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.
I’ve never written a recipe review before but I made these with my toddler yesterday for V-day and they are UNREAL good. They taste exactly like the store bought heavily iced sugar cookies of my childhood- as an American living overseas where nothing like that exists, I couldn’t be happier! I used Nuttelex (NZ) in place of Earth Balance and and they were perfect. Thank you!!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear they were a hit and you loved them! Thanks!
Urgent*** I was trying to roll out the dough but it appears to be too dry so I was wondering if you had any recommendations?
PS. This is my second time making this recipe I love it so much! I just must have added too much flour by accident this time!
You can add just a tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk if the dough got too crumbly to fix it. Hope that helps!
These turned out great but we ended up having to use way more milk than what the recipe calls for to form a rollable dough. The corn syrup in the icing is a must!! It made the icing turn out fantastic.
The BEST sugar cookie recipe ever! They hold their shape, and have the perfect flavor and consistency, I have been making repeat batches just for fun because I love them so much! Thank you!
Hi Erin. I’m glad you’re loving the sugar cookies! Thank you!
Success!!!!! Oh Nora you make my child so happy !!! Thank you. We did cut outs for Valentine’s Day and it was it. Thank you thank you.
I’m so glad to hear it, Natasha! How fun!
First time making vegan cookies and these came out great! The flavor tastes just like regular ones and the dough was very easy to work with. The only thing I’m wondering about is that my cookies are pretty crispy. I baked 350 for 8 minutes and they look perfectly done but they’re a lot crispier than regular cutout cookies. I’m wondering if this is something that has to do with the ingredients or did I just bake them for a tad bit too long?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, your first time making vegan cookies! How exciting. I’m guessing maybe you rolled your cookie dough pretty thin? That would result in crispy cookies. I like to keep them a bit thicker, about 1/4 inch thick. That way 8 minutes is about perfect and they will remain quite soft. But some people prefer thin and crispier cookies. Next time try rolling the dough a bit thicker, or bake them for less time. Hope that helps!
I’m interested in how everyone got such great results? I followed the recipe exactly with the brands recommended, and chilled my dough for an hour but my cookies still came out like a flat, greasy mess. Very disappointed.
Hi Ariel. Something definitely went wrong, because as you can see there are nearly 100 reviews on this recipe. People make them often with great results! Cookies can go wrong if your measurements are even slightly off. So make sure you measure the flour correctly. I do this by spooning flour into the measuring cup, then leveling it off with a knife, no shaking or packing down. It sounds to me like the dough was too wet for some reason, likely not enough flour or perhaps you accidentally added too much vegan butter? They should keep their shape in the oven, no problem, if you follow the recipe exactly.
Hoping to make these as a Valentine’s Day treat but don’t have vegan butter, would it be possible to substitute the butter with veg oil?
Sorry, I don’t think that will work unfortunately. Your best bet would be using coconut oil in a semi firm state, and follow all the instructions for chilling the dough. Even so, they might spread more or burn. If you have vegetable shortening, that might work better.
I’ve made these cookies in the past and LOVE them. I know it says the baked cookies can be frozen… can I freeze the dough to bake later? If yes, how long do you think the dough will keep in the freezer? Thanks!
Yes, you could freeze the dough for later. I’d say up to 2 months or so. I would freeze the dough flat, so you don’t have issues when baking. You’ll want them to go in the oven cold, but not frozen. Glad you love them!
I never leave reviews but the fact that I’ve made these almost every week since Christmas ??says a lot! I used this recipe for a diy cookie decorating station during the holidays and the whole family (non vegan in-laws/nieces/nephews) LOVED them!! The almond extract is a game changer and a must in my opinion. Thanks, Nora, for the bomb recipe ??
Hi Monica. I’m glad you are loving the sugar cookies! Thank you for using my recipe! I appreciate you taking your time to share a review. Thank you!
Hi! Hoping to make these and was wondering if I could make them gluten free using king Arthur’s gluten free measure for measure flour— thoughts?
People have done this with success, so I think so! I made them once using gf flour, I think I used Bob’s Red Mill but it worked well.
Hi there, this recipe is INCREDIBLE! I’d really love to make these into chocolate sugar cookies as I’ve had a request from a customer for them. Would you just trade some of the flour for cocoa? How much do you think? Thank you!!
I haven’t tried it, but I think that’s exactly what I would do. Not sure how much, maybe 1/4 cup, or a little more? Hope they work out, thanks!
Simply amazing!! What I’m so in love with is how they held shape when I cut and cooked them!! ?
Hi Michael. I’m glad they turned out great for you! Thank you!
The best! I have had to do an elimination diet to help my baby. This recipe is even better than the “just” dairy free version I tried a couple weeks ago! I’ve had to cut dairy, eggs, and soy and these cookies hit the spot.
