Sarah makes some amazing dairy-free sugar cookies, but I know many of you need egg-free, too! So I whipped up this recipe for vegan sugar cookies over the holidays. It’s a delicious, simple, versatile formula that takes minutes to make, and even less time to devour. Seriously! There were Pillsbury sugar cookies and these vegan sugar cookies at our house Christmas dinner, and these were the ones that everyone went back for. After we ate, my cookie plate had nary a crumb left.
Basic Vegan Sugar Cookies with this Easy Roll & Cut Recipe
We had a vegan sugar cookies recipe up that was good, but it needed just a couple of modifications. It was too salty (IMO), and spread just a little too much. I decided to work on this recipe since I had a lot of leftover buttery sticks and spreads from our Dairy-Free Butter Comparison Tests with Dairy-Free Shortbread Cookies. And I love baking on Christmas day!
Choosing Your Dairy-Free Butter Alternative
I used the Flora (salted) buttery sticks in this recipe, which spread a wee bit more than some of the others, but not too much. Each brand of buttery sticks (or spread) can produce different results (taste, texture, and spread), as you can see from our comparison tests. So make sure to use one that performs well in baking.
Egg Options
Some recipes for vegan sugar cookies use applesauce or banana for egg replacer, which makes them a bit pancake-y. Others use chia or flax “eggs,” which makes them a little rustic. Some use just water or milk beverage and omit the eggs, which can dry the cookies out. I chose aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas), because it helps to retain moisture in the cookie, without making it muffin-life. If you want to use eggs, see our Classic Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies Recipe.
Soft & Lightly Chewy or Crispy
When baked as directed, these vegan sugar cookies have a soft, tender bite with a light chew. Cover them in an airtight container, and they’ll keep their texture for at least a few days. If you want a crispier cookie, you can bake them a couple minutes longer.
Free Form Option
The dough works well as a roll and cut recipe, but you can also hand shape the dough, if preferred. Just roll it into small balls and flatten on your parchment. I didn’t have cookie cutters or a rolling pin, so I flattened the dough by hand and used a small glass to cut rounds. It worked great! As mentioned, everyone enjoyed the taste and texture of these vegan sugar cookies. The sweet vanilla buttercream on top was also well received!
Special Diet Notes: Roll & Cut Vegan Sugar Cookies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Be sure to choose the buttery sticks that suit your dietary needs.
- ¾ cup dairy-free buttery sticks, room temperature (see post above for brand tips)
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup aquafaba (see Note below)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (scant 2⅔ cups)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted buttery sticks and unsalted aquafaba)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons dairy-free buttery sticks
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- Unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage or water, as needed
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the buttery sticks and sugar with a whisk or hand mixer. Whisk or beat in the aquafaba and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until it comes together into a dough. It should be a little soft and sticky, but not so much that you can't loosely shape it with your hands.
- Form the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for at least an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the chilled dough, and roll it out to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. If it's too firm, let it warm for a few minutes before rolling. Use cutters to cut cookie shapes, and transfer them to your prepared baking sheet. Bring the scraps together, reroll, and recut, until the dough is used up.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until just starting to turn golden on the edges.
- Remove the cookies to a plate to cool completely before frosting.
- While the cookies cool, sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Add the dairy-free butter, vanilla, salt, and 2 teaspoons dairy-free milk beverage or water. Whisk or mix with a hand mixer on low speed until smooth.
- Mix in more milk beverage or water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
More Classic Vegan Cookie Recipes
Imperfect Mommy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Classic Dairy-Free Shortbread Cookies
Wedding / Snowball / Russian Tea Cookies
11 Comments
2 questions
1) can these cookies be frozen and for how long (without frosting)
2) if I use conv baking how will it effect the baking time of the cookies and do I need to adjust the cooking temp?
Thanking you in advance for your help.
Also, any other cookie recipes that can be frozen after being cooked
Hi Wendy, if you typically freeze cookies, then these should work the same. I mainly freeze leftover cookies (haven’t had a problem with any of the cookie recipes I’ve made – on this site – in terms of freezing), but haven’t frozen them for gift giving or parties.
I couldn’t tell you on convection. Most convection ovens automatically adjust to the right temperature, but you may need to bake them longer.
I love these cookies! I have to use gluten-free flour since I’m gluten and dairy free, and this recipe actually works! So many cookies fall apart with gluten-free flour. I do use real eggs, though.
That’s fabulous that the recipe worked so well gluten free – thanks for sharing Jessie!
I don’t have egg substitute. Can I use apple sauce instead? Or is there something else I can use to sub the eggs? Thank you.
I would recommend aquafaba most Alicia (liquid from a can of chickpeas), but applesauce or a flax egg may work. You could also make this recipe instead – http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/dairy-free-sugar-cookies-roll-cut – if you don’t have arrowroot, you can sub cornstarch in that recipe in a pinch.
I need the cookies to be gluten and dairy free. Can I substitute white flour for gf flour, (ie almond flour) equally ?
Is there a difference between Vegan margarine and DF butter.
Hi Trish, You may be able to use a gluten-free flour blend with a binder, but I haven’t tested it. Almond flour does not swap equally for wheat flour, so I would not recommend that swap. I usually call it dairy-free buttery spread or sticks, but some do call it vegan margarine or dairy-free butter – it is all the same!
Thanks for this I’m having a baking party with my friends and one of them is lactose intolerant, so this is gonna help her from feeling left out! ?
if I don’t care about it being vegan (just lactose free) can I use regular eggs? should I still use 2?
Yes, but keep in mind that recipes don’t always flop back and forth with subs. Keep an eye on the dough consistency and adjust your wet/dry ingredients as needed.