These soft-baked Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a classic holiday cookie. Crinkled on the outside, fudgy on the inside, and rolled in powdered sugar, they’re a serious crowd-pleaser!
For more vegan holiday cookies, check out my Vegan Snowball Cookies, Vegan Sugar Cookies, and Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“These are absolutely delicious and very easy to make! They are chewy and rich like a brownie. We will definitely be making these again!” – MadisonHomeCook
The first time I tried these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, I almost thought I was eating one of my Vegan Brownies rolled in powdered sugar. They’re fudgy on the inside, coated in powdered sugar on the outside, and have the most beautiful crinkles after baking. I was in the Christmas spirit after just one!
My oldest son says these are his favorite cookies. Then again, whenever I make Vegan Snickerdoodles, he claims those are his favorite cookies ever, so I don’t know…. But I’ve never come across a person who didn’t LOVE these vegan chocolate crinkle cookies!
Are vegan crinkle cookies at the top of your holiday baking list, too? Then you’ll have to try my Ginger Crinkle Cookies, Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, and Lemon Crinkle Cookies as well.
Why you’ll love these vegan chocolate cookies
- Christmas crinkles – Those slightly crisp and crinkled edges are what make these chocolate cookies a Christmas classic.
- Rich & fudgy – These are like brownies in cookie form! Soft-baked, oh-so chocolatey, and incredibly fudgy.
- Surprisingly easy – These fancy-looking cookies are easy to make in only ONE bowl using baking staples you probably already have at home.
How to make vegan chocolate crinkle cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Stir the sugar and oil together in a large bowl until combined. Next, add the ground flax seeds, milk, and vanilla. Mix again to combine. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, then stir until you have a soft dough.
Use a sifter
A sifter is helpful because cocoa powder and flour can be quite chunky, and you want them to be very fine. If you don’t have a sifter, use a fine mesh strainer instead.
Place the powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough at a time and shape it into a ball. Dunk the ball in the powdered sugar to coat all sides with a generous layer. The more powdered sugar, the prettier the cookies will be!
Arrange the balls on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Set them aside to cool, then enjoy!
Recipe tip
They key to preventing the powdered sugar from melting is to start with a very generous layer. Dunk those cookie dough balls in the bowl of powdered sugar, roll them around until they’re completely covered and you no longer see the dark chocolate cookie dough, then you’re good to go. Even after they bake, the cookies should still be covered in that snowy white coating!
Customize the cookies
- A few readers have tested this recipe with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour and had good results!
- To make the cookies more festive, add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract or fold 1/4 cup of crushed candy canes into the dough.
- Add 1 teaspoon of orange extract to the dough if you love orange chocolate cookies.
- Fold in 1/3 cup of mini vegan chocolate chips if double chocolate vegan cookies are your thing!
- Use dark cocoa powder or add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the dough for the most indulgent chocolate cookies.
Frequently asked questions
Chilling the dough isn’t necessary unless it’s very sticky or hard to work with. In this case, stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, then roll the cookie dough balls as normal.
I like natural cocoa powder best, but dark cocoa powder, Dutch-processed, and even cacao powder will all work. Use what you have on hand.
Yes! Roll the cookie dough into balls as normal, but don’t coat them in powdered sugar. Freeze the balls on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container.
Let them thaw for at least 30 minutes on the counter before coating in powdered sugar and baking.
Chocolate crinkle cookies stay fudgy and soft for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. The powdered sugar coating will melt into the cookies over time, but they’ll still be delicious (you can always re-roll them, too!).
Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil OR melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and canola oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth. Add the ground flax seeds, non-dairy milk and vanilla, and mix well to combine.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt using either a sifter or fine mesh strainer. Stir until combined with the wet ingredients and a soft dough is formed.
- Place the powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, and shape into a ball. Roll the ball in the powdered sugar very generously, covering all sides. The more powdered sugar, the prettier the cookies will be.
- Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart so they have room to spread.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until set. They will appear slightly undercooked and soft, but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Store any extra cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- May use canola oil, melted coconut oil or melted vegan butter.
- Use any kind of non-dairy milk you like, such as soy, almond, cashew, or coconut milk.
- If the dough is hard to work with, stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, then try again. You can also wet your hands a little bit so the dough sticks less.
I made these tonight to get some baking therapy because my favourite football team lost by one point (yeah, I’m a wife who loves football as much as the hubby does). Wow, it’s one of the best cookie recipes ever! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
Any idea where I could find this recipe in grams, not cups?
Here is a chart that should help you: Cup to Gram Conversion. Thanks!
At the best crinkle cookies ever!! They are little bites of heaven!!
Thank you! So happy you enjoyed them, one of my favorites for sure!
These are yummy! They taste like brownies. I love that this recipe uses common household ingredients. I didn’t use the powdered sugar because these are already very sweet. Next time I’ll add some walnuts! Yummmm!
I ate non-vegan versions of these a lot as a kid, and I found this recipe while craving its chocolatey deliciousness as an adult. It was perfect! I’ve made it twice now and shared the cookies with my non-vegan friends and coworkers. All of them adored it and were completely floored that it was vegan. I’m particularly happy that this uses ingredients that I mostly already have for baking various vegan desserts, so I didn’t have to go out of my way to find ingredients for this. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
These are delicious. I’m becoming increasingly intolerant of dairy and am constantly looking for recipes that will work for me…and taste great. Thank you!
