Soft, vegan sugar cookies with crispy edges, for all your holiday needs. Have fun with different cookie cutters, easy icing and sprinkles of course!
After much trial and error, I finally have the perfect recipe for soft cut-out vegan sugar cookies. Seriously, these are the cookies of my dreams, and I think you will LOVE them!
They are easy to make and roll out. A little trick I learned is to roll the dough onto parchment paper before chilling in the refrigerator. This way, the cookie dough only needs to chill for about an hour before you can cut and bake! And you don’t have to roll out cookie dough that is crumbling everywhere. Easy peasy.
How to make perfect vegan sugar cookies:
First, make the dough, using just 1 bowl and either a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer. Your cookie dough should be similar to the texture of play dough. It will be rather crumbly in the bowl, but not dry, and it should stick together when you use your hands to roll it into a ball. Once the dough is made, break it into two balls. Place one of the doughs onto parchment paper, on a hard surface.
Roll the dough out, about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle a little flour on top so the dough doesn’t stick to your rolling pin.
Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the first rolled dough.
Repeat with the second ball of dough (I usually do this right on top of the first rolled dough). Place another piece of parchment paper on top and carefully transfer the rolled dough to the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
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Remove the dough from the fridge, cut into desired shapes and bake for 8-10 minutes. They will look underdone, but firm up considerably as they cool. This is the key to soft sugar cookies. If you want them crispy, you could roll the dough thinner and cook them a bit longer, but I prefer them softer.
They will look like this when they come out of the oven. See how they don’t puff up a bunch or spread like some sugar cookie recipes do? Cookie perfection.
What’s the best way to decorate vegan sugar cookies?
So, let me tell you a little secret. I am not a natural decorator of sweets! I can bake, but the actual decorating of cookies or cakes is not really my thing, so I watched several videos and almost had a panic attack while decorating the cookies for these photos. 🙂 For real, it took me HOURS…
This video was incredibly helpful. So if you want to make really pretty sugar cookies, I recommend it! The trick is to outline the cookies first with a thicker icing, then flood the inside with a thinner icing, and carefully spread it to all the corners of the cookie.
I used Wilton Bags and decorating tips for this, which I highly recommend for all your cookie and cake decorating needs.
After icing, simply grab some food coloring, if desired, sprinkles of choice and have fun! My family has a tradition of making these cookies, and we usually just slap on some icing and have fun decorating. They don’t usually look quite so pretty, but they always taste amazing!
What food coloring is vegan?
Well this is quite a complicated topic. I’ve done A LOT of research on this online. Watkins brand is for sure vegan. From what I can tell, several of Wilton brand are vegan, such as the gel based color. I found a few at my local craft store, and carefully read the ingredients before buying. If you don’t want to use food coloring, you can also make your own, or just go with white frosting.
Want more Christmas Cookies?
Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3/4 cup vegan butter (earth balance preferred), slightly softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but so good)
- 2-2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided (correctly measured)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Easy Icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (can omit, but it makes the icing very shiny)
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl either using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the vegan butter for about 1 minute until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light.
- Now add in the almond milk, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extract (if using). Beat on high until it is all fully combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add 1 cup of the flour to the wet mixture. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt on top of the flour. Mix on low speed, until just combined. Now add 1 more cup of the flour and continue to mix on low until just combined; don't over mix. The dough should feel similar to play dough when you work it in your hands, but it will look crumbly in the bowl. If it seems too wet for rolling, add another 1/4 cup of flour. You want the dough to be thick, but not dry. I always use the full 2 1/4 cups of flour. If the dough is too wet, your cookies will spread.
- Using a spatula, scoop all of the dough out of the bowl; use your hands if needed to push it all together. Divide the dough in half and roll into two balls.
