These soft-baked Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a classic holiday cookie. Crinkled on the outside, fudgy on the inside, and rolled in powdered sugar, they’re a serious crowd-pleaser!
For more vegan holiday cookies, check out my Vegan Snowball Cookies, Vegan Sugar Cookies, and Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“These are absolutely delicious and very easy to make! They are chewy and rich like a brownie. We will definitely be making these again!” – MadisonHomeCook
The first time I tried these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, I almost thought I was eating one of my Vegan Brownies rolled in powdered sugar. They’re fudgy on the inside, coated in powdered sugar on the outside, and have the most beautiful crinkles after baking. I was in the Christmas spirit after just one!
My oldest son says these are his favorite cookies. Then again, whenever I make Vegan Snickerdoodles, he claims those are his favorite cookies ever, so I don’t know…. But I’ve never come across a person who didn’t LOVE these vegan chocolate crinkle cookies!
Are vegan crinkle cookies at the top of your holiday baking list, too? Then you’ll have to try my Ginger Crinkle Cookies, Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, and Lemon Crinkle Cookies as well.
Why you’ll love these vegan chocolate cookies
- Christmas crinkles – Those slightly crisp and crinkled edges are what make these chocolate cookies a Christmas classic.
- Rich & fudgy – These are like brownies in cookie form! Soft-baked, oh-so chocolatey, and incredibly fudgy.
- Surprisingly easy – These fancy-looking cookies are easy to make in only ONE bowl using baking staples you probably already have at home.
How to make vegan chocolate crinkle cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Stir the sugar and oil together in a large bowl until combined. Next, add the ground flax seeds, milk, and vanilla. Mix again to combine. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, then stir until you have a soft dough.
Use a sifter
A sifter is helpful because cocoa powder and flour can be quite chunky, and you want them to be very fine. If you don’t have a sifter, use a fine mesh strainer instead.
Place the powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough at a time and shape it into a ball. Dunk the ball in the powdered sugar to coat all sides with a generous layer. The more powdered sugar, the prettier the cookies will be!
Arrange the balls on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Set them aside to cool, then enjoy!
Recipe tip
They key to preventing the powdered sugar from melting is to start with a very generous layer. Dunk those cookie dough balls in the bowl of powdered sugar, roll them around until they’re completely covered and you no longer see the dark chocolate cookie dough, then you’re good to go. Even after they bake, the cookies should still be covered in that snowy white coating!
Customize the cookies
- A few readers have tested this recipe with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour and had good results!
- To make the cookies more festive, add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract or fold 1/4 cup of crushed candy canes into the dough.
- Add 1 teaspoon of orange extract to the dough if you love orange chocolate cookies.
- Fold in 1/3 cup of mini vegan chocolate chips if double chocolate vegan cookies are your thing!
- Use dark cocoa powder or add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the dough for the most indulgent chocolate cookies.
Frequently asked questions
Chilling the dough isn’t necessary unless it’s very sticky or hard to work with. In this case, stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, then roll the cookie dough balls as normal.
I like natural cocoa powder best, but dark cocoa powder, Dutch-processed, and even cacao powder will all work. Use what you have on hand.
Yes! Roll the cookie dough into balls as normal, but don’t coat them in powdered sugar. Freeze the balls on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container.
Let them thaw for at least 30 minutes on the counter before coating in powdered sugar and baking.
Chocolate crinkle cookies stay fudgy and soft for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. The powdered sugar coating will melt into the cookies over time, but they’ll still be delicious (you can always re-roll them, too!).
Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil OR melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and canola oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth. Add the ground flax seeds, non-dairy milk and vanilla, and mix well to combine.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt using either a sifter or fine mesh strainer. Stir until combined with the wet ingredients and a soft dough is formed.
- Place the powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, and shape into a ball. Roll the ball in the powdered sugar very generously, covering all sides. The more powdered sugar, the prettier the cookies will be.
- Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart so they have room to spread.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until set. They will appear slightly undercooked and soft, but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Store any extra cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- May use canola oil, melted coconut oil or melted vegan butter.
- Use any kind of non-dairy milk you like, such as soy, almond, cashew, or coconut milk.
- If the dough is hard to work with, stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, then try again. You can also wet your hands a little bit so the dough sticks less.
These are delicious! We cut mini York peppermint patties in quarters and then rolled the pieces inside. Tastes like Christmas!
These were sooo good. Tasted like the (non vegan) chocolate clouds my grandma used to make growing up.
That’s so great!
Hi! I am not a fan of using flax for egg substitute because I don’t really like the taste it adds. Was just wondering if you’ve tried to use vegan yogurt (or another egg substitute) for this recipe or a similar recipe? Or if you think that would work for me?
It’s such a small amount here you can just leave it out. For other recipes, it really just depends on what it is. Sometimes applesauce works well or yogurt, but those don’t typically work well for cookies as they will make the cookies very soft.
Wow!!! Just perfect! Thank you very much for this recipe ?
You’re welcome!!
Hello! I’m wondering if I can use regular granulated sugar instead of organic cane sugar? Or maybe organic coconut sugar? Thank you!
