Easy Vegan White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

These easy homemade vegan oatmeal cranberry cookies are one of my favorite holiday cookies. Gluten-free rolled oats, vegan white chocolate chips, and sweet dried cranberries create a sweet yet slightly tart cookie. 

If you love oatmeal raisin cookies, this vegan cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe is going to knock your socks off. Dairy-free white chocolate chips create a slightly sweeter cookie making them a great option for cookie swaps or any holiday dessert. Santa may even love them dipped in a tall glass of almond milk 🎅🏾. 

​Not a fan of white chocolate? No worries! Easily substitute with dark chocolate chips or omit. They are delicious either way. Jump to the variation section below for different ways to prepare these cookies and make them your own. 

Jump to:

• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How to make vegan oatmeal cookies without butter
• Variations
• Storage
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Feedback

Ingredients & Substitutions

9 simple ingredients plus dried cranberries and dairy-free chocolate is all we need to make a delicious cookie. Here are the ingredients we need, along with a few substitution ideas:

• (GF) rolled oats: oatmeal cookies wouldn't be complete without rolled oats. Use certified gluten-free oats if GF. Do not substitute with steel-cut oats or instant oats. Alternatively, quick oats work in a pinch.  
• Almond flour: a naturally gluten-free flour that creates a light and chewy cookie. For best results don't replace or substitute. 
• (GF) oat flour: for homemade oat flour, add GF rolled oats into a blender and blend until fine flour forms. In combination with almond flour, it helps to bind and provides chewiness to the cookie.  
• Baking soda: specifically used to help the cookies spread and bake.
• Salt: iodized, pink Himalayan or sea salt.  
• Pure maple syrup: natural sweetness that also helps the cookie stick together. I prefer dark maple syrup in this recipe, but light also works. 
• Cane sugar or coconut brown sugar: I've made the recipe using both and prefer cane sugar with the cranberries, but for more molasses-like taste, use coconut brown sugar or organic brown sugar. Date sugar will also work.
• Avocado oil: a great alternative to vegan butter that adds moisture to the cookies. Substitute with refined coconut oil or a light olive oil.
• Pure vanilla extract: added for flavor and to get a slight crisp on the exterior of the cookie. 
• Dried cranberries (sweetened or unsweetened): I haven't made this recipe with fresh cranberries, but they should work - the cookie will be less sweet and a bit more tart.
• Optional: vegan mini white chocolate chips - add additional sweetness and they make the cookies fun and festive for a Christmas cookie swap (or any other holiday celebration). Check out the variation section below for other options or omit for simple and healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies.

How to make vegan oatmeal cookies without butter

My favorite thing about these vegan cookies is how easy and quick they are to throw together. No hand mixers or stand mixers are needed! Just grab a spatula (or wooden spoon) and your favorite mixing bowl and let's get to baking. 

Firstly, add all of the wet ingredients (+ sugar) to a medium-large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Secondly, add the dry ingredients directly to the wet and stir again to combine. Thirdly, fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Fourthly, using a medium-sized cookie scoop, scoop and drop 10 cookie dough balls onto a prepared baking sheet. After you've scooped, gently press down on each cookie. This helps ensure crisp edges and a chewy interior. For fluffier, chewy cookies, skip this step. 

Finally, place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove and tap the pan down to help the cookies flatten (again, this helps create that crisp exterior!). 

For full step-by-step instructions and the full ingredient list, scroll to the recipe card below. 

Variations

In general, vegan cookie recipes can easily be customized by adding different chocolates, spices, or nuts. Here are some of my favorite variations:

• Chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies. Add ¼ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks or standard-size vegan chocolate chips. For best results, sprinkle the top of each cookie with a bit of sea salt flakes. The sweet and salty combo is undeniably drool-worthy.
• Spices. Add ¼-1/2 a teaspoon of ginger or cinnamon to the dry ingredients for an oatmeal-spiced variation. 
• Orange zest. Cranberry and orange flavors go together almost as well as peanut butter and chocolate. Add about a teaspoon of orange zest to the batter along with the cranberries. I prefer to remove the white chocolate when making them this way, but feel free to personalize them as you wish!
• Nuts. Fold in chopped macadamia nuts, walnuts, or pecans.

Storage

• Room temperature: store in a bakery bag or an airtight container for 2-3 days.
• Fridge: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
• Freezer: place cooled cookies in an airtight container, separated with strips of parchment paper (this prevents them from sticking together) as they freeze. Freeze for 2-3 months.

If you make these vegan white chocolate cranberry cookies, let me know how they turned out in the comments below! 

📋 Recipe