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.
Love this recipe. We have nut allergies so substituted oat milk and it worked out perfectly. Also, I ended up putting the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes in two separate “lumps” and everything came out great!
I’m so glad it came out great!
Best sugar cookie recipe. So nice to have a good option for those with allergies in the fam! Will make these again and again and again 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for the comment!
Is there a way to add snickerdoodle flavoring to these cookies? :^)
Perhaps just a little cinnamon? I do have a recipe for Snickerdoodles, if that’s what you are looking for. 🙂
Can you use oat or rice milk instead of almond? My kids have a nut allergy
Yes, both will work just fine.
If I don’t refrigerate them, could I. I use this recipe to make drop cookies?
Secondly, if I refrigerate your molasses cookies, which are the absolute best, could I use it to make rolled gingerbread cookies?
Thanks!
Yes, you could make drop cookies out of this recipe. For the molasses ginger cookies, I haven’t tried making rolled gingerbread cookies out of the recipe, but it might work! Glad you like them. Thanks!
Do you think dining a gluten free baking flour for regular flour would work?
I am honestly not sure, I haven’t tested it. I believe a few people have reported making them gluten free, but I can’t guarantee it would work.
Making these again this year. SO GOOD.
Question: I know I can’t freeze them after they’re decorated, but what about refrigerating them decorated? (flat, no stacking).
Thanks!
Erika
Thank you Erika! Yes, refrigerating them is just fine. And once they set, you could stack them even. Hope you enjoy them as much this year as last year!
Amazing! 5 stars!
Subs: soy instead of almond and an extra 1/4 vanilla bc I didnt have almond extract. Amazing amazing recipe!!! By any chance do you think this can be doubled and work out nicely still? Thanks so much, Nora!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, and yes it can be doubled! I do this every year as we go through a lot of cookies!
Absolutely addictive cookies! I substituted arrowroot powder for cornstarch and used soy milk instead of almond milk but otherwise followed the recipe. The cookies were very easy to cut with cookie cutters when I kept the dough chilled, maintained their shape without puffing during baking, and have the perfect slightly soft, melt-in-your mouth consistency. Will definitely make these again. Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re so welcome! I’m really glad you like them. 🙂
I wanna make these and poke a hole before baking to make gift tags. Are they hard enough to hold through ribbon or twine? Thanks
Yes, what a fun idea! They are sturdy enough, as long as you don’t roll them too thin. Thanks!
What if I only have a hand held stick blender that has a whisk attachment. Are the mixing instructions the same? Thanks!
Yes, they shouldn’t be any different. I use my handheld mixer for these all the time.
Hi ! This recipe looks delicious but a common thing in most of the vegan cookies I’ve tried is that they turn rock solid overnight or if not soon. I wanted to know how long they stay “fresh” (?) after they’re baked
As long as you don’t over bake these, they stay soft for days.
My dough is super firm and not reliable after I set it in the fridge for a few hours! Will it soften as it sits out or did I do something wrong?
*rollable
If you put the whole ball of dough in the fridge, I’m sure it did get rock hard. No worries, you just need to let it sit out for a while until it’s rollable again.
OMG I thought I had the best sugar cookie recipe forever, but when tasked to make some vegan cookies I found this one and now yours are my favorite. I used coconut sugar and I think that is the difference. Mine turned out almost mapley, butterscotchy, gingerbready, caramaly??? I’m obviously not quit sure, but they are so darn tasty. Trial and error? Is this recipe originally yours?
I forgot to click on the stars. Definitely 5 stars.
I’m so glad you liked the sugar cookies even with coconut sugar. I’ll have to try that sometimes for a change! Coconut sugar is more maple, caramely flavored. Yes, I created this recipe through trial and error, from non-vegan sugar cookies. Thank you!
Would the cookies still be soft if I left the cornstarch out?
They will probably still be soft and okay but the cornstarch does help.
I am making these for my daughter’s friends. One of her friends is vegan. The other friend has a tree nut allergy. Could I use water instead of the almond milk?
Sure, but it would be better to use another non-dairy milk such as soy or coconut.
I just made these and they are AMAZE!
I was thinking about using this recipe for a gingerbread house. Any chance you know what spices/quantities I’d use? ?
Thanks!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies! Sorry I really don’t know as I’ve never tried making them into ginger cookies. I think ginger cookies usually have some molasses added as well, but I guess you could just add a pinch of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe cloves and see how they turn out! Thank you!
I have a corn intolerance. I don’t think this amount will bother me but is there another option for the corn starch?
Sure, you could use tapioca starch, probably even potato starch or just leave it out. Thanks!
Can I freeze the dough? If so, for how long?
You could, yes, up to 3 months.
Can I use Gluten Free all purpose flour, i.e. Krusteaz? The package says “replaces wheat flout 1 to 1.” I need a gluten free, dairy free, egg free recipe. Thanks
I haven’t tested it myself, but I think it will work quite well. Enjoy!
I just used the GF all purpose flour and it worked great!
I just made these with the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free flour. No puffing, stayed their shape, great turn out. And I doubled the recipe.
That’s great! Thanks for the comment.
These turned out so good. They taste like super yummy store-bought ones and the texture is perfect. I had to add more flour so I ended up including about 2 1/2 cups of flour but that worked fine. Decorated them with marble-patterned fondant icing and although it took quite a while they look very cute.
Wonderful, I’m so glad they turned out well and you enjoyed them! They sound beautiful.
Very informative. These look lovely! I have frosted sugar cookies the professional way before and you are right-it takes hours. I want to make these with my two and a half year old grandson who is dairy free. I am very excited! We will not be doing pretty ones lol, just making memories!
Sounds like a lot of fun!
Hey! My cookie dough is coming out really crumbly, is there something I’m doing wrong?
Did you follow the instructions completely? You can use 2 cups of flour, and add an extra 1/4 cup if the dough is too wet. It will look crumbly in the bowl when you use a mixer, but once you use your hands to form it into a ball it should come together just fine. So here are my best tips: measure correctly, use the minimum amount of flour if you want (though beware, if you use too little they may spread in the oven), expect it to look crumbly initially, then push it all together with your hands. If you went too far with adding too much flour, you can always add another tablespoon or two of almond milk as well. Thanks and I hope that helps!
Hi!
I started these cookies last night. Right now the dough is chilling in the fridge. I did notice when rolling that the dough kept sticking to my pin and crumbling. Perhaps it’s because my measurements were off? Should I add some almond milk? We plan on cutting shapes tomorrow night. Looking forward to the results since my son has a dairy and egg allergy, and is often left out of cookie decorating.
Hi there! If the dough sticks, sprinkle a little more flour on both the parchment paper and the top of the dough as you roll it. That will prevent sticking. I would not add more milk as that will make it even stickier. Unless the dough is super dry and crumbly, as if you added too much flour to begin with. If the dough is too wet the cookies will spread in the oven, so you want to avoid that if possible. I hope you and your son enjoy the cookies!
Hi, can I use soya milk instead of unsweetened almond milk?
thanks
Yes, that is fine.
This recipe looks great and I’m excited to try it! I’m hoping to make the dough while my daughter naps and then have her do the rolling and cookie cutting. Can I make the dough into a ball and cover to refrigerate like you do non vegan doughs instead of rolling it out then in the fridge? It would just be easier time wise for me, but certainly I don’t want to mess up the recipe!
Sure that is fine, the o lot issue is that sometimes the dough will get too warm before going into the oven which can cause them to spread. They maintain shapes better when they go into the oven rather chilled. But I don’t think it will ruin them! Hope you both enjoy the cookies.