These vegan lemon poppy seed cookies are the best! Perfectly soft and buttery cookies made with fresh lemon zest, nutty poppy seeds and topped with a delicious tangy lemon glaze.
These vegan lemon poppy seed cookies are everything a cookie should be—soft, zesty, sweet, and just the right amount of tangy. Whether you’re making them for a party or simply to satisfy your sweet tooth, you’ll fall in love with this easy, delicious recipe.
We love the combination of lemon and poppy seeds. The tartness of fresh lemon zest pairs so well with the nutty crunch of poppy seeds. And when you add a soft, buttery cookie base, it’s pure deliciousness.
Like our vegan lemon cookies, these vegan lemon poppy seed cookies are simple to make, full of flavor, and have the perfect balance of softness and chew. Plus, they’re finished off with a deliciously tangy lemon glaze that takes them to the next level.
These cookies are perfect for any occasion—whether it’s a casual snack, a dessert for guests, or a treat for yourself. They taste just like sunshine and are sure to brighten up any day!
And if you’re, like us, a lover of lemon desserts, you’ll love our vegan lemon poppy seed cake, vegan lemon bars, vegan lemon pie and vegan lemon cupcakes!
Ingredients for vegan lemon poppy seed cookies
Ingredient notes
- All purpose flour – should be measured correctly. If you accidentally over-measure your flour in this recipe, the dough will be too thick. So either weigh it out on a food scale, or use the spoon and level method. Spoon it into your measuring cup (don’t scoop it, and don’t pack it into the cup) and then level it off with a knife.
- Soy milk – you can substitute the soy milk for a different non-dairy milk.
- Lemon glaze – When you’re making the glaze, the tablespoons of lemon juice should be filled to just before the top, not to the top. The glaze should be completely opaque. If you glaze your first cookie and realize that the glaze is just running off the cookie completely, then your glaze is too thin. Add a bit more powdered sugar.
How to make vegan lemon poppy seed cookies
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- To the bowl of your stand mixer, add the vegan butter and white sugar and cream them together.
- Add in the lemon zest and lemon extract and mix in well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds and mix together.
- Then add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and mix in by hand (don’t use the electric mixer for this part). Mix until crumbly.
- Add in the soy milk and mix in very well. It will seem like it is too dry to form a dough, but get in there with your hands until it does. Only add more soy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if you absolutely have to.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Break off pieces of dough, roll them into balls and place them onto your lined baking tray. Aim to get 20 balls, 10 balls per tray.
- Flatten the balls either with a fork or by placing a square of parchment paper over a ball and flattening with the base of a glass.
- Place into the oven to bake for 12 minutes. When they’re done they will be lightly browned on top but still very soft in the middle. Allow to cool on the tray and they will firm up as they cool. While the cookies cool, prepare your glaze.
- Prepare your lemon glaze by adding the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract to a mixing bowl and mix with a spoon or small whisk until combined.
- When the cookies are completely cool, spread the glaze over half the cookie with a teaspoon. Sprinkle the cookie with poppy seeds and lemon zest immediately after you’ve glazed it. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
- Place the trays of cookies in the fridge to set. Allow the glaze to set completely before serving.
Bakers Tips
Flatten the cookies before baking. These vegan lemon poppy seed cookies don’t spread like our vegan funfetti cookies while baking. Flatten the balls either with a fork or by placing a square of parchment paper over a ball and flattening with the base of a glass.
Spread the cookies over two trays. 10 cookies per tray. This prevents them from baking together and needing to be separated.
Bake the cookies one tray at a time. It’s best to first bake one tray of cookies. Once that’s finished, you can then move on to baking the second tray of cookies. It is not recommended to bake both trays at once, as this may cause them to bake unevenly.
Storing and freeze
Storing. Keep your vegan lemon poppy seed cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy them within a week.
Freezing. They are freezer friendly for three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More delicious vegan cookie recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- ½ cup Vegan Butter 112g, softened, room temperature
- ¾ cups White Granulated Sugar 150g
- 2 tsp Lemon Extract
- 2 cups All purpose Flour 250g
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest plus more to sprinkle on top
- 3 Tbsp Poppy Seeds 30g, plus more to sprinkle on top
- 3 Tbsp Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar 120g + 40g (get cups measurement)
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice scant*
- ⅛ tsp Lemon Extract
Instructions
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- To the bowl of your stand mixer, add the vegan butter and white sugar and cream them together.
- Add in the lemon zest and lemon extract and mix in well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds and mix together.
- Then add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and mix in by hand (don’t use the electric mixer for this part). Mix until crumbly.
- Add in the soy milk and mix in very well. It will seem like it is too dry to form a dough, but get in there with your hands until it does. Only add more soy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if you absolutely have to.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Break off pieces of dough, roll them into balls and place them onto your lined baking tray. Aim to get 20 balls, 10 balls per tray.
- Flatten the balls either with a fork or by placing a square of parchment paper over a ball and flattening with the base of a glass.
- Place into the oven to bake for 12 minutes. When they are done they will be lightly browned on top but still very soft in the middle. Allow to cool on the tray and they will firm up as they cool. While the cookies cool, prepare your glaze.
- Prepare your lemon glaze by adding the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract to a mixing bowl and mix with a spoon or small whisk until combined.
- When the cookies are completely cool, spread the glaze over half the cookie with a teaspoon. Sprinkle the cookie with poppy seeds and lemon zest immediately after you’ve glazed it. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
- Place the cookies in the fridge to set. Allow the glaze to set completely before serving.
Notes
-
- All purpose flour – should be measured correctly. If you accidentally over-measure your flour in this recipe, the dough will be too thick. So either weigh it out on a food scale, or use the spoon and level method. Spoon it into your measuring cup (don’t scoop it, and don’t pack it into the cup) and then level it off with a knife.
-
- Soy milk – you can substitute the soy milk for a different non-dairy milk.
-
- Lemon glaze – When you’re making the glaze, the tablespoons of lemon juice should be filled to just before the top, not to the top. The glaze should be completely opaque. If you glaze your first cookie and realize that the glaze is just running off the cookie completely, then your glaze is too thin. Add a bit more powdered sugar.
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