November 6, 2025 | By Amy Duska If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

These are the best sourdough pumpkin cookies ever! Soft, chewy, and rolled in a cinnamon-sugar coating for a crunchy finish, they’re full of warm spices and pumpkin flavor. Made with sourdough discard, they’re an easy and delicious cookie for the Thanksgiving holiday!

Amy’s notes

Just like our sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies, sourdough snickerdoodles, and sourdough ginger molasses cookies, these sourdough pumpkin cookies are a delicious holiday cookie that bakes up soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet.

You can use your favorite store-bought pumpkin spice, but we highly recommend making your own pumpkin pie spice at home. It’s more cost effective and our recipe has the perfect balance of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.

They come together quickly with sourdough discard, making them an easy cookie recipe you can whip up anytime. Enjoy them warm from the oven, gift them to friends, or add them to your Thanksgiving cookie platter for a delicious crowd-pleasing treat.

Enjoy! xx

Ingredients & Equipment needed

• Dry Ingredients: You’ll need all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
• Wet Ingredients: You’ll need room temperature unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), sourdough discard , and vanilla extract.
• Sugar Topping: A simple mix of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.
• **Optional Add-Ins: **To add a bit more sweetness to these pumpkins, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips would be delicious. If you want more of a nutty flavor, mixing in some chopped walnuts or pecans would also be tasty.

Step by Step Instructions with Photos

To get started, place the oven rack in the middle position. If you’re ready to bake now, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Step 1

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set them aside.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar until it is a light yellow color.

Step 3

Add the sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Step 4

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

(At this point, you can cover the bowl and transfer the dough to the fridge for up to 3 days for a long ferment.)

Step 5

Mix the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop out two tablespoon portions of the dough, then roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Step 6

Nine cookie dough balls will fit on each baking sheet.

Step 7

Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes.

Step 8

Remove the tray from the oven and use a spatula to press down each cookie to flatten it.

Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to Store

Store leftover sourdough pumpkin cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

They can also be stored in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 6 months.

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Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (120 g) pumpkin puree
• ⅓ cup (100 g) sourdough discard (room temperature)
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) pumpkin pie spice

Sugar Topping

• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon

To get started, place the oven rack in the middle position. If you’re ready to bake now, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. You can mix the dough by hand or use a stand mixer. When using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment for mixing the dough.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl and set them aside. In a separate bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar until it is a light yellow color. Add the sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for 2 hours. (At this point, you can cover the bowl and transfer the dough to the fridge for up to 3 days for a long ferment.)

Mix the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop out two tablespoon portions of the dough, then roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Nine cookie dough balls will fit on each baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and use a spatula to press down each cookie to flatten it. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They can also be stored in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g

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