These Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies are:
- soft and chewy
- fruity and fragrant
- healthy enough for breakfast!
Who loves carrot cake? I definitely do – I’ve made a tropical carrot cake, carrot cake cupcakes, carrot cake mug cake, and even a purple carrot cake. Now, I think it’s time for Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies!
These cookies are packed full of energy, surprisingly filling, easily transportable and keep for a good few days. This means they’re a great make-ahead breakfast or afternoon snack, though they can also be enjoyed for dessert.
The base of these cookies was inspired by my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – they’re made using a mixture of ground almonds and rolled oats.
The ground almonds act as a binding ingredient and help make the cookies soft and fluffy, whilst also adding protein. Oats create a chewy texture, and add fibre to make the cookies more filling.
A touch of desiccated coconut adds nutty sweetness, whilst walnuts add an earthiness that compliments the warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
The carrots and raisins provide a good source of natural sweetness. If you’re not into raisins, you can substitute them with any other dried fruit, such as chopped dried mango, pineapple, papaya, figs or dates.
To keep these cookies completely free from added sugar, you can leave out the maple syrup, as the carrots and raisins are already quite sweet.
For more delicious vegan and gluten-free cookies, check out my:
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Helpful tools to make these Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies:
box grater
glass mixing bowl
measuring jug
rectangular baking tray
baking paper
Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 30 g (⅛ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice (or a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 100 g (3.5oz) carrots, grated (one medium-sized carrot)
- 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 25 g (¼ cup) walnuts, roughly chopped
- 60 g (½ cup) ground almonds* (almond meal)
- 150 g (1 ½ cup) rolled oats (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 100 g (⅔ cup) raisins
- 250 ml (1 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add all the other ingredients to the same bowl
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
- Leave the mixture for 10 minutes as leaving the oats to soak for a bit will make them much easier to bind together
- Take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and use your hands to form it into little patties
- Lay it out onto a baking tray lined with greased baking paper
- Repeat until the rest of the batter is used up - you should be able to make 16 cookies
- Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes until golden brown
- Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container - keeps for a good few days
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Tatiana
Thanks a lot! They are so delicioua!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!
Jamie Guidera
can you freeze these cookies? and, can I substitute for the walnuts since I’m allergic? always looking for healthy breakfast cookies I can grab for the kids! thank you! love your recipes! I always check your recipes first, no matter what. they are awesome and my absolute favorite baking/cooking site online!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that! You can leave out the walnuts, or substitute for any other nuts. I don’t think these can be frozen, unfortunately. But would love to hear how you get on if you do try it!