These vegan funfetti cookies are as delicious as they are pretty! Sweet vanilla cookies studded with rainbow sprinkles, they’re perfect for everything from celebrations to everyday sweet snacking, and they make a fun, easy baking project.
Sometimes a little color is all it takes to make a delicious treat even better. Fans of my vegan red velvet cake, pink velvet cupcakes, and pistachio green tea muffins know what I'm talking about! So today, I decided to throw a full rainbow of color into a batch of cookies. These vegan funfetti cookies are about as colorful and festive as it gets, and they’re delicious to boot.
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Flavor-wise, they’re simple, classic vanilla cookies. If you love my vegan sugar cookies or vegan snickerdoodles, you'll enjoy these too. The difference is the vibrant sprinkles, which make them more fun. As for texture, it’s totally up to you: bake them briefly for soft and chewy cookies, or a few minutes longer for crispy cookies. Both versions are delicious and will be a hit with kids and grown-ups alike.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Flour. We're using all-purpose wheat flour for these cookies, also known as white flour. If you'd like to experiment with other varieties, go ahead, but I haven't tried any of them, so I can't guarantee results.
- Cornstarch.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Vegan butter. You can find this in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores, usually near the regular butter.
- Sugar. Use organic sugar, since conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Powdered sugar. This also needs to be organic, for the same reason.
- Light corn syrup. This helps with the texture of your cookies, making them more tender and chewy, so don't skip it. You can substitute another liquid sweetener like maple syrup, but it may affect the color and flavor of your cookies.
- Aquafaba. Crack open a can of chickpeas and measure out a couple of tablespoons of the liquid — this is your aquafaba, which makes a great vegan egg substitute for baking. If you don't have an immediate use for your chickpeas, freeze them.
- Vanilla extract.
- Rainbow sprinkles. Use rainbow jimmies. Avoid using other types of sprinkles like confetti or nonpareils, which might not hold up as well when mixed into a moist dough. Make sure they're vegan — many brands will include non-vegan colors and sweeteners. I've linked to a vegan brand that I like in the recipe card.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer at high speed to cream your vegan butter, sugar, and powdered sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is fluffy and creamy. Now beat in the corn syrup and aquafaba.
Step 3: Mix the dough. Turn the mixer down to low speed, then slowly start adding the dry ingredients. Beat everything until the ingredients are combined and you've got a dough.
Step 4: Add sprinkles. Gently fold in your rainbow sprinkles. Be careful not to overmix the dough, or the colors may bleed.
Step 5: Chill. Cover the bowl and pop it into the fridge for an hour to chill.
Step 6: Get ready to bake. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line some baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 7: Shape the cookies. Roll the dough into balls, using about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough each. Place them on your baking sheets, then press a few extra sprinkles into the top of each dough ball.
Step 8: Bake. Place your baking sheets into the oven and bake those cookies! Give them about 9 minutes if you like your cookies chewy, or up to 12 minutes if you like them crispy.
Step 9: Cool. Place your baking sheets onto cooling racks when they come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the sheets, then move them directly to the racks to finish cooling.
Variations
- Sprinkle swaps. Use one or more specific sprinkle colors for holidays or occasions. Try red for Valentine’s Day, red and green for Christmas, or green for St. Patrick’s Day. You can also use chocolate sprinkles.
- Flavor additions. Switch up the flavor by adding spices like cinnamon or cardamom, or try a small amount of extract such as almond or peppermint alongside the vanilla.
- Chocolate chip funfetti cookies. Replace some of the sprinkles with mini vegan chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
- Add citrus flavor. Add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest into the wet ingredients to add citrusy notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Possibly, but I haven't experimented with a gluten-free version, so I can't say for sure. You may be able to replace the wheat flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
I don't recommend it. The cookies may spread out too much if you do.
You can chill it for up to 24 hours. You'll need to take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before shaping the cookies to let it soften a bit. You want it to be cool and a bit firmer than when you first mixed it, but not rock hard.
Your cookies will keep for about 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature before serving.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Funfetti Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup vegan butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup organic granulated sugar
- ¾ cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegan rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, see Note 1), plus a few more for topping
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set this aside for now.
- Add the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar to another large mixing bowl. Cream the mixture using an electric mixer at high speed for about 90 seconds, or until smooth and fluffy. Add the corn syrup, aquafaba, and vanilla extract. Beat just until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Begin adding the flour mixture to the bowl, beating in about a cup at a time using the mixer at low speed. Continue until all of the dry ingredients have been added and a soft dough has formed.
- Gently fold in the sprinkles.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon balls, then arrange them on the baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Press a few extra sprinkles into the top of each dough ball.
- Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, until they've spread out and puffed up a bit. They should still look a bit underbaked when they're done (Note 2).
- Transfer the baking sheets to cooling racks when they come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, until they feel set, then remove them from the baking sheets and place them directly on the racks to finish cooling.
Notes
- I recommend sticking with jimmies. Other types of sprinkles like nonpareils or confetti could dissolve or bleed their color into your cookie dough.
- Baking them 9 minutes will give you softer cookies, while baking them closer to 12 minutes will give you crispier cookies.
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