Chewy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
4.44 from 16 votes

An old-fashioned oatmeal raisin cookie can’t be beat! These vegan oatmeal raisin cookies have perfect, chewy texture. They’re made with wholesome rolled oats, and they’re perfect with a glass of non-dairy milk.

A stack of chewy vegan oatmeal raisin cookies rests on a small white plate.

The holiday season is often a time for elaborate cooking and baking. It’s my busiest time of year in the kitchen for sure, and I tend to save my most ambitious desserts for November and December.

In spite of this, or maybe because of it, I like to take breaks from the holiday madness in order to prepare some simple food. These vegan oatmeal raisin cookies are the epitome of a low stress dessert. They come together in a single bowl, bake quickly, and they feature simple ingredients.

What’s more, they have the sweet, yet wholesome vibe that make oatmeal raisin cookies so lovable and special. They’re not the richest or most decadent cookie, but they don’t have to be. They’re sweet, soft, buttery, and studded with juicy raisins, and that’s more than enough.

An ode to oatmeal raisin cookies

I don’t think that any cookie is quite as divisive as oatmeal raisin cookies are.

Every time I mention oatmeal raisin cookies in mixed company, it seems that half of the people present love them. The other half hates them. There are no in-betweens.

I guess it’s easy to compare oatmeal raisin cookies to what they aren’t. They’re not bursting with melted chocolate. They’re not covered in frosting or glaze. They have neither the sweetness nor the intense buttery flavor of sugar cookies.

What oatmeal raisin cookies do have is that wonderfully chewy interior. The effect is heightened by the plump, juiciness of raisins and the nice texture that rolled oats lend to the cookie batter.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are subtle. Most recipes call for just a hint of cinnamon—not enough to make the cookies smell like pumpkin bread, but enough to give them the familiar aroma and taste of fall baking.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are buttery, but not in the overwhelming way that shortbread is buttery. And while this batch of vegan oatmeal raisin cookies is definitely sweet, they don’t register as being sugary.

The cookies are just the thing to enjoy in contrast to the many ornate cakes, pies, puddings, and pastries that you might enjoy this holiday season. They’ll make you smile, and they may evoke some nostalgia. But they’ll do that in a quiet and humble way.

A few cookies are resting on a white surface. A bag of whole grains is pictured to the left and back of the cookies.

My favorite rolled oats

A lot of oatmeal raisin cookie recipes call for quick oats. I like quick oats for breakfast, but when it comes to cookies, I think that rolled oats can’t be beat.

Rolled oats are key for giving the vegan oatmeal raisin cookies their perfectly chewy, textured interior. And I could only have chosen my favorite rolled oats from One Degree Organics for the job!

I love these oats, and I love all of the other cereals, granolas, and flours that One Degree produces. The oats have sweet, mild flavor, they’re always super fresh, and they’re great for both oatmeal and baking. (Or for baked oatmeal.)

The One Degree Organic oats are both organic and glyphosate-free. For those who are allergic to gluten, the oats are certified GF.

Best of all, One Degree prides itself on transparent sourcing. Each product bag features a QR code that you can use to trace the product’s ingredients and the farmers who grew them.

The bowl of a stand mixer is filled with rolled oats.

Other oatmeal raisin cookie ingredients

While oats are of course the starring ingredient of this recipe, there are a few others you’ll need to make the cookies.

Vegan butter

You’ll need eight tablespoons, or one stick, of vegan butter for the recipe. The butter should be at room temperature, as you’ll be creaming it together with sugar in a stand or handheld mixer.

You can use any butter variety that you like, but I find that vegan butter in stick form is easiest for baking.

Flax meal

The recipe calls for one vegan “flax egg.” It’s made with ground flax meal + water. You can grind the flax seeds at home, if you have a spice mill, or you can purchase pre-ground flax.

Sugars

The cookies call for both cane and brown sugar. The sugars each contribute different degrees of moisture to the recipe, which is why I use a mix. However, you can use all cane sugar or all brown sugar in a pinch.

