Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies: flourless, oil-free, naturally sweetened, and ready in less than 30 minutes!
The Christmas and holiday season calls for the heavenly aroma of warm chai spices and the comforting crunch of your favorite cookies. Enter my Vegan Chocolate Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies - a delightful blend of wholesome ingredients that bring the cozy flavors of chai to your cookie jar.
I guess you could say ever since I posted this roundup on the Best Vegan Christmas Cookies, I’ve had cookies on my brain. And many of you reached out and asked for more gluten-free options. Friends, I heard you.
These Gluten-Free Chocolate Chia-Spiced Cookies put to bed the falsehood that gluten-free things suck.
How do I make cookies without flour?
I know, it’s hard to believe it’s possible and even harder to believe these chai cookies would taste good. But, I’m here to tell you it’s not only possible it’s reality.
The nut butter, oats, and chia seeds are amazing and hold everything together even without gluten-free flour or eggs. It’s that simple.
In This Post
- How do I make cookies without flour?
- Ingredients you’ll need
- How to make chocolate chai-spiced oatmeal cookies
- Substitutions
- Tips for making the best chai-spiced oatmeal cookies
- Equipment
- My favorite cookie equipment
- Storage
- More vegan cookie recipes you have to try!
- How to enjoy these chai-spiced cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies
- 💬 Community
Ingredients you’ll need
Simple wholesome ingredients like homemade pecan almond butter, pure maple syrup, and a DIY chai spice blend, allow these cookies to deliver the rich, comforting flavors of chai in every chewy and decadent bite. The perfect blend of healthy fats, gluten-free oats, and crunchy walnuts, this recipe is a delicious combination of holiday warmth and WFPB goodness.
- pecan almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- old-fashioned rolled oats (make sure they’re gluten-free)
- DIY chai spice blend
- baking soda
- chia seeds
- walnuts
- vegan chocolate chips
See the recipe card below for specific quantities and detailed instructions.
How to make chocolate chai-spiced oatmeal cookies
These delicious cookies are simple, require just one bowl, and use very accessible ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Using a cookie scoop, form cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each ball slightly with a fork or your hand.
Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until the edges are slightly brown.
Melt the chocolate chips, drizzle a small amount in the center of the cookies, and let cool to room temperature.
Hint: If you have a nut allergy you can simply leave out the walnuts or replace them with sunflower seeds.
Substitutions
- Nut Butter: Try other nut butters like cashew butter, pumpkin spice almond butter, homemade almond butter, or peanut butter.
- Sweetener: If you don’t have or use maple syrup you can use date syrup or coconut sugar.
- Nuts: Swap raw walnuts with your favorite nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, or even more pecans. Try using these candied pecans. WOW!!!
- Spices: If you’re not a fan of chai spice you can use other spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice. You could also leave the spices out altogether.
Tips for making the best chai-spiced oatmeal cookies
Here are a few, but important tips, that will help you make the best flourless chai-spiced cookies:
- For a chewier cookie, let the chia seeds sit in the wet ingredients for a few minutes right after mixing.
- Don’t overbake! The cookies may not look completely done and will be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven. But, the cookies will firm up as they cool.
- Go easy on the spices and then taste the cookie dough before forming the cookies. Remember, you can eat this cookie dough and the spices are strong.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. For the record, I don’t use stone bakeware when baking cookies because it takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and it can affect the outcome of the cookie. That being said, here are a few of my favorite pieces of equipment to use when making these delicious chai-spiced cookies.
My favorite cookie equipment
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Buy Now → Storage
Keep these vegan chocolate chai-spiced oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. For a longer shelf life, refrigerate or freeze, ensuring you have the perfect treat ready whenever the craving strikes.
More vegan cookie recipes you have to try!
Looking for other recipes perfect for the holidays? Check out my long list of healthy plant-based desserts. But, here are a few of my favorites:
How to enjoy these chai-spiced cookies
These are my favorite dishes to serve with vegan chocolate chai-spiced cookies:
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #shaneandsimple on Instagram. Cheers, my friends!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies
Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies: flourless, oil-free, naturally sweetened, and ready in less than 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Vegan Holiday Recipes, Vegan Dessert Recipes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert, Holidays
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup of homemade pecan-almond butter
- ¼ cup of pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ¾ cups of rolled oats
- 1–2 tablespoons DIY chai spice blend
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pecan almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix until it creates a smooth, velvety base.
- Add the dry ingredients: rolled oats, chai spice mix, chia seeds, baking soda, and walnuts. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop, form cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each ball slightly with a fork or your hand creating the perfect cookie shape.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. This creates a chewy texture with crispy edges.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat, constantly mixing until smooth. Spoon a small amount in the center of each cookie.
- Allow your chai-spiced wonders to cool on a wire rack or the baking before indulging. Enjoy these cookies with a cup of coffee or a vegan chai latte, embracing the warm chai spices.
Notes
Keep these vegan chai-spiced cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. For a longer shelf life, refrigerate or freeze, ensuring you have the perfect treat ready whenever the craving strikes.
For a chewier cookie, let the chia seeds sit in the wet ingredients for a few minutes right after mixing.
Don’t overbake! The cookies may not look completely done and will be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven. But, the cookies will firm up as they cool.
Go easy on the spices and then taste the cookie dough before forming the cookies. Remember, you can eat this cookie dough and the spices are strong.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 164
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 27.3 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.5 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Okay I had to make this 2x this wknd. I made exactly to the directions the first time, 1 TBSP chai spice, minus the chocolate, but accidentally overbaked them by a few minutes. Still tasty but definitely overbaked. So I HAD to give a 2nd shot before I could review! The 2nd batch I soaked a little bit of dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins and apricots) in a few TBSP of hot water spiced with chai. Then drained them and added the wet ingredients and the chia seeds while I mixed the dry ingredients (2 TBSP chai this time), prepped the pan, etc. I put in for 15 minutes only that time. SO GOOD!! This may be my Christmas cookie gifts to co-workers and small group. Going to experiment with other dried fruits, etc in the future. Thanks, Shane!
These are so yummy! Actually, we love all of your cookie creations, Shane. And even better, the recipe makes a small batch of 12 cookies, which is perfect for the two of us. If the recipe made 3 dozen (like most recipes), I’d be in trouble because I would scarf them all down quickly! They are that good!
Great flavor and crunch. Also easy to make once you have the nut butter.
If there were 5 more stars I would click on them! These cookies are definitely a “10”!
Oh my goodness! I made these at Christmas. I thought my granddaughter and I were going to fight over the last cookie…..
Yum
Hey Shane,
Making these tonight and I noticed in the ingredient list it says baking soda and in the directions it says baking powder 😊. These will be a favorite of mine for sure!! Thank you!!
Thank you! It is baking soda. Thanks for catching it!
Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies: flourless, oil-free, naturally sweetened, and ready in less than 30 minutes!