Lightly spiced with cinnamon and dotted with chocolate chips, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are a terrific fall treat. They’re soft and chewy, filled with pumpkin flavor, and no one will guess they’re gluten free.
Do you enjoy the flavor of pumpkin? You’ll like my pumpkin bars, too. If you’re looking for more gluten free pumpkin cookies, you’ll want to try my pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting and my pumpkin snickerdoodles. All of these recipes are filled with pumpkin and are gluten free.
Jump to:
- Why this Recipe Works
- Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
- Step By Step Instructions
- More Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes
- Gluten Free Flour Blend
- Measuring Gluten Free Flour
- Dairy Free Option
- Recipe Tips and FAQs
- More Gluten Free Cookies You’ll Love!
- Recipe
- Comments
The fall season in the Pacific Northwest usually brings cooler temperatures, foggy mornings, and the perfect opportunity to bake something sweet. And, since fall brings with it the search for “all things pumpkin”, I’m sharing my recipe for Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies.
These cookies are soft in the middle with a little chew around the edges. The chocolate chips add extra sweetness to the mellow pumpkin flavor.
My number one tip is to make sure you use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin puree is simply pumpkin without any spices or sweetener added to it.
Why this Recipe Works
- The combination of pumpkin and cinnamon makes these cookies a delicious fall treat.
- Melted butter and vanilla add extra layers of flavor to the cookies.
- The sweet chocolate chips compliment the mellow pumpkin flavor perfectly in these tender cookies.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pumpkin - Canned pumpkin, also known as pumpkin puree. Be careful when buying pumpkin because a can of pumpkin pie filling looks a lot like a can of pure pumpkin.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is my preference so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. For dairy free, use a non-dairy alternative like Earth Balance.
- Gluten free flour blend - I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour in this pumpkin cookie recipe. If you don’t have a problem with gluten, you can use all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda - The baking powder and baking soda give a little lift to the cookies. Check the expiration dates to be sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh.
- Chocolate chips - I use Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips. For dairy free use Enjoy Life chocolate chips.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
- Stir together the pumpkin, sugar, butter, vanilla and egg.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough onto lined baking pans.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Step By Step Instructions
(For ingredient amounts see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
Preheat your oven to 375° F. Line baking pans with Silpat liners or parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and egg. Stir until well combined.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until combined.
Add the chocolate chips to the batter and stir until combined.
Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the dough, about 2-inches apart, on the prepared pans.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned and set.
Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the pan before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
More Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes
Gluten Free Flour Blend
Be sure to use a good quality all-purpose gluten free flour blend when making these pumpkin cookies. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 which contains xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum helps to hold baked goods together. In traditional baking, gluten in all-purpose flour acts as the binding agent for the baked good. Gluten free baking requires a replacement for the binding agent and that’s where xanthan gum comes in.
Your results may vary depending on the gluten free flour you use. I haven’t tried using almond flour or coconut flour with this recipe.
Measuring Gluten Free Flour
Remember to use the “spoon and level” method when measuring your gluten free flour. Simply use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then use the back of a table knife to level off the top. Using the measuring cup to scoop the flour directly from the canister or bag can give you more flour than needed in the recipe.
Dairy Free Option
To make these pumpkin cookies dairy free you just need to substitute a couple of ingredients.
- For the butter, use a non-dairy alternative like Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.
- For the chocolate chips, use a non-dairy alternative like Enjoy Life Baking Morsels.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Check the ingredients of your gluten free baking flour mix for xanthan gum. If your flour mix doesn’t contain it, try adding ½ teaspoon to the recipe. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour which contains xanthan gum.
- Silpat baking mats keep the cookies from sticking to the pan and make clean-up a breeze. If you don’t have silicone mats, parchment paper will also work.
- Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, when making these cookies. Pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sugar added and will make the cookies overly sweet.
- Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to drop the dough on the prepared pans. The scoop guarantees all the cookies are the same size and will bake evenly. Using the scoop also speeds up the process of getting the dough on the pans and into the oven.
Yes. You can swap out the gluten free flour blend with all-purpose flour if you prefer.
Most brands of chocolate chips are gluten free, but always check the label. Enjoy Life Foods, Hershey’s and Nestle all make gluten free chocolate chips.
Stored in an airtight container, these cookies will last for 3-4 days on the counter. Of course, that’s assuming they aren’t gobbled up sooner.
Yes. You can freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Defrost them on the counter for a couple of hours or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds if you can’t wait to enjoy a couple.
If you like the flavors of pumpkin and chocolate, you have to try these cookies. They’re soft and sweet, easy to make, and no one will guess they’re gluten free! Happy Baking!
More Gluten Free Cookies You’ll Love!
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, don't forget to leave a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I really enjoy hearing from you!
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Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled slightly
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking pans with Silpat liners or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and egg. Stir until well combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until well combined.
- Add the chocolate chips to the batter and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the dough, about 2-inches apart, on the prepared pans.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned and set.
- Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the pan before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Check the ingredients of your gluten free baking flour mix for xanthan gum. If your flour mix doesn’t contain it, try adding ½ teaspoon to the recipe. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour which contains xanthan gum.
- Silpat baking mats keep the cookies from sticking to the pan and make clean-up a breeze. If you don’t have silicone mats, parchment paper will also work.
- Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, when making these cookies. Pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sugar added and will make the cookies overly sweet.
- Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to drop the dough on the prepared pans. The scoop guarantees all the cookies are the same size and will bake evenly. Using the scoop also speeds up the process of getting the dough on the pans and into the oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on products and brands you use. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the ingredients you are using with your preferred nutrition calculator.
This post was originally published in 2020. It was republished in 2022 with updated images, additional text, and FAQs.
Janice says
What sizes can of pumpkin?
Flavor Walk says
Hi Janice,
You just need 1 cup of pumpkin puree to make the recipe.
Josephine says
I made these cookies this afternoon and was very happy with the result. I followed the recipe but used vegan butter. The cookie dough was very soft and fluffy which surprised me. I am used to cookie dough that is stiffer. They baked up VERY soft and cakey and tasty.
Flavor Walk says
Hi Josephine,
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the 5-star rating.
Diana says
I halved the sugar, the chocolate chips add sweetness so 1/2 cup is plenty. Best basic
recipe I have tried for pumpkin cookies. I also prefer more spice so as well as cinnamon I added cloves, nutmeg and ginger which amounted to another. teaspoon but added a great flavour.
Flavor Walk says
Hi Diana,
Thank you for sharing your modifications. I'm glad to hear you were able to make the recipe work for you. Thank you for the 5-star rating.