Vegan Snickerdoodles are totally addicting and always get rave reviews. These soft, puffy, and cinnamon sugar-coated treats are incredibly quick and easy to make and turn out perfect every time.
Want more classic cookies turned vegan? Check out my Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies and Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies as well!
Who could possibly resist the chewiest cookie of all time, vegan snickerdoodles? They’re pillowy soft and puffy with an irresistible tangy flavor and cinnamon sugar coating. Yum!
Here’s what one reader had to say:
“This recipe is amazing! Very easy to make and so delicious! My family and I loved these cookies. I will definitely be making them again!”
Bridget
Why I love this recipe
- The perfect cookie for holidays or any time of the year! Delightfully soft and tender with a comforting cinnamon sugar coating, snickerdoodles are always a hit.
- They are chewy, soft with that signature tang from cream of tartar. They aren’t snickerdoodles without it!
- They’re quick and easy to make in 1 bowl! Plus, they freeze very well, so you can always have a batch on hand.
How to make vegan snickerdoodle cookies
Stir the ground flaxseed and water together to make the flax egg. Set it aside to thicken.
In another bowl, stir the cinnamon and sugar together, then set aside.
Cream the vegan butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Next, mix in the flax egg and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Cookie dough troubleshooting: At this point, the dough will be very thick rather than too wet or dry. In other words, it should be easy to scoop and roll into balls! If it’s too dry or crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk. Too wet? Add 1 tablespoon of flour.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough at a time and roll into balls. Repeat until you run out of dough.
After rolling, toss the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar topping so they’re fully coated.
Place the cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet, then bake. They’ll look soft when they’re done but will firm up as they cool!
Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
For extra cinnamon-sugary goodness: While the cookies are still warm, place them back in the cinnamon sugar. Coat on both sides before returning them to the cooling rack. Enjoy immediately!
Frequently asked questions
You can, but they won’t really be snickerdoodles without cream of tartar. By leaving it out of the recipe, you’re simply making sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. They won’t be nearly as soft, chewy, or tangy either!
Sure. Just replace the all purpose flour with a quality gluten free flour blend to make gluten free snickerdoodles. I like to use King Arthur Measure for Measure flour or Better Batter for cookies.
The cookies are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven because that’s when they’re at their puffiest. They’re still tasty when stored away, though. Keep them in an airtight container for up to 1 week on the kitchen counter.
Yes! The baked cookies freeze really well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough balls when you want to get a jumpstart on this recipe. Lay them on a baking sheet and bake right from frozen when you need snickerdoodle cookies in a hurry (just lengthen the bake time by a few minutes).
Vegan Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Flax Egg:
- 1 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tablespoons water
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with oil.
- Make the flax egg: Combine ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.
- Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and stir. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar for about 1-2 minutes using a handheld mixer, stand mixer, or even just a wooden spoon. Mix in the flax egg and vanilla, scraping the sides as needed.
- To the bowl with the wet ingredients, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Turn on the mixer (or mix by hand) and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- The dough will be quite thick and not too wet or dry. You should be able to roll the dough in balls. If you added too much flour and the dough is crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk. If too wet for some reason, add a tablespoon of flour. This is a good way to troubleshoot any cookie recipe.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat, and roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar topping. Place on baking sheets and bake for 11 minutes. The cookies will be very soft. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Optional: For extra cinnamon-sugary goodness, while the cookies are still warm but not falling apart, place each cookie back into the cinnamon sugar. Coat one side, then flip and coat the other side. Return to the cooling rack. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Cookies will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
- You can freeze the cookies, or the dough before baking, if desired. I like to freeze cookie dough already rolled into balls.
- I have not tried these cookies with coconut oil or any other oil. For best results use vegan butter.
- Don’t leave out the cream of tartar unless you need to, or they won’t really be snickerdoodles! It’s what makes them soft, chewy and have that traditional “tang”.
Nutrition
*This post has been updated with new photos and some improved writing. Was first published November 2018.
These are excellent and so easy! Thank you!
I went a step further and made them Gluten Free with King Arthur Flour’s Measure for Measure GF flour blend – they turned out PERFECT!! I’m so excited to have my favorite cookie back in my life AND a happy belly besides. Thank you Nora!!
Oh Nora, you’ve done it again! I tripled this recipe and made it today with my daughter. She pronounced them phenomenal, and she is right. YOU NEVER FAIL!’
Mine taste great but they are thin and crisp. I want mine to look like yours. What can I be doing wrong?
