These Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are incredible cookies to make. They have the perfect balance of chewiness and softness, and each bite is full of the sweetness of brown sugar and cinnamon. So grab your apron, gather your ingredients, and let’s go on a baking adventure! Make them in 20 minutes.
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I can’t believe I have never posted this gluten-free oatmeal cookie recipe on my blog. I make these cookies pretty often because they are so easy to make. Mr. Fearless Dining and my kids love them, and they are also perfect for making Gluten Free Oatmeal Cream Pies! This recipe is for you if you love a soft, slightly chewy oatmeal raisin cookie.
This is the cookie you want to take a big bite out of and horde the batch for yourself! If you have Celiac disease or are gluten intolerant, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy incredible cookies! You can add all sorts of fun mix-ins like M&Ms, chocolate chips, and nuts.
If you are a cookie fanatic like us, you will want to check out my delicious gluten free cookie recipes!
This recipe is spot on! I didn’t change a single thing and they turned out so pretty and so yummy! All my family members loved them and kept coming back for more.”
ella, blog comment
Allergen Information:
These oatmeal cookies are gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. Make them dairy-free by using plant-based butter. If you can not have xanthan or guar gum, make these cookies gum-free using my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. My blend works well in this recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I have tested three different flour blends in this recipe. King Arthur Measure for Measure, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend, and Authentic Foods Multi-Blend. This doesn’t mean other blends won’t work; I only test what I have on hand.
- Gluten-Free Oats – See below for important cross-contamination information.
- Raisins – You can use brown or golden.
- Brown Sugar – Substitute coconut sugar if you would like these to be lower glycemic
- Baking Powder – For best results, use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Salt
- Butter – Use unsalted butter.
- Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract as it will yield a better flavor than imitation vanilla.
And just in case you are fairly new to gluten free and wonder if raisins are gluten free, they are. You must be careful if you purchase raisins in a bulk container. (You know those big barrels.) Cross-contact can happen, so buy raisins pre-packaged.
For more tips, check out my Gluten Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide and my favorite cookie-making tools.
Are Oats Gluten-Free?
This is one of the biggest questions I get asked. These gluten-free oatmeal cookies are full of healthy oats, and it is important to ensure you stay safe eating them. It is so important to make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
Oats have become controversial over the past few months. Oats do not contain the same gluten as wheat, barley, and rye but are frequently grown near gluten crops. It is very easy for oats to come into contact with gluten when they are processed and get cross-contaminated.
Gluten Free Watchdog has been testing a lot of oats and has found many have failed, meaning they contain over 20 ppm of gluten. Do not buy Trader Joe’s gluten free oats, as these have been unable to the tested. Bob’s Red Mill, pictured above, and several other companies have certified gluten free oats available.
Also, several of my readers told me that no certified oats are available in Australia. If you live there, I have a ton of other delicious gluten free cookie recipes without oats that you can make. Try these Gluten Free Toll House Cookies.
Tips For Success
1. Let the cookie dough sit for 15-20 minutes before baking. I do this in the refrigerator so the dough chills simultaneously. This allows time for the oats to soften and the rice flour in the gluten free flour blend to soften. This will eliminate grittiness.
2. Use a cooled cookie sheet when baking. Don’t use a hot cookie sheet and put the batter on it. The cookies will start baking/spreading immediately, and it messes with their shape. Use a couple of sheets and rotate them out when making large batches of cookies.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Add your dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: In a smaller
Your gluten free oatmeal cookie dough will look like this picture. Moist and easy to scoop. If you want to minimize spreading and soften the oats a bit, chill the cookie dough for 30-45 minutes before baking.
🔑 Sandi says that every gluten-free flour blend has a different grain-to-starch ratio, which can affect your cookie dough in big ways. If your dough is made with a starchy gluten free flour blend, you may need to add more flour. You can read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary for more details. The bottom line is if your dough is super wet, add more flour, and if your dough is dry and crumbly, add more melted butter.
Step 4: Drop the cookie dough balls onto a cookie baking sheet with a medium-sized
Press the cookies down slightly with your hand to flatten the oatmeal cookies. Don’t eat that gluten-free oatmeal cookie dough since there are raw eggs! (I know you will be tempted!!) Trust me, these gluten-free oat cookies are just as good baked!!
Step 5: Bake the cookies at 350º F for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack.
And don’t forget to check out some of my favorite gluten-free cookies for a cookie exchange! You are sure to find a new favorite gluten free cookie recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can use gluten-free quick oats, but it will affect the texture of these cookies, making them much softer.
I like to store my homemade oatmeal cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Gluten free baked goods tend to spoil quicker than gluten baked goods. They will keep fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.
One of my readers used Swerve instead of sugar in this recipe and said the flavor was great. She noted that the cookies needed a longer baking, almost 18 minutes.
