This No Bake Pumpkin Cookies recipe is super easy and can be made in about 10 minutes (plus resting time)! Pumpkin spice no bake cookies are a fun spin on baked pumpkin oatmeal cookies without all the effort.
They’re soft and chewy and are loaded with pumpkin pie spice, quick oats, and chocolate chips! No need to turn on the oven to get your fall cookie fix! These are fast and easy and amazing!
This recipe was originally published in 2017. Some readers were having trouble with the cookies being too soft. The other day I made 3…yes THREE batches of this cookie recipe to make sure that it turns out perfect every single time! I’ve updated the instructions and slightly altered the ingredient list. There is also new images!
Fall is the busiest time of the year on the farm. When our kids go back to school we lose part of our crew! We miss them! It also means I end up spending plenty of days driving equipment and helping farm, which I happen to love!
It does mean that I don’t have as much time to spend on other things I love, like making cookies!
Maybe that’s why I’m so in love with no-bake cookies! I can literally whip up a batch really quickly before I head to work in the fields. Everyone is happier when they come home to cookies!
Pumpkin spice no bake cookies are the perfect pumpkin cookie when it’s too hot outside for baking yet you’re totally in the mood for pumpkin spice everything and can’t get enough of the yummy fall flavors!
Needing to make dessert in about 5 minutes has pushed me into creating so many no bake cookies!
Classic Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Cookies are always a hit! No Bake Caramel Cookies are insanely popular on Pinterest.
The salty-sweet combination in Peanut Butter Pretzel No Bake Cookies is to die for! And Caramel Apple No Bake Cookies are pretty dang good too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
No bake pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies are delicious cookies that have all the good stuff that you love about bakery pumpkin cookies without the hassle!
If you have time for the hassle be sure to check out my Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies because they’re straight-up amazing! But they do require mixing, dropping cookie dough, baking, and cooling.
No need for any of that with this no-bake cookie version!
- Simple ingredients! You’ll need simple ingredients that are pretty much pantry staples.
- 10 minutes of hands-on time! If you have ten minutes you can make these cookies! Heck, I bet you could do it in less time if you really booked it!
- They store well! Make them ahead of time if you’d like. They store really well which makes these cookies great for taking to parties or sharing with neighbors!
Ingredients
There are a couple of suggestions for substitutions and varieties of ingredients. We should probably talk about those!
Dry Ingredients:
- Oatmeal: I like using quick oats (sometimes called instant oats) because they’ve been rolled a little flatter than rolled oats. Quick oats will not be quite as chewy as rolled oats (or old-fashioned oats). However, you can easily use rolled oats in this recipe, which will still work great. I wouldn’t recommend using steel-cut oats because they aren’t processed as much and will be pretty chunky in no-bake cookies.
- Pudding: Make sure to use instant pudding. Vanilla pudding is a great choice. Jello used to make instant pumpkin spice pudding mix and it worked great for making pumpkin spice cookies. Unfortunately, they either don’t make it any more or it’s really hard to find.
I made this recipe using Cook N Serve vanilla pudding. I added the pudding to the saucepan with the butter, evaporated milk, and sugars. The cookies tasted amazing, but were a little bit softer than cookies made with instant pudding mix.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: There isn’t any pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling in this recipe so you’re getting all the pumpkin flavor from the spices. You can make your own homemade recipe or buy it from the store.
- Chocolate Chips: Use any kind of chocolate chips you like. I love adding semi-sweet for a no bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies vibe!
Ingredients for boiling:
- Butter: Use real butter, salted or unsalted butter. Butter tastes so much better than margarine. Besides that, it helps support dairy farmers!
- Sugar: You can use white sugar or brown sugar. Brown sugar will make a softer and darker cookie.
- Vanilla Extract: I love real Mexican vanilla.
See the printable recipe card below for the full list of ingredients!
How to Make No Bake Pumpkin Cookies:
This is one of those easy recipes that you’re going to fall in love with! There are a couple of little tricks that will help make sure they turn out perfectly every single time!
It’s important to make sure the butter, sugar, and milk come to a full rolling boil. I guess that means it’s important to know what a full rolling boil is. A rolling boil is when the liquid reaches a temperature where it’s at a vigorous boil that doesn’t stop when it’s stirred. For this recipe, we’ll slowly and gradually bring the wet ingredients to a rolling boil. This will help the cookies set up so they aren’t too gooey. Getting the full rolling boil down is the hardest part of this recipe! Once you’ve got it they’ll be perfect!
Step 1: Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. A lined cookie sheet makes for easy cleanup! Either will work. Set aside.
Step 2: Add dry ingredients (vanilla pudding, pumpkin pie spice, and oats) to a large mixing bowl. Stir.
Step 3: Add sugar, butter, and evaporated milk to a medium saucepan. Stir the mixture occasionally to combine sugars and butter. Continue stirring while bringing the ingredients to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat. This will take a few minutes. Once the mixture is boiling reduce the temperature to medium heat (it needs to be hot enough to maintain a full rolling boil). Boil at a full rolling boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
Step 4: Once the liquid has been at a full rolling boil for one and a half minutes, remove it from the stovetop. Add vanilla extract. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Stir to coat oats with liquid. Let rest for a couple of minutes. This helps the oats “soak” up some of the caramel-y sauce. It also allows the cookie “dough” to cool off a little bit so the chocolate chips don’t get completely melted.
Step 5: Add semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips and quickly stir to combine. Try to quickly and gently stir just a little bit or else the chocolate chips will completely melt and look messy! They’ll still taste amazing!
Step 6: Using a cookie scoop drop the pumpkin mixture onto the lined baking sheet. Let rest for about an hour to cool and set. Store in an airtight container.
How to Store Pumpkin No Bake Cookies:
Room temperature: Store pumpkin no-bake cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Refrigerator: If your cookies are a bit on the softer side and you’re looking for more of a hard cookie store them in the fridge. They’ll keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
Freezer: I haven’t ever tried freezing this pumpkin no-bake cookie recipe, although I know that no-bake cookies typically freeze really well!
FAQs
No-bake cookies are too soft if the liquid mixture hasn’t been cooked long enough or at high enough heat. If they’re too soft try storing them in the refrigerator and serving them cold.
I’ve never tried using cook-and-serve pudding mix instead of instant. Some readers have tried it and had success with it. I’d add the cook-and-serve pudding mix in the saucepan with the butter, sugar, and milk.
Yes! You could use butterscotch, French vanilla, or cheesecake pudding mix. Either would be a great option! Once you add pumpkin pie spice it will still taste like all things pumpkin.
Best Pumpkin Recipes:
These no bake pumpkin oatmeal cookies are definitely easy and delicious! I feel like there is such a short time to make all the pumpkin recipes so I have to cram as many into a short period of time as possible! Here are a few must-make pumpkin recipes!
- Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumb Bars
Pumpkin No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup butter 1 1/2 sticks
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix dry pudding mix only
- 3½ cups quick oats
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- sea salt to taste optional
- 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. A lined cookie sheet makes for easy cleanup! Either will work. Set aside.
- Add dry ingredients (vanilla pudding, pumpkin pie spice, and oats) to a large mixing bowl. Stir.
- Add sugars, butter, and evaporated milk to a medium saucepan. Stir the mixture occasionally to combine sugars and butter. Continue stirring while bringing the ingredients to a full rolling boil (a vigorous boil that doesn't stop when stirred) over medium-high heat. This will take a few minutes. Once the mixture is boiling reduce the temperature to medium heat (it needs to be hot enough to maintain a full rolling boil). Boil at a full rolling boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Once the liquid has been at a full rolling boil for 1 1/2 minutes remove it from the stovetop. Add vanilla extract. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Stir to coat oats with liquid. Let rest for a couple of minutes. The oats will soak up some of the caramel-y liquid. It will also cool a little bit so when you add the chocolate chips they won't melt as badly.
- Add semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips and quickly stir to combine. Try to quickly and gently stir just a little bit or else the chocolate chips will completely melt and look messy!
- Using a cookie scoop drop the pumpkin mixture onto the lined baking sheet. Let rest for about an hour to cool and set. Store in an airtight container.
Teri says
Please state the amount of vanilla extract you recommend. It is not listed in ingredients, just in the instructions. Thanks much
Amy Engberson says
Thanks for catching that! You’ll need one teaspoon of vanilla extract! Enjoy!
Brenda says
Mine did not set up. It’s been several hours since I made them, even put them in the refrigerator. HELP!
Amy Engberson says
Without being there it’s hard to say why they didn’t set up. It is important to bring the butter, sugar, and evaporated milk to a full rolling boil which means it keeps boiling even when you are stirring it. Hopefully, that helps!
Sarah says
Mine never set up either and I let it boil for 5 min
Amy Engberson says
Hmmm! It’s hard to say why they didn’t set up without being there. Did you use quick oats?
Jennifer Shearer says
I love the taste of real pumpkin not so much the fake stuff. Can you make these with real pumpkin?
Amy Engberson says
Pumpkin is the BEST! I’m afraid if you add pumpkin puree to these cookies it will make them soggy. My Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies are a great “real” pumpkin option!
Ophelia Faires says
I can’t wate until I make these we love pumpkin I am going to store in am thank you so mucho
Joy Branda says
I would like to receive more recipes like this, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Amy Engberson says
Hi Joy! I’ll remember that and try to create more recipes like this! You can always sign up for my newsletter so you have new recipes delivered right into your inbox! Here’s the link to sign up! https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/submit/r1n3j4
Darlene Robinson says
Can you freeze these .
Amy Engberson says
I imagine these would freeze just fine but I’ve never tried it before. Let me know how it works if you try it!
Darlene Robinson says
Can you freeze these I’d like to make them for our bake sale at the church
Glenna Ann says
These sound yummy!! I plan to change this recipe and make it sugar free except the white chocolate!! I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Amy Engberson says
Oh I love that idea! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
carrie @ frugal foodie mama says
I love this fall twist on classic no-bake cookies! 🙂
Amy Engberson says
Thanks! Bring on all things fall right?
Abeer says
Can’t belive that these cookies are no bake! Look great!
Amy Engberson says
No bake cookies are on of my favorites! You just can’t beat how quick and easy they are; not to mention how yummy!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Such a great idea, these sound delicious!
Amy Engberson says
Thanks Kimberly! They are a great way to bring in the chilly fall weather!
Michelle Goth says
I love no bake desserts, especially when they’re pumpkin spice!
Amy Engberson says
No bake and pumpkin…two of my favorites right there!
Sabrina says
I am so ready for fall and all things pumpkin! These are just the perfect treat to start the season.
Amy Engberson says
I want to hold on to summer as long as I can, but I know fall is right around the corner! And as long as it’s here we just as well eat all things pumpkin right?
Jen says
These look so good! I’m going to surprise my boys and make them before they get home from school!
Amy Engberson says
You are such a fun mom Jen! Your boys will be thrilled! Happy Fall!