If your cookies are coming out thin, your measurements are probably off somewhere. Carefully measure all the ingredients, but especially the flour. Don’t just scoop flour from a container, use a spoon to spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Don’t pack it down. Also, make sure your vegan butter is preferably in stick form, and truly just softened, not melted at all. And finally, always bake in the center rack of your oven, and do not over bake. It’s possible your oven runs hot, making the cookies flat, so maybe try turning the temp down by 25 degrees as well if the other steps don’t help.
really delicious! I used coconut oil as the butter and it came out good! I also added cinnamon and ginger powder to the cookie batter itself since I like the spice!
Yumm! Sounds very delicious! Thanks for sharing your baking experience and wonderful review!
this recipe is flawless!! i’ve made them like 5 times in the past month, and they’ve been so good every time!👌✨
Delicious! My favorite kind of cookie. Mine stayed pretty puffy – perhaps I over mixed? Still super yum and the hubster was happy. 😊
This recipe looks fantastic – I’m looking forward to making these cookies! I’m planning on making these the day before and chilling the balls of dough in the fridge overnight. Should the cookie dough balls be rolled in the cinnamon-sugar topping before placing them in the fridge or after chilling / just before placing them in the oven? Thanks!!
You can chill the dough overnight, but I would not roll them in the cinnamon sugar until right before baking. I would probably let them sit at room temperature for just 15 minutes or so, so that they will roll easier in the cinnamon sugar. Otherwise, the balls might be so cold it won’t stick well. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Delicious as all have said and the dough was a dream to work with! But mine went hard and crunchy. I wonder if I over baked them? Mine were chewy when warm, but the moment they cooled they got hard.
It sounds like they got over baked, yes. Did you happen to make the cookies smaller than 2 tablespoons of dough each? If so, you’ll need to bake them for less time. Or your oven could run hot, so maybe try turning the temperature down a little bit. And make sure to only bake in the center rack of your oven for best results. Hope that helps!
Made these for my family and they are the bomb. Everyone loved them!!!
These cookies are delicious! I eat mostly plant based and have been disappointed by vegan cookie recipes in the past. I’m so glad I found this recipe. The texture and flavor are spot on. Can’t wait to try more recipes from your site!
Hi Jen. Welcome to Nora Cooks! Thank you for sharing your fabulous review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking as you journey through my recipes! Please reach out with any questions.
Absolutely delicious! Great recipe…thank you.
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and feedback!
I was wondering if I could make these with applesauce instead of the vegan butter? Or maybe half butter and half applesauce?
Another commenter used half butter-half applesauce and had good results. It’s worth a try! 🙂
I used namaste gf flour and these turned out perfect! I started making them 2 years ago. They are my favorite Christmas cookie! I got the cutest Santa Claus cookie jar for these cookies and make them at least once a week the entire Christmas season.
Hi Lynsey. What a fun tradition! I can just visualize them in the cookie jar! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and feedback! Happy holiday cooking!
Another fantastic Nora recipe! Thanks so much!
Nora, how do I keep my cookies from going completely flat? it seems I can no longer make decent cookies 😞 they all go flat, no matter what recipe I make. I live in Colorado, what do I need to do to adjust for higher elevation?
I’m not an expert in baking at high altitudes, but you can try refrigerating the cookie dough for an hour before baking, that usually helps them bake up thick without flattening. Heres a helpful article I found about baking at high altitude that might help!
I made these for work and everyone loved them, they were gone in an hour! People were sending me messages about how much they enjoyed them. Made them exactly to the metric recipe and they were perfect – would just make less cinnamon sugar next time!
I’m thrilled they were a hit, Laurie! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback and review!
I love these cookies so much! They are my son’s favorite!! Am I crazy–or did you used to have cinnamon in the dough as well??? 🙂 I added some because I remembered it being there and notice you updated the recipe. 🙂
They’re my son’s favorite too! You aren’t crazy, there did used to be cinnamon in the dough as well. You can totally add some of course, I just found I liked the contrast of the more-white inside and brown-cinnamon outside better! 🙂
These cookies have no business being this good. 😭😭 Love! Thank you, Nora, for another amazing recipe!
So good, I keep making them and then eating to much. Anyway! I have had to refrigerate mine to get them to stay puffy but also my baking soda is old so take that with a grain of salt. I definitely take your recommendation and dip them in cinnamon and sugar again after they are baked. Perfect!
I use a 1:1 gluten free flour mix and these come out perfectly every time! A family favorite!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you for your fantastic feedback and review!
These are amazing & so delicious! I didn’t have cream of tartar so I used 4 tsp of lemon juice as a substitution and that added a perfect tang!
Can I use Just Egg vs flax seed?
You can, yes. I would sub 3 tablespoons of JUST Egg.
Do you think I can make them with gluten-free flour?
Yes! I like using King Arthur Measure for Measure flour for cookies. Happy baking!
Hi! I was thinking of making these for my wedding, do you know if they would freeze well?
Yes, they freeze quite well! Congratulations on your wedding!