This is the only recipe for Vegan Sugar Cookies you’ll ever need! Easy to make and with soft, melt-in-your-mouth bites, these perfect cookies are almost as much fun to eat as they are to decorate with vegan icing and sprinkles.
More sugar cookie-themed desserts you’ll love: Vegan Lofthouse Cookies, Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars and Chocolate Sugar Cookies!
My Vegan Sugar Cookies are a holiday staple and for good reason! These cookies are soft and buttery with delicate flavors and elaborate icing decoration. My family and I have a ton of fun every holiday season cutting them out with different cookie cutters and playing around with the easy vegan icing and sprinkles!
They’re truly the vegan Christmas cookies of my dreams not only because they’re too sweet and delicious to resist, but also because they’re easy to make. The cookie dough comes together in a pinch and stays soft from beginning to end. Say goodbye to dry and crumbly cookies!
Saving the best for last, the easy vegan icing in this vegan sugar cookie recipe is as shimmery and sweet as traditional royal icing. Customize it with as much food coloring as you like, then pipe it onto the cookies. Just like me and my family, I know you’ll have a ton of fun and make new memories with all of the fun decorations you like.
Why these are the best vegan frosted sugar cookies
- The ultimate vegan Christmas cookie recipe – Just like classic sugar cookies, my vegan sugar cookies are delicate, soft, and a must-have treat for the holiday season. Plus, they keep their shape in the oven.
- Fun to decorate with icing – Make the easy royal icing dupe, add food coloring, and pipe it onto the cookies to make each one more eye-catching than the last.
- Easy to make – This vegan sugar cookies recipe comes together easily using less than 10 ingredients!
- 200+ 5-star ratings! It’s official–these cookies are a hit! Here’s what my readers have been saying…
“I absolutely LOVE this recipe & have made it again & again & again. The cookies are so buttery & delicious, almost like a shortbread, but better!” – Julianne
“I’ve made this recipe now for two years – Holiday cookies, Halloween cookies, Easter cookies … you name it. Perfect. It’s the best Vegan sugar cookie adaptation I’ve found. THANK YOU NORA! Huge for us!” – Karin
”I’ve made these a few years in a row now and they’re so soft and delicious every time! Best sugar cookie ever!” – Sarah
How to make vegan sugar cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy and smooth. Beat in the sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Next, mix in the plant milk, cornstarch, vanilla, and almond extract until combined.
Slowly mix 1 cup of flour along with the baking powder and salt into the wet ingredients. Add 1 more cup of flour and continue to mix until the dough feels like play dough in your hands (it will still look crumbly).
If the dough feels too wet to roll, mix in another 1/4 cup of flour. I always end up using the full 2 1/4 cups of flour.
Scoop the dough out of the bowl and push it together with your hands. Divide it into two balls.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface and sprinkle a little flour on top. Add one dough ball to the parchment paper, sprinkle some flour on top, and roll it out with a rolling pin to ¼-inch thickness. Cover with another sheet of parchment on top.
Repeat this step with the second ball of dough, then chill the flattened dough in the fridge.
After chilling, use your favorite cookie cutters to cut fun shapes out of the sugar cookie dough. Lay the cookies onto the lined baking sheets.
Continue re-rolling the scrap dough and cutting it into shapes! Nothing goes to waste here.
Bake the cookies until they’re just starting to turn golden.
Set them aside to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Make sure they’re completely cool before decorating with icing.
How to decorate sugar cookies
You can either get really fancy and pipe the icing onto the cookies with a piping bag and fine tip or keep things simple by spreading my Vegan Buttercream or another frosting on the cookies with a spatula! Below, I’ll show you how to decorate the prettiest sugar cookies:
- Make a thick batch of icing by only using 1 tablespoon of milk so the icing doesn’t spill over the cookie edges.
- Scoop the icing into several bowls and stir 1 to 3 drops of gel food coloring into each portion.
- Transfer the colorful sugar cookie icing to one or multiple piping bags (I used Wilton Bags) fitted with a fine tip.
- Trace the cookie edges with your icing, wait for it to set, then fill in the center with more icing. Add some sprinkles as well and have fun!