Any granulated sugar, organic or otherwise will work. To make sure sugar is vegan, use organic because then you know it wasn’t processed using animal bones. But it doesn’t make a difference baking wise.
I absolutely love this recipe! When I made them my family and friends were all over them and asked for more ?
Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies!
I’ve made these several times and enjoy them, although mine end up too gooey inside for my liking. Still trying to figure out how to fix that: I’ve already tried adding a bit more flour, even extended the baking time, and cut the amount of flax in half. None of these really worked, do you have an idea? I will try to pop them in the fridge before rolling into powdered sugar next time. Other than the too gooey middle, they are delicious!
Thanks so much! I wonder if your oven runs hot, so they are cooking outside but not fully inside… You could also roll the dough into balls then flatten slightly, then roll in powdered sugar. Might help them cook more evenly for you. Hope that helps!
Hi! Do you have any tips for freezing these cookies ?! Should I freeze as a ball and then thaw and coat in powder sugar, coat in powder sugar then freeze, or do you think I could freeze the cookie after it’s baked ?
Thanks!
I would freeze the cookie dough balls without powdered sugar, then let them thaw a bit before rolling in powdered sugar and baking. You could freeze the cookies after baking, but the powdered sugar won’t hold up very well. Thanks!
Loved these!!!!!! Perfectly soft and fudgy. Thank you for the recipe!
I added 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips and chilled my batter before scooping… you can’t go wrong with more chocolate in there, haha.
Hi, would you think oat flour will work here? Thanks
I’ve never tested it, but it might work okay.
wow these are amazing!! easily one of the best chocolate cookies ive had. i kept them in for 10 mins and they came out perfect, the fudgy middle is to die for. i had to add in extra flour pinch by pinch to get the dough just firm enough to handle. next time i’ll probably bump up the salt a bit as they were a tad sweet for my taste, even though i didnt even add enough powdered sugar (pro tip- use WAY more than u think! i thought the amount called for was too generous but my cookies came out more freckled than crinkled, lol). definitely will be making these again. thanks nora!
Just made these and they’re fantastic! Especially warm out of the oven, mmmm. I mixed my flax with 2.5 Tbsp water and let it gel into a flax egg for a few minutes, rather than just mixing it in dry, and to compensate for the extra liquid, used a splash less milk. Mine were perfect at around 15 minutes. Delicious recipe, thanks!
You’re welcome!
Recipe looks fantastic, do you think I could sub applesauce in for the flax? Thanks!
Yes, I think that would be fine!
Hi! I was searching for a vegan crinkle cookies recipe and I found yours so I decided to try it and no regrets! Best cookies ever, OMG!!! Thank you so much!
Regards from Chile!
I’m so glad you liked them!
What does the ground flax do? I only have a ground flax and dried fruit mix at the moment, as well as some ground chia and egg replacer – any ideas? 🙂
I would sub ground chia, it just sort of helps them bind together instead of crumble. They work quite well without it though.
We can just leave the flax out? Or would it be too crumbly
I think they will be okay without the flax, but I haven’t tried it.
I’m a little confused on this post regarding the Dutch vs. natural cocoa powder. When reading the article that you linked, it states if the recipe calls for predominately baking powder, like yours does, to use Dutch chocolate. Could you explain your reasoning to use natural chocolate?
Thanks!!
Hi there! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have since used dutch (dark cocoa powder) as well as natural cocoa powder. Either one works just fine! I have changed the writing in this post to reflect my findings. 🙂
Hi!! Can I replace the sugar with dates or date syrup?? If so, how much?? Thank u!! These look delicious..
A liquid sweetener won’t work here, as it will change the recipe too much. I really don’t know about dates either, but date sugar or coconut sugar would be fine.
Is there a sub for Cocoa Powder? Thanks!
Well, you need either cocoa powder or cacao powder to make the cookies chocolate, so no real sub here. Thanks!
Could I use peanut oil instead?
Sure that should be fine.
Hello. I am wondering if I can substitute something for the flax seed. I would be making it non vegan.
Pretty good! I used gluten-free flour and rolled the balls in almond flour (I didn’t want them to be too sweet). Easy to make.
Hi, do you think if I used cacao powder instead of cocoa powder, it would be ok?
Yes, that is no problem. They may just be lighter in color, but that is not a problem.
Thank you!
To die for! Made them for Christmas and making them again now just because.
Thanks so much! Can’t get enough of these!
Do you think I could use bobs red mill 1:1 gluten free flour?
I haven’t tested it myself, but I’m pretty sure it will work.
Do you recommend adding additional flour for high altitude?
I’m really not sure, sorry! I don’t think adding more flour to this recipe is a good idea as the dough is already quite thick.
I have made several batches this holiday season and they have been a big hit. They are easy to make and taste so good! I’m about to make another batch right now. 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad you are enjoying the cookies!
Loved these!!!!!! Perfectly soft and fudgy. Thank you for the recipe!
I added 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips and chilled my batter before scooping… you can’t go wrong with more chocolate in there, haha.
I’m so glad you loved them!!
Hi, I have a question concerning the ground flaxseed. I was wondering if you know that ratio of switching ground flaxseed to applesauce? Have a great day!