Butternut Squash Cookies (Paleo, Vegan)

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These healthy butternut squash cookies are soft and tender with a chewy center. They are made with pureed butternut squash and almond butter, sweetened with coconut sugar and loaded with dark chocolate chips. In addition, these squash cookies are paleo, vegan and gluten free.

butternut squash cookies on wire cooling rack

I used my very last home-grown butternut squash to make these cookies. And it was a great decision! The whole family is in love with their chewy texture and the fact that you get a mouthful of chocolate in every bite.

These vegan butternut squash cookies are made with pureed butternut squash, almond butter, coconut sugar and dark chocolate chips. They have just the right amount of sweetness and are great for a healthy dessert.

Why You'll Love these Healthy Butternut Squash Cookies

gluten free - made with almond butter and almond flour
paleo - made with wholesome, real-food ingredients
vegan - these squash cookies are egg free
dairy free - no butter, no milk
easy to make - just mix, scoop and bake!

Ingredients

Here's a list of what you need to make these chocolate chip squash cookies:

pureed butternut squash - I recommend making your own butternut squash puree instead of buying canned. Homemade tends to be thicker, creamier and better tasting.
almond butter - use an unsweetened almond butter made with just dry roasted almonds.
coconut oil - to get the proper cookie texture.
vanilla extract - for flavor
blanched almond flour - these squash cookies are made with almond flour. The best swap would be tigernut flour.
coconut sugar - to sweeten the cookies.
cinnamon - added for flavor.
baking soda - for texture purposes.
salt - enhances the flavors
dark chocolate chips - because everything is better with chocolate 😉

How to Puree Butternut Squash

I pureed my own butternut squash for this recipe. Canned squash should work too, but I have only tested these cookies with homemade squash puree.

To puree butternut squash, cut the squash, remove the seeds and cut it into cubes. You can cut off the skin if you want, but I didn't. Then place the squash in a steamer pot and steam until tender.

After steaming, let the squash cool to room temperature. Then place the squash in a food processor or high powered blender and blend until smooth. This will take a little bit of time to get the squash fully pureed. Stop every so often and scrape down the sides and keep blending until you get a nice, creamy texture.

Store leftover puree in a sealed container in the fridge, up to one week.

How to Make Butternut Squash Cookies

These gluten free butternut squash cookies are easy to make - just one bowl needed for mixing and no chilling required. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine pureed squash, almond butter, melted coconut oil and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
Stir in the almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Really mix the dough using a spatula or wooden spoon. It should have a consistent texture and be a little oily.
Lastly, fold the chocolate chips into the batter.

Use a large cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons per cookie) to scoop the dough onto the lined baking pan. The cookies spread a bit, but not too much. I recommend leaving about an inch between each cookie.
Place the cookies in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. The cookies are very soft right out of the oven, but will firm up once cooled.

After the squash cookies have cooled, place them on a wire cooling rack. You can pop them in the fridge or freezer to set a bit more. In fact, I find these cookies have the best texture after sitting in the freezer.

Storage

Place the cookies in an air tight container or baggie. They can be kept in the fridge or freezer and are best eaten within 3 days if stored in the fridge or a month if stored in the freezer.

FAQ

Do I have to remove the skin from the squash?

No, you don't have to remove the skin from the squash if you're pureeing your own.

Can these squash cookies be made nut free?

Although I have only made these cookies with almond butter and almond flour, there are a couple swaps you can make to make these cookies nut free.

Swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter. And replace the almond flour with tigernut flour or ground sunflower seeds. Just note that sunflower seeds and baking soda react and will make the cookies green once they've cooled.

More Butternut Squash Recipes

Looking for more paleo recipes that use butternut squash puree? Here are some favorites from the blog: