If you’ve made my vegan persimmon pudding, you know that I became a fan of persimmons last year.
So much so that during persimmon season, I freeze mashed persimmon so I can bake with it year-round.

Vegan Persimmon Cookies Inspiration
Like my vegan persimmon pudding, these persimmon cookies were inspired by my mom. She suggested that I develop another persimmon recipe this year, a persimmon cookie recipe to be exact.
And after a few experimental tries, these cookies were the delicious result.
My persimmon cookies are also vegan, thanks to the binding qualities of mashed persimmon, and the pioneering genius of Isa Chandra Moskowitz, whose egg replacement method for her amazing vegan chocolate chip cookies was a great inspiration for me here.
Working with Vegan Cookie Dough
If you’ve never made vegan cookies before, the dough for these cookies may look and feel a little different. It’s a thick dough, but still a bit runnier than cookie dough that’s made with eggs.
To measure out the correct amount of dough for each cookie, use a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon, and fill it to just heaping. Be prepared for your hands to get a little doughy as you use your fingers to get the dough out of the spoon, and onto the cookie sheet. I promise, the cookies are well worth the doughy fingers.
Make These Vegan Persimmon Cookies!
I’ve enjoyed these cookies for breakfast, brunch, and dessert (was that a little too honest?). And they’re the perfect treat to bring to any holiday gathering. Make this the most delicious persimmon season ever with my vegan persimmon cookies.
A Few Things!
If you’ve never peeled and mashed persimmon, take a look at my photo tutorial here.
You could also use a cookie scoop instead of a measuring spoon to size the vegan persimmon cookie dough. I’ve never used a cookie scoop, but if my husband is reading this, here’s the one I’ve got my eye on [aff. link]. 😄
Be sure to let these cookies cool completely before adding the icing drizzle. You can do a light icing drizzle as I did in these photos, or you can ice each cookie more heavily. (Definitely my daughter’s preference.)
Vegan Persimmon Cookies
Ingredients
For the wet ingredients:
- ⅔ cup oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp corn starch
- ¾ cup mashed persimmon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the dry ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- ½ salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp all spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
For the icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp almond milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- dash of salt
Instructions
Mix the wet ingredients
- Add the oil, brown sugar, white sugar, and corn starch to a large mixing bowl. Mix everything together with your spatula until it begins to come together, then add in the mashed persimmon and vanilla extract.
- Keep mixing until everything is completely incorporated into a very smooth, cohesive mixture.
Add the dry ingredients
- Now add the flour, salt, baking powder, all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg/pumpkin pie spice.
- Mix until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated into the wet ingredients. The dough will be smooth, thick, and slightly runnier than your typical cookie dough.
Shape or refrigerate the dough
- At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours to bake later, or shape the dough and bake the cookies right away.
Shape the dough for baking
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a baking sheet well.
- Use a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon to measure out 1 heaping Tbsp of dough. Use your fingers to help drop the 1 Tbsp of cookie dough onto the baking sheet.
- Note: this dough is thick, but also a bit runnier than your typical cookie dough. It can be a difficult to work with at this point, and your fingers will get doughy. But the cookies are worth it!
- The cookies will spread slightly during baking. I bake 12 cookies at a time in four rows of three cookies.
Bake the cookies
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 14 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up a bit and turned golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least five minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, they’re ready for icing.
Make the icing
- While the cookies cool, make the icing.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and almond milk with a fork, until the icing is completely smooth. It should be thick, but thin enough to fall off a butterknife. If the icing is too thick, add a little more almond milk. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
Ice the cookies
- Dip a butterknife into the icing until the tip is coated. Now hold the butterknife over a persimmon cookie and drizzle the icing on the cookie.
- Repeat until you have iced all the cookies.
- There will be enough icing for you to completely coat the cookies in icing if you prefer heavier iced cookies.
Serve and enjoy!
- These vegan persimmon cookies are great alone, or with a glass of almond milk. I’ve enjoyed them as breakfast, brunch, and dessert. (Was that too honest? 😋)
7 Responses
These cookies look and sound wonderful! You actually reminded me that I’ve made persimmon cookies a few times, so I can confirm they are delicious! Thanks to their jelly-like texture, the cookies turn soft and moist (No eggs needed!) And for a dairy version, a cream cheese drizzle would be nice, too 🙂
Aren’t persimmon cookies great? Such a delicious texture. 😋. Great idea about doing a cream cheese drizzle!
I really should start baking with persimmons more often – and by more often I mean for the first time. 🙂 Tis the season for cookies, and these cookies sound quite tasty, Shannon. I can see why your daughter preferred the heavily iced ones…I suspect Robbie would be the same!
Thanks David! Haha isn’t it great how frosting makes everything extra delicious when you’re a kid? 😄
I love persimmons, but I’ve never baked with them. What a great idea!
Thanks Jeff! Once you start baking with persimmons, it’s hard to stop haha that’s how amazing they are. 😋
Made these because your vegan persimmon pudding recipe was so good. These cookies are delicious as well! Can’t believe they’re vegan. So very good.