Vegan Snickerdoodles are totally addicting and always get rave reviews. These soft, puffy, and cinnamon sugar-coated treats are incredibly quick and easy to make and turn out perfect every time.
Want more classic cookies turned vegan? Check out my Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies and Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies as well!
Who could possibly resist the chewiest cookie of all time, vegan snickerdoodles? They’re pillowy soft and puffy with an irresistible tangy flavor and cinnamon sugar coating. Yum!
Here’s what one reader had to say:
“This recipe is amazing! Very easy to make and so delicious! My family and I loved these cookies. I will definitely be making them again!”
Bridget
Why I love this recipe
- The perfect cookie for holidays or any time of the year! Delightfully soft and tender with a comforting cinnamon sugar coating, snickerdoodles are always a hit.
- They are chewy, soft with that signature tang from cream of tartar. They aren’t snickerdoodles without it!
- They’re quick and easy to make in 1 bowl! Plus, they freeze very well, so you can always have a batch on hand.
How to make vegan snickerdoodle cookies
Stir the ground flaxseed and water together to make the flax egg. Set it aside to thicken.
In another bowl, stir the cinnamon and sugar together, then set aside.
Cream the vegan butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Next, mix in the flax egg and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Cookie dough troubleshooting: At this point, the dough will be very thick rather than too wet or dry. In other words, it should be easy to scoop and roll into balls! If it’s too dry or crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk. Too wet? Add 1 tablespoon of flour.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough at a time and roll into balls. Repeat until you run out of dough.
After rolling, toss the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar topping so they’re fully coated.
Place the cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet, then bake. They’ll look soft when they’re done but will firm up as they cool!
Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
For extra cinnamon-sugary goodness: While the cookies are still warm, place them back in the cinnamon sugar. Coat on both sides before returning them to the cooling rack. Enjoy immediately!
Frequently asked questions
You can, but they won’t really be snickerdoodles without cream of tartar. By leaving it out of the recipe, you’re simply making sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. They won’t be nearly as soft, chewy, or tangy either!
Sure. Just replace the all purpose flour with a quality gluten free flour blend to make gluten free snickerdoodles. I like to use King Arthur Measure for Measure flour or Better Batter for cookies.
The cookies are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven because that’s when they’re at their puffiest. They’re still tasty when stored away, though. Keep them in an airtight container for up to 1 week on the kitchen counter.
Yes! The baked cookies freeze really well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough balls when you want to get a jumpstart on this recipe. Lay them on a baking sheet and bake right from frozen when you need snickerdoodle cookies in a hurry (just lengthen the bake time by a few minutes).
Vegan Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Flax Egg:
- 1 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tablespoons water
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with oil.
- Make the flax egg: Combine ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.
- Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and stir. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar for about 1-2 minutes using a handheld mixer, stand mixer, or even just a wooden spoon. Mix in the flax egg and vanilla, scraping the sides as needed.
- To the bowl with the wet ingredients, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Turn on the mixer (or mix by hand) and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- The dough will be quite thick and not too wet or dry. You should be able to roll the dough in balls. If you added too much flour and the dough is crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk. If too wet for some reason, add a tablespoon of flour. This is a good way to troubleshoot any cookie recipe.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat, and roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar topping. Place on baking sheets and bake for 11 minutes. The cookies will be very soft. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Optional: For extra cinnamon-sugary goodness, while the cookies are still warm but not falling apart, place each cookie back into the cinnamon sugar. Coat one side, then flip and coat the other side. Return to the cooling rack. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Cookies will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
- You can freeze the cookies, or the dough before baking, if desired. I like to freeze cookie dough already rolled into balls.
- I have not tried these cookies with coconut oil or any other oil. For best results use vegan butter.
- Don’t leave out the cream of tartar unless you need to, or they won’t really be snickerdoodles! It’s what makes them soft, chewy and have that traditional “tang”.
Nutrition
*This post has been updated with new photos and some improved writing. Was first published November 2018.
This is my go-to recipe, as are all of Nora’s! She’s one of the only ones whose recipes are always always (always) perfect and never need any more or less than what it says!
Hi! You helped make my day with your wonderful words about my recipes! I am so glad you love the Snickerdoodles! I appreciate you sharing your amazing review and comments! Thank you, and happy cooking!
Hi Nora! Thanks for all your amazing recipes.
I made these cookies (and also the chocolate chip cookies) with arrowhead 1-1 gluten free flour, and they both turned out flat, and when chewed, the consistency of sand. Wondering what i may be doing wrong, or how i can adjust it to accommodate the gluten free flour and make it work.
Response is much appreciated!
Thank you so much!
Hi Kira. I’ve never tried arrowhead gluten free flour, but the sand consistency is from the flour. Some gf flours do have that texture. I have found that King Arthur Measure for Measure tastes best in cookie recipes, and I can’t even tell the difference when I use it. I’m sure there are other good brands out there, but that is the one I’ve personally had good luck with. Hope that helps!
