Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Oil
These nourishing oatmeal cookies are satisfyingly chewy because they’re made with oil, not butter! Deeply flavourful, studded with juicy raisins, and lower in added sugar so they’re perfect for lunchboxes. Ready in 30 minutes and so easy to make with the kiddos!
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In my mind, some cookies are dessert…but others are snacks. And these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are definitely the latter.
I mean, before we go further, my dietitian self feels morally obligated to tell you to eat a piece of fruit with them ha, but I really think the right cookie makes a perfectly reasonable snack. One you’ll feel good about popping into a lunch box, you know? Better yet, have the kiddos make them with you!
A good snack cookie has gotta have a little bit of stick-to-your-ribs substance. Oreos could never: I could eat a whole row of those and not feel satisfied. These vegan oatmeal raisin cookies have an almost hearty (but not heavy) texture because they’re loaded with old fashioned rolled oats. Whole grain baking for the win!
They’re exactly what you (I!) want in an oatmeal cookie: more oatmeal than flour. Chewy, juicy raisins…if you’d rather chocolate chips, I’ll allow it ha…but raisins are always my first choice in an oatmeal cookie.
If you’re in the not-too-sweet sweets camp, the dessert chapter of my cookbook Plant Magic will make you very happy! Tiramisu, tahini apricot cookies and mojito granita anyone?!?
The 3 things I did differently to make these oatmeal raisin cookies the very best
I really wanted to make a classic vegan oatmeal cookie, but I have to be me and mess with it just a little bit! Like, I’m not into crispy cookies. I wanted a tender, chewy one with maybe a little crispness at the edges.
Using oil really helps create a chewy oatmeal raisin cookie, but if we’re gonna make cookies with oil and not butter, why not also use a healthier oil like avocado or olive instead of coconut?
Coconut oil is high in saturated fats, which I minimize for heart health. If you’re skeptical of using a more flavourful oil, a good quality high oleic sunflower oil is super neutral – even more neutral than coconut! – and has the same monounsaturated fat as olive oil.
The only slightly controversial thing I’m doing (can oatmeal cookies be controversial?) is using all brown sugar instead of a mix of brown and white. Brown sugar is a lot more flavourful, so it gives these cookies a really decadent, almost buttery flavour while also using a lot less sugar than other cookie recipes. It also adds valuable moisture so the cookies don’t dry out, even with less oil.
I tested these cookies 5 times to get it just right: the perfect ratio of oats (more) to flour (less), with enough oil and raisins to add richness. And believe me, I sought feedback: my kids did NOT appreciate the first attempt with WAY too many raisins ha ha.
Speaking of raisins, the first time I tested these, I accidentally bought extra large raisins and I found that I didn’t like them in the cookies. So stick to standard black Thompson seedless raisins, like Sun Maid or similar.
More snack-worthy cookie recipes…
- Everyday Low FODMAP Peanut Butter Cookies
- 30 Minute Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Healthy Breakfast Cookies with Oats and Almond Flour
- Easy Vegan Monster Cookies with Hemp Hearts
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Oil
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup rolled oats, not quick oats
- 1 cup flour, use all purpose or whole wheat
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup oil, use avocado, olive, canola or sunflower
- ½ cup unsweetened soy milk
- ½ lightly packed cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F // 175℃. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Stir in raisins.
- In small bowl or glass measuring jar, mix oil, milk and sugar. Pour into the dry and stir until just combined. Let sit for 2 minutes for liquid to absorb a bit.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop 24 cookies onto baking sheet. The cookies won’t spread much, so they only need 1 inch between them.
- Using wet hands, flatten the cookies down and shape them. If the batter starts to stick, re-wet hands.
- Bake 12-15 minutes, until bottoms golden brown and tops just set. You want to underbake them in order to keep them chewy.
- Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then remove to rack to cool fully. Do not cover the day you bake them, store in an airtight container, with a piece of paper towel on the bottom, at the end of the day.