These cookies are amazing!!!!!!!! I decided to make a batch for a potluck at work. Of course I had to try one being it was the first time making them and I didn’t want to bring them in if I didn’t like them myself. Fast forward to my boyfriend and I eating the entire batch in one night so I had to make a new batch for work. They are THAT GOOD. I typically give up on cookie recipes because they never come out as good as the pictures or as the comments say but this is absolutely the best cookie recipe I’ve ever followed. This will be my new go to and I’m 100% sure no one will know they’re vegan. My cookie didn’t expand a lot from the initial balls so when they came out of the over I just pushed down on them a little with the back of a spoon while still warm so they flattened a bit. Besides that I followed the recipe to a T. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe.
Chocolate crinkle cookies used to be one of my favorite cookies as a child, a treat I would get maybe once a year or so. I’ve made and loved multiple “Nora Cooks” recipes at this point, so I was thrilled to see that she had developed a vegan version of these. This recipe perfectly replicates the crinkle cookies of my youth and is such a lovely reminder of my childhood! They’re sweet and slightly crunchy on the outside, but perfectly moist and chewy on the inside
I made them for my college students over midterms and they seemed to be a big hit (although most likely any kind gesture would be during an exam!).
Hi Alexandra! I’m so happy you enjoyed the chocolate crinkle cookies, thank you for your kind comment!
Delicious and easy to make! I think they would be extra good with a little bit of finely chopped chocolate mixed into the batter at the end. Or maybe a small square at the centre of each cookie 🙂
Also I subbed water for the plant-based milk (which I do 90% of the time when baking vegan recipes) and it worked just fine.
My husband and I agree that these might be the very best vegan cookies we’ve ever had! So fudgy and delicious!
I landed here for the first time from a google search today but I look forward to exploring the site and trying additional recipes now.
I’m so glad to hear that Rachel! I hope you find many more recipes here to love. 🙂
These cookies are sooooo delicious! Thanks for sharing. When I coated mine in powdered sugar, after a minute or two it soaked in to the cookies so they weren’t pretty like yours. I even re-rolled them all right before putting them in the oven, but it still just soaked in. How can I prevent that?
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! I’m not sure why your powdered sugar soaked into the cookies so quickly. To get them looking pretty, I roll them in a LOT of powdered sugar, several times and rather gently, so a good amount sticks to the dough. Perhaps it was your powdered sugar? I’m really not sure though. 🙂
Could you sub applesauce for the flaxseed.as you can for eggs?
It might work though I haven’t tried it in this recipe. The cookies would likely be softer and not as chewy, but I think it would probably be just fine!
It was good I didn’t have flax seeds so I just completely took it out. I added more flour and doubled the batch and I got exactatyl 2 dozen, I mean and a little extra but I ate that. It’s edible raw since there are no eggs so yeah.
Hello,
Will I still be able to make the cdi lles even without the flaxseed? Thanks.
I haven’t tried it, but I think you could just leave it out! I imagine it would still work.
Delish cookie. Being vegan is a bonus. Easy to make. I should have doubled the recipe.
Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed them.
Great texture! I loved these cookies so much. A great addition to my holiday baking tray.
Great! I’m so glad.
We are not allowed any oils- sad, your recipes look good
I do have an Oil Free recipe section you may want to check out. I have quite a few oil free recipes on the site. Thanks!
My son and I really enjoyed making these. They were easy and taste GREAT. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you and your son enjoyed the cookies!!
Can I substitute a mushed banana instead of flaxseed???
It might be better to simply leave it out, I’m afraid mashed banana might ruin the flavor! It should be fine without it.
Are you supposed to make a flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water) or just use the ground flax seed? Thanks
Just the ground flax seed, no need to make a separate “egg” before adding it.
Can i use eggs instead? And if so how many?
Thanks
I don’t bake with eggs but I imagine 1 egg would work. Thanks!
Is it okay to use organic golden flax meal? Or Bob’s red mill whole ground flaxseed meal. These are the only options at the store near me and I’m unsure if they’re any different than what you used.
Those will all work, they are basically the same. I use Bob’s Red Mill ground flaxseed meal.
Is the flaxseed your eggreplacer? If so, have you tried making this with aquafaba? Definitely planning to try these this Christmas for my many vegan friends.
Yes, the flaxseed acts as a binder similar to eggs. I haven’t tried making cookies with aquafaba, I’m not sure how it would change the texture, but it may work! Hope you and your friends enjoy the cookies!
These will only be vegan if certified organic sugar is used. Sugar is processed with bone char, especially the powdered sugar.
I’ve heard this is less common, at least in the U.S. these days, but if concerned or unsure you can know you are safe buying organic sugars. Trader Joe’s has organic granulated sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar. You can also make your own powdered sugar from organic sugar if you have a Vitamix! I do this often. This article is helpful on this topic. Thanks Sylvia!
These are the best! One of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Thank you.