• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Contact
    • Photo Use Policy

Connoisseurus Veg logo

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up for email updates and receive a free copy of my veggie burger e-book!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Free Veggie Burger Book
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Dessert / The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies

    LAST UPDATED: March 5, 2021 • FIRST PUBLISHED: March 5, 2021

    The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Plate of Vegan Sugar Cookies with Glass of Almond Milk and Text Overlay Reading "Vegan Sugar Cookies"

    These vegan sugar cookies are as pretty as they are delicious! Sweet, tender, and topped with tintable glaze, they're fun to make and perfect for everything from celebrations to everyday snacking.

    Vegan Sugar Cookies Topped with Colored Frosting and Sprinkles on a Plate

    These vegan sugar cookies totally blew my mind! I always thought of sugar cookies as pretty, but not all that tasty.

    But these were DELICIOUS! Whereas lots of sugar cookies are sweet but otherwise lacking in flavor and texture, these were soft, tender, and perfectly flavored with vanilla and a hint of almond.

    Let's talk about how they're made!

    Jump to:
    • What You'll Need
    • How to Make Vegan Sugar Cookies
    • Vegan Sugar Cookie Tips & FAQ
    • More Vegan Cookie Recipes
    • The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies

    What You'll Need

    Vegan Sugar Cookies Topped with Frosting and Sprinkles on a Plate

    For the Cookies

    • Flour. I've only tested the recipe with all-purpose wheat flour, so I can't guarantee results with anything else.
    • Cornstarch.
    • Baking powder.
    • Salt.
    • Vegan butter. I used Wegman's brand plant-based butter for this recipe. Other brands you can try include Earth Balance and Miyoko's.
    • Sugar. Use organic granulated sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
    • Vanilla extract.
    • Almond extract. You can skip this if needed, but it really adds flavor to the cookies.
    • Non-dairy milk. Anything unsweetened and unflavored will work. Try soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, or cashew milk.
    • Powdered sugar. Again, use organic to keep the cookies vegan.

    For the Frosting

    • Powdered sugar. Remember to use organic.
    • Maple syrup. Feel free to substitute another liquid sweetener, such as agave.
    • Almond extract. You can skip this or substitute with vanilla extract if needed.
    • Non-dairy milk. Just use whatever variety you used for the cookies.

    How to Make Vegan Sugar Cookies

    Vegan Sugar Cookies Arranged on a White Wooden Surface

    The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make vegan sugar cookies. Scroll down if you'd prefer to skip right to the recipe!

    • Stir your dry ingredients together in a bowl: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
    • In a separate bowl, beat together your vegan butter (brought up to room temperature), sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat everything for a full 2 minutes, until fluffy and creamy.
    • Add the non-dairy milk.
    • Continue beating everything until the milk is incorporated and the mixture is creamy again.
    Collage Showing First 4 Steps for Making Vegan Sugar Cookie Dough: Mix Dry Ingredients, Beat Butter and Sugar, Add Milk, and Blend
    • Now start adding the flour mixture to the butter mixture, just a bit at a time.
    • Beat each addition of the flour mixture in before adding more, until you've got a thick dough.
    Last Two Stages of Blending Vegan Sugar Cookie Dough: Add Dry Ingredients and Beat with Mixer
    • Divide the dough in two, roll each half in a ball and wrap it in plastic. Place both halves in the fridge for an hour to an hour and a half. You want to chill the dough enough to firm it up, but you don't want it rock solid.
    Hand Wrapping a Ball of Cookie Dough in Plastic
    • Take one of your dough halves out of the fridge and roll it to about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle everything with powdered sugar to avoid sticking — dough, countertop, and rolling pin. Be generous with this!
    • Grab some cookie cutters and cut your dough into shapes. Fun!
    Side By Side Images Showing Hands Rolling Vegan Sugar Cookie Dough and Cutting Out Shapes with Cookie Cutters
    • Space your cutouts about an inch apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them until they're set, about 10 minutes for soft cookies.
    • Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack for the cookies to cool when they're done.
    Vegan Sugar Cookies on a Cooling Rack
    • Stir your frosting ingredients together while the cookies bake. Adjust the amount of powdered sugar and milk to get just the right thickness — just spreadable, not too thick, and not too runny. Tint your frosting with food coloring if you'd like.
    Hand Stirring Frosting Together in a Bowl
    • Pipe or spread the frosting on your cookies when they're cool. Decorate your cookies with sprinkles, colored sugar, any other garnishes you like!
    White Wooden Surface Set with a Glass of Almond Milk and Plate of Vegan Sugar Cookies

    Vegan Sugar Cookie Tips & FAQ

    • Can these cookies be made gluten-free? I'm not sure! The recipe might work with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, but I haven't tried so I can't say for sure.
    • Shelf-life & storage: Vegan sugar cookies will keep in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for about 2 weeks, or in the freezer for about 3 months. Be sure the frosting is fully set, and separate layers of cookies with parchment paper.
    • The more times your roll your dough, the tougher your cookies will be. So be efficient and cut them as close together as you can!
    • Keeping your dough at the right temperature will make rolling and cutting easier, and it will prevent the cookies from spreading too much when they bake. Rewrap each dough ball in plastic and keep it in the fridge (or freezer if it warms up too much) between rollings.
    • Not into frosting on cookies? Skip it! As an alternative, top your cookies with sprinkles or colored sugar before baking, or just leave them plain.

