A classic flavour pairing – oatmeal and raisins! With extra flavour from cinnamon and nuts, and a crispy, chewy texture, these will quickly become a firm favourite to whip up for dessert.
If you don’t have all the ingredients, or have questions about the recipe, be sure to read the section below the recipe card. We’ve noted lots of different ingredient substitutions, details about why we use certain ingredients and have answers to common questions.
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 100 g (7 tbsp) vegan block butter* see notes for substitutions
- 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar or caster sugar
- 1 tsp treacle or molasses* optional/see notes
- 60 ml (4 tbsp) aquafaba*
- 75 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) plain white flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking powder
- pinch fine table salt
- 140 g oats jumbo or rolled
- 60 g raisins, dried fruit or vegan chocolate chips
- 40 g chopped nuts, seeds or desiccated coconut optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C non-fan (320°F fan / 350°F non-fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Mix the butter, sugar, treacle/molasses (if using) and aquafaba in a bowl until smooth and lump-free. The mix may look curdled, this is fine.100 g (7 tbsp) vegan block butter*, 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar or caster sugar, 1 tsp treacle or molasses*, 60 ml (4 tbsp) aquafaba*
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and stir together.75 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) plain white flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baking powder, pinch fine table salt
- Add the oats, raisins and nuts (or whatever mix-ins you're using). Mix together until fully combined.140 g oats, 60 g raisins, dried fruit or vegan chocolate chips, 40 g chopped nuts, seeds or desiccated coconut
- Roll heaped teaspoons of dough into balls and place onto the lined tray, spacing them a few centimetres apart as they will spread. Flatten slightly and then bake for 8-12 minutes, until the edges are set and browned. They will crisp up as they cool.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely then place into an airtight container at room temp. They will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
– 1 flax egg (combine 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp warm water)
– 4 tbsp unsweetened, smooth applesauce
Making oatmeal cookies without brown sugar
One way you can keep your cupboards a little clearer is by using this little food hack for baking. Instead of having to store both white and brown sugar, you can just have white sugar and a tin of treacle! This way, when a recipe calls for light brown sugar, you can instead use white sugar and just mix a bit of treacle into the batter/dough as well. Using it in this way, the tin of treacle will last for AGES! And white sugar is generally cheaper than brown, so it helps in the long run to cut costs.
However, we know you may not have treacle in your cupboard and/or don’t want to buy any. The great news is that you can just use light brown sugar in the recipe below instead of white. A second option is to leave the treacle out but still use white sugar. This is also fine! The cookies will have slightly less depth of flavour but will still be delicious. We’re all for using what you already have so just do what’s easiest for you.
What type of oatmeal is best for oatmeal raisin cookies?
We ideally like to use a mix of jumbo oats (sometimes called ‘old fashioned’ oats) and rolled oats (i.e. quick oats or porridge oats). Overall, it doesn’t matter too much so just use what you have. Generally, rolled oats are cheaper so if you’re looking to keep costs down, go for those ones.
What can I use instead of raisins?
If you like oatmeal cookies but have a hatred for raisins, no problem. You can swap them out for a different dried fruit (dried cranberries are particularly nice) – if doing this just make sure you chop up any larger dried fruits like dates or figs so they mix into the batter evenly. Of course, you can also use vegan chocolate chips instead,
Can I use self-raising flour in oatmeal raisin cookies?
For this recipe you can use self-raising flour instead of plain. Simply replace the plain flour with an equal weight of self-raising flour and leave out the baking powder.
Can I use bicarbonate of soda instead of baking powder?
Yes. If you do this, it does slightly change the flavour of the cookies to a more toasty flavour. To make this substitution, simply replace the baking powder with 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
Can I use coconut oil in this recipe?
Yes, you can make delicious oatmeal raisin cookies using coconut oil! To do this, just replace the vegan butter in this recipe with 80g of coconut oil (either refined coconut oil, if you don’t like the coconutty flavour, or virgin coconut oil, if you do like the coconutty flavour).
Can I use vegetable oil in this recipe?
Yes, you can make oatmeal cookies using oil. Simply replace the vegan butter with 80g of vegetable oil e.g. rapeseed, sunflower, walnut or peanut/groundnut oil.
Why do my oatmeal cookies taste dry?
The most likely answer is that they are overbaked. This causes excess moisture to evaporate from the dough as the cookies bake, leading to a harder cookie. It could also be due to leaving the dough for too long before baking – see the section ‘can you refrigerate oatmeal raisin cookie dough?‘ below.
Should you soak raisins before using in a cookie?
We usually do not do this as we like the chewy texture of the raisins in the cookies. However, if you prefer a softer raisin in your cookie, go ahead! Just soak the raisins in boiling water for 15-20 minutes then drain well before mixing into the cookie dough. Due to the extra moisture, the cookies may bake up to a softer, less chewy texture overall.
Can you refrigerate oatmeal raisin cookie dough?
Yes but it’s advisable to not chill oatmeal cookie dough for too long. The oats tend to absorb much of the liquid from the dough as it sits, leading to a crumbly & dry cookie dough which doesn’t bake up very well. We advise leaving it in the fridge for no longer than 24 hours. However, for longer-term storage see below…
Can oatmeal raisin cookies be frozen?
Yes. We prefer to freeze the pre-portioned balls of cookie dough instead of baked cookies for up to 4 months. You can just pop a couple of frozen cookie dough balls onto a tray and get them straight into the oven when a craving hits. That way you get freshly baked cookies with ease. You may need to bake them for a few minutes longer than if you were using freshly made dough, but you don’t need to defrost it before baking.
You can also of course freeze already baked cookies (for up to 3 months). Just make sure they’re in a properly sealed sandwich bag to avoid freezer burn.
Are oatmeal raisin cookies gluten free?
Generally, no. The cookies usually contain some amount of wheat flour (which contains gluten) which helps give the cookie a thicker texture. The oats can also commonly be cross-contaminated with gluten-containing ingredients during processing so this can also make the cookies not gluten free, even if there is no wheat in them.
However, you could make this recipe gluten free. Firstly, you’d need to replace the plain flour with a gluten-free flour mix (e.g. Doves farm). Secondly, you’d need to replace the oats with specifically labelled gluten-free oats.
Some people with Coeliac disease are still sensitive to oats, even the gluten-free kind. In this case, you can replace the oats with a flaked version of a different gluten free grain e.g. quinoa flakes. the cookies will have a slightly different texture and flavour.
How to make homemade oatmeal raisin cookies
Making oatmeal raisin cookies from scratch is very easy and the dough comes together quite quickly.
- Cream the vegan butter and sugar together. Mix in the treacle (if using) and aquafaba.
- Fold in the finer dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
- Mix in the chunkier dry ingredients: oats, raisins/dried fruit, nuts
- Scoop into balls and bake at 160C fan for 8-12 minutes.
- Allow to cool before transferring to an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
