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.
Amazing and simple recipe, they turned out perfect the first time! Thank you so much 🙂
For those looking for the perfect crinkle: roll the dough balls in granulated sugar BEFORE the powdered sugar. This creates a “dry” barrier so that the powdered sugar doesn’t soak into the dough. First time doing that and they turned out beautiful.
You are welcome! I’m glad they turned out perfect for you! Thank you for your sugar idea! I appreciate you taking time to share your wonderful feedback!
Make these year round and they are a firm favourite!
Is it possible to simply swap all purpose flour with gf flour?
Glad you are loving the cookies! Use a gluten free flour mix for gluten free, it works well. Thanks for you great feedback!
Hi there! These sound amazing and I would love to try them but I don’t have any flax – my son is allergic to dairy and eggs so I can’t sub out an egg for it. Any suggestions on what I could use in its place and how much? Thank you!!
*sorry for reposting comment – my email address typed in wrong lol
An egg would likely work fine but I haven’t tested it. You can also just leave out the flax if needed, they turn out fine without it. I hope you all enjoy the cookies! Thank you. 🙂
These are awesome! The ratio of work to tastiness is impressive…so easy to make and so delicious. I could not get mine to be as pretty as yours, no matter how coated I got the balls in the powdered sugar, but they taste amazing. I work at a school, so I brought them in for the Environmental Club bake sale, which is vegan. I’m sure they will sell well. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Hi Emily. You are welcome! I’m so happy your cookies turned out delicious, and that you found them relatively easy! Sounds like a great addition to the Environmental Club bake sale! I appreciate your great feedback!
These cookies are absolutely fantastic! The texture is perfect – barely crisp edges, and fudgy in the middle. I added chocolate chips, so there were little bits of melted chocolate in the cookie. My family devoured them. Thank you for a great recipe!
You are welcome! Your cookies sound amazing! I’m so glad they were a hit with your family! Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
Love these cookies! Other vegan chocolate crinkle recipes I’ve done were more involved, with melting chocolate chips and using rice syrup. I love that these are simple with no sacrifice of flavor or texture. The texture is even better, actually. And they are pretty! Thank you so much! Thumbs up from the whole family!
Hi Nicole. Thanks to you and your family! I’m so glad you all love the cookies! I appreciate your awesome feedback!
These taste great, and come out really pretty looking! I would definitely stress to anyone making them to go heavy handed with the powdered sugar if you want them to be really presentable!
Theses are some tasty cookies! Thank you!
Hi Nora, these are AWESOME! It just started snowing here yesterday, so making these this morning, with some chill Jazz and a mug of tea was the coziest thing… 🙂
As I wanted these to go with German “Plätzchenteller” (“plate (full of a variety of) cookies”), I only used a heaped teaspoon of dough to make the cookies, and they came out a perfect size (~ 2” in diameter).
Also, since I love filled cookies, for half of the dough, I made little pouches, put in half a teaspoon of winter-spiced plum compote and sealed them with another small piece of dough. This variety is not as fluffy (heaven in a bite!) inside as without the compote, but rather a tiny bit chewy, like chocolate chip cookies, and the taste from the added spices is amazing as well.
And in full disclosure, to make the chocolate flavour pop a bit more, I added half a sachet of instant coffee powder and a quarter teaspoon each cinnamon and cardamon.
In essence: Thank you so much for this recipe, I will make these again for sure! 🙂
You are welcome! Your morning of baking cookies sounds very cozy and perfect! I loved your ideas! Thank you for sharing this fun information and fabulous feedback!
Thank you for your amazing recipes! These were perfect! I used GF flour and only put the powdered sugar one side. I made them thinner and used a generous glob of peppermint frosting between 2 for ultimate holiday cookie sandwiches!
Oh yum Rachel! That sounds amazing! I am so glad the cookies turned out perfect for you! Thanks for your fantastic feedback and ideas! I appreciate you using my recipes, and am glad you are loving them! Happy cooking!
This recipe is great! I add a little cayenne to make a spicy chocolate cookie. Is it possible to make this dough a few days in advance and bake later? If so, what is the best way to store the dough and then work with it again?
