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.
If you make 18 cookies as suggested in the recipe they are humungous. I made the second batch smaller – for guests. We will keep the big ones for ourselves! Delicious and yummy. Maybe a touch too sweet but I will keep experimenting. Thumbs up!
I make these every Christmas the family loves them they taste just like brownies. This year I added a tsp of white rum to see how that works and I alway add a tsp of espresso powder with any chocolate dessert like Ina Garten says to do I put the dough in the fridge to make them easier to roll out mmmm
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback and review, Lorie! I’m so happy that these cookies are one of your holiday staples 🙂
I’ve been making these for Christmas for the past 4 years! My daughter has allergies to dairy and eggs and we use so many of your recipes for our Christmas platters!
These are so, so good! I’ve tried a few iterations of this cookie over the years, and nothing comes anywhere close to this recipe. I did roll them in white sugar and then powdered sugar, like in the red velvet cookie recipe, for the little extra bit of crunch. A definite keeper. Even the skeptics were quite impressed. Thank you!
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing your idea of rolling in both sugars! I appreciate your awesome review!
These cookies turned out really good!
I put some extra cardamom and instant coffee powder into the batter because I usually make a non-vegan version that includes cardamom and coffee. I also put the batter outside for half an hour to chill it and then rolled tiny balls. They were really soft when I took them out of the oven but became more solid when they cooled. Pro tip: Take them out of the oven when they look like loaves of perfect dark bread 🙂
This recipe is definitely a keeper and a lot better than the version with eggs I usually make (I especially liked how soft they were inside while being super cruncy on the outside) I’ll try putting some orange zest into the next batch!
Greetings from Austria,
N
Thanks so much for your kind words and feedback! I’m thrilled you loved the cookies 🙂
I tried a modified version last year not knowing this was the original.. I’d like to try this one but was curious about adding mint extract. Have you tried it? If not, could you recommend a good measurement/ratio?
I actually have a mint version of these, check it out!
Those look great, except I’m not trying to put any additional chips or candy cane. I love the crinkle texture and dusting of sugar so much! I’d like to keep it just like they are but add a little something minty in there. Would you not recommend adding mint extract? I do have fresh mint as well..
I’d add a little bit of peppermint extract to the dough, perhaps 1/2 teaspoon or up to a full teaspoon.
Needed a quick and easy dessert for a holiday event… and knew my baking Shero Nora would come through. These are fantastic!
I am thrilled you loved the cookies! Thanks for your encouraging words and review! Happy cooking!
Can these be frozen? and for how long?
Thankss
They freeze well for months, but the powdered sugar won’t stay pretty and white after freezing.
Super easy, super quick The yummiest cookies you can ever tasted 💗💗💗 thank you so much I made them twice both a success. My question can we make the opposite way? Vanilla cookies and cocoa powder probably mixed with powded sugar for the coverage? It might be a stupid idea and maybe not!!! 😂😂 I make lots of your recipes because I’m sure it will always be delicious, without you, I’m only a simple woman trying to bake, but with your recipes, I get to be ask why don’t I open a bakery 😂😂😂 and I say it would be work, instead this is fun and they are not my recipes ( Nora Cooks is the Pro)
Aw thank you so much! Hmm I’ve never tried it but that would be a fun experiment!
These cookies are amazing! Super easy to make, so tasty and soft. Mine didn’t spread out so I had to flatten them a bit with a spatula during baking 😅 But in the end they turned out just like in your pictures. Thanks for the recipe Nora 😘
This recipe was very easy and they came out great! Super fudgy, like a brownie! I’ll be including these in the holiday treat boxes i plan on making this year for christmas, along with your sugar cookies 😊
Hi Brittany. Thanks for your great review and feedback on the cookie recipe! It’s a great one for holiday treats! Wishing you happy baking!
I just made these and they were super yum. Though mine came out flatter. Do you think it was too much liquid? Or is my baking powder too old?
Yes, it sounds like too much liquid in the dough.
I just made it..my husband and my 2 daughter’s first bite is this “oh my gosh this is sooo good!” 😉
I’m glad I found this recipe. Thank you!
