies are all the same size.
- Keep each cookie balanced – Now, I’m not saying you need to count out 5 raisins for each cookie. Simply watch to make sure that each scoop of cookie dough has plenty of raisins inside!
- Cool them properly – Keep your treats on the baking sheet just for a few minutes so the center is cooked through. Too long, and they’ll over bake and become dry. Don’t worry if they’re a bit soft — they’ll firm up on a wire rack.
Frequently asked questions
- Why did my cookies get hard? Over mixing is usually the culprit when it comes to tough baked goods. Mix the dough until just combined. The other reason for hard cookies is over baking. They will be soft when they come out of the oven, but they firm up as they cool.
- Should you plump the raisins before baking? While it’s not required, you may want to soak (or “plump”) the raisins before you bake. You can do so by placing them in a bowl with hot tap water for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.
- Should you chill the cookie dough before baking? Many recipes do call for chilling, but for this vegan recipe, I did not find it necessary. Cookies in my mouth sooner? Always a win! If you want thicker cookies, chill the dough for an hour before scooping and baking.
- Can they be made gluten free? Replace the all purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten free substitute.
- I don’t like raisins. What else can I use? There are a few swaps you can make! Use Craisins for an even stronger fruit flavor than you’ll get from raisins. Or, toss in an equal amount of vegan chocolate chips instead. That’s basically what I did for these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
- How to store leftover cookies? Can they be frozen? Store cookies for up to 1 week in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for freshness. They freeze very well!
Want more classic vegan cookies?
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Lofthouse Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 2 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon molasses
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside to make your flax egg.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened vegan butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
- Mix in the flax egg, vanilla and molasses, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Stop the mixer and add the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Turn the mixer on low speed and mix until just combined. Stir in the raisins until fully incorporated.
- Roll about 1.5-2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls and place onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little room between each one. Slightly flatten each one; they will continue to spread out as they bake.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are set and the edges are golden brown.
- Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will firm up as they cool. Enjoy!
- Cookies will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days in a covered container, or up to a week in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.
Notes
- Gluten free – Use a quality gluten free flour mix and gluten free certified oats.
- Don’t like raisins? Use dried cranberries, blueberries or vegan chocolate chips. Nuts are optional.
Incredible! I make these often! Thank you!
Made as directed and they are fantastic!! My hubby is an oatmeal raisin cookie fanatic (he’s not vegan) and he loved these. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt? Right? I used Miyoko unsalted block butter and cut back the granulated (cane) sugar just a bit. Wow so good!
It’s so great the cookies were a hit with your hubby! Thanks for your amazing feedback and review!
Perfect classic oatmeal raisin cookie. Delicious and love that it is one bowl! I didn’t have molasses and used maple syrup instead. Thanks!
Hi Amy. I’m glad the cookies turned out delicious for you! Thanks for your terrific feedback!
Perfect!
Hi Nora, we love your stuff. We have a flaxseed allergy, could we substitute for anything else?
I have not tested this recipe with egg replacer, however, I think that would work for these cookies. Let me know how it goes!
Hello, try chia seeds or apple sauce.
What a fantastic cookie! I didn’t have molasses on hand so I subbed out maple syrup. They turned out terrific. The texture is amazing. 😀 Norah your recipes ALWAYS hit!! You are my go-to!!
Thank you so much! I’m glad the cookies turned out fantastic for you! Thanks for your fantastic feedback and review! I appreciate you using my recipes, and wish you happy cooking!
Omg amazing
Thanks for sharing your fabulous feedback!
I didn’t have Vanilla, but had Caramel flavoring! Toasted the oats and pecans, left out raisins. They are so yummy. I love your recipes!!
These sound like delicious changes, Sarah! So glad you loved the cookies!
I was craving oatmeal cookies, and these hit the spot! I used chocolate chips instead of raisins because that’s what my family prefers. I also froze the dough for two hours to avoid the cookies spreading, and it worked wonderfully. The cookies came out thick, chewy, and delicious!
Hi Coby. I am glad the oatmeal cookies filled that craving and turned out delicious! They sound delicious! Thanks for your wonderful feedback and ideas!
I love the taste of these cookies! Even though I followed the recipe exactly as written, my dough wouldn’t hold together very well and the mixture was too dry. Still tasted delicious. May cut down on the oats next time and see what happens.
I’m happy you loved the taste, Beverly! Yes, you can cut down on the oats next time or add more butter or molasses to increase the moisture. I hope this helps!