Vegan Snickerdoodles – Soft, Thick & Puffy
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The BEST and most PERFECT vegan snickerdoodles ever! Soft, thick and oh-so puffy, these cookies are sure to be a hit! They are easy to make and turn out perfect every time.
Snickerdoodles have always been my favorite cookie. The soft, pillowy texture; the cinnamon sugar coating; they are completely irresistible! I actually prefer this cookie to my Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The one ingredient that makes a snickerdoodle different from a sugar cookie is cream of tartar. It’s what gives the cookies their traditional “tang” and soft chewiness. So don’t leave it out, or you will simply have sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. Which doesn’t really sound all that bad, but they won’t be snickerdoodles.
How do you make vegan snickerdoodles?
- Cream together vegan butter (I used Earth Balance) and sugar until creamy and smooth.
- Add the flax egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Now add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir with a mixer or spoon until just combined.
- Roll into 2 tablespoon sized balls, coat in cinnamon sugar and place on baking pan. Bake for 11 minutes. The cookies will be very soft but will firm up as they cool.
Want more vegan cookies?
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Vegan Snickerdoodles - Soft, Thick & Puffy
Ingredients
Flax Egg:
- 1 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tablespoons water
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup earth balance vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons 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, cinnamon 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.
Notes
- Cookies will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
- I have not tried these cookies with coconut oil or any other oil. For best results use vegan butter, such as Earth Balance or Miyokos.
- 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.
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121 Comments on “Vegan Snickerdoodles – Soft, Thick & Puffy”
I’ve made these several times and they are delicious! Sadly the last two times I’ve made them they came out undercooked and like a puffy ball., They never flattened and cracked.
Has this happened to you? Do you know what I’m doing wrong?
It sounds like you accidentally added too much flour and under baked the cookies. Be careful how you measure the flour and all the ingredients, and make sure to start out with softened vegan butter, not melted or too hard and cold. To troubleshoot though, you could always press them down yourself a little bit (though I never need to) and bake a little longer so they are cooked.
Snickerdoodles are my wife’s favorite cookies so we made these again this weekend for our Mother’s Day picnic. As always, they’re a huge hit. We use the recipe exactly and they come out perfect every time.
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your great review, Bobby!
Good. For those that want a healthier cookie I did one half cup of applesauce and a half cup of butter. I used ground chia seed and added it directly into the butter and applesauce since chia sets up so much faster then flax. I did 3/4 of sugar. They turned out great!
That’s great to know they worked that way, thank you!
These are shockingly good! I just pulled them out of the oven, and I can’t stop eating them.
Thanks, Alicia! I’m glad they turned out great for you!
Hi Nora! These cookies are amazing!! Anyone who loves cookies, vegan or nonvegan, couldn’t stop talking about how these came out when I made them! Thank you!
Hi Jeanna. I’m glad the cooking turned out great for you! Thank you!
SO GOOD! I made the following changes: 2 tbsps of lemon juice instead of cream of tartar, for the topping sugar i used brown sugar instead of granulated sugar because I ran out of granulated sugar, I also needed to add 1 tbsp of non dairy milk because my dough was crumbly, i used Melt plant butter instead of Earth Balance . OVERALL SUPER HAPPY with the result and so happy that I can continue to eat my favorite cookies but now they are made vegan!
Hi Liz. I’m so glad you love the snickerdoodles! Thank you for sharing!
Can I substitute the white granulated sugar for Monk Fruit sweetener instead?
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it. Might work but it will probably change the texture and flavor of the cookies.
I agree with one of the comments below. It’s almost like TOO sweet to enjoy and in danger of a stomach ache LOL. I’m going to add a little less sugar to see if that helps. I followed it to the T and my dough was crumbly so added like 4 tablespoons of almond milk and it helped! Mine were not ready in 11 minutes though, could be my oven so I put them in for 20-21 and they were good!
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies. Feel free to cut back on the sugar if you want a less sweet cookie, but I haven’t tested them with less sugar to know if the recipe will work the same way. I’m not sure why your dough was crumbly, but make sure to measure everything accurately, as adding just a little too much flour could make for a crumbly dough. Thank you!
I realized I was packing the flour! So I added too much the first time. I made them again and the dough wasn’t crumbly anymore 🙂 everyone loved them!! So could have just been me thinking they were too sweet haha
Oh good! I’m glad they worked out better the last time! Thanks.
Absolutely perfect. Snickerdoodles are my husbands absolute favorite and he said these were the best! Your recipes are always amazing, thank you for sharing them!
you’re so welcome!
Incredible!! All my omni family even said it was the best snickerdoodle they’ve had!
Made these cookies last weekend. They were delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great!
These Are AMAZING Vegan Snickerdoodles! Is on our favorite cookie list. THank you!
You’re welcome!
Amazing!!! Turned out so pillowy. I only did one cup of sugar bc I like it less sweet. Can’t wait to bring to vegan Christmas dinner, along with ginger cookies
Hi, can I substitute a normal egg for the flax egg?
You probably could, yes.
Can a chia egg be used instead?
It should work fine, just made sure they are ground or you will have whole chia seeds in your cookies.
Thank you for the awesome recipe nora! can I sub out avocado oil for vegan butter? I’m allergic to a lot of the oils and vegan butters.
Thanks!
Kathleen
I’ve never tried using oil instead of vegan butter here so I’m not sure if it will work or not, sorry! It’s worth a try though. Thanks so much, hope you can enjoy the cookies!
OMG just 5 star delicious
This recipe is the best! My family can’t stop eating them. Will be baking a few more batches before Christmas.