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
Hey Nora! Just made the dough for the first time, the texture is amazing!
I have a question, Can I freeze the dough before i back the cookies?
Or its better to freeze them after the baking?
Thanks a lot 🙂
I mean bake of course… sorry!
You could freeze the dough, yes. I would roll it out like I suggest in the instructions, or it will be very difficult to ever roll it out before the dough gets too warm. Hopefully that makes sense! Thank you.
Hello, I’m excited to make these but I was unable to find the earth balance butter any stores around me. I have to Cook’s Country plant based butter made from Almond Oil. Should I adjust anything else since I’m using different butter? Thank you!
I haven’t personally used that brand, so I’m not sure how it will work in baked goods. If I see it in stores, I’ll test it out! Hopefully it will work the same, you don’t need to adjust anything else.
Made my third batch and they turn out amazing every time. Freeze really well and I use bobs 1-1 GF flour.
Love love your recipes!!
Thank you for the great comment! I’m so glad they work well for you!
Have made this recipe numerous times, it really is perfect.
Thanks so much! I’m glad it’s a winner for you. I love it too!
Hands down best sugar cookie! I when I pulled them out of the oven at 8 min they looked very raw but I let them cool and they came out to be the perfect consistency. I didn’t decorate them but they taste amazing on their own. (I followed the recipe but didn’t add almond extract)
Glad you liked them and that they turned out well for you!
The best vegan cookies I’ve ever made!
Two questions:
How do I keep the parchment paper from sliding around on the counter as I try to roll the dough? ?
And
What will happen if I completely forgot to add the salt and baking powder? ?
If the parchment paper is being very slippery on the counter, you could instead place the dough onto a floured counter or other surface while you roll it. Then transfer the flattened dough to the parchment paper, stack and chill. The salt won’t matter too much as vegan butter usually has salt added, but the lack of baking powder will likely make them pretty dense and not great, sorry!
I was wondering if I could substitute the butter for applesauce as I typically do in baking. I.e. half the butter amount replaced in applesauce. Thanks in advance! Ive looked everywhere as I lost an old recipe, which may have very well been one of yours lol.
Subbing applesauce for oil/butter often works for baked goods like breads and muffins, but for cookies it doesn’t work quite as well. You could try it, but I’m afraid it will greatly affect the texture and flavor of the sugar cookies!
There is nothing wrong with grocery store corn syrup. The one to avoid is HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP-a completely different substance!!! HFCS is also ONLY AVAILABLE TO COMMERCIAL BAKERIES LIKE SUNBEAM. you don’t use it, the local store can’t carry it, and even local bakeries don’t have it. People need to understand that there is a difference, and stop being afraid!
I just baked these-my sister is vegan because she is allergic to everything, but since going vegan has only been hospitalized once this year! The test was my two boys and these cookies passed with flying colors!! I can taste the difference between them and my regular sugar batch, but I don’t think any one else would! great Recipe!
Does the icing dry and easy to work with like the royal icing using meringue powder?
Yes it does dry and then you can easily stack them.
Hi Nora! I just made these cookies for my son. And they turned out fantastic! They hold their shape and were pretty simple to make! My son has food allergies which is what lead me to this recipe so I had to omit the almond extract! And I used water instead of milk. Do you think I should add more vanilla and a bit more sugar so they have a bit more flavor? They were good as is but I think because of the adjustments I had to make could use a little something? Also can I freeze this? Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Thanks Tiffany! I would use soy/coconut or another non-dairy milk instead of water, and yes you could add a little more vanilla for flavor. You could probably add a bit more sugar but not too much or it will affect the cookie texture. Did you use the icing? I find with the icing they are so sweet that the cookies don’t need more sugar. You can freeze the cookies, yes.
Hi! I’m a food allergy mom, too! Just a heads up: most almost extracts don’t actually contain almond! McCormick uses apricot pits in their pure vanilla extract. Check their website for details!
Hi i bought a Halloween cookie pan. It has 12 different shaped cookies in the pan. Do you think this recipe would work in the pan?
Yes, I think that would work just fine! Enjoy.
Do you think I could try this with gluten-free all purpose flour?
Yes, I think there is a good chance it would work out well. I haven’t tested it myself though. Let me know if you try it!
