Cookies in the morning?! These easy pumpkin cookies taste like dessert, but they're meant to be a healthy, high-protein, grab-and-go breakfast! Made with ripe bananas, pumpkin puree, oats, and vanilla protein powder, they're soft, cakey, naturally sweet, and ready in about 20 minutes.

Plate of healthy pumpkin breakfast cookies made with oats, banana and protein powder

This recipe was contributed by Stefani Ganong from NaturalPaleoFamily.com. Check out her blog for more deliciously healthy ideas.

Pumpkin-everything season is in full swing, and I couldn't be more excited!

This time of year is my favorite with the cooler weather, gorgeous leaves, and lots of seasonal pumpkin-inspired goodies. Unfortunately, there tends to be weight gain over the holidays too, so I figured that I would make a healthy spin on a seasonal treat.

I mean, healthy pumpkin cookies for breakfast? Yes, please!

One of the hardest parts of trying to get my kids to eat healthier food is trying to sneak in the good ingredients. Like the time I tried to disguise carrots in their macaroni and cheese... let's just say it didn't end well. But what I love about this recipe is that it has lots of natural sweetness and no flour.

My kids willingly gobble these healthy pumpkin protein cookies up for breakfast or dessert, and I don't feel guilty letting them!

Thankfully, my kids don't have any food allergies, but I do.

These cookies are very allergy friendly, which makes them perfect for school treats! They also have no processed sugar, nuts, or flour. If you have a gluten sensitivity, just buy the gluten free oats instead of regular.

One thing that I do with these cookies is I blend the oats before mixing them in. This gives the cookies a more "normal" cookie texture rather than the chunkier texture you often get in oatmeal cookies.

Kids can be suspicious of different textures. And their texture preference changes daily, I can't even keep up. I just put the oats into my coffee grinder and blend them until they're powder.

If you prefer not to use protein powder, you can replace it with extra oats. You can also substitute the protein powder with flaxseed powder.

Feel free to add chocolate chips or raisins if you want to make these pumpkin breakfast cookies even more fun!

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Ripe bananas. The bananas bind the dough and supply almost all of the sweetness, so use ones that are well speckled with brown spots. Firm yellow bananas won't mash smoothly and the cookies will taste flat. If you're out of bananas, the same amount of unsweetened applesauce (about ¾ cup) works, though the cookies will be a little softer and less sweet.
Pumpkin puree. Use plain canned pumpkin like Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which already has sugar and spices added. Homemade pumpkin puree is fine too; just blot it with a paper towel if it's watery. Mashed sweet potato or butternut squash can stand in if you have leftovers.
Pumpkin pie spice. A jar of pumpkin pie spice makes this easy. No jar? Mix 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon with ¼ teaspoon each ginger and nutmeg, plus a pinch of cloves or allspice.
Rolled oats. Old-fashioned rolled oats ground into a coarse flour give the cookies their structure. Quick oats work the same way. Skip steel-cut oats, which won't soften enough in the short bake. Use certified gluten-free oats if anyone at your table avoids gluten.
Vanilla protein powder. Stefani uses Orgain Organic Vanilla Protein Powder, a plant-based powder that bakes up tender. Whey or other plant-based vanilla powders also work, but brands absorb liquid differently, so if your dough looks stiff and dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk. To leave it out, swap in an extra ½ cup of oats, or use ground flaxseed as noted above.

Helpful Tips

Grind the oats first. Pulse the oats in a blender, food processor, or clean coffee grinder until they look like coarse flour. This is what gives the cookies a soft, cakey bite instead of a chewy oatmeal-cookie texture, and it helps the dough hold together without any eggs or flour.

Mash the bananas really well. Mash the bananas in the mixing bowl before adding anything else so there are no big lumps. Small pockets of banana turn gummy in the oven, and a smooth mash spreads the sweetness evenly through every cookie.

Shape them before baking. These cookies don't spread much, so they bake into the shape you give them. A medium cookie scoop keeps them even, and pressing each mound down slightly with damp fingers helps the centers bake through.

Line the pan. With no butter or oil in the dough, the cookies can stick to a bare baking sheet. Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat means they'll lift right off.

Don't overbake. Pull them when the tops look dry and set and the bottoms are just starting to turn golden. They firm up as they cool, and overbaking dries out the protein powder quickly.

Three soft pumpkin breakfast cookies on a white plate

Variations

Chocolate chip. Fold in ⅓ cup of mini chocolate chips. For a more indulgent treat, try our Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Raisin or cranberry. Stir in ⅓ cup of raisins or dried cranberries for a chewy, oatmeal-raisin-style cookie.
Nutty crunch. If nuts aren't a concern, add ¼ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts, or a few spoonfuls of peanut butter or almond butter for extra protein.
Seeded. Keep them nut-free and school-safe by adding 2 tablespoons of pepitas, sunflower seeds, or chia seeds.
Extra sweet. For older kids or a dessert version, drizzle in 1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey.
Chocolate protein. Use chocolate protein powder in place of vanilla for a mocha-colored cookie that tastes like pumpkin brownie batter.

Serving Ideas

For a quick weekday breakfast, pair two or three cookies with a glass of milk, a cup of Greek yogurt with berries, or a Chocolate Protein Shake for an extra protein boost. A thin smear of peanut butter or cream cheese on top makes them even more filling for teens and grown-ups.

They also travel well. Tuck one into a lunchbox alongside our easy lunch ideas for kids, pack a few for after-school snacks, or set out a platter for a fall brunch next to Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze and a pan of Easy Pumpkin Bars.

Storing & Freezing

Let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Because they're made with fresh banana and pumpkin, they're moister than a regular cookie and shouldn't sit at room temperature for more than a day. Put a sheet of parchment between layers so they don't stick together.

To freeze, lay the cooled cookies on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or warm one in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds for a soft, just-baked breakfast.

More Pumpkin Recipes

If you love these pumpkin protein cookies, be sure to check out my other pumpkin desserts and these tasty ideas:

Recipe

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies (High Protein!)

These soft pumpkin breakfast cookies are made with ripe bananas, pumpkin puree, oats, and vanilla protein powder. They have no flour, butter, eggs, or refined sugar, so they make an easy, kid-friendly grab-and-go breakfast.

4.9 from 28 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Total Time 22

Course Breakfast, Cookies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 217 kcal

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas very ripe, mashed
½ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ cups rolled oats use certified gluten-free oats if needed
2 scoops vanilla protein powder I use Orgain Vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Add the rolled oats to a blender, food processor, or clean coffee grinder and pulse until they're ground into a coarse flour.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
Add the ground oats and protein powder and stir until a thick, evenly combined dough forms. If it looks dry and crumbly, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk.
Drop rounded 2-tablespoon mounds of dough (a heaping medium cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Flatten each one slightly with damp fingers, since the cookies won't spread much in the oven.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops look dry and set and the bottoms are lightly golden.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before eating. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Yield: Makes about 14 to 16 cookies; one serving is 3 to 4 cookies.

Protein powder: Brands absorb liquid differently. If the dough looks dry and crumbly, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. To skip protein powder, use an extra ½ cup of oats or ground flaxseed instead.

Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats and a gluten-free protein powder.

Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition is an estimate per serving (¼ of the batch), made with Orgain vanilla protein powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 10gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 75mgPotassium: 447mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 4788IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.

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