That sounds so good! The cookie dough could be refrigerated for maybe 2 days. You could chill the dough in a bowl, covered, or roll into balls and chill that way until ready to bake. The dough will be thick when cold, so when you’re ready to bake cookies let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so until you can scoop it easily. No need to do this if you chill in ball form though. If you want to keep it for longer, roll into balls and freeze, then you can just roll the cookies in powdered sugar and bake, adding a few extra minutes since the dough is frozen. Hope that helps.
I thought I made these too small and overbaked them, but nope! They turned out really nice, chewy, and brownie-ish (but not *too* rich). And they are very pretty. Thank you, Nora!
I’m so glad the cookies turned out wonderful for you! You are welcome! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review. I really love your explanation of the cookies!
Hi! I’m also Gluten intolerant as well as vegan. Can I use gluten free flour? What kind?
Hi Stephanie. Use a gluten free flour mix for gluten free cookies, it works well!
These cookies are a regular classic year round, not only for the holidays. So fudgy, like a two bite brownie but better.
Hi Alex. I’m thrilled you are loving the cookies! Thank you for wonderful feedback and review!
I LOVE these cookies! I’ve made them so many times and they always turn out great.
Added bonus: they look impressive too which is super when you lack decorating skills (like me!)
Our favorite!!! Thank you Nora!
Hey Nora! I tripled this recipe and used canola oil. After mixing it’s more of a brownie batter texture rather than cookie dough. I’m going to stick it in the fridge. What do you suggest? Thanks:)
Hi! By brownie batter, do you mean it’s really runny? Sometimes tripling recipes can throw them off a bit, especially with baking. This dough is a bit like brownie batter though, like thick brownie batter. The cookies are quite brownie-like really! Hopefully if it’s runny and you stick it in the fridge, it will help you roll into balls and bake.
Made about 100 of these over Christmas for family and friends and everyone asked for the recipie and couldn’t believe that they were vegan!
I’m Omni, but I made these for my vegan family this holiday. Definitely two Omni thumbs up! The *only* difference from the ones I grew up making was that the chocolate was a bit darker in flavor, since this recipe uses unsweetened cocoa instead of semisweet chocolate chips. So quick, soft and chewy! Pro tip: if you use melted coconut oil here, make sure your soy milk is room temperature. If you use cold milk straight from the fridge, the oil can resolidify and leave your dough with chunks of coconut oil solids throughout. (Sheepish grin…oops.) Still bakes great, but the dough looks odd.
I’m so excited to finally find a vegan cookie recipe without vegan butter!! I love vegan butter but just don’t always have it laying around my house. I was wondering what I could substitute for paper of the flax seeds because I worry that much might hurt my stomach, thanks!
I think you could probably leave them out if needed! Hope you enjoy the cookies.
Wow! These are so perfect in many ways- crunchy outside, soft chewy inside, chocolatey and a bit of sweetness from the powdered sugar! The entire family lived these cookies! Thank you for the amazing recipe that we all could enjoy together on Christmas Day!
You are welcome! I’m really glad you guys loved the cookies. We sure had fun making them at our place! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful review and comments!
These are my go to recipe. If you love Brownies you will love these cookies. Everyone who’s tried them fall in love with them. Such chocolatey goodness.
How great this is your go to crinkle cookie recipe! Thank you for sharing your fabulous review!
Delicious and super easy 🙂
I added two small drops of peppermint to make them more Christmas-y and it worked perfectly! I added the peppermint after everything else was mixed. Delightful!
I love this recipe! I’m not vegan, but it’s still my favorite ever crinkle cookie recipe. I had trouble last year getting the powdered sugar to stay white and pretty. This year I rolled them in granulated sugar before rolling them in powdered sugar and they turned out GORGEOUS.
I spent the afternoon making Christmas cookies. Three different ones and all from your site. These are decadent and fudge-like in the middle. Delicious cookies that come together easily. Also made the ginger molasses cookies and the peanut blossoms, with Enjoy Life chocolate chunks as the center. All of your recipes are 5 stars! Thank you!!!!!!