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Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Recipe
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Sugar cookies just got better with a little pumpkin! This Pumpkin Sugar Cookie recipe creates soft, chewy, lightly spicy glazed cookies that are perfect for Fall and all the way through the holidays! Ever since I posted this recipe back in 2014, people have been going crazy for them. It’s one of my most shared recipes ever. If you love pumpkin, I just know you’ve come to the right place.
Ingredient Notes + Variations
These pumpkin sugar cookies come together with pantry staples, cozy spices, and a few smart tricks that make them melt-in-your-mouth soft. Here’s what you’ll want to know before baking:
- Butter – Use softened, not melted butter. It gives these cookies that classic sugar cookie texture with rich flavor.
- Vegetable Oil – Keeps the dough soft and adds moisture without making it greasy.
- Pumpkin Puree – Use 100% pure pumpkin, not pie filling. It gives the cookies their gorgeous color and soft crumb.
- Sugars – A mix of granulated and powdered sugar creates a light, tender texture and just the right sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract – Rounds out the flavor and ties the pumpkin and spices together.
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves give that warm pumpkin pie flavor.
- Cream of Tartar – Keeps the cookies soft and gives them that signature sugar cookie tang.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice (for the glaze) – Enhances the flavor and gives that extra fall touch.
How to Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
These pumpkin sugar cookies are surprisingly easy to whip up. You’ll mix, scoop, flatten, bake, glaze… and probably eat one before they’ve even cooled. For full recipe details including ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below.
Step 1: Preheat Oven + Prep Pan
Set your oven to 350° F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Step 2: Make the Dough
Mix butter, oil, pumpkin puree, sugars, vanilla extract, and eggs until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Step 3: Scoop + Flatten
Use a 1½ tablespoon scoop to portion dough onto your baking sheet. Flatten each one to about ½ inch thick with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
Step 4: Bake + Cool
Bake 8–9 minutes until soft and set. Let cookies rest on the pan for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Step 5: Glaze
Whisk powdered sugar, water, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Spread about 1½ teaspoons over each cookie while warm. Let the glaze harden for a few hours… or enjoy them warm and gooey.
Tips for Success
- Don’t overmix once you add the flour, or your cookies can turn tough.
- Chill the dough for 10–15 minutes if it feels too sticky to scoop.
- Use pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix).
- Add a little extra cinnamon if you love bolder spice flavor.
- If you’re glazing warm cookies, set them on parchment to catch drips.
These pumpkin sugar cookies are everything you want in a fall bake: easy, soft, and perfectly spiced. Once you try them, you’ll see why they’re the cookie everyone keeps asking for. The printable recipe card is down below. Enjoy, friends!
Soft Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies just got better with a little pumpkin! This recipe creates soft, chewy, lightly spicy glazed pumpkin sugar cookies that are perfect for Fall!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree canned pumpkin
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of cloves
for the glaze-
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla and eggs together until incorporated and smooth.
- Slowly mix in all dry ingredients until completely incorporated.
- Scoop onto prepared baking sheet using 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and flatten to 1/2 inch thick using the bottom of a glass.
- If the dough is sticking to the glass, press the bottom of the glass in granulated sugar before flattening. Bake 8-9 minutes.
- While cookies bake, make the glaze. Stir powdered sugar, water, and pumpkin pie spice together until smooth.
- Once cookies are finished baking, cool 3 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.
- Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of glaze over each warm cookie. Let glaze harden 2-3 hours before serving. Or, eat them warm with lots of runny glaze.
Video
Notes
Storage Instructions
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. To freeze- place unglazed cookies in a single layer with parchment between each, then freeze up to 2 months. Thaw and glaze before serving. You can also make the dough ahead, chill up to 24 hours, and bake when ready.Nutrition
Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 67mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 623IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
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More Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Caramel Pecan Filling
- Soft Sugar Cookies
- Easy Pumpkin Bars
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Gingerdoodle Sandwich Cookies
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
I may have already reviewed these, but I’m leaving another one. This is my all-time favorite Fall cookie recipe! I make them every year as soon as the leaves start falling. My family loves them, so it’s nice that the recipe makes so many. The only change I make is adding a bit of ground cloves to the glaze. It gives them that perfect Fall touch.
I just made these Pumpkin Sugar Cookies for Thanksgiving and they were delicious. Easy to make and easy to frost. The frosting is so creamy and delicious. Next time I would add a little more water to the frosting, just a little thick to spread. They were firm but soft to bite into. They were enjoyed by everyone. Best cookies ever!! I baked as is. Didn’t change a thing.
I made these today and followed the recipe exactly. I thought it weird that so little vanilla was called for with so much flour and now that they are cooled I wish I added more. The cookies taste good and have a great texture, but it needs another teaspoon of vanilla or even almond extract
I was disappointed in this recipe, I don’t know what I did wrong. At 8 minutes they were too mushy. I cooked them for 12 minutes and I thought they were much more crumbly. I was looking for a crumbly sugar tasting like pumpkin. I’ll still look…
[…] Soft glazed pumpkin sugar cookies – add some pumpkin spice to a classic cookie […]
Although these cookies were nice and soft with great flavor, they were not orange in color at all. They were pale in color with specks of spice.
Mine were soft not crispy.
Our family loved these cookies! They were soft and delicious. The only change I made was I used milk instead of water in the glaze. We will Definately make these again and again ?
Cookie is great but glaze was difficult to keep in center of cookie and ran over sides. Not as nice looking but still tasty.
Amazing cookies (I guess all the complainers didn’t follow the recipe ?)
Easy to make. Great flavors. Definitely a keeper.
Delicious. I glazed the cookies while warm like the recipe said but I just saw the narrative says to glaze when cool. I think warm is easier because it kind of melts the glaze and it’s easier to spread around if needed. Will def make these again.
I love making these- my nephews think they are the bomb!! Great recipe- great flavor!! Thanks!!!
I would like to make these for Christmas but some reviews say it needs more pumpkin flavor. I think adding more pumpkin would make the batter thinner and they may not turn out. Would you recommend using more of the spices?
Yes, just use more spices!
I have been making these cookies for several years now. I have to say they are an all-time favorite cookie, not just a holiday cookie. One of the things I love MOST about these cookies is how subtle the pumpkin flavor is. If you are looking for a cookie bursting with pumpkin flavor you will be disappointed, however I suggest you try them anyway. Just don’t expect that burst of pumpkin. The pumpkin adds a wonderful texture to the cookie. They have a mild flavor that is so addicting and can be made any time of the year. I have found that the cookie tastes better longer if it is slightly underbaked. I usually layer my counter with wax paper or freezer paper to glaze them. It makes clean-up a snap. I also glaze them straight out of the oven while they are still hot so that the glaze coats the whole cookie. Once I have let them cool several hours on my counter they can be stacked between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container. To say my family loves these cookies would be an understatement. Lauren, thank you for such an amazing recipe! I think you have tweaked the recipe since you first posted it? The original glaze had melted butter and milk in it, not water. I have always followed your original recipe to a T with amazing results. Thanks once again for such a melt-in-your mouth delicious cookie! ?
They were so easy to make and tasted yummy. The cookie was soft and the glaze tasted great. My only issue is that I stored them in a sealed container on a pantry shelf and the glaze dissolved into the cookies which made them damp and squishy. Should they be stored in the fridge?
One of the best vegan cookie recipes I’ve found! I love baking on a rainy day and today is no exception, so I asked my husband what kind of cookies he’d like and he requested these, saying how doughy-yummy-good they were! This recipe has gone into our favorites–at the top of the list!
I want to make these cookies but I don’t know where to buy the pumpkin puree, all I find at the store is canned pumpkin. Do you have a brand that I can look for or where to buy it? Thank You.
Pumpkin puree is canned pumpkin, or 100% pure pumpkin such as Libby’s.
Whole family loved these cookies. Wonderful texture. Not too sweet.
Hi! Cant wait to make this recipe. Is the pumpkin purée half of a large can or half of a small can? Thanks!
Neither. It’s half of a cup of pumpkin (1/2 cup).
These cookies are always well-received. Friends and family look forward to Fall because I make these every year.