This is the only recipe for Vegan Sugar Cookies you’ll ever need! Easy to make and with soft, melt-in-your-mouth bites, these perfect cookies are almost as much fun to eat as they are to decorate with vegan icing and sprinkles.
More sugar cookie-themed desserts you’ll love: Vegan Lofthouse Cookies, Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars and Chocolate Sugar Cookies!
My Vegan Sugar Cookies are a holiday staple and for good reason! These cookies are soft and buttery with delicate flavors and elaborate icing decoration. My family and I have a ton of fun every holiday season cutting them out with different cookie cutters and playing around with the easy vegan icing and sprinkles!
They’re truly the vegan Christmas cookies of my dreams not only because they’re too sweet and delicious to resist, but also because they’re easy to make. The cookie dough comes together in a pinch and stays soft from beginning to end. Say goodbye to dry and crumbly cookies!
Saving the best for last, the easy vegan icing in this vegan sugar cookie recipe is as shimmery and sweet as traditional royal icing. Customize it with as much food coloring as you like, then pipe it onto the cookies. Just like me and my family, I know you’ll have a ton of fun and make new memories with all of the fun decorations you like.
Why these are the best vegan frosted sugar cookies
- The ultimate vegan Christmas cookie recipe – Just like classic sugar cookies, my vegan sugar cookies are delicate, soft, and a must-have treat for the holiday season. Plus, they keep their shape in the oven.
- Fun to decorate with icing – Make the easy royal icing dupe, add food coloring, and pipe it onto the cookies to make each one more eye-catching than the last.
- Easy to make – This vegan sugar cookies recipe comes together easily using less than 10 ingredients!
- 200+ 5-star ratings! It’s official–these cookies are a hit! Here’s what my readers have been saying…
“I absolutely LOVE this recipe & have made it again & again & again. The cookies are so buttery & delicious, almost like a shortbread, but better!” – Julianne
“I’ve made this recipe now for two years – Holiday cookies, Halloween cookies, Easter cookies … you name it. Perfect. It’s the best Vegan sugar cookie adaptation I’ve found. THANK YOU NORA! Huge for us!” – Karin
”I’ve made these a few years in a row now and they’re so soft and delicious every time! Best sugar cookie ever!” – Sarah
How to make vegan sugar cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy and smooth. Beat in the sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Next, mix in the plant milk, cornstarch, vanilla, and almond extract until combined.
Slowly mix 1 cup of flour along with the baking powder and salt into the wet ingredients. Add 1 more cup of flour and continue to mix until the dough feels like play dough in your hands (it will still look crumbly).
If the dough feels too wet to roll, mix in another 1/4 cup of flour. I always end up using the full 2 1/4 cups of flour.
Scoop the dough out of the bowl and push it together with your hands. Divide it into two balls.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface and sprinkle a little flour on top. Add one dough ball to the parchment paper, sprinkle some flour on top, and roll it out with a rolling pin to ¼-inch thickness. Cover with another sheet of parchment on top.
Repeat this step with the second ball of dough, then chill the flattened dough in the fridge.
After chilling, use your favorite cookie cutters to cut fun shapes out of the sugar cookie dough. Lay the cookies onto the lined baking sheets.
Continue re-rolling the scrap dough and cutting it into shapes! Nothing goes to waste here.
Bake the cookies until they’re just starting to turn golden.
Set them aside to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Make sure they’re completely cool before decorating with icing.
How to decorate sugar cookies
You can either get really fancy and pipe the icing onto the cookies with a piping bag and fine tip or keep things simple by spreading my Vegan Buttercream or another frosting on the cookies with a spatula! Below, I’ll show you how to decorate the prettiest sugar cookies:
- Make a thick batch of icing by only using 1 tablespoon of milk so the icing doesn’t spill over the cookie edges.
- Scoop the icing into several bowls and stir 1 to 3 drops of gel food coloring into each portion.
- Transfer the colorful sugar cookie icing to one or multiple piping bags (I used Wilton Bags) fitted with a fine tip.
- Trace the cookie edges with your icing, wait for it to set, then fill in the center with more icing. Add some sprinkles as well and have fun!
Check out this helpful video for more guidance and sugar cookie decorating tips.
They will look like this when they come out of the oven. See how they don’t puff up a bunch or spread like some sugar cookie recipes do? Cookie perfection.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, chilling is a must! If you skip this part, the sugar cookie dough will be too soft and sticky, which will make the cookies hard to work with and cause them to spread in the oven. Luckily, I found that rolling out the dough onto parchment paper is the secret to a quick chill time (about 1 hour) so you can cut the cookies and bake them as fast as possible!
