Soft and chewy vegan oatmeal raisin cookies with crisp edges are seriously addictive. And they're so easy to make!

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These cookies are a vegan version of the Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe from the Quaker Oats package. They're the oatmeal cookies of my childhood, and they are exactly how I remember them.
The idea for making vegan oatmeal raisin cookies came up during an episode of my podcast, Talkin' Tofu. Dave proposed making oatmeal cookie-peanut butter sandwiches, and we needed some bomb, chewy cookies as the base.
If you haven't listened to that episode, I hope you get a chance to. And hey! Subscribe to the pod while you're at it, why dontcha?
Besides making this classic oatmeal cookie recipe vegan, I also cut it down in size. This recipe makes a dozen large cookies, because that feels like a more manageable amount to me than the original four dozen. Feel free to multiply this recipe, if you need more cookies.
Ingredients and substitutions
- vegan butter - I use stick butter, since it's the easiest to measure. After measuring, melt the butter and then set it aside to cool.
- brown sugar - For sweetness, of course, but it also gives these vegan oatmeal cookies a great texture!
- sugar - For sweetness.
- egg replacer - Use a store-bought egg replacer, and make enough for one egg before you start gathering the other ingredients, so it has time to thicken.
- vanilla extract - To flavor the dough.
- all-purpose flour - I haven't tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so I'm not sure how that would shake out.
- baking soda - To condition the dough.
- cinnamon - To flavor the dough. You can use apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice instead, if you want.
- salt - To condition the dough.
- rolled oats - They put the oatmeal in these oatmeal raisin cookies! Do not use quick or instant oats.
- raisins - The other part of the cookie's namesake! You can use other dried fruit, like dried cranberries, if you want.
How to make vegan oatmeal raisin cookies
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Mix up the wet ingredients first. In a small bowl, use a fork to beat together the vegan butter and sugars. Then, add the egg replacer and vanilla extract and beat again to combine.
Now, mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and oats. Add the raisins, and mix again, just to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until everything is well combined.
Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, flattening each cookie as you go. Leave about ½" between your cookies.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies turn golden.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before you transfer them to a plate to finish cooling completely. Serve when they're completely cooled.
Helpful tips
- For this recipe, I used store-bought egg replacer. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg, but I imagine that it would work just fine. If you try this with a flax egg instead of egg replacer, let me know how it shakes out!
- You should definitely mix up your egg replacer before you start gathering the rest of your ingredients to give it a chance to thicken.
- This recipe make 12 cookies, and I recommend scooping up the dough with an ice cream scoop, then flattening it with the back of the scoop or your hand. Leave about a half inch of space around each scoop of dough.
- For more crisp edges, bake for the full 12 minutes.
- These cookies will firm up as they cool. Don't panic if they seem a bit too soft coming out of the oven.
Serving suggestion
I love to devour these cookies as-is, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that they were ah-mazing paired with peanut butter frosting.
The original plan was to use the frosting as the center for vegan oatmeal cookie sandwiches, and y'all. They are delicious this way.
My favorite way to pair these up with peanut butter frosting, though, is to use it as the cookie topper instead. I feel like you get the most peanut butter impact that way.
How to store
If you have leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container in the pantry. They will keep for around five days this way.
I do not recommend storing frosted cookies, because they can get soggy. If you do have leftover frosted ones, keep them in the refrigerator, and eat them within three days.
More vegan desserts
📖 Recipe
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter - melted, then cooled to room temperature
- ¼ cup loosely-packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup organic sugar
- egg replacer - for 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats - Do not use quick or instant oats!
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Wet ingredients: In a small bowl, use a fork to beat together the vegan butter and sugars. Then, add the egg replacer and vanilla extract and beat again to combine.
- Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and oats. Add the raisins, and mix again, just to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until everything is well combined.
- Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, flattening each cookie as you go. Leave about ½" between your cookies.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies turn golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before you transfer them to a plate to finish cooling completely. Serve when they're completely cooled.
Cindy
How do I modify this for my Air fryer
Becky Striepe
I haven't tested this in the air fryer, so it's hard to say for certain. If I were testing this, I'd start by halving the recipe, then cook it in batches with a parchment paper liner for half the time at the same temp, then adjust from there. I do have an air fryer chocolate chip cookie recipe, if you want a tested air fryer cookie! https://www.glueandglitter.com/air-fryer-chocolate-chip-cookies/