Chocolate Dipped No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Fall is my favorite season of the year, and there’s nothing quite like the flavors and aromas of pumpkin spice to usher in the season. These no bake pumpkin cookies are perfect for satisfying your pumpkin spice cravings without turning on your oven.

They’re easy to make, require minimal prep time, and are the perfect treat for any occasion.

One of the best things about these cookies is their versatility. You can add in your favorite ingredients to make them your own. Whether you prefer raisins, walnuts, or chocolate chips, these cookies can be customized to suit your tastes.

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Table of Contents

• Is Pumpkin Gluten Free?
• Why You’ll Love These No Bake Pumpkin Cookies
• Are No Bake Pumpkin Cookies Gluten Free?
• Ingredients for No Bake Pumpkin Cookies
• Ingredient Substitutions for No Bake Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
• Recommended Tools to Make No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
• How to Make Homemade No Bake Pumpkin Cookies
• How to Store No Bake Pumpkin Cookies
• How Long Do No Bake Pumpkin Cookies Last?
• What’s In Canned Pumpkin Puree?
• Can You Freeze These No Bake Pumpkin Cookies?
• Recipe Tips For the Best Pumpkin Flavored No Bake Cookies

Is Pumpkin Gluten Free?

Is pumpkin gluten free? The quick answer is, yes. All pumpkins in their natural state are gluten free unless they have been processed in some way that causes them to come into contact with another gluten containing ingredient. 

Why You’ll Love These No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

1. Only 10 minutes of work!
2. Easy and affordable ingredients
3. Gluten Free
4. Nut Free
5. Paleo Friendly
6. Vegetarian Friendly
7. Soy Free
8. Kid Friendly
9. 26 no bake pumpkin cookies in just one batch!
10. No oven required! Perfect for hot summer days when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen.
11. Fun safe and easy recipe to make with your kids.

Are No Bake Pumpkin Cookies Gluten Free?

Yes, these no bake pumpkin cookies are gluten free! This is great news for anyone with a gluten allergy or intolerance. The recipe calls for gluten-free oats, which are a safe and healthy alternative to traditional oats.

Additionally, the recipe does not call for any wheat-based flours, so you can enjoy these cookies without worrying about gluten.

Something you need to keep in mind is that oats are often cross contaminated with gluten since they are processed in facilities that also process wheat. When selecting oats for this recipe make sure to pick oats that are labeled “certified gluten free.”

Ingredients for No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

For the No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

• Butter 
• Pumpkin Purée 
• Vanilla Extract 
• Cinnamon 
• Almond Milk 
• Honey
• Oats 

For the Chocolate Dip

• Cocoa Powder 
• Powdered Sugar optional 
• Butter 

For the full ingredient amounts check the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post. If you want to jump right to the recipe scroll to the top of the post and hit the button that says “jump to recipe” located right below the title, “Chocolate Dipped No Bake Pumpkin Cookies”

Ingredient Substitutions for No Bake Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

Here are some Ingredient substitutions for the no bake pumpkin cookies

• Butter – Use coconut oil instead. If you want to keep the extra buttery flavor you can use a vegan butter like Kite Hill’s vegan butter. I like this brand better then more popular brands like earth balance because it is made from almonds instead of refined oils.
• Almond Milk – Any kind of milk will work my second favorite kind of non dairy milk to use is oat milk. The creaminess from the oat milk makes these cookeis nice and moist.
• Honey – Any liquid sweetener will work. Use maple syrup, brown rice syrup or agave instead
• Oats – Oat flour can be used instead of oats to make a smoother cookie. If you want a crunchy cookie you can even use puffed rice or quinoa cereal!

Ingredient Substitutions for the Chocolate Dip

• Cocoa Powder – use chocolate chips instead
• Powdered sugar – maple syrup will work (1/4th cup)
• Butter – use coconut oil 1:1 ratio to butter

Recommended Tools to Make No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

You don’t need anything fancy to make these no bake pumpkin cookies at home but here’s what you do need!

• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowl
• Non stick cookie sheet or parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• 2 tablespoon measuring spoon (for dividing out cookies evenly)
• Small sauce pan
• Offset spatula

How to Make Homemade No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Make the No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

• In a small pot melt butter and pumpkin purée. Stir to combine. Once combined remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, almond milk and honey. 
• Pour the pumpkin purée mixture over the oats and stir until all of the oats are wet. 
• Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the oat batter and roll it into a ball and press it flat to form a cookie. Place the cookie on a baking sheet. Repeat until no batter is left and place the cookies in the freezer to harden. 

Make the Chocolate Dip

• While the cookies harden in the freezer, combine butter, powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a small skillet or double boiler. Stir over low heat until a chocolate syrup is formed. Lower the heat and dip half of each cookie into the chocolate. Place the cookie back on the freezer to harden.

How to Store No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Once you have made your delicious chocolate dipped no bake pumpkin cookies, it’s important to store them properly to keep them fresh and tasty. The best way to store these cookies is in an airtight container in the refrigerator or the freezer.

Make sure to place a layer of paper towel between each layer of cookies to prevent the chocolate coating from getting messed up.

Don’t forget to pack the cookies lightly so that they don’t get squished when you close the lid of your storage container.

How Long Do No Bake Pumpkin Cookies Last?

When stored properly in the refrigerator, no bake pumpkin cookies can last for up to a week. And they’ll last for up to 3 months in the freezer. If you leave the cookies out of the fridge they can last for up to a week at room temperature if you store them in an air tight container.

What’s In Canned Pumpkin Puree?

Yes all canned pumpkin is considered to be gluten free. The only contents in pure pumpkin purée are pumpkins or other types of squash. That’s right, your pumpkin purée may not only be made of pumpkin. Other types of squash that have better color and a less stringy texture are often used along side or as a replacement to pumpkin.

So if you want to buy pure pumpkin purée make sure the can says 100% pumpkin purée. You can also buy Libby’s brand pumpkin purée which uses Dickinson pumpkins. Learn more about which varieties of pumpkin and squash go into canned pumpkin purée here.

Can You Freeze These No Bake Pumpkin Cookies?

Yes, you can freeze these no bake pumpkin cookies! Freezing them is a great way to extend their shelf life and ensure that you always have a batch of delicious cookies on hand. To freeze them, place the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply remove the cookies from the freezer and let them warm up for an hour on he counter before serving. If you want to enjoy warm and chewy no bake pumpkin cookies right away you can also reheat them in the microwave for 15 seconds.

I’m personally pretty impatient so I just eat the cookie right out of the freezer. They’re a little hard but still edible!

Recipe Tips For the Best Pumpkin Flavored No Bake Cookies

If you want to make the best pumpkin flavored no bake cookies possible, here are a few recipe tips to keep in mind:

Why do my no bake cookies fall apart?

If you’re no bake cookies are falling apart chances are you’ve used too little or too much moisture.

If the cookies are very dry they will be crumbly. You need enough wet ingredients to make the cookies stick together. These include melted butter, pumpkin purée, almond milk and liquid sweetener like honey.

You can fix dry cookie batter by adding more almond milk. Add one tablespoon of almond milk at a time until the cookies can easily be rolled into a ball without falling apart.

If the cookies are falling apart because they’re too soft then it’s because your batter is too wet. You can dry out the batter by adding more oats. Keep adding oats in 1/4th cup increments until the batter is not too dry.

What makes no bake cookies too soft?

When no bake cookies are too soft it’s because there is too much moisture in the batter. Or the cookies are still warm and haven’t set yet. Add more rolled oats to the batter to dry the cookies out and they won’t be as soft!

What makes no bake cookies too dry?

If your no bake cookies are too dry it’s because you didn’t use enough wet ingredients. Add more pumpkin purée and or almond milk until the batter is wet enough for the oats to stick together.

Do no bake cookies go in the fridge or freezer?

You can store no bake cookies in the fridge or the freezer depending on how long you want them to last. No bake cookies will last in the fridge for up to a week while they will stay fresh in the freezer for three months.

What can I put under no bake cookies so they don’t stick?

You can put a piece of parchment paper or a non stick silicone baking mat under the cookies to prevent them from sticking.

Should I use rolled oats or instant oats?

You can use any type of oats you want for this recipe. Instant oats will absorb the wet ingredients faster and firm up a bit quicker. But I prefer to use rolled oats or steel cut oats instead of instant oats because they’re less processed. I also prefer the texture of rolled oats over instant.