You rock thank you
These are amazing! I had leftover topping sugar even though I rolled them in it and sprinkled extra on top of each cookie. So delicious that I literally ate ten in 24 hours, oops.
Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful review and comments! I’m glad you loved the cookies – and that enjoyed them!
So easy and yummy!!
These are incredible! Very easy to make, and they were crowd pleasers—for vegans and omnivores alike. I will definitely make these again. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your great review and comments!
These are great! I used Bob’s red mill egg replacement and thay were perfect! Thanks so much for this recipe!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your review!
So good! Making a double batch and freezing them for Christmas. Your recipes never disappoint.
Thank you for sharing your great review! I’m so glad you are loving my recipes! Thank you!
I’ve made these several times and they are delicious! Sadly the last two times I’ve made them they came out undercooked and like a puffy ball., They never flattened and cracked.
Has this happened to you? Do you know what I’m doing wrong?
It sounds like you accidentally added too much flour and under baked the cookies. Be careful how you measure the flour and all the ingredients, and make sure to start out with softened vegan butter, not melted or too hard and cold. To troubleshoot though, you could always press them down yourself a little bit (though I never need to) and bake a little longer so they are cooked.
Snickerdoodles are my wife’s favorite cookies so we made these again this weekend for our Mother’s Day picnic. As always, they’re a huge hit. We use the recipe exactly and they come out perfect every time.
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your great review, Bobby!
Good. For those that want a healthier cookie I did one half cup of applesauce and a half cup of butter. I used ground chia seed and added it directly into the butter and applesauce since chia sets up so much faster then flax. I did 3/4 of sugar. They turned out great!
That’s great to know they worked that way, thank you!
These are shockingly good! I just pulled them out of the oven, and I can’t stop eating them.
Thanks, Alicia! I’m glad they turned out great for you!
Hi Nora! These cookies are amazing!! Anyone who loves cookies, vegan or nonvegan, couldn’t stop talking about how these came out when I made them! Thank you!
Hi Jeanna. I’m glad the cooking turned out great for you! Thank you!
SO GOOD! I made the following changes: 2 tbsps of lemon juice instead of cream of tartar, for the topping sugar i used brown sugar instead of granulated sugar because I ran out of granulated sugar, I also needed to add 1 tbsp of non dairy milk because my dough was crumbly, i used Melt plant butter instead of Earth Balance . OVERALL SUPER HAPPY with the result and so happy that I can continue to eat my favorite cookies but now they are made vegan!
Hi Liz. I’m so glad you love the snickerdoodles! Thank you for sharing!
Can I substitute the white granulated sugar for Monk Fruit sweetener instead?
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it. Might work but it will probably change the texture and flavor of the cookies.
I agree with one of the comments below. It’s almost like TOO sweet to enjoy and in danger of a stomach ache LOL. I’m going to add a little less sugar to see if that helps. I followed it to the T and my dough was crumbly so added like 4 tablespoons of almond milk and it helped! Mine were not ready in 11 minutes though, could be my oven so I put them in for 20-21 and they were good!
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies. Feel free to cut back on the sugar if you want a less sweet cookie, but I haven’t tested them with less sugar to know if the recipe will work the same way. I’m not sure why your dough was crumbly, but make sure to measure everything accurately, as adding just a little too much flour could make for a crumbly dough. Thank you!
I realized I was packing the flour! So I added too much the first time. I made them again and the dough wasn’t crumbly anymore 🙂 everyone loved them!! So could have just been me thinking they were too sweet haha
Oh good! I’m glad they worked out better the last time! Thanks.
Absolutely perfect. Snickerdoodles are my husbands absolute favorite and he said these were the best! Your recipes are always amazing, thank you for sharing them!
you’re so welcome!
Incredible!! All my omni family even said it was the best snickerdoodle they’ve had!
Made these cookies last weekend. They were delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great!
These Are AMAZING Vegan Snickerdoodles! Is on our favorite cookie list. THank you!
You’re welcome!
Amazing!!! Turned out so pillowy. I only did one cup of sugar bc I like it less sweet. Can’t wait to bring to vegan Christmas dinner, along with ginger cookies
Hi, can I substitute a normal egg for the flax egg?
You probably could, yes.
Can a chia egg be used instead?
It should work fine, just made sure they are ground or you will have whole chia seeds in your cookies.
Thank you for the awesome recipe nora! can I sub out avocado oil for vegan butter? I’m allergic to a lot of the oils and vegan butters.
Thanks!
Kathleen
I’ve never tried using oil instead of vegan butter here so I’m not sure if it will work or not, sorry! It’s worth a try though. Thanks so much, hope you can enjoy the cookies!
OMG just 5 star delicious
This recipe is the best! My family can’t stop eating them. Will be baking a few more batches before Christmas.