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!
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“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.
Can you freeze the dough? If so, better to make the balls and then freeze or keep the dough whole? Thank you!!
Yes, you can freeze the dough. It will be much easier if you freeze the cookie dough in balls. Then let them thaw for at least 30 minutes on the counter before coating in powdered sugar and baking.
My wife made them using coconut oil and they are scrumptious in a fudgy sort of way 😋 Wow 👌
I’m glad you love the cookies! Thank you for your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
I made these today and they are delicious. After reading a couple comments I made one batch per recipe and one batch with some peppermint extract. Both came out amazing.
I am not vegan but try to eat vegan several days a week. Everything I have made from your website is fantastic. If I am making a dessert for a party I always use one of your cake recipes. I find most of your recipes better than non vegan recipes. Thank you for all the great favorites I have added to my go to recipes.
Hi Chris. I really appreciate your positive words! Thank you for using my recipes, and for taking time to share your glowing review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
absolutely love these! i substituted gluten-free one-to-one flour, and it worked great. I also made half of them with candy cane sprinkles on the top half of the ball of dough before baking and powdered sugar on the bottom, and those didn’t get the classic crinkle, but they were also delicious.
Hi Louise. Thank you for sharing your cookie making experience and awesome review! Your cookies sound lovely! I’m so thrilled that you loved them! Wishing you happy cooking!
These crinkle cookies are perfect and they taste just like how I remember them. Sometimes the dough is a bit more wet or a bit more dry but it always turns out great, so don’t be discouraged!
Love these so much! They take me right back to some of the best cookies I’ve had ever – and they’re better!! I don’t have a GF need, so I made my first batch(es) with standard all-purpose flour, but recently tried using KA Measure-for-Measure and they were a big success! The texture was actually great, and of course, the flavor was spot on!
Thanks for creating and sharing so many delicious recipes for us!
You are welcome, Genevieve! I appreciate your encouraging & validating words! I love creating and sharing easy and delicious recipes! I’m thrilled you loved the cookies! Thanks for sharing your glowing review! Wishing you happy cooking!
I’ve made this recipe many times and it’s always delicious! I’ve made it with turbinado sugar and mint extract and both work really well.
Two notes/suggestions: Sometimes I find the dough is too dry so a tablespoon or two more milk helps get it moving and does not affect the final cookie.
I typically use coconut oil and it can solidify in the sugar pretty quickly, especially if the milk is cold, so I like to pre-measure all the dry ingredients so they’re good to go ASAP and the wet mixture isn’t sitting for too long.
Thanks for the great recipe – I’m going to eat many thousand more of these in my lifetime!
fantastic cookies; super rich and fudgy!! 10/10 no notes 🙂
Hi Maria. Thanks for sharing your glowing 5 star review! I’m thrilled you loved the cookies!
Just made these tonight and they are deeeelicious!!! I recently discovered your website and look forward to making lots of tasty vegan food following your recipes! Thank you so much! ☺️
Welcome to my site, Xenia! I’m thrilled you’ve discovered my recipes, and hope you enjoy your journey through them all! Please reach out with any questions you may have along the way! Thank you for taking time to share your glowing review! I’m so glad you loved the cookies! Wishing you happy cooking!
Thanks for your thoughtful response and being open to answering questions I may have! 😊
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Hi, I made these and they didn’t spread out at all, stayed in the ball shape, they taste wonderful though🤤😅 Any thoughts on why this may have happened? I used grape seed oil and followed the recipe for everything else. I usually weigh the dry ingredients and this time I used measuring cups, maybe they was too much flour/cocoa powder?
Hi there! It sounds like just a bit too much flour or cocoa powder, making them too dry and unable to spread.
These are fantastic- followed the recipe exactly as is and cannot recommend enough.
Hi Taylor. I’m thrilled you loved the cookies! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback!
These are absolutely delicious and very easy to make! They are chewy and rich like a brownie. We will definitely be making these again!
