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Healthy, grain-free, vegan, delicious, coconut flour zucchini cookies! They are perfect for healthy breakfasts, snacks, and dessert.
Healthy Zucchini Cookies made with Coconut Flour
I know that I am jumping the gun–backyard zucchini crops will not be coming in for another few months–but I decided I simply could not wait to create a new riff on one of my favorite treats, zucchini bread.
So without further delay, allow me to introduce you to my Coconut Flour Zucchini Cookies, which are both Grain-Free & Vegan. In addition to being tender and delicious, they are also perfect for fueling up (morning, noon or night) on busy days.
Recipe Benefits
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Low sugar
- Quick and easy to make
Ingredients
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- coconut flour
- chickpea flour
- coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- baking powder
- pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
- salt
- grated zucchini
- nondairy milk (e.g., almond milk cashew milk, hemp milk)
- vegetable oil (I used avocado oil; use what you prefer)
- vanilla extract
The tender texture for these cookies comes from one of my favorite combinations of grain-free flours: coconut flour + chickpea flour. The latter adds the structure (in the absence of gluten and eggs), while the former adds softness and a natural sweetness.
Step by Step Instructions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, coconut flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, breaking up any and all lumps,
- In a medium bowl, stir together the zucchini, milk, oil, and vanilla; add the flour mixture, stirring until completely blended. Let dough stand for 5 minutes (allows the coconut flour to absorb some of the liquid).
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop 15 mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, spacing the cookie dough mounds 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 18 minutes until golden brown and centers are firm to the touch.
- Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet before transferring with a spatula to a wire cooling rack.
Taste and Texture
I kid you not when I say that these cookies taste a lot like cake donuts (a delightful bonus, courtesy of the coconut flour). They are lightly spiced and have a tender cake-y texture.
Tip for Success
Use the Small Holes to Grate the Zucchini: I recommend using the smaller size holes on your grater. The liquid is not drained from the zucchini before using, hence the smaller grated pieces distribute the moisture throughout the cookies more evenly than when coarsely grated. The result is a light, tender cookie as opposed to a damp, heavy cookie.
FAQ
How Should I Store Coconut Flour Zucchini Cookies? Store the cooled grain-free cookies in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for 1 day, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months.
How many zucchini will I need? Although these gluten-free cookies are packed with zucchini, the batch is small–yielding 15 generous-size cookies–so you will not need a bumper crop of zucchini to get started. One medium-size zucchini is perfect for the required quantity (1cup shredded).
Can I Make these Oil-Free? Yes, replace the oil with more nondairy milk of your choice. The cookies will be less rich and tender, but still delicious.
My cookies came out dry. Why? It is almost certainly becuase there is too much flour. I strongly recommend weighing the flours with a kitchen scale for accuracy every time. If using standard measuring cups, very lightly spoon the flour into the cups and level the tops with a knife. Be very careful not to pack the cups. If the cookie dough seems dry, add a little bit more milk until it is moist.
Here’s to easy, grain-free, vegan baking, and cookies for breakfasts, snacks and dessert!
More Delectable Vegan & Gluten-Free Zucchini Recipes:
- Individual Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal (oil-free)
- Healthy Zucchini Oat Bread (oil-free)
- Chickpea Flour Zucchini Muffins (oil-free, grain-free)
- 4-Ingredient Zucchini Skillet Flatbreads
- 3-Ingredient Zucchini Soccatas (chickpea flour omelets)
- Coconut Flour Zucchini Brownies {oil-free, grain-free}
- Zucchini Oat Breakfast Cookies
- Vegan Almond Flour Zucchini Muffins {grain-free, oil-free}
Coconut Flour Zucchini Cookies (Vegan, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour, (weigh, or very lightly spoon to measure; do not pack)
- 1/3 cup coconut flour, (weigh, or very lightly spoon to measure; do not pack)
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup finely grated zucchini, (do not drain or squeeze out water)
- 1/3 cup nondairy milk, (I used plain almond)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, (I used avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, coconut flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, breaking up any and all lumps,
- In a medium bowl, stir together the zucchini, milk, oil, and vanilla; add the flour mixture, stirring until completely blended. Let dough stand for 5 minutes (allows the coconut flour to absorb some of the liquid).
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop 15 mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, spacing the cookie dough mounds 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 18 minutes until golden brown and centers are firm to the touch.
- Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet before transferring with a spatula to a wire cooling rack.
Could I make these as “cookies” in a 6 cavity muffin tin like the other “cookie” recipes using the muffin pans? I would need to adjust the quantities as well, but I’m not sure of the quantity if this method would work.
Hi Natalia,
Yes, I think that will work well. You could halve the recipe and make 6 muffin-cookies, or do the full recipe in two batches. The baking time should be roughly the same (upper end of the time range), then add on a minute or two more, as needed 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly as shown, but my cookies did not turn out well at all. The flavor was fine, but they were very grainy and dry. They were almost impossible to eat as they crumbled as soon as you touched them. The dough was very dry in the process, as well. Any suggestions on what I may have done wrong?
Hi Janis,
Oh no, so sorry the cookies were dry. It is almost certainly because there was too much flour in the dough. I strongly recommend weighing the flours with a kitchen scale for accuracy every time. If using standard measuring cups, very lightly spoon the flour into the cups and level the tops with a knife. Be very careful not to pack the cups. If the cookie dough seems dry, add a little bit more milk until it is moist.
Would it be possible to swap cassava flour for chickpea? As much as I love chickpeas, I’m trying to avoid beans.
Hi Nicole,
That’s a great idea–I think that could work with these cookies. You have inspired me, Nicole, I think I need to experiment with coconut combined with cassava.
Could I swap out the oil for applesauce??
Hi Heidi! Yes, I think that would work just fine here. Coconut flour makes such tender baked goods that I think these will still be soft and lovely with the swap 🙂