- On a flat surface, add a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flour on it, then add half the dough. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough, and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Repeat for the second ball of dough, and then stack them with parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Once the dough has been chilled, set it on the counter for 10 minutes while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut into desired shapes using a cookie cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Continue re-rolling the dough until it is all used.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, in the middle rack of the oven, until very lightly colored on top and around the edges. They will appear underdone, but they will firm up considerably as they cool. Let them cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely before icing.
Easy Icing
- Whisk all icing ingredients in a bowl. If it seems too thick, add a little more almond milk. It should be smooth, glossy and not runny. If too runny, add more powdered sugar. You can dip the cookies in the icing, or use brushes, spoons or a squeeze bottle. See this helpful video on how to decorate sugar cookies with icing.
- *If you want really pretty cookies, first make the icing thicker, by using only 1 tablespoon of almond milk. Using a decorating tip, outline the cookies with the thicker icing. Then add a little more milk to thin it and flood the inside with icing. This way the icing doesn't spill over the cookie edges.
- Decorate with sprinkles as desired. The icing will take several hours to harden completely. The cookies will stay soft for about 5 days at room temperature.
Notes
- Try to get the earth balance sticks if you can; they are easier to bake with. Results will vary with other brands of vegan butter.
- Almond extract is optional but it adds a very good flavor to both the cookies and the icing, so use it if you can.
- To correctly measure flour, make sure to spoon and level by scooping the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with the back of a knife. If you don't correctly measure the flour, you can end up with way too much flour and the dough will be dry!
- If you aren't comfortable using corn syrup, you may omit it. I rarely use it, but it makes cookie icing pretty and shiny and it's just 1 tablespoon.
- Baked sugar cookies freeze well, but don't freeze them once frosted.
Nutrition
I absolutely love these! Really easy and taste fantastic!
I have never done the icing before so here goes ? But how long does the icing take to set? Is there a way to get it to set quicker?
I’m glad you love the cookies! I have some helpful icing information within the recipe if you’d like to check that out. Icing cookies has sometimes been a challenge for me, so I did lots of research! The icing will take several hours to harden completely. I hope this helps!
Hi Nora! I love this recipe but I currently don’t have a mixer. Can I make the dough by hand?
Hi Eliana! It is a bit difficult to mix this dough by hand with spoon, but it can be done! Happy cooking!
Hi! I love your recipes! Wondering if one batch of frosting is enough for one batch of the cookie recipe? Thanks!!
Yes, it should be just perfect. But it’s easy to whip up more if you need to. 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Nora, first off thank you for all the awesome vegan recipes. Your site is my go to for vegan cooking. My question is: Can I replace the almond milk with Oat milk? I have switched from almond milk to oat milk for sustainability reasons.
Thanks, Blaine
I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes! Yes, you can use oat milk or another plant milk, it works just fine. I have recently started using oat milk over all the others. Enjoy!
These actually ARE the best vegan sugar cookies ever. You can bake them a little longer for cookies to decorate, or under bake slightly and they taste just like the grocery store round sugar cookies that have frosting and sprinkles. I use the full amount of flour.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! I’m so glad that you love the cookies!
Hi Nora,
I love this recipe and made it several times last Christmas. Today I tried coming back to it and my cookies came out of the oven spread out and extremely flat. Any advice to help them keep their shape?
Hi there! This usually happens for a couple of reasons. Make sure your butter is slightly softened when you start, NOT melted. Measure everything accurately, and make sure to add enough flour. Don’t forgot the chilling process, and don’t handle the dough with your hands too much. It will warm up, and then the cookies will spread in the oven. They key is to bake the cookies when the dough is still chilled, that way they won’t spread. Hope that helps!
I come back to this recipe every year! I use gluten free flour and it works great, I do have to chill the dough for 2-3 hours before rolling out as it’s quite wet using gf flour. I then leave it overnight and use the cookie cutters the next day and bake. Soooo good no one even knows it’s gluten free
Nora hello! I just wanted to thank you for your chocolate cake recipe and your cut outs I’m not vegan but my husband and son are.Im a outstanding baker but when it comes to baking vegan baking I had awful experiences and then you came along you can’t even tell its vegan I can’t wait to try your other recipes.Thank you❤
Hi Anne! Thank you for your most wonderful compliments! I am so glad you’ve discovered my site, and I hope you enjoy your journey through my recipes! Let me mow if you have questions. Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments!