Check out this helpful video for more guidance and sugar cookie decorating tips.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, chilling is a must! If you skip this part, the sugar cookie dough will be too soft and sticky, which will make the cookies hard to work with and cause them to spread in the oven. Luckily, I found that rolling out the dough onto parchment paper is the secret to a quick chill time (about 1 hour) so you can cut the cookies and bake them as fast as possible!
Yes, I have had good results making these cookies with King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten-free flour. If you don’t use this brand, use another quality gluten-free baking flour.
My go-to food coloring brand is Watkins, which is vegan-friendly. Several Wilton brand gel food colorings are vegan, too. Always read the label carefully to ensure the brand you’re buying doesn’t contain any animal products. Or, you can try making your own vegan gel food coloring.
Absolutely! Once the dough has come together in a ball, wrap it in a layer of plastic and store it in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw the dough in the fridge overnight and set it on the kitchen counter for a few minutes so it can soften before you roll it flat.
Place the leftover vegan sugar cookies in an airtight container (or gift bags if you’re gifting them for the holidays) and store them at room temperature for 2 or 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days. The baked and unfrosted cookies freeze well for about 3 months, too.
Want more vegan Christmas cookies?
- Ginger Crinkle Cookies or Vegan Ginger Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Vegan Snowball Cookies
The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3/4 cup vegan butter, slightly softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened plant milk soy, almond or oat milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional, but good
- 2-2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
- 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 plant 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 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 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 plant 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 vegan butter sticks if you can; they are easier to bake with. I always use salted vegan butter; if you use unsalted, add a pinch more of salt. Any brand will work, though Miyoko’s is my favorite in terms of flavor.
- 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. You can also freeze the dough.
Just finished making the cookies. Definitely don’t roll them thin. I found mine needed to be in the oven for 14 minutes. Recipe made about 40 cookies. Circles, Christmas trees, and bells. I put sprinkles on 1/2 of the cookies and will frost the others. Pretty good. Nice texture. Just a bit of brown along the edges.
Carnivore husband likes them.
Hi Jody. Thank you for sharing your great rating and feedback regarding the sugar cookies! I’m glad that you enjoyed them.
Can I use agave or honey instead of corn syrup or organic rice syrup?
In the icing? You can just leave out the corn syrup; I’m not sure agave, honey or rice syrup will give that same shine as corn syrup. It’s fine to leave it out though.
Nora, this recipe is incredible!! My toddler and I made such special memories making these cookies 🩵 We followed exactly as written. I think the almond extract makes such a lovely addition to the recipe! When time to ice I put thick icing into a syringe. This allowed my toddler to have more control in outlining the cookies! I’m sure he’ll be requesting the sugar cookies all year! 🥰
Nora, YOU DID IT AGAIN! You made me a baker, and I can’t even believe I was finally able to make a vegan sugar cookie. For the last 5 years I have been trying and trying. I even paid premium top dollar for a local maker to make me vegan sugar cookies last year. And they didn’t even taste anything close to your recipe.
Not sure why your recipe was not the first one for me years ago when I searched, but I searched for a new one this year and landed on yours.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your website, your recipes, your hard work in putting everything together so that people like me and my daughters can actually have good food.
I have made 10 dozen of these sugar cookies today and will be enjoying these with my family and gifting them to so many people. Especially ones who have to eat with allergy friendly ingredients.
You are very welcome, Christina! I really loved reading your heartfelt words, and I’m so glad that you are enjoying my recipes with your daughters! I love it when I read that people who live with allergies are able to enjoy fun and delicious foods! I appreciate you taking time to share your glowing review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
These are delicious, but I get them out before golden brown & they get way too crispy. Any idea what I could be doing wrong. We are in higher elevation if that matters for this recipe.
If they get too crispy, then you are still baking them too long. Are you rolling the dough quite thin? Try baking for a few minutes less even if they look rather underdone. They really do firm up as they cool and if you want them to be soft, it’s important not to bake them too long. This can depend on elevation, how thin you roll them, how big your cookie cutters are, and so on. Thanks!
I have been baking the same sugar cookie recipe for 20 years; but this year I decided to try these. The dough was amazing to work with it rolled out so beautifully! The cookies baked perfectly they didn’t spread they rose nicely, and most importantly they taste delicious! I did have to add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour on top of the 2 1/4 cups – I believe because my vegan butter has slightly more water in it than some other brands. I’m so glad I tried these cookies it’s a great recipe!