    More Vegan Cookie Recipes

    • Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
    • Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
    • Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Vegan Peanut Butter Blossoms

    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

    Vegan Sugar Cookies Topped with Colored Frosting and Sprinkles on a Plate
    5 from 4 votes
    Print

    The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies

    These vegan sugar cookies are as pretty as they are delicious! Sweet, tender, and topped with tintable glaze, they're fun to make and perfect for everything from celebrations to snacking.

    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Chill Time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings 36 cookies
    Calories 116 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    For the Cookies

    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ cup vegan butter, at room temperature
    • ¾ cup organic sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • 5 tablespoons unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
    • Organic powdered sugar, for dusting

    For the Frosting

    • 2 ½ cups organic powdered sugar, plus more as needed
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • 2 tablespoons unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk, plus more as needed
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    1. Stir the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

    2. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract together with an electric mixer at high speed for 2 full minutes, until creamy and fluffy.

    3. Beat in the milk until fully incorporated.

    4. Begin adding the flour mixture to the butter mixture, about a third at a time, beating each addition in at low speed until fully incorporated and a thick dough has formed.

    5. When all of the flour mixture has been added, shape the dough into 2 balls. Wrap each ball in plastic and place them in the fridge to chill until firm but not rock hard, about 60 to 90 minutes.

    6. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

    7. Generously sprinkle a work surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar. Remove one of the dough balls from the fridge, place it on the work surface, then sprinkle it with powdered sugar.

    8. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. Check to make sure it's not sticking to the work surface, and add more powdered sugar if needed.

    9. Cut the dough with cookie cutters, then place the cutouts on the baking sheets, spaced at least an inch apart.

    10. Roll any unused dough back into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and place it back in the fridge to chill while the cookies bake. You can also place it in the freezer if it warms up too much.

    11. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until just set on top. Place the baking sheets on cooling racks to cool.

    12. Repeat the process, rolling any remaining dough, then moving on to the second dough ball. Be sure your cookie sheets are cool before placing new dough cutouts on them. You can place the cookie sheets in the freezer for a few minutes if needed.

    13. While the cookies cool, stir the frosting ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add extra milk if the mixture seems too thick, extra powdered sugar if it seems too thin.

    14. Stir in some food coloring if you'd like. Optionally, divide the frosting up and tint each portion a different color.

    15. Spread or pipe the frosting on your cookies, then decorate them with sprinkles or any other decorations you like.

    16. Allow the frosting to set and serve your cookies or store them for later.

    Nutrition Facts
    The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
    Amount Per Serving (1 frosted cookie)
    Calories 116 Calories from Fat 34
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3.8g6%
    Saturated Fat 1.2g6%
    Sodium 58mg2%
    Potassium 21mg1%
    Carbohydrates 19.8g7%
    Fiber 0.2g1%
    Sugar 12.7g14%
    Protein 0.9g2%
    Calcium 12mg1%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Vegan Ricotta Cheese
    Sweet Potato Soup »

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

    Subscribe

    Subscribe for email updates and receive a free copy of my veggie burger e-book!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Krishna says

      March 10, 2021 at 7:36 am

      Nice post.

      Reply
    2. KM says

      October 13, 2021 at 7:22 pm

      How long does the icing take to dry? Does it dry hard?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        October 16, 2021 at 8:56 pm

        It does dry hard. It will start to firm up pretty quickly (within an hour or so), but I'd say it took a good 4 of 5 hours to set completely.

        Reply
      • Gilly says

        December 24, 2021 at 12:25 pm

        Can I use applesauce instead of butter?

        Reply
        • Alissa Saenz says

          December 24, 2021 at 9:07 pm

          I'm afraid I haven't tried, so I can't say if it will work. I'd love to hear how they turn out if you try!

          Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Alissa Holding a Coffee Cup

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • The Best Vegan Banana Bread
    • Crispy Baked Teriyaki Tofu
    • Creamy Vegan Rice Pudding
    • Classic Lentil Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact
    • Photo Use Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more here.

    Copyright © 2013-2022 Tofu Press LLC & Alissa Saenz

    659 shares
    • 210