These vegan snickerdoodles are sweet, buttery, and flavored with a touch of cinnamon. Soft or crispy (depending on how long you bake them), they're easy to make and perfect for dunking!
Believe it or not, I still have a stash of recipe printouts from my middle school cooking class. Every now and then I get inspired to dip into that stash and veganize one of them. Just recently I decided snickerdoodles would be a nice one to make — they were always a favorite!
Well, wouldn't you know it, my vegan snickerdoodles came out better than the originals. SO GOOD! These suckers were soft and buttery and loaded with cinnamon sugar flavor.
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What You'll Need
- Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
- Cinnamon.
- Flour. We're using regular old all-purpose wheat flour. You might be able to substitute other varieties like spelt or gluten-free flour, but I haven't tried, so no guarantees.
- Cornstarch.
- Cream of tartar. This ingredient is key! Along with acting as a leavening agent, cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their characteristic mild tangy flavor (which is what sets them apart from regular old sugar cookies).
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Vegan butter. Look for brands like Miyoko's and Earth Balance near the regular butter at your supermarket.
- Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety that's unflavored and unsweetened will work. Try soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk.
- Vanilla extract.
- Almond extract. You can leave this out if it's not something you normally buy, but it does add a wonderful touch of flavor to the cookies.
How to Make Vegan Snickerdoodles
The following 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!
- First, mix up your cinnamon sugar in a small bowl. You want it to be ready when your cookie dough is done!
- Whisk your dry ingredients together in a bowl: flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat together your butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Make sure the butter is at about room temperature. If you forgot to set it out in advance, use this butter softening method to get it ready in hurry.
- Beat the non-dairy milk into your butter mixture. Make sure the milk is at room temperature as well.
- Begin beating in the flour mixture, just a bit at a time, until it's all been added and you have a soft dough.
- Use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to scoop the dough into heaping tablespoons. Roll each one into a ball and roll it in your cinnamon sugar mixture to coat it.
- Arrange the dough balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and pop it the oven. Bake the cookies for 11 or 12 minutes if you like them soft and chewy, 13 or 14 minutes if you like them a bit crispy.
See how easy that was? They really are the BEST vegan snickerdoodles! I love enjoying my cookies with a cup of tea.
Shelf-Life & Storage
Vegan snickerdoodles will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for about 3 weeks, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm afraid I'm not sure! I suspect that a gluten-free flour blend would work, but I can't say for sure without trying.
Snickerdoodles normally puff up during baking, then fall a bit when they come out of the oven. If they didn't crack, it means they didn't rise, probably due to your baking soda being old. Test it by sprinkling a bit in a glass of vinegar. If it doesn't fizz, it's time to replace it. It's also possible that your oven didn't get hot enough — check the temperature with an oven thermometer.
Snickerdoodles will puff up towards the end of their bake time. When they've been puffed for a few minutes or are starting to come down, they're done. Take them out of the oven promptly for soft, chewy cookies (they'll seem like they're not done, but will continue to set as they cool), or cook them for a minute or two longer for crispy cookies.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
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!
Perfect Vegan Snickerdoodles
These vegan snickerdoodles are sweet, buttery, and flavored with a touch of cinnamon. Soft or crispy (depending on how long you bake them), they're easy to make and perfect for dunking!
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup organic granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the Cookie Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups organic granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk (room temperature)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Make the coating by stirring the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
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Whisk the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
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In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract together with an electric mixer at high speed for 2 minutes, until creamy.
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Beat in the milk, just until fully incorporated.
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Begin adding the flour mixture to the butter mixture, about 1 cup at a time, beating in each addition at low speed until fully incorporated.
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Once all the flour has been added, the mixture should form a soft dough. Use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to measure out heaping tablespoons, shaping each one into a ball and rolling it in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
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Arrange the dough balls on the baking sheets, with at least 2 inches of space between them.
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Bake the snickerdoodles for 11 to 14 minutes*.
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Transfer the baking sheets to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool and fully set for a few minutes before removing them from the baking sheets.
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Serve immediately or let them cool completely before placing them in a sealed container.
Recipe Notes
*Baking for 11 or 12 minutes should yield softer cookies, while baking for 13 or 14 minutes should give you crispier cookies.
I used real butter for these and they were absolutely incredible. Love almond flavor so I added a full teaspoon. Decided for a chewier cookie so baked about 12 minutes. These are excellent! Will definitely be a favorite go-to recipe. Kiddos love them too. Thank you!
Thank you! I’ve made these at least 10 times in just a couple of months. Mostly as gifts to family and friends. Everyone raves about them, as do I. No one believes they’re made without dairy. Followed recipe exactly and they have never failed to be delicious. Thank you so much!!