Hi Amy. I’m glad you tried the recipe as well, and that you love the cookies! Thank you for taking time to share your fantastic review and recipe experience! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Wha bitter do you use? I’m using country crocks plant butter and I’ve added an extra 1/4 of flour and it is still wet.
I use Country Crock though it can get too soft too fast. Are you sure it was just a bit softened and not at all melted when you started? Also, if you use your hands too much with the dough, that will cause the butter to melt and make the dough too wet. At the beginning, make sure your butter is a bit softened but not at all melty. And try not to handle it with your hands too much.
Consistenly good sugar cookies from this recipe! Decided this year to change it up a bit and doubled it. Before going into the fridge, weighted it out total, split it in half, did one half almond extract, then mixed the second half peppermint extract with red food coloring. Rolled each of them out into logs, into fridge, then when ready, sliced off a coin from each color/flavor and snake shaped them into candy canes! baked at 350 for 10 to 15 depending on oven temp, location,etc. This was great for a teen cookie making night.
Hi Ann. I loved reading about your recipe experience! Making rolled candy canes sounds like lots of fun! Thanks for sharing your stellar review, and I’m glad you had a fun cookie making night! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This is the best sugar cookie recipe ever! My friend and I bake cookies for Christmas every year and this is the first time we’d used this one and it went perfectly. It only took 10 minutes on the bake like the recipe mentioned! The cookies held their shape and the icing was easy to decorate with. Thank you Nora! Will definitely be using this again 😀
You are welcome, Lizz! My family and I love these cookies every year! Thank you for taking time to share your awesome review and feedback! Wishing you happy holiday cooking!
Hello, I’ve made these cookies for years and we love them! I’m wondering if I can divide up the prep this year since we usually make at least 100 for our annual cookie decorating party. Would I be able to par bake them, then freeze them in freezer bags and finish off baking them the day of? Or is there another way that I could do this without storing 100 uncooked cookies on trays in my freezer (which is not really feasible.) Thank you!
I’ve never tried par baking them and I’m not sure how that will go. But I have made them ahead of time and frozen them until ready to ice and decorate. They freeze very well once baked. Once baked and cooled, I carefully layer them on top of each other in stacks to freeze. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe for years, thank you!
I made these cookies for church and of all the desserts they were the first to go. They loved it! Thanks Nora! Youre great at your recipes.This was my first time making this type of cookie. Next time, I’m going to try your Matcha version with and without the white chocolate chips.
Hi Allison. I’m thrilled the cookies were a hit! Thank you for using and loving my recipes! Wishing you so much happy cooking!
i loved these! however they did also take me around 20 minutes to bake like the last comment says as well, not 8-10 minutes. i just kept an eye on them until they started turning golden.
thank you for the amazing recipe :))
I like my sugar cookies quite soft with just a little crunch, and I take them out before they turn brown at all. Like my instructions say, they will appear underdone but they firm up as they cool. That said, if you like your sugar cookies a little crunchy and golden (how my mom prefers them!) then bake them longer than me. 🙂 Thank you!
Hi! Wondering if gf flour would work with this recipe?
Results will depend on what flour you use. I’ve had good luck with King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. They might turn out a little different but it works quite well.
I found it took way longer for these to bake. About 20 minutes. But very good!
Oh wow, mine never take that long. But ovens can vary, and it depends on the size of your cookie cutters. Glad you enjoyed them!
This has been my favorite sugar cookie recipe, my family has made many memories making them together. Recently I’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease, do you have any tips for making them gluten free?
Try a quality gluten free flour mix, like King Arthur’s Measure for Measure. It works quite well! Thank you, I hope you can keep enjoying the recipe. 🙂
These are great, thank you! I have to use marg (vitalite)- the only vegan butter I can find in the UK all has coconut which we avoid due to allergies – and they still work great. Thank you!
