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Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Aquafaba

I’ve been trying to share this recipe for my vegan oatmeal raisin cookies for over a year now. Every time I bite into one of these when they’re still warm from the oven, I think, “Oh man, these cookies are so good, I should share this recipe on the blog! Well, I’ll definitely write it down next time!’ And when that next time comes, the story repeats 🙂

Finally last time before I set out to make a batch of these cookies, I got all my things in order, wrote down the recipe, and took pictures.

So today I’m finally sharing my recipe for these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies, and I hope that you’ll love them as much as my family does!

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe - a healthy vegan cookie recipe with aquafaba

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Before I went vegan, I baked oatmeal raisin cookies using a recipe from the back of a box of Quaker oats. That recipe was solid, and the cookies went fast, but they weren’t my all time favorite.

In my pre-vegan days, I didn’t like how time-consuming most baking recipes were – who has the time to wait till those sticks of butter soften when a craving for something sweet hits? Those oatmeal raisin cookies were no exception in the waiting game.

Then almost six years ago I went vegan. I soon discovered that vegan baking was easier and more enjoyable – no more waiting till the butter softens! 🙂

I tried lots and lots of cookie recipes from all over the blogosphere, and came up with a few of my own (this one is still one of my favorites).

Even with all that baking, vegan oatmeal raisin cookies weren’t on top of my culinary priority list. I still remembered the oatmeal raisin cookies from my pre-vegan days, and they weren’t anything I particularly craved.

I just didn’t think that there could be a recipe that would get me all excited about this type of cookies again.

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe with aquafaba

Then I found the vegan oatmeal raisin cookie recipe in the wonderful Isa Does It cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. That book has been on my list of all-time favorite vegan cookbooks for years now.

I could say a lot of wonderful things about Isa’s recipes, but you probably know all about them from your own experience.

Most of Isa’s recipes don’t need any further improvement. When I tried her vegan oatmeal raisin cookies, however, I loved the flavor but wasn’t sold on the texture.

I decided to experiment with that recipe and see what I could get. I went on to adjust the flour-to-oats proportion, and liked the texture of the resulting cookies much better.

This was happening around the time when the vegan food blogosphere exploded with excitement over aquafaba – the thick, starchy liquid left over after draining a can of beans, most commonly chickpeas.

Bloggers and cookbook authors were putting aquafaba into everything, so I decided to add some of it to my vegan oatmeal raisin cookies.

Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe

Aquafaba on its own has a texture that closely resembles egg whites. It was only logical to try using it in the same manner as eggs, in particular to bind ingredients in baked goods. I’ve seen some stunning examples of using aquafaba to make meringue, but we’re not going there today.

More recipes with aquafaba from the blog: Vegan Banana Bread (oil free), Vegan Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway Seeds, ultra fudgy aquafaba brownies.

Isa’s original recipe for vegan oatmeal raisin cookies used ground flax seed to bind the ingredients. I’m OK with flax seed, but my husband Rob says that for him foods with flax have a weird aftertaste that resembles bleach (yuk!). Ain’t nobody got time for that!

That’s why it was a no-brainer for me to try replacing flax seed with aquafaba. It took me a few tries to adjust the proportion of liquids to get it just right.

When that happened, I knew that my search for the perfect vegan oatmeal raisin cookies was over.

Another example of using aquafaba in baking: my vegan Irish soda bread recipe. Aquafaba replaces eggs that are often used in the non-vegan soda bread with raisins and caraway seeds. The result is beautiful and delicious!

Vegan oatmeal raisin cookies - a vegan cookie recipe with aquafaba

The very first time I made this recipe, Rob couldn’t stop talking about how good these cookies tasted. I had a friend come over with her baby daughter for a playdate with baby J, and she loved them so much that she took a few cookies home for her husband.

That’s when I knew I finally hit it right. So today I’m excited to share my recipe for these oatmeal raisin cookies with you in the hope that you’ll love them as much as we do in my family!

This recipe is featured on my list of 15 of my 2 year-old daughter’s favorite kid friendly vegan recipes from the blog.

What kind of raisins do I need to use in vegan oatmeal raisin cookies?

I use medium-sized seedless brown raisins that can be easily found in most grocery stores. No need to go for anything fancy here unless you want to 🙂 One note: if your raisins feel dry and have a bit of white-ish coating (that’s crystallized sugar), that means they are old. Try to use fresher raisins – those feel soft and look dark and glossy.

Homemade Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe

Can these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies be made gluten-free?

