Colorful and fun vegan sugar cookies. These soft and chewy sugar cookies are super easy and perfect for any occasion.
You know, I love simple recipes. Whenever I consider any recipe, the first thing I’m thinking of is what ingredients I can remove and how I can simplify it.
When it comes to these vegan sugar cookies, I wanted to make the easiest version I could think of.
And this is it!
Even the frosting decoration is so simple it’s ridiculous.
Sugar cookies are usually soft cookies and these are no exception. But if you prefer more crunch to your cookies, then just bake them a few minutes longer.
Almond Extract
Sugar cookies also often use a little almond extract, just a touch, to bring out the flavors and add just a little hint of something extra.
However, if you use too much you will get a bit of a marzipan vibe. And if you’re not a fan of the marzipan, you will not be charmed.
In fact, even if you use the exact right amount of almond extract there might still be the faintest hint of marzipan that comes through. So again, if you don’t like marzipan, I would just leave this ingredient out.
For everyone else who is happy for that slightest of slightest hints of marzipan to come through, carry right on.
Decorating Frosting
The decorating frosting is just an easy mix of powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and vanilla. I separated it into two bowls and added a drop of food coloring (red and blue) to each.
I used so little that the red food coloring colored the frosting pink instead of red and I was pretty fond of the pink and blue vibe.
This is definitely an occasion where you could use a few drops of beet juice for a natural food coloring if you don’t want to use regular food dye. But of course that will only work for the pink and not the blue. But in that case you could just do pink and white instead.
This kind of frosting is a decorating only frosting, I didn’t add any vegan butter to it, so it ends up with a very gluey kind of texture. It’s not the easily spreadable texture of a regular frosting. It’s perfect for decorating though as it dries quickly and it stays in place. It’s the same frosting I used to paint the eyes and mouths on my vegan gingerbread cookies.
Want To Frost The Whole Cookie?
Sometimes you want to frost your sugar cookies completely, and not just do a decorating drizzle, and if that is the case, then I would suggest you use the frosting from our vegan chocolate sugar cookies.
We frosted those completely, and added decorating sprinkles, and that was fun! And looked cute, if a little messy. Decorating things is not one of my strengths.
So you can do the same with these, frost them completely using that frosting recipe and then add sprinkles and decorations and anything you like!
Tips For The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
Measure the flour correctly. It’s definitely a good idea to weigh your flour so you make sure you use the right amount.
Flour is a tricky measure to get perfectly accurate so either weigh it, or use the spoon and level method (the correct method for measuring flour when using cups). Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
The cookies puff up a little when baked. You can see this in the pictures above with our before baking and after baking shot. They do puff up a little.
So if you need this to NOT happen, like if you are making very precise shapes and can’t have them puff much (or at all), then cut out the shapes as normal and place onto your parchment lined tray. Then place the whole tray into the freezer for 15 minutes. Then bake them as usual. This prevents them from puffing up when baking.
Recipe FAQ
Can I make these gluten-free? I haven’t tried with these particular cookies, but I have made certain other of my cookie recipes gluten-free with just a simple swap from regular all purpose flour to a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. And it generally works great.
What can I use instead of vegan butter? We have had readers comment that they used coconut oil and it worked well. You could also try making your own homemade vegan butter. I have used that successfully in a couple of my other cookie recipes.
What can I use instead of the almond extract? You can just leave it out.
Can I make these in advance? Sure, you can make up the dough and then leave it in the fridge for 3 days and then roll out as normal and cut out your cookies. You can also freeze the dough and then let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then use it as normal.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week. They can also be stored in the fridge.
They are freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The cookies can be frozen with or without decorating frosting.
More Vegan Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
The Easiest Vegan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- ¾ cups White Granulated Sugar (150g)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Almond Extract
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk
For the Decorating Frosting:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar (120g)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)
- Cream the vegan butter and sugar together and then add the vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix in by hand until crumbly. Add soy milk and mix in to create a big ball of dough. If your mix is too crumbly to form a ball of dough, add in a little more soy milk until it does.