Unbleached, all-purpose flour

I use unbleached, all-purpose flour in the oatmeal raisin cookies. The lightness and tenderness of this flour works well with the wholesome texture of the oats. If you like, you can use whole wheat pastry flour in its place.

And if you need the recipe to be gluten-free, you can try using an all-purpose, gluten-free flour blend.

Cornstarch

There’s not much cornstarch needed here, but a small amount can contribute to chewy texture and help to replace egg in vegan cookie recipes. You can substitute arrowroot instead. If you don’t have cornstarch at home, you can omit it.

Raisins

I tested the cookies with a whole cup of raisins and only a half cup. The batch with a cup seemed to be overwhelmed by the raisins, while half a cup wasn’t enough. Two-thirds of a cup was my sweet spot.

If you’re a big raisin lover, you can use three quarters of a cup instead.

A single, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie rests on a white plate.

How to make vegan oatmeal raisin cookies

The process of making these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies is fairly simple. And you’ll find that it isn’t very different from making regular oatmeal raisin cookies, if you’re already a pro. Replacing egg is the only real vegan modification in the recipe, and a flax egg does that very efficiently.

Prepare your flax “egg”

Preparing a flax egg is really as simple as mixing a tablespoon of ground flax meal and three tablespoons of warm water. Be sure to give the flax egg a little time to “gel” up into a thick mixture; you can let it sit and thicken while you proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Cream your butter and sugar

You can use either a stand mixer or a handheld mixer to cream butter and sugar for this recipe.

Creaming butter and sugar isn’t just about mixing the two together. It’s a process of aerating the butter as you disperse the sugar evenly through it. Be sure to keep mixing the ingredients until the creamed butter appears light and airy.

Add your dry ingredients

I add dry ingredients, mix to combine, and then mix in the raisins. Note that this cookie dough will be relatively wet and sticky. This is how it’s supposed to look at this point. Chilling time, the next step, will make it more solid.

Chill

If a cookie recipe calls for chilling time, then it’s probably a necessary and important step. Chilling cookie dough fully hydrates the flour, and it also allows fats to cool. This means that cookies won’t spread too much as they bake.

One hour of chilling time is enough for the vegan oatmeal raisin cookies, but overnight is fine if you have the time.

In this recipe, I also use baking powder instead of soda. While this is unusual for cookies, it works. When I tested the cookies with baking soda they spread too much. Baking powder gives them rise without making them overly thin and flat.

Cookie dough is resting in round balls on a lined baking sheet.

Scoop

You’ll drop the cookies in two-tablespoon heaps onto lined baking sheets before baking at 350F. A cookie scoop makes this easy, and is worthy having at home if you love to bake cookies!

Bake

It took me years to learn how to bake cookies without burning them. Whenever I removed them from the oven at the indicated time, it would seem to me that they were too pale and undercooked.

I didn’t realize that cookies always keep baking for a bit after you pull them from the oven. In addition, only two or three minutes of oven time can be the difference between burnt and properly baked cookies. A good rule of thumb is to remove them from the oven a little before you think you need to.

The oatmeal raisin cookies will need 12-14 minutes of baking time, and no more. They’re ready at the moment they’re just starting to brown at their edges.

Storage

Store the vegan oatmeal raisin cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. A Stasher Bag is also a good storage container for them.

Can I freeze oatmeal raisin cookies?

Yes, it’s fine to freeze the cookies. They can be frozen for up to six weeks and enjoyed whenever you have a craving.

