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Vegan Snickerdoodles are the ultimate holiday cookie! Pillowy soft, tossed in cinnamon sugar, perfectly tangy, and easy to make with 10 baking staples. No chilling required! Vegan.
Pillowy soft Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies are the quick and easy holiday cookies of your dreams. These delightfully tangy, irresistibly soft, and cinnamon sugar-coated cookies are ever so slightly underbaked to give them the best melt-in-your-mouth texture every time. It’s a holiday cookie recipe not to be missed!
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An All-Time Favorite Holiday Cookie
Are you new to snickerdoodles? They’re a lot like sugar cookies, except infused with cinnamon and slightly underbaked to give them a cloud-like softness with crispy edges. They’re my all-time favorite holiday cookies that I look forward to every year!
You’ll understand why I’m obsessed once you try my Vegan Snickerdoodle Recipe. These cookies are pillowy soft, chewy, and have a unique tangy flavor thanks to one signature ingredient. And with a super speedy prep and bake time and only 10 pantry staple ingredients required, you’ll be devouring these cinnamon sugar-coated cookies in no time.
If you manage to save a few, I recommend bringing them with you to the bake sale or holiday party or gifting them to friends and family. No one can say no to these soft and cinnamony sweet treats!
Ingredients for Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies
Why are these the best eggless snickerdoodle cookies? Because they’re quick, easy, and made with 10 affordable and pantry staple ingredients. This means you can bake up a batch whenever you feel like it:
- Salted Vegan Butter: opt for salted butter sticks (they’re easier to measure) and take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before you get started to give them time to soften. Unsalted butter works as a substitute but remember to add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt with the dry ingredients in step 3 of the recipe directions.
- Flour: all-purpose flour gives us perfectly puffy and chewy cookies every time!
- Cream of Tartar: the ingredient that gives snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor. Don’t skip it!
- Baking Soda: it’s a leavening agent that reacts with the cream of tartar to give you the softest, puffiest snickerdoodles. Don’t use baking powder in its place—it isn’t acidic enough.
- Cornstarch: cornstarch acts as an egg replacer in this recipe; it helps hold the dough together and also makes the cookies more tender!
- Cinnamon: the second most important ingredient in a snickerdoodle recipe, besides the cream of tartar. It’