I haven’t tried using gluten-free flour to make these cookies, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I suggest using all-purpose gluten-free flour (I’ve heard great things about this kind from Bob’s Red Mill) and certified gluten-free oats. If you use this recipe to make gluten-free cookies, please let me know how they turned out!

How long can I store these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies?

In our house a batch of these cookies gets eaten within a couple days, so I haven’t tried to keep them much longer past that. I’d say, they should definitely survive 3-4 days in a cookie jar.

Classic homemade vegan oatmeal raisin cookie recipe

I don’t have aquafaba – can I omit it in this recipe?

That should be fine as long as you add in another type of binder like flax egg (2 Tbsp of ground flax seed mixed with 5 Tbsp water) or store-bought egg replacer. You’ll need to adjust the liquids in that case: if your batter is too thick, add in 1-2 tbsp of water or unsweetened applesauce.

More Delicious Vegan Cookies from the Blog:

Festive Vegan Christmas Cookies – perfect for holiday decorating

Fun Vegan Halloween Cookies – super cute + spooky

Yield: 12 cookies

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Aquafaba

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe with aquafaba

These chewy vegan oatmeal raisin cookies are made with aquafaba, which serves as a perfect binder for all of the ingredients. The right ratio of oats, flour and raisins provide an excellent texture. Serve these healthy vegan cookies at teatime, and your guests will be sweetly impressed! *For gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour mix and certified gluten-free oats in 1:1 proportion.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
  • 1 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 5 Tbsp aquafaba**
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the oats.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil, both types of sugar, and aquafaba until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Mix in vanilla and raisins.
  4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a wooden spoon. The mixture may seem too dry - in this case knead it lightly with your hands until everything is mixed together.
  5. Drop the batter onto the cookie sheet to make 12 cookies - leave about 2 inches in between as the cookies will expand during baking.
  6. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a cooling rack until cool enough to handle. Enjoy!

Notes

*All purpose flour can be used instead. For gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour mix and certified gluten-free oats in 1:1 proportion.

**In the original version of this recipe, I used 3 Tbsp aquafaba and 2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce. The cookies came out a bit softer and a bit sticky to touch., but the flavor was just as good.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 cookie

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 4g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

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Question for you: What’s your favorite kind of vegan cookies?

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author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.
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Ruth-Anne

Friday 21st of May 2021

I subbed in chopped dates for the raisins and they were yummy! I also omitted all the sugar (I know, not everyone's taste but now I can have them for brekkie without having sugar highs and lows for the rest of the day) and the texture was a little dry but I was still cool with it. Highly recommend!

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Thursday 27th of May 2021

So glad to hear that, Ruth-Anne, thank you for letting me know!

Linda

Tuesday 13th of October 2020

Excellent! Used veg oil instead of coconut. Crisp exterior, chewy interior.

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Tuesday 13th of October 2020

Yum, thanks Linda!

LaShay Crayton

Monday 17th of June 2019

Hi there! I eliminated the oil and added sweet potato purée and it was great! I didn’t add any sugar instead I used swerve which is a zero calories and zero carb sweetener and it was very good! Next time I’ll add maybe half natural sugar though. Bc the brown sugar normally gives more of a chewy! But otherwise you can totally eliminate the oil and sugar. My hubs enjoyed. He said not bad! Which is better than most of my oil free cooking.

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Monday 17th of June 2019

That's great to know, LaShay, thank you for telling me! If I have some cooked sweet potato next time I make these cookies, I'll try using it instead of oil.

Sandy Juracich

Thursday 28th of February 2019

What can be substituted for the coconut oil? I don't add fat, especially saturated fat to my cooking.

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Thursday 28th of February 2019

Hi Sandy! I haven't tried to replace the oil completely in this recipe, but I'd imagine adding more applesauce or even banana puree would work ok. I used to be more stringent about the oil, but I've eased up on it lately because I'm trying to move away from the mindset of restriction - it can get tricky for people like myself with history of disordered eating. Plus, I've been losing too much weight with breastfeeding and all the stress from parenting.

Rich Hall

Thursday 28th of February 2019

Your oat meal cookies sound good until I read the ingredients, coconut oil, oil I try eliminate from my diet. As Dr McDougall says the oil you eat is the oil you wear. I have to loose a lot of oil. I will try it with more apple sauce in place of the oil.

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Thursday 28th of February 2019

I'd love to hear how this works out - please let me know once you try it, Rich!

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