Yes, I have had good results making these cookies with King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten-free flour. If you don’t use this brand, use another quality gluten-free baking flour.
My go-to food coloring brand is Watkins, which is vegan-friendly. Several Wilton brand gel food colorings are vegan, too. Always read the label carefully to ensure the brand you’re buying doesn’t contain any animal products. Or, you can try making your own vegan gel food coloring.
Absolutely! Once the dough has come together in a ball, wrap it in a layer of plastic and store it in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw the dough in the fridge overnight and set it on the kitchen counter for a few minutes so it can soften before you roll it flat.
Place the leftover vegan sugar cookies in an airtight container (or gift bags if you’re gifting them for the holidays) and store them at room temperature for 2 or 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days. The baked and unfrosted cookies freeze well for about 3 months, too.
Want more vegan Christmas cookies?
- Ginger Crinkle Cookies or Vegan Ginger Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Vegan Snowball Cookies
The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3/4 cup vegan butter, slightly softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened plant milk soy, almond or oat milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional, but good
- 2-2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Easy Icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (can omit, but it makes the icing very shiny)
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened plant milk
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl either using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the vegan butter for about 1 minute until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light.
- Now add in the milk, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extract (if using). Beat on high until it is all fully combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add 1 cup of the flour to the wet mixture. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt on top of the flour. Mix on low speed, until just combined. Now add 1 more cup of the flour and continue to mix on low until just combined; don’t over mix. The dough should feel similar to play dough when you work it in your hands, but it will look crumbly in the bowl. If it seems too wet for rolling, add another 1/4 cup of flour. You want the dough to be thick, but not dry. I always use the full 2 1/4 cups of flour. If the dough is too wet, your cookies will spread.
- Using a spatula, scoop all of the dough out of the bowl; use your hands if needed to push it all together. Divide the dough in half and roll into two balls.
- On a flat surface, add a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flour on it, then add half the dough. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough, and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Repeat for the second ball of dough, and then stack them with parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Once the dough has been chilled, set it on the counter for 10 minutes while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut into desired shapes using a cookie cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Continue re-rolling the dough until it is all used.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, in the middle rack of the oven, until very lightly colored on top and around the edges. They will appear underdone, but they will firm up considerably as they cool. Let them cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely before icing.
Easy Icing
- Whisk all icing ingredients in a bowl. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk. It should be smooth, glossy and not runny. If too runny, add more powdered sugar. You can dip the cookies in the icing, or use brushes, spoons or a squeeze bottle. See this helpful video on how to decorate sugar cookies with icing.
- *If you want really pretty cookies, first make the icing thicker, by using only 1 tablespoon of plant milk. Using a decorating tip, outline the cookies with the thicker icing. Then add a little more milk to thin it and flood the inside with icing. This way the icing doesn't spill over the cookie edges.
- Decorate with sprinkles as desired. The icing will take several hours to harden completely. The cookies will stay soft for about 5 days at room temperature.
Notes
- Try to get vegan butter sticks if you can; they are easier to bake with. I always use salted vegan butter; if you use unsalted, add a pinch more of salt. Any brand will work, though Miyoko’s is my favorite in terms of flavor.
- Almond extract is optional but it adds a very good flavor to both the cookies and the icing, so use it if you can.
- To correctly measure flour, make sure to spoon and level by scooping the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with the back of a knife. If you don’t correctly measure the flour, you can end up with way too much flour and the dough will be dry!
- If you aren’t comfortable using corn syrup, you may omit it. I rarely use it, but it makes cookie icing pretty and shiny and it’s just 1 tablespoon.
- Baked sugar cookies freeze well. You can also freeze the dough.
Hi Nora, weird question: do you think this dough would work for making cookie cups? Like, pressed into a mini cupcake tin? Most recipes for cookie cups call for store-bought refrigerated sugar cookie dough, which isn’t vegan.
I’m sure it would work for that, yes. Sounds fun!
This recipe delivers! I did a test batch as written (wait- not entirely true: oat milk for almond milk), then proceeded to double the recipe and convert the measurements to weight. 200 cookies later and they look good. Initially I did over whip the butter and got air bubbles baked into the cookies (as Kailey noted in comments, above). That went away as soon as I was less vigorous with the mixer. My last batch I used Becel vegan margarine, and they turned out just as good (I ran out of Earth Balance). Did not try the icing recipe. Like Nora, I am not a natural decorator of sweets. I found some other sucker to do that job 😂
Thanks for the recipe!
