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.
What can I use instead of white sugar? Can I use Coconut sugar, syrup, or dates?
I haven’t tried it with anything else, but coconut sugar might work. The cookies will be dark in color though. Syrup or dates will not work here. Thanks!
Hi Nora,
I made these sugar cookies today, and the dough worked perfectly and the cookies kept their shape while baking! I left them in 2 minutes longer than suggested because I’m baking at higher altitude. However, when I tasted one, it was very bitter or off. Do you have any idea what could be the reason? Maybe I over-baked them?
It’s hard to say what the problem was, is there a chance you don’t care for the flavor the almond extract adds? If it was truly bitter, I would try again with fresh baking powder, maybe that is the issue. Or try a different vegan butter, if you don’t like the taste of whatever you used. Hope that helps! But if they were a bit burnt, that would also make the flavor be off.
The earth balance ‘sticks’ always seem to give an off taste when used to bake. We use earth balance soft as our regular ‘butter’ at our home.
My solution was solved when I found ‘melt-ables’. They work and taste great in baked goods.
I’m not saying it will work for everyone but sure works for me.
~ Joanne S.
Made these for Christmas with my son. They tasted great. Everyone loved them. Will make again for other holidays.
I was skeptical in trying this recipe as I’ve had mixed results with other vegan recipes for cookies – but this is INCREDIBLE. Follow the directions exactly, and do not overbake (unless you like crunchy cookies), and you will not be disappointed. I made with full fat oat milk and orange extract, as we have a tree nut allergy in our household and were very pleased with the results. Cookies are delicious and held their shape for decorating, just like a traditional sugar cookie does!
Glad to hear it, thank you!
Made these with my 8 year old for Christmas cookies, they came out perfect! I added a little more almond milk to the icing and they dried really quick and were really shiny. thank you a million times!
You’re so welcome!!
Yum!!!! Made these last week. Froze them then decorated them this weekend. So good!!! We all loved them! Question: do you let the base color icing set for a bit then add the decorative colors on top? Still learning how to decorate them
Beautifully!
If I don’t have a mixer with a paddle attachment, is there something that will work just as well?? Also, I wanted to say I LOVE your recipes! I tried a few out for Thanksgiving and they all turned out AMAZING! 🙂
Of course, you can use a hand mixer if you have it. It would be a bit difficult to mix this dough by hand with spoon, but it probably could be done. Thank you so much, I’m happy to hear that!
I just made these tonight and had to mix by hand because I forgot my hand mixer broke! I wouldn’t say I enjoyed mixing them by hand, but it worked out. I used a large spoon to mix and I found it effective to use the back of the spoon to mash the ingredients together until they blended. And then at the end with all the flour I ended up using my hands! They are yummy!
Thank you for this recipe! Do you think I could sub soy milk instead of almond? I have a baby with a lot of food allergies. I would really appreciate your perspective! Thank you!
Yep, not a problem. Thanks!
Fun and easy recipe. I ended not using the full amount of flour due to the fact they would have been too dry. Turned out nice!
I made these but the dough kept tearing and falling apart when I tried cutting out shapes. Should I add more flour next time or could I have over mixed the dough?
It’s hard to say without being there. Make sure you are measuring everything correctly and aren’t adding too much or too little flour. Was the dough falling apart because it was too dry? In that case, you likely accidentally added too much flour, this can be saved by adding just a tiny bit of non-dairy milk until you can handle the dough. If the dough was too wet, then you did not add enough flour. It shouldn’t be difficult to work with, but you do need to handle the shapes carefully when cutting, if you move too quickly or are rough, they will break. So also just handle everything gently when transferring and cutting. Hope that helps!
Have you tried using an alternate flour? (oat, almond, etc.)
They work well with an all purpose gluten free flour, but I don’t think oat or almond flour would work.
I used half almond, half all purpose for a batch and only almond for the other and both came out beautifully. In both cases I had to adjust the “wetness” of the dough and cooking time because of the flour, but also because I didn’t use Earth Balance (allergen). Some trial and error involved, but totally worth it. 🙂
I tried it with a combo of oat flour and almond flour. I found that I needed quite a bit more flour than the recipe, otherwise the dough was too wet. I used 100 grams of almond flour and 236 grams of oat flour. They turned out fine, but not as good as with the AP flour. They did hold their shape and stay together, so that’s half the battle with GF flours! The flavor was slightly off (I think) due to the oat flour, but they weren’t nasty by any stretch. I did not frost them, so the oat flavor possibly could be slightly masked by icing. Much prefer the original recipe (which is great!) with AP flour, but if GF is needed, the almond/oat flour combo isn’t a bad option.
These look great! Do you think this would be good in a cookie box I am planning to mail? I’m hoping the frosting can harden enough to be able to handle touching w/o the icing getting damaged in the box.