I am getting ready to make these; I love all your recipes. I have a question though about the food coloring/frosting: I am reading reviews for the brand you recommended (Watkins) and a lot of the reviews are saying the colors are muted with pictures to prove it. how did you get such beautiful vibrant colors in your pictures? I’ve never used food dye before so I am a total newbie. thanks for any advice 🙂
I decorated and photographed these cookies several years ago, and I used gel food coloring. I’m pretty sure it was this brand, which I’ve used recently for very bright, vivid colors: Chefmaster Gel Food Coloring. Gel is where it’s at if you want bold colors! Sometimes you have to do a little detective work to make sure it’s vegan friendly, but a lot of brands are. Hope that helps and I hope you LOVE the cookies!
Can I use water instead of milk alternatives for the dough?
I’m not sure they will turn out the same unfortunately. I’d use a dairy free milk if you can.
Made these today. Tastes just like a regular sugar cookie made with eggs. I made your cookie exactly, but went the easy route and just sprinkled a little sugar on top (rather than frosting) prior to baking. I will be making this again. Thanks for posting.
You are welcome, Jade! I’m really glad that you enjoyed the sugar cookies and found them. Delicious! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Thanks Nora. This was an awesome recipe. I made the first batch and it turned out great. But I have extra dough and I did try re-rolling the dough but it is way too dry and is breaking apart. Is that because I added too much flour? is there a way to fix it now? Thanks!
Thanks, I’m so glad you are enjoying the cookies! Yes, you likely just added a bit too much flour when rolling. You could add just a touch of plant milk, I’m talking like a teaspoon or so! Hopefully then you can handle the dough without it falling apart.
I love you Nora!!!!!!!😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍💙💙💙💜💕💙💙💕🖤💛
Hi! Thanks for the love and support! Happy cooking!
Hey Nora, can I freeze the dough after cutting?
Yes, you can.
Can I use this sugar cookie recipe to make a fruit “pizza”? Just roll out all the dough and bake it. When cooled use a vegan cream cheese spread and layer with fruit?
Hi Tamara. I have never tried this so am not sure how it would work. I have received feedback from someone who did make a fruit pizza out of the recipe, and they said it worked great. Here’s a tip from them: Press into a flat pan, then bake at 325 for 18 mins until just beginning to turn pale golden all over. I hope this helps! Happy cooking!
Are there other ways to flavour the icing? You mention grinding up freeze-dried strawberry in your buttercream icing recipe, would that work here?
Also, does this icing harden a bit for easier storage in a cookie jar?
Thanks!
Sure, that could work here I think! You can also use a little bit of an extract, like lemon, orange, peppermint, etc. The icing does harden after it sets and you can store them in a cookie jar.
Perfect!
Thanks for sharing your glowing review! Happy cooking!
Best vegan sugar cookie recipe I’ve found, spot on with taste and texture of a non-vegan sugar cookie
Thanks for sharing your fabulous review! I’m so glad you are loving the cookies! Wishing you happy cooking!
The best!! These are a staple in our house. Even the regular dairy eaters prefer these over regular ones. They’re my most requested cookies! Question- i have someone who can’t tolerate corn. Is there anything to swap the cornstarch with?
Thank you for all your amazing recipes. I wouldn’t have survived navigating my daughters food allergies without you!
You are welcome, Jennifer! I am warmed in my heart to know that my recipes have helped you fix delicious meals that work with your daughter’s food allergies! That can be really challenging! I love reading that you are enjoying the cookies! They are so fun, especially as the holidays are approaching! You could substitute the cornstarch tapioca starch or arrowroot. Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi I can’t have corn products. Can I use potato starch instead of corn starch?
Yes, that will work just fine here. Enjoy!
I have made these cookies before with wonderful results. Now I need to make some vegan hamamtachen and am wondering if I could use this recipe. The hamantaschen get folded up into a triangle with a bit of filling. I know this recipe does not spread much so was wondering if it might work. Thank you.
This is my go to recipe for roll out sugar cookies but the dough is almost always dry, even when I don’t put the additional 1/4 cup of flour in. It’s quite frustrating when trying to roll it out. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?
It could be for a couple of reasons. First, your vegan butter is not softened when you mix the dough, but too cold. Second, you are measuring too much flour. I recommend spooning flour into a measuring cup, then leveling off with a knife. Don’t pat it down or shake it, or just scoop from the container. You might get too much (or too little) flour.