Dear Nory-wory balls 🏐🏐,
Sorry for promising a new review and then not following through!! This time we decided to re-do a classic one of your recipes- a Nora staple! 🗣 We actually made these in 2023 but have been too busy to write ✍️. The first and perhaps the most important thing to state is that we used your recommended earth balance vegan butter, kindly gifted to us by shuk’s american cousins- maybe you know them⁉️ We are extremely sorry to remind you that for our review last time(our first review!) we only gave you 4/5 stars (posted on december 27th 2022 at 7.53pm) which we have since deeply regretted, and we now view it as one of our biggest life regrets. ☹️👎 some others would probably be: not winning geto in the jjk gacha :(((((, not saying weldone girl you win to diya and also not keeping aunt money.💷❌️ Soz for tangent.
In other news, we no longer made any disasterous mistakes regarding flour and the earth balance helped to make it really taste the best of the best. However, we did not use ANY almond extract as we dont own any, dont want to own any and also we don’t believe in it. Also Nora please help settle a dispute, is it pronounced ALL-mond or al-mond. we are scared this dispute may soon take a turn for the worse and turn violent👹, so we would be honoured if you would help us out. We also have to report more antics of shuk’s grandma, first off, she was doing her best to try and sneakily eat some of the dough. so when we had the finished products, and some of the pokémon limbs mysteriously went missing, we immediately suspected shuk’s grandma, and were surprised to find out it in fact was NOT her, a false accusation was made 😨⁉️. To specify (soz) we used some sick pokemon cookie cutters that Ed gifted shuk to make the sugar cookies so much cooler 😈. In the end we identified the pokemon limb eating culprit as shuk’s brother !!! what a TWIST 🆗
OF COURSE A QUESTION BEFORE WE GO:
– what inspired you to go vegan?? is it the same reason you’re vegan today??
goodbye nora.
SEIZURES
Hello again friends! 🙂 Well I am so glad to hear you tried these sugar cookies again and they turned out better. I don’t judge you for not believing in almond extract, you’re either a fan or not. At least that’s what I’ve found. I love it, my kids, not so much, so often I leave it out. Pokemon cutters!? I love it! And who can blame grandma for sneaking some cookie limbs? Much too tempting…
What inspired me to go vegan? Well, it was some 14 years ago now. I first went vegetarian because I realized I didn’t want to eat animals. A few months later, I somehow heard of veganism and decided to try it because I wanted to be kind to animals. At the same time, I had stomach aches often and suspected dairy to be the culprit. Cutting out dairy made me feel much better! And I slowly learned more and more about veganism, and fell in love with vegan cooking. My first cookbooks were from Isa Chandra, Veganomicon and such. I had a great time. Until next time! 🙂
Hi there! I’m allergic to nuts, do you think I could use coconut milk as a replacement for almond milk?
Yes, or soy milk or even oat milk.
Hi!
Can I omit the cornstarch ? Or use something else?
Thanks! Xo
You can leave it out if needed, or substitute tapioca starch or arrowroot.
Hi Nora! I’ve made this recipe a couple of times and it’s delicious, but my cookies seem to puff up a bit more than I’d like when baking. Do you have any recommendations for what I could try in order to get a flatter top to my cookies? Thanks!
Hi there! My sugar cookies usually puff up a bit in the oven, and as soon as I take them out, they become pretty much perfectly flat on top. That is correct. If they are staying rounded and puffy, then something is a bit off. A little too much flour maybe? I have also heard if you whip too much air into the butter-sugar mixture, they can get kinda puffy, so be careful not to whip that for too long. Are you making any substitutions or anything else that’s different from the original recipe?
This is a great recipe! I didn’t follow it too closely, and definitely made my cookies too thin and overbaked. If I made them again I’d make them thicker (closer to 1/4″ as written) and follow the baking times more exactly. They definitely go from looking underbaked to being overbaked very quickly. Also, they are not very sweet on their own, so these are best with frosting.
Thanks for the wonderful review and feedback, Forest! 🙂
Would maple syrup work instead of corn syrup? I’m allergic to corn but I love the idea of shiny icing 🙂
It might work, although it hasn’t been tested. Let us know if you give it a try!
I wish I could leave a picture of some of the cookies I’ve made with this recipe. It’s so yummy and my cookies turn out looking so beautiful.
Oh, that is so cool! I’m thrilled you are enjoying the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review!
Um after 2 cups of flour it’s so crumbly won’t even stick together
Did you leave out the milk? Are your measurements off perhaps? It’s also possible your vegan butter was too cold and hard to begin with, making the dough crumble. It should be softened, but not melted, when you start. If it was too cold, wait a few minutes then mix again, and add a little more milk if needed until it’s not crumbly and you can work with it.