- Flour your hands and a baking mat and transfer the ball of dough to the baking mat.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to around ¼ inch thick, dip a cookie cutter into flour so it doesn't stick and cut out your cookies. Transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking tray. With the remaining dough, form it into a ball and then roll it out again and repeat.
- If you want round cookies and don’t want to make shapes, then you don’t need to roll out the dough, you can simply tear off pieces of the dough and roll into balls and place the balls onto a parchment lined baking tray. Flour the bottom of a glass and use that to press down on the balls to flatten them neatly before baking.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before decorating.
- Prepare your decorating frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vanilla and soy milk to an electric mixing bowl. Start on low speed and gradually increase speed until smooth. If you need a little more soy milk then add it a drop at a time so that you don’t use too much. The consistency will be very sticky, almost gluey. Separate into 2 bowls. Add a drop of food coloring into each bowl and mix in.
- Decorate the cookies and allow to set before serving.
Video
Notes
- Almond extract – can be omitted if you prefer.
- Flour – should be measured correctly, either by weighing it on a food scale or using the ‘spoon and level’ method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
- Frosting – the decorating frosting can also just be mixed up by hand in a bowl, you don’t have to use the stand mixer.
- Storing: Keep your cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week. They can also be stored in the fridge.
- Freezing: They are freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The cookies can be frozen with or without decorating frosting.
Terri Harper says
I really love this recipe. You can diversify it easily. The first time I made it I wasn’t sure how much the cookies were going to spread so I used a small cookie scoop. The came out nice and dainty but still had alittle aftertaste from the baking soda. The second time I made them I was out of vegan butter so it said I could substitute coconut oil! Yummy!! It was softer and no aftertaste. Also I used the almond milk brand that has a hint of honey. which I think made it sweeter. I still used a small cookie scoop. I rolled it in some cinnamon sugar because I was trying to make vegan snickerdoodles; again yummy! I gave it a five star because it’s easy to make, no crazy ingredients, and good hints to give you the cookie your looking for!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Terri!
Rae P says
I’ve been looking for months for a simply, easy but tasty vegan sugar cookie recipe and I have found it. These cookies turned out so delicious and perfectly soft inside/slightly crunchy on the outside. I actually replaced half of the amount flour for gluten-free, which still gives it the full flour texture and not the typical weird gluten-free texture. And this is the first time I’ve made icing that I didn’t find overly sweet and easy to apply. Thank you for this!!!
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Rae! Thanks for the great review.
Courtney says
I loved the flavor of these, but for some reason they came out so flat. I used the tsp of baking soda as instructed, the instructions seemed so clear I’m not sure where I went wrong
Ram says
I don’t have powdered sugar at home for the icing can I use normal granulated sugar?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Ram, unfortunately that won’t work well, however, you can omit the frosting altogether on these cookies, they will still be delicious! 🙂
Cindy says
So excited cannot wait to try this recipe my yoga instructor is vegan and I’ve been trying some recipes for her I do not have a sugar recipe was wondering if you had a royal icing recipe that was vegan thank you again so much love love love your chocolate vegan cupcakes!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Cindy! I don’t have a vegan royal icing recipe but this one from The Hidden Veggies looks good! All the best and so glad you like the chocolate cupcakes! xo
Liz says
I didn’t read through all the comments but I found these to have a really strong baking soda flavor after baking. Did anyone else have that issue? I definitely used a teaspoon and not a tablespoon (good amount of baking experience under my belt) so not sure what happened. These do have a great texture and if you didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to tell they’re vegan.