Yes, they will work. The frosting hardens. Thanks!
I don’t think I’ve ever left a review for a recipe before, but I had to leave one here. I have tried several vegan cut out sugar cookie recipes and this is BY FAR THE BEST! How did I not think to roll it out before refrigerating? They came out perfect, thank you so much Nora!! Also, my Earth Balance sticks were salted so I probably should’ve halved the salt or omitted it altogether, but I’m very in to higher salty/sweet balance. They sat in a container overnight and they’re just as delicious this morning as they were last night!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you are enjoying the sugar cookies!
The BEST sugar cookie ever! I’ve already made them twice this holiday season, because we cannot get enough. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and holiday treat!
You’re welcome!
Hi Nora !
I am planning on making these for the holidays but want a thicker consistency frosting that “crusts” what recommendations do you suggest to make this? I use Flora unsalted stick/block butter
Best, Caitlyn
So you want a cake type frosting? I’d use my Vegan Vanilla Frosting. Though this icing does harden completely, but it’s not thick like cake frosting. Hope that helps!
These were surprisingly delicious! Way better than your average sugar cookie. This will be my go-to sugar cookie recipe. Thank you so much!! Wish I could post a picture of how they turned out 🙂 I’ll be making them a couple of days before hand and roll them out on parchment paper before you refrigerate because it’s easier to cut out the shapes!
I stay far away from any cookie that has to be rolled and cut out. That all changed with the arrival of the sweetest boy in the world. This recipe has changed my perspective of roll out cookie dough. It produced a dough that was easy to roll out. It did not stick and tear. The cut outs were clean and easy to transfer to the baking sheet. They also taste delicious. My two year old apprentice (grandson) enjoyed helping Grammy.
That’s so great to hear!
Going to try this recipe next week. Can I keep the dough in the fridge longer then just overnight? Were making like 5 types of cookies so any prep work I can do a few days in advance will make life so much easier 🙂 I love all your recipes so far so I know these will be a amazing!
I think a few days will be okay, yes. How fun! Hope you enjoy these! Thank you.
First time making cut out sugar cookies was a success! Used pillsbury frosting to make it easier for the kids to decorate and they loved it! Only tip is I baked them about 2 minutes longer and they were still very soft.
That’s great to hear!
Thanks for a great recipe! My son is allergic to milk and eggs, so this is his first time trying a sugar cookie. He had more fun eating them than decorating them! Will definitely make this again in the future. Also, thanks for the easy frosting recipe! Turned out shiny and set well without the corn syrup.
That’s great to hear!
Made two batches of these cookies today! One batch I made and left in the fridge overnight and the other I made and rolled and cut then baked right away. They tasted better without chilling and the dough was way easier to work with without being chilled.
Thanks for the feedback! Sometimes if you don’t refrigerate the dough first, the cookies will spread or puff up too much in the oven. But I’m glad it worked for you!
Thank you so so much for this amazing sugar cookies recipe. They have turned out amazing every time I have tried. I have one question about the icing. Can I make the icing in advance and fill it in the disposable bags to use in cookie decorating kits later ? Can I get them ready in the bags and can they still be fresh after like 10-15 days? I know I can freeze cookies, but not sure about the icing preparation in advance .
Thanks in advance for your help
I’m so happy you love the sugar cookies! Thank you so much. I’ve never tried storing the icing for that long in the fridge, but it might work. I’m just afraid it will be really thick, so you may need to whisk it and thin it out a bit before using. Hope that helps!
Have you used brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup in the frosting?
No, I haven’t. You can always just leave it out, but it does help them turn out shiny and helps it set a bit better.
I’m curious if you can use the vegan butter on your website or if I need to buy one from the store. Thank you!
I don’t think I’ve tried my vegan butter in this recipe yet, I have only used store bought, but it should work fine. It’s much easier to purchase some at the store though, there are many brands available now. I like Earth Balance, Melt, Country Crock and Miyoko’s. Thanks!
Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve been making your recipe for butter for the last few months. It’s super easy and we enjoy it. I will try it with the cookies.
Thanks, I’m so glad you are enjoying that recipe.
How long will the cookies keep once made? I’m planning on making a few batches a few days before Xmas as gifts. Thanks!
They will stay good for 3-5 days at room temperature. You can also freeze them if it’s going to be more than a few days to keep them fresh. They do start to get stale around day 4 I’d say.
Perfect recipe! I skipped the rolling and chilling part and instead mixed in sprinkles and used a cookie scoop to bake immediately. Came out crispy on the outside and delicious and chewy on the inside. No one would be able to tell these are vegan.
Made them with gluten free flour. They were great!
That’s great to hear!