Does the icing firm up enough to package? I have an order for regular cookies with one being vegan. I’ve been searching for a recipe for icing to use for this special request
Yes, the icing hardens well and won’t be messy when packaged 🙂
I have used this recipe for YEARS and it never disappoints. It is easy to make and the cookies always come out amazing. I have turned several (non-vegan) friends onto this recipe and it is their go-to cookie recipe too. I suppose I should branch out and try Nora’s other cookies but these are just so good I always come back to them.
New family favorite! Accommodating those who are dairy free and those who aren’t -all loved these!
Made with grandkids-easy & fun. We did not use the icing recipe (sure it’s good too.) rather left some without icing & used embossed rolling pin to imprint designs. Grandkids used own frosting. Cookies are yummy even without the icing!
Sounds like a lot of fun, Ginger! Thanks for sharing your fun and fabulous review and comments!
This is my go-to biscuit recipe, so easy and so delicious! I love making them with my 3yo daughter <3
Just wondering, will the dough freeze well before baking? Wasn't able to finish cutting out the second half of the mix, and would be nice to save it for another time.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Yes, the dough will freeze just fine for another time.
I made these and they were SO good! Students and teachers (all non-vegan) loved them. I will reiterate what Nora says about taking them out of the oven even though they don’t appear to be done. I thought “a few more minutes” but those few more minutes left me with a crispier cookie (still good, just crispy). Next time I’ll follow the directions…and there WILL be a next time!
I’m thrilled the cookies were a hit! Thanks for your great words and review!
Hi Nora! Do you have a recipe/recommendation for lavender lemon sugar cookies? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, but it wouldn’t hurt to add some lavender flavor and lemon zest (maybe lemon extract as well) to this recipe. I would make lavender sugar to use in place of regular sugar for the cookies. Hope that helps!
My family and I made this recipe/decorated sugar cookies as a new tradition for the holidays and let me just say… THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING!!!!! I am a vegan chef and definitely don’t specialize in baking but we followed this recipe to the T and these cookies were a show-stopper. Everyone in my family (many who are skeptical about vegan cuisine) absolutely loved these. The only bad part: I ate WAY too many LOL. We made many colored/flavored icings and our favorite was the peppermint (I just added a few drops to the icing). So good!
My family and I decided that we will make this recipe and decorate cookies every year from now on. THANK YOU, NORA! Because of your recipe/post, you helped create amazing memories for my family and me. We are already excited about making them again next year! And now I am craving these cookies. Oh dear…
You are welcome, Daisy! Thank YOU for your fabulous review and feedback! I love that your family made fun new memories, and that you now have a new holiday tradition! You know, sugar cookies are good for ALL holidays & occasions! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Perfect recipe. Made them for the holidays and they came out perfectly. Everyone in the family loved them, including lots of non-vegans. Thanks for another great recipe.
How wonderful! Thank you so much for the fantastic review, Carolyn 🙂
made this for christmas and unfortunately i feel like the flavor and texture were off. they almost tasted sour and i followed the recipe to a t. the cookies were also very flat if that makes sense. luckily people still enjoyed them but i was personally disappointed because i love so many of nora’s recipes! i guess you can’t love them all bc taste preferences are so personal!
The single greatest sugar cookie recipe! I started making these for Dia de los Muertos, and I have used them for so many things since then. The tips for icing (border and flooding) are on point too – I feel like I have finally perfected a catch-all cookie! They can be made any shape for any occasion, and are a huge hit with vegans and non-vegans alike. Also, go ahead, use the almond extract, you won’t regret it. 🙂
Thank you so much for the kind words, Laura! I’m thrilled you love the cookies 🙂
Our family has made these cookies a few times and they always come out perfectly! We just made them again for Santa. I only used 2 cups of all-purpose flour and baked them in convection for 8 minutes. Thank you for a great recipe!
I love the way these turn out, my go to sugar cookie recipe! ❤️🙏
This is my 3rd Christmas in a row using this recipe and it turns out excellent every time with minimal stress and all the fun! Thank you for this recipe from all the cookie loving dairy free girlies <3
You are welcome, Sophie! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Great recipe! I refrigerated the ball of dough for a couple of hours and then rolled it out. I did not have an issue with crumbling. I used Melt vegan butter. I decorated them very sparingly because they are already fairly sweet, at least for my taste. I must have rolled them out way thinner than intended! My yield was around 100 cookies and they are more crispy than soft. But I like it that way!
I have used this recipe for years but I always use coconut oil instead of any other butter and they turn out so amazing. All the kids love them too!
For the coconut oil, is it the same measurement as the butter?