Neat, round balls of cookie dough rest on a lined baking sheet.
A stack of chewy vegan oatmeal raisin cookies rests on a small white plate.
4.44 from 16 votes

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour
Yields: 18 cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the flax meal with three tablespoons of warm water. Mix it and set it aside for five minutes, to gel (this is a “flax egg”).
  • In the meantime, place the butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat them on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, till fluffy. Add the flax egg and the vanilla extract. Continue to beat for one more minute.
  • Add the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and oats to the stand mixer. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are mixed evenly. Add the raisins and mix again to incorporate. The cookie dough will be somewhat wet. Transfer the dough to the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. 
  • Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the cookie dough by two-tablespoon heaps onto the baking sheet. Space the cookies two inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until they’re just browning at the edges. Allow them to cool on their sheets for five minutes, then use a large spatula to transfer them gently to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy or store. 
A few vegan oatmeal raisin cookies are stacked on a small white serving plate. A bag of rolled oats lies in the backdrop, next to a wire cooling rack.

It never hurts to have a bite of something very nostalgic and comforting. During these busy winter months, it also doesn’t hurt to bake something easy and low-stress. Something that you don’t necessarily have to share with anyone else. Just a wholesome, chewy treat for you.

My hope is that these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies will fill that need. Enjoy!

xo

This post is sponsored by One Degree Organics. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.

Categories: Recipes, Cookies
Method: Oven
Dietary Preferences: Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan

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Recipe Rating




    16 Comments
  1. 5 stars
    Yummy! We are out of raisins, so I subbed in chocolate chips. Chilled dough for only an hour and the cookies came out great.

  2. 5 stars
    Gena, I love your recipes…they never disappoint. These are just delicious.
    I had to replace the raisins with dried blueberries, because that’s what I had.
    So good!! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. 🙂

  3. I wish you would add the cost of ingredients and servings to your recipes. Also the cost of energy required to cook / bake. It’s things that we need to be aware of, what does food COST!!
    Eg: I am not likely to be able to afford to buy The One Degree Organic oats, so then with ingredients such as this, it becomes a recipe for the wealthy. I am poor, unemployed, a senior and survive on government assistance. I got here looking for low cost nutrient dense and as complete meals for nutrition as I can afford. It is very difficult to find low cost extremely nutritious recipes with common ingredients for the poor and rural, who don’t have access to Trader Joe or even Amazon. Some places don’t have internet or courier delivery. Not everyone is wealthy enough to afford it.

    We also need to more and more be aware of the cost of energy and where it comes from, versus taking it for granted in recipes, as though everyone has unmeasured free or affordable endless amounts of electricity or toxic natural gas or propane or diesel. It is imperative that we get knowledge on how to contribute to reversing climate change through clean energy. Your blog and that of all food / recipe bloggers do seem to address energy or clean water use and their costs, never mind organic, pure, best this or that expensive ingredient. Some advocate using Pure Vanilla, with no thought to the cost of it. Some use maple syrup as an ingredient, which tastes good, but is bloody expensive and an environmental disaster, requiring 40:1 ratio, of fuel burned to make the syrup. How incredibly wasteful, never mind the mono culture and low biodiversity maple forest demand. Chemically, sugar is sugar, or at least pretty much. Then so many websites push for Sea Salt, which is now loaded with ocean filled micro plastics, as well as being more expensive than table salt. It goes on and on but foodies bury their heads or ignore these types of financial or environmental or energy costs.

    I understand adding prices per serving and in the list of ingredients adds more work, but budgetbytes.com does it well, as do a few other websites. I appreciate your concern with nutrition vs. food as entertainment or art, which is important to those of us without the luxury of entertainment or art.

  4. 5 stars
    Wow: These cookies are so good! I don’t remember ever liking an oatmeal cookie as much as this one, vegan or non-. Thanks for putting so much effort into the recipe—it really shows!

  5. Love oatmeal, but not raisins. Do you think this recipe would be good with choc. chips and walnuts instead of raisins?

  6. You always have such good timing! I’ve been working on my cookie skills – which are not easy! Oatmeal is among my favorites but I have yet to find the recipe that has the best ratio of flour to oats and just the right amount of raising. All of which make a huge difference. I think I’ll be giving these a go
    tomorrow – if I can wait that long!