I made a gluten-free batch of these today, using garbanzo flour, oat flour, and tapioca starch (about 2:2:1 respectively). The dough was a little oilier (maybe due to the floor replacements, and maybe due to the less refined sugar I used), and it was a challenge to keep the cookies in one piece, but they turned out tasting very good and with a great texture. I rolled them a little flatter and baked 9 minutes.
I don’t have any cornstarch, will these still work?
Yes, they will still work without it. They may be a little crispier rather than soft though. If you have arrowroot or tapioca starch, that would probably work as well. Thanks!
So far the dough is amaaaazzing 🙂
Wondering, can i make ahead the dough just as a ball or does it need to be rolled out? How long can i keep in fridge before baking?
You can refrigerate it as a ball, but then you will need to let it warm up a little or it will be crumbly when you try to roll it out. I have found it is much easier to roll it out first, then refrigerate. That way you can cut them cold and get the cookies right in the oven before they have a chance to warm up. It makes for much better cookies that don’t spread or puff up. You could keep the dough in the fridge for probably 2-3 days before baking. Thanks and enjoy!!
Incredibly tasty! I’m no pro at making homemade cookies, but these turned out amazing! All the nonvegans loved them too. Only change was I used soy milk instead of almond. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy everyone enjoyed the sugar cookies, thank you!
Hi Nora
I am thinking of doing this recipe as a mix in a jar as a gift for my daughter. Any suggestions on how to alter the recipe as all the dry ingredients will be mixed in the jar?
Sounds like a wonderful gift idea! The instructions would slightly change, but it should work out well! You might want to leave the sugar separate, as it kind of needs to be creamed together with the vegan butter, I’m not sure it would work without that step… But other than that, you could beat the vegan butter, add the sugar, then add the milk and extracts. After that, gradually add in the dry ingredients. Hope that helps! And again, it may work to add the sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients, but I’m not so sure!
I usually don’t leave comments on recipes, unless they are truly amazing one of a kind recipes. That is the case here.
Perfect, fantastic cookies. The texture was so perfect I was able to cut and print out patterns on them.
Ok doing them again today (twice in two weeks, I have a feeling they will become a favorite here at my home)
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies and will make them more in your home, that makes me so happy. Happy baking!
Making these cutout cookies with my three year old daughter was literally a dream come true for me! Because of this recipe we were able to make three batches of Easter cookies that she and her cousins got to decorate and eat. It was so much fun!
I used Miyokos butter. I did find that a much shorter chill time worked better for me. Other than that, the recipe was perfect. The dough was a pleasure to work with. Thank you!
Would this work as a scoop and bake instead of cutting them out? Thanks.
Yes, they do work that way as well. 🙂
I made these today for my boyfriend as a Valentine’s Day gift/treat, I used heart shaped cookie cutters. I hadn’t made vegan sugar cookies before, And I’ve been following you on Instagram and I decided to try this recipe out. I’m really glad I did as it was an easy recipe to follow and they came out great! They turned out so cute too. I used pink food coloring for the icing and drizzled it on top of the cookies. The cookies were great even without the icing.
Yum. I made these for my daughter. Hesitantly, I tried one. They were as good as my “regular” sugar cookies. Super easy to make
Yes and Yes! After a few vegan cookie flops these came out so perfect. Same consistency as my non-vegan recipe!. I substituted 2tsp lemon extract and lemon zest for flavor. I also omitted the salt because I personally find earth balance very salty. Thank you for this super easy and delicious recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the sugar cookies, thank you! Lemon extract and zest sound like a wonderful addition.
Hi Nora I love how these cookies look like they can really hold their shape! So excited to try it however I have one problem… can I still achieve this amount of perfection mixing the dough without stand/hand mixer? Please let me know what you think! ??
I think it could work, yes! You will get quite an arm workout. 🙂 I would just use a good, large wooden spoon if possible. You may even need to use your hands towards the end, to make sure it comes together. Good luck!
Does the icing set like royal icing? I need to put these cookies in cellophane or plastic wrap and I don’t want them to stick to that. I’m really excited by the comments and can’t wait to try this cookie!
Yes, it does. If you give them several hours to dry you can stack and wrap them with no problem. Enjoy!