Now I will say, for me at least, they turned out crisp like a shortbread cookie. They are soooo good without icing but still great with it too! And I made my icing only with almond extract (personal preference).
Thank you thank you!
Hi Brooke. I’m so glad you are enjoying the cookies! Thank you for sharing!
These are awesome and turned out perfect! I used a bit more flour, did not chill because I am impatient, and also subbed the milk for beet juice to give my cookies a nice pink color ? will definitely use this recipe again!
Hi Courtney. I’m glad the cookies are a hit for you! Thank you for sharing!
These turn out great every time! This is my go to sugar cookie recipe. Thanks.
I’m so glad you are loving the sugar cookies, Irka! Thank you!
Hi there, these cookies are TOTALLY delicious thank you! I’ve noticed when I’ve baked them sometimes they don’t come out completely flat or have little bubbles in them. As I decorate using a vegan royal icing and sell them, it really helps if they’re completely flat as it looks more polished. Do you know what could help with that? Thanks so much!
Hmm let’s see. My best tips are probably to measure everything accurately, especially the flour as it can be easy to be off if you are just scooping it out of the container. Spoon it in the measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Make sure you are rolling the dough as instructed, then chilling for long enough, then cutting and baking right away. If the dough is warm or left out before baking, the cookies can spread or bubble. Cold dough in the oven will come out flat and perfect! Are you making any substitutions at all? I also wonder what brand of vegan butter you are using. Use the sticks of vegan butter if possible for best results. The tub does work, but sticks work better. Hope that helps somewhat!
What you mean by 2- 2 1/4 flour ?
( do I have to use 2 cups plus 1/4 cup or double of that ? )
If you read the instructions below the ingredients, this is clarified. It is a range, so you will use 2 cups flour and up to 2 1/4 cups of flour. I always use 2 1/4 cups, but since some people do overscoop their flour, they may end up with too much which is why I give a range depending on how the dough feels. Hope that helps!
Use 2 and 1/4 cups
Tried this recipe using vegan Becel sticks (1/2 cup) and 1/4 cup coconut oil and the flavours and textures were incredible. No one could believe they were vegan!!! Also to everyone, don’t over-bake! I thought the cookies looked too pale cooked at 10 minutes but they ended up slightly crispier than desired. The second batch went in for 8 mins and was perfect.
Hi Sarah. I’m glad everyone enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for sharing!
Making these for a 4th time since Christmas day (its January 4th). This will be my second double batch. I share them with my non vegan friends everytime. Everyone loves them!! They’re definitely addictive so baker beware!!!
Hi Taylor. I’m glad you are loving the recipe! Thank you!
I’ve baked these vegan sugar cookies twice this holiday season.
The recipe is easy to follow, and are delicious!
Hi Linda. I’m glad you are enjoying the sugar cookie recipe! Thank you!
I had major issues when trying to roll out the dough. I thought everything was going well, but every time I rolled it out the dough would crumble and crack. I added milk and that didn’t seem to help either. I ended up throwing out the first batch and the same thing happened for my second batch. Is it because I used vegan margarine instead of vegan butter? I couldn’t find vegan butter sticks at my grocery store. Hoping for any tips that could help!
I haven’t tried using margarine so that could definitely make a difference. I always use a vegan butter like Earth Balance, Melt, Country Crock or Miyoko’s. If your dough was dry, you likely accidentally added a bit too much flour (or the margarine just works differently). I use the scoop and measure method for flour, where you scoop flour in the measuring cup, don’t pack it or hit it on the counter, then level off the top with a knife. If you are simply scooping flour from a container, you will end up with too much or sometimes too little which makes a huge difference in cookies. That said, if you did add too much, add a little milk until it’s workable. But the best option is to start with the correct amount at the start. I also wonder if you chilled the dough as a ball, then tried to roll it out from chilled? That is very difficult and likely would cause cracking and crumbling. Make sure you flatten the dough before chilling, so you only need to roll it a tiny bit more before cutting into shapes. Hope that helps!
Hello ? currently making these cookies and had a question ? is my dough supposed to feel grainy cause of the sugar? And it’s also super greasy?? it’s my first time making sugar cookies so I don’t even know what it’s supposed to look like lol??♀️
Some sugars (especially organic versions) can be a little grainer than others, but it should go away when they bake. They shouldn’t be too greasy, but a little is fine as you are going to chill the dough, which will make it firm up before baking. The dough is kind of the consistency of play dough, almost. Make sure you measure everything accurately, and that your vegan butter is melted to begin with, just softened. Hope that helps!
We used the country crock plant based butter rather than earth balance because it was all I could find, but these were delicious! Just a subtle taste of salt which I think makes them even better! Thanks for a successful Christmas Eve recipe!
You’re welcome!
Amazing recipe!! It’s in the fridge now. If I don’t have parchment paper, should I just bake on the cookie sheet with some Pam?
Yes! Thanks so much!