What does the corn starch achieve? My son can’t have corn or any similar starches.
You can leave it out or use tapioca starch instead. It makes the cookies a bit softer with a better texture. But you don’t have to use it. Thanks!
Hi,
How long do these stay fresh for once baked and iced?
I would say they will last on the counter for 4-5 days, longer in the refrigerator, undecorated or decorated.
Fantastic recipe, thank you! I took 2 discs and filled with marzipan and put sliced almonds on top – magical! Sprinkled with a bit of powdered sugar when they cooled off.
Hi Elaine. That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, ideas, and comments! I’m glad you love the cookie recipe!
Hi Nora,
Thanks a lot for sharing the great recipe! The cookies are so easy and quick to make, and turned out super delicious. Even my non-vegan friends were very impressed. 🙂 I’ll certainly try more of your recipes in the future. Thanks again, all the best!
Hi Dominique! I’m so glad the cookies were a hit, and that you enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing your great review and comments! Enjoy your journey through my recipes, and let me know how they go for you! Wishing you happy cooking!
Delish! I love the almond essence. This is an absolutely wonderful recipe.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! I’m glad you love the sugar cookies!
Hi Nora
Have not tried to make this recipe as yet , I will be doing so soon . What is the shelf life of these cookies . I wanted to bake them now and keep them for Christmas.
Thank you,
Vineeta
You can bake and freeze them if you want, that is the only way they will keep until Christmas. You can freeze them with the icing, or freeze the cookies only and ice them later. Hope that helps!
This recipe is amazing! Turned out wonderfully, even with gluten free flour
Thank you for sharing your comments! I’m glad the sugar cookies turned out great for you!
Have you tried freezing them after frosting? Does the frosting go funny?
Yes, I have frozen them before and it worked perfectly. The frosting stayed very well!
Great thank you!!
the best !!! Love them so much
I made these for Halloween, since we had more of a quiet night in with horror movies. Used cat and pumpkin cut outs and found some vegan purple sprinkles. They were great! Better than the sugar cookies I used to make before I was vegan too!
I’ve made these several times, the most recent time this past weekend for Halloween. I separated out some of the dough and added cinnamon and clove for a fall vibe. This is a great recipe!
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your great review and awesome comments! I’m glad you love the cookies!
Hi! Have you ever tried this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free flour? Do you think it would work?
Hi Holly! People have used Bob’s Red Mill GF flour with success, so I think so! I made them once using gf flour, and I think I used Bob’s Red Mill. It did work well for me that one time! Hope this helps!
Hi!
I saw that this recipe makes 24 cookies and it made me wonder about what size the cookies would need to be to achieve that?
It really varies depending on your cookie cutters, but with medium and some smaller sized cutters, I get around 24. If making large cookies you will get less, or small and you will get a lot more.
Could these be baked in a silicone mold?
I’m not quite sure, I’ve never tried it. Maybe though!
Hi, could I use arrowroot starch instead and would I substitute it 1:1?
Thank you!
Yes, arrowroot starch will work. Yes, use amount indicated in the recipe. Hope this helps!
Hi Nora,
I have a super small refrigerator, so not much space for flattened dough. Would it still work if I chilled the dough in a ball rather than rolled out? Thanks! I always use and enjoy your great recipes! 🙂
Hi Susan. I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes, thank you! While it might work, when you chill the dough in a ball I find it very difficult to roll it out without lots of crumbles. It would be best if you could find a little space, temporarily, for the dough to chill flat. I do stack the dough so it doesn’t take up too much space. Hope that helps!
I have light soy milk in the fridge, would that be OK?
Hi Emma. Yes, soy milk will work!