Thank you for your glowing 5 star review! I’m so glad you loved the cookies! Wishing you happy cooking!
These turned out great! I love your recipes but find I can usually decrease the sugar, so I reduced the granulated sugar to 3/4 cup. I used vegetable (soybean) oil instead of coconut and baked the 18 cookies for 12 minutes. I didn’t make any adjustments for elevation (I’m at 4200 ft). Thanks!
I cut the sugar in half and it was still fantastic!! I made two batches with one cup! Also, I cooked my first batch at 12 min, and the second at 10 min, and the second turned out a bit less dry! This recipe is so good! Now to try to replace flour for my gluten-free friend… Hmm…
Can I use applesauce for oil and Just Egg for the flax egg?
I’m not sure if that will work honestly. The JUST Egg should work fine but applesauce for oil will greatly change the outcome.
These cookies are delicious, I won a contest at work with this recipe! However, I’ve had a hard time getting consistent appearance. Once there was too much oil and the powdered sugar dissolved into the cookies. In a few batches the cookies did not spread. A few times they’ve come out as shown in the pictures but it’s hard to get that result consistently. I make them the same every time so I’m not sure what could be causing it. Doesn’t affect the taste though!
I’ve been making these the past few years. Simple and oh so delicious! They are always devoured by all
Can I substitute Applesauce for the flax seeds?
Yes you can.
May I exchange the flax seed for applesauce?
I’m sure you could, perhaps just a tablespoon.
I’ve made these a few times and they are always super fudgy on the inside with a nice crispy outside. Definitely recommend!
Thanks for your glowing review, Jacob! I’m so glad you are loving then cookies! Wishing you happy baking!
Can I use Bob red mill egg replacer instead of flax egg?
Hi Christy. The flaxseeds could probably be replaced with 1 Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, though I haven’t tested it. Enjoy!
Hi. Can the dough be made ahead and frozen before cooking?
Hi Angelica. Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough balls without powdered sugar, then let them thaw a bit before rolling in powdered sugar and baking. I hope this helps! Enjoy!
You definitely can!! Thank you Nora! Your recipes are fantastic!
Made these and many more of Nora’s cookies to a christmas party at work and my coworkers couldn’t stay away! One of the easiest recipes I’ve tried! Made these along with her snowball cookies and peanut butter cookies! All were a HUGE hit! <3 Thank you Nora!
You are welcome, Jennifer! Thank you for using my recipes, and for sharing your wonderful review and feedback! That sounds like a fun cookie tray! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi Nora!
We love all your recipes I have tired! I don’t see a note about making these gluten free. Do you think King Arthur 1:1 would work well in these?
Hi Jordan. Thanks for using my recipes! I’m so glad you are loving them! Using a gluten free mix should work pretty well with these cookies. I have used King Arthur Gluten Free Mix for other cookies, and the cookies came out nicely! I hope this helps! Happy baking!
Double recipe does not spread while baking.
And 2 cups of powdered sugar is at least half cup too much.
Thank you for doing what you can to correct this
Made these for the first time and everything was perfect. Flavour and texture we’re all good but mine seem like it’s sweating? The powdered sugar is melting. Doesn’t affect the flavour or crunchiness of the outside. Just the appearance.
Anybody know why?
My kitchen is not warm.
Were you using organic powdered sugar? I like go use organic products whenever possible, but I’ve found that organic powdered sugar doesn’t behave the same way as regular old powdered sugar.
Genuinely the best cookies I’ve ever made. The texture of the crispy outer and then the soft centre is amazing, and the depth of chocolate flavour alongside the coconut is just perfect. The icing sugar on the outside is quite literally the icing on the cake, or should I say, cookie. Have made these about 6 times and they always go down an absolute treat, and my family can’t believe they are vegan!
Hi Laura. Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! I’m thrilled that you and your family are enjoying the cookies! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!