Nutty vegan oatmeal raisin cookies, studded with toasted oats, plump raisins, and made rich and flavorful thanks to walnuts! Crackly on the outside but moist and chewy on the inside, these cookies are kinda healthy but most importantly they’re amazing.
These are the ultimate vegan oatmeal raisin cookies if I may say so myself! Do not make them when you’re alone in the house and the next opportunity to bring the leftovers to work is two days away. You have been warned. Impossible. To. Stop.
I’m a fan of chewy cookies, as evidenced by the extensive cookie science used to invoke chewiness in my vegan chocolate chip cookies. To get the chewy factor into these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies, I employed a favorite ingredient of mine which also perfectly complements the oat and raisin flavors! Walnuts are toasted to perfection and then ground into crumbs to replace part of the flour, infusing the whole cookie with a subtle nuttiness and a lovely rustic texture.
Do not let that dissuade you, though – the method for making them is simple. Just grind up those walnuts in your food processor as seen in the photo below, then add the rest of the dry ingredients to process into a fine crumb. You’ll then add the wet ingredients to that same food processor, and blend until quite smooth. Lastly, you’ll stir in the mix-ins: more oats and of course, the raisins!
You can use either brown sugar or coconut sugar. Both work well and will offer a lovely flavor! One time I ran out of maple syrup and tried to substitute hickory syrup instead. That was terrible, so don’t do that :).
Use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to create even-sized cookies and then flatten them ever so slightly, like so:
That slightly flattened shape will give you a nice crackly cookie top while making your vegan oatmeal raisin cookies flat enough to get chewy. They don’t spread a whole lot on their own, so they need a little bit of help.
These vegan oatmeal raisin cookies are made with whole grains, less refined sweeteners, and just a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil to bring everything together. And of course, as with all of my dairy-free cookie recipes, they’re made without butter of any kind.
You CAN make these gluten-free, just substitute your favorite 1:1 blend for the whole wheat pastry flour.
Unlike many of my cookies, no aquafaba is necessary here, so that might be good news too if you’re not a fan of that particular ingredient!
I hope you enjoy these lovely dairy-free oatmeal raisin cookies, and please let me know in the comments if you give them a try. Bon appetit!
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups raw walnuts
- 2 cups rolled oats divided
- 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon heaping
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 tbsp refined coconut oil softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp molasses (optional)
- 2/3 cup raisins
Instructions
- In a dry skillet, toast the walnuts over medium heat, stirring or tossing them frequently. Toast for 4-5 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown and become fragrant. Remove the walnuts from the pan immediately and transfer them into a food processor. Pulse until the walnuts form a fine crumb.
- Add the following to the food processor: 1 cup of the oats, the flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse to combine until all ingredients are a fine crumb.
- Add the maple syrup, nondairy milk, softened coconut oil, vanilla extract, and molasses if using, and process until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and stir in the other 1 cup of rolled oats. You should expect the dough to be a little sticky, but if it's too sticky to handle add another tablespoon of flour. Finally, fold in the raisins.
- Set the dough in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
- Take about 1.5 tbsp of dough at a time (or whatever size you'd like your cookies to be!) and roll it into a ball, then flatten it slightly and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are just starting to turn golden. Do not overbake! The cookies will firm up when they cool. If using two baking sheets, switch their positions halfway through baking.
- Let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes before carefully removing them and transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Oh She Glows. Recipe originally published in 2015 and updated in 2019. I streamlined the ingredients and method, reducing the number of dishes used but keeping the same great vegan oatmeal raisin cookie flavor! I also added new step-by-step photos.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Leigh says
This looks great, and I am eager to try it. Do you think I could substitute almond meal for the ground walnuts?
Brunhilda says
I made these with spelt flour and they are DANK. Delicious, chewy…the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever eaten! My non-vegan roommate loved as well. Thank you!
Laurel says
Made these yesterday and baked them today (in fridge overnight.) Super good! I followed recipe exactly except for the flour– I used Domata gf flour. Texture is always different with gf, but still so good. Gluten free and vegan hits all the buttons for my different family needs. Thank you!!!
courtney says
These cookies are amazing. Used dried cherries and cranberries in place of raisins. 100% saving this recipe and making again and again. LOVE.
MJ says
I love this recipe!! I like to add coconut shreds and use cranberries instead of raisins. And I love to eat the dough! Yum!!
Aimee says
These are the BEST oatmeal cookies I have ever had, vegan or not! I can’t stop eating them!! Instead of using raisins I used dried cherries and they were excellent, next time I will try them with chocolate chips instead of raisins. Is it wrong that I want to make another batch before this batch is even gone? Just pulled your Baked Almond Feta out of the oven and it’s fabulous too! Soaking beans now for your Slow Cooker Refried Beans(Un-fried) as I type this! So happy to have found your site, your recipes are truly amazing!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Wow, Aimee, I’m delighted to hear that you’re enjoying this and other recipes from my site! These are seriously some of my favorite cookies in the world too 🙂 happy cooking!
bethany says
These are very good
Emily says
When do you add the maple syrup?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Emily, thanks for your catch! The maple syrup is added in step 4, I updated the recipe instructions.
jenny says
The oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is seriously the best I have tried. We all enjoyed them & I think this will be a favourite even though there is only one vegan in the family. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Kendall says
These cookies are incredible! So moist and chewy, but so wholesome. This is my new favourite oatmeal raisin cookie. I like how the moisture comes from other ingredients- not just oil. You are right, don’t bake these alone! 6 cookies later…
Amazing work!! Sharing with my friends 🙂
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
I made peanut butter oatmeal raisin cookies last week and also ate more than may have been appropriate 😀 I love chewy cookies too and these look lovely!
Kate says
Can’t WAIT to try these! I bought some hemp seeds a while ago, perfect use for them! The website/photos are lovely, too! 😀