I made these for my son’s Halloween party at school and thank goodness I made a double batch so we could keep some too. They’re SO DELICIOUS. Melt in your mouth, chocolatey goodness. I used melted vegan butter in place of the oil and mixed in Halloween sprinkles with the powdered sugar when rolling. They came out great. I’ll absolutely be making again.
I love your sprinkles idea in the powdered sugar! How fun! I appreciate your awesome review and feedback! I’m thrilled you loved the cookies! Happy cooking!
Any tips mine didn’t flatten enough? Still delicious but they kind of stayed in a ball shape
The cookies do tend to be more round but you could press them down with a fork before baking if you want them to be more flat.
Great cookies, as written. My go to cookies to bring to cookouts
So glad you are loving them! Thanks for your wonderful review!
Could you use avacado oil instead of canola oil?
Yes you can.
Can I use the Dutch process cocoa powder from other recipes or does it have to be the Hersheys? Thanks.
Sure!
Delicious cookies! Rise well. Though I think I might prefer the cookie dough to the baked cookies- it’s just SO good! 😋
Can chickpea water be used instead of the ground flaxseed and oil?
Hi Lisa. I haven’t tried making cookies with aquafaba. I’m not sure how it would change the texture, but it may work! Happy baking!
I’ve made these a lot of times now and today I tried them with GF flour. White wings for any Aussies. They were as good if not better than regular.
How great that these turned out great for you with GF flour! Thanks you for sharing this information, and for your wonderful feedback!
would almond flour work as a sub for the AP?
I don’t think it will work well at all, sorry. Almond flour is quite different to work with. You could use a gluten free all purpose flour though.
I’ve already made these cookies several times since Christmas due to popular demand! However, my husband isn’t a huge fan of powdered sugar, so instead of rolling the dough balls in that, I used powdered peanut butter!!! SO GOOD! Highly recommend.
Hi Shannon! How fabulous the cookies are a hit! They sound so delicious rolled in powdered peanut butter! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and idea!
Loved this recipe! Super easy to whip up if you want cookies last minute. Bakes well. I love that you don’t have to chill the doifh
Hi Carrie. Glad you enjoyed the recipe – both in taste and ease of making! Thanks for your fantastic feedback!
Can raw sugar be used as a sub for the granulated sugar?
As long as it’s fairly fine, it should work. I don’t think coarse sugar will work very well though.
My son was diagnosed with egg, milk, and soy allergies the week before Christmas! He was so disappointed that chocolate crinkles were off his menu….until I found your vegan option!! You made one little boy very happy. Thank you.
Hi Christina. Awww, your feedback makes my heart so happy! I’m so thrilled your son was able to enjoy the cookies! Thank you for sharing your wonderful story and terrific feedback!
This is THE BEST recipe for crinkle cookies! My non-vegan family couldn’t believe how delicious they were – I made them exactly as directed. Thank you so much!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Erica!
Chocolatey, chewy, and a little cakey in the best way! These are so tasty!
Thank you for your terrific feedback! Thank you for using my recipes!
Can I use oat milk for this recipe? Thank you.
Yes, you can!
The flavor of these cookies was excellent, especially with the modifications we made. We reduced sugar by half and added 1 tsp of instant espresso dissolved in a tiny bit of water, which was still amply sweet and created a deliciously intense dark chocolate flavor. The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is because the cookies didn’t spread. They were a delicious cakey, two-bite brownie, which is certainly not a bad thing to encounter in life. That said, part of what I love about chocolate crinkles is their chewiness, and these were not chewy. Perhaps it’s because we reduced the sugar. But even the photo shows a domed cookie which hasn’t spread much and doesn’t look particularly chewy. Even though it pains me to say it, I think just a little corn syrup might be needed to get the chewiness I’m looking for. So I think I’ll make these again and try adding a little corn syrup. Even if they weren’t fudgy and delicious (which they are), these cookies/brownie bites are definitely worth making for their ease (3 cheers for no mixer!) and use of basic pantry ingredients.
My non vegan family requests these cookies! So delicious. Tastes like a brownie.
I’m so glad your family loves the cookies! Thank you for sharing your fantastic feedback!