Alison Andrews says
Sorry to hear that Liz! I have never had that issue. If you make them again though, you can try it with half the amount and see if the issue resolves. Did you use almond extract? That can have an aftertaste, which is why some prefer to leave it out of these cookies.
amelia hike says
I made some heart shaped cookies for valentines day using this recipe and they turned out really good! They were not too sweet and the perfect moist texture. So glad I used this recipe, I received many compliments 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Nell says
The flavour of these cookies is delicious. I followed the recipie, however I did allow it to chill over night in an air tight container in the refrigerator before rolling out to bake. The dough was a bit sticky to work with, so I added lots of flour to the work space. The cookies browned much quicker then the noted time so just keep an eye on them, if you have a temperamental oven like me. Also, while they are most definitely yummy, they are very cake like, while delicious just a bit different then a traditional sugar cookie i’m accustomed to.
Marie Morgan says
I just made these and they are terrific! We are decorating ‘ugly sweater’ sugar cookies at my teen’s Christmas party tomorrow. I didn’t have almond extract, and don’t really like it, so I used imitation rum flavoring, and they tasted like egg nog. Everyone loved them! So yummy!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Marie! 🙂
Emily says
If I use almond flour do I still use the same amount of flour?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emily, I don’t think almond flour would work at all in this recipe unfortunately.
Emily says
Okay, I also bought a “baking flour” and a “self raising baking flour” . Which one am I supposed to use. I’m originally from the USA where I would see All Purpose flour everywhere, but here in Scotland it doesn’t seem to be labeled like that.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emily, I think it’s called plain flour over there. But out of the two that you bought baking flour would probably be about right. Self raising flour has baking powder and salt added so won’t be ideal to use here.
Cyndee Meseraull says
Hi Alison ????
I absolutely love this recipe! I made 118 cookies for Christmas Cookie Decorating class at my school. One recipe I used wheat flour and they puffed up so beautifully. Then I used coconut sugar for the next one and they are brown and not as sweet but still delicious! Who knows what I’ll sub next time? ????
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Cyndee! So glad they were a success. Thanks for sharing and the wonderful review. 🙂
Myeshia says
Absolutely delicious and it didn’t require a trip to the grocery store! Thank you so very much!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Elisabeth Verrier says
Urgent!! Do you think I could add ginger/nutmeg etc to this recipe to make gingerbread men?
I don’t have any molasses or flax egg which are both in your gingerbread man recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Elisabeth, I’m actually not sure! It might work. But I can’t be 100% sure since I haven’t tried adapting this recipe to make gingerbread men.
Beth says
It kind of worked – I ended up using your choc chip cookie recipe, extra flour instead of cocoa and added 2tsp of Ginger, 1 of nutmeg & 1 of cinnamon. The men were a bit crispy so need to roll them thicker next time!
Suzette says
Hi Alison,
I have been looking for a vegan sugar cookie recipe for our child who has egg and dairy allergies, and found your recipe. I followed it exactly but I had the same experience as Jenny (Sep 20 post). The dough was a bit difficult to roll out and there is a strange and somewhat bitter aftertaste. I am not sure what could have contributed to the aftertaste. Could it be the baking soda? Is it okay to substitute baking powder? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Suzette, did you use the almond extract? This hits some people’s tastebuds a little wrong, so it may be better to leave that off next time. I don’t think it’s the baking soda at all, though of course make sure to use a level tsp measure. 🙂
Molly says
Suzette: I’ve found that Earth balance vegan butter lends a bitter, “off” taste to all of my baked goods. It took a lot of experimenting for me to discover the culprit! Since then, I only use refined coconut oil or Miyoko’s vegan butter (more expensive than EB but completely worth it for edible goodies ????) maybe that’s what’s happening with yours!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for sharing Molly, that’s really interesting.
Monica Ortiz says
Can I use monkfruit or stevia instead of sugar?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Monica, I’m really not sure how that would work out in this recipe, it’s not something I’ve ever tried. All the best with it if you do experiment! 🙂
Ezra Sharp says
Fantastic! Exactly like the cookies I used to make! Straight forwards and cheap. Id give it 6 out of 5 if i could.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you liked the recipe Ezra! Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