Reader Reviews:
These were fantastic! I did make a substitution and use all gf flour instead of almond. My whole family loved them, even those who were not gluten free!”
Sarah T.
These were good. I used chocolate chips instead of raisins. I would make them again, didn’t taste gluten free.”
Erika S.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes:
- 3 Ingredient Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free Skillet Oatmeal Cookie
- Gluten Free Butter Pecan Cookies
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free whole rolled oats * see note
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (*See note)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup raisins
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Instructions
- In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add raisins and mix well.
- Optional: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for 30-45 minutes. This will allow the oats to soften, and eliminate any grittness from the gluten free flour blend.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to drop dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Press each cookie down slightly with your hand to flatten a little.
- Bake for 10 minutes until done. Remove from the oven onto a cooling rack.
Notes
- Please make sure to use certified gluten free oats.
- DO use gluten free rolled oats for this recipe, NOT quick oats or steel-cut oats.
- You can use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar if you prefer. One reader used Swerve successfully to make these cookies sugar-free. She noted they needed a longer bake time using Swerve.
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work. I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make these cookies dairy-free, use vegan butter.
- These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an older October 2017 post with more recipe details and tips.
Easy & delish- I made them in my air fryer & they turned out perfect!
Wow, I love you made these in your air fryer. Can I ask how long you cooked them and at what temperature? I am sure other readers would love to try this.
I made a couple on Bake at 300° for 8 min & they were a bit too crumbly so I bumped it up to 350° for 7 min & they got nice & brown. Just a wee bit more darker on the bottom too, but after cooling tasted yummy & didn’t crumble as much. I have the Larger air fryer like a toaster oven.
Hi Renee, I am glad you let them cool a bit longer. Warm cookies tend to be crumbly until they cool a little. I am so glad you loved the recipe!
Wasn’t a fan. Too sweet & flour taste was noticeable. The cookie looked the same as yours that’s what drew me to making it. Being a baker. I love to find new recipes. My search continues.
Hi Gigi, thank you for trying my recipe. Honestly, the flour blend you use is a big factor. Which did you use? Most are flavorless, unless it is old/rancid or has bean flour in it. You can also reduce the sugar level to be more your taste.
What happens if gluten free quick oats are used? It’s the only type of GF oats I can find.
Hi Jan, Sorry for the delay, I was out of town. I haven’t tried quick oats. It will work, but the texture will be smoother.
This recipe is spot on! I didn’t change a single thing and they turned out so pretty and so yummy! All my family members loved them and kept coming back for more.
I am so glad you had a chance to bake a batch today. I love when everyone enjoys them, not just the gluten free folks. Have a great weekend!
These are nice and chewy. I liked that the recipe is easy and I had all ingredients on hand. I feel like they are a little more vanilla-y than traditional oatmeal cookies, so next time I will add more cinnamon and less vanilla. But great recipe. Thank you 😊
I am so glad you loved the cookies. I love the idea of using more cinnamon next time.
Made these cookies today. Hubby says they are the best gluten free cookies he has had. Winner, winner. Only problem I had was that they spread a little more than I thought they would. Or maybe I just pressed them down too much. Will make again and see how it goes. Sure didn’t hurt the taste. Yum!
I am so glad you enjoyed these cookies! Did you chill the dough? That can help with spread.
I made these with Krusteze gluten free flour and they were yummy!
I am so glad to hear that flour worked well. I keep track of flour blends and changes my readers do…that way I can share the info with others if they ask. Thank you!
I’m trying to reduce sugar as well as eating gluten free. I used coconut sugar in place of the white sugar and Truvia sweet complete brown instead of brown sugar. Since I used a mixture of coconut and almond flours, I added an extra egg for moisture and binding. They came out beautifully and delicious. Thank you. This was my first attempt at gluten free baking from scratch.
I am so glad using coconut sugar worked so well. thank you!!!
Sandi
I made this cookie recipe and it was very good.
I am so glad you loved the recipe!! Thank you, Alexis.
My mom and I love chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, would you cut the raisins by half to include the chips?
Hi Sarah, you can swap out the mix-ins any way you love.
My first batch ( I only used 1/3 of the dough as a test batch) was a little sweeter than I prefer, so I added almond flour and 1 chia egg to the rest of my dough. That one turned out WAY better than expected. It had also rested overnight. Next time, I’ll add 3/4 cup of almond flour and 1.5 chia eggs to your original recipe. It is PERFECT and I almost cried with joy!! thank youuuuu!!!
I am so glad you found a way to work with this cookie recipe as a base. I love how creative you are. Thank you!
Eek, subbing almond flour did not work.
Hi Mia, Yeah, almond flour won’t work by itself. It doesn’t absorb liquid the same way. If you want to use almond flour (maybe you are grain-free) try this recipe instead. It combines almond flour with coconut flour so they stay together better. Note almond flour is textured and you will taste that in the cookies. https://www.fearlessdining.com/paleo-almond-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/