ICED PUMPKIN PROTEIN COOKIES (VEGAN)
These Iced Pumpkin Protein Cookies require no self control because you can enjoy the whole batch (all six cookies) for just over 300 calories! Plus, they’re vegan, gluten-free, and virtually sugar-free. Even better is the soft-baked texture, rich pumpkin spice flavor, and lickable sugar-free icing! Yumm.
Did you know? Pumpkin is high in vitamins A and C, which support your immune system. Pumpkin also provides vitamin E, iron and folate which have roles in immune function as well.
Why I stopped using whey protein
This vegan cookie recipe marked the beginning of my “vegan protein baking endeavor.” After years of perfecting recipes made with whey protein (from birthday cake protein blondies to my chocolate protein cake and the most delicious baked protein cinnamon rolls)… I started to notice I didn’t feel very good after consuming whey.
Every time I consumed whey protein (regardless of quality, isolate or concentrate), my stomach would bloat and my skin would get all puffy… and I’d get awful gas (sorry TMI)! At first I brushed it off, but after cutting out whey several times and reintroducing it, the reality became apparent: my body simply wasn’t digesting or tolerating whey.
Favorite vegan protein powder
Immediately, I started hunting for a good plant-based protein that had comparable amino acid profile to whey. My favorite is LIV Body Lean Vegan Protein! It’s high in leucine (the rate-limiting amino acid for muscle growth) with no artificial additives of any kind. The flavors include Cake Batter, German Chocolate Snickerdoodle (what I used in these), and many more! Feel free to use my code NOEXCUSES for 20% off all products from www.livbody.com 😉
Protein powder substitutions
Even though I used LIV Body Lean Vegan Protein for these cookies, you should be able to use any vegan protein powder so long as you like the flavor. DO NOT attempt to sub whey, casein or whey blends in recipes that call for plant-based or vegan protein! Whey and casein protein powders tend to dry out baked goods, whereas vegan protein powders tend to make baked goods mushy (if too much is used). They’re very different!
Sweetener substitutions
I went with a golden monkfruit sweetener in these cookies, which is an all-natural, calorie-free alternative to brown sugar! You can substitute baking stevia, granulated erythritol, or granulated sugar, but they won’t have that rich molasses flavor.
I also used a sugar-free powdered sweetener for the icing, which is a great 1:1 alternative to powdered sugar. Feel free to use regular powdered sugar, or simply blend granulated erythritol into a powder.
Other substitutions
This recipe calls for cashew butter which gives these a lovely, soft-baked texture. However, you can substitute the cashew butter for almond butter or sunflower seed butter; or vegan vegan buttery spread, regular butter or ghee (if not vegan). You can also sub the water for buttery spread if you want a richer-tasting cookie!
Ground flaxseed replaces egg in this recipe, but can be substituted for psyllium husk (or just 1 tbsp. egg white and omit the water). Oh, and the pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for ground cinnamon with a dash of ginger and nutmeg 😉
Here’s the printable recipe for these Iced Pumpkin Protein Cookies! I’d love for you to rate this recipe or comment below if you try 😉
This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by LIV Body.
Iced Pumpkin Protein Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (40g) vegan protein powder* I used LIV Body brand, use code "NOEXCUSES" for 20% off
- 3-4 tbsp. calorie-free brown sugar alternative* to taste
- 2 tsp. ground flaxseed
- 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 cup pure pumpkin
- 2 tbsp. water*
- 1 tbsp. cashew butter*
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract optional
Icing
- 2 tbsp. confectioner's sweetener*
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. vegan buttery spread* softened
*See blog for substitutions.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together dry ingredients (through baking soda) in a small mixing bowl.
- Add wet ingredients (through vanilla extract) and mix to form a soft dough.
- Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment.
- Using heaping tablespoons to measure, make six balls of dough and press slightly flat on baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until soft in the center and slightly firm on the edges.
- Combine icing ingredients until smooth.
- Let cookies cool completely before icing. You can use a sealable baggie with one corner cut off to pipe the icing onto cookies.
- Eat all the cookies or store any leftovers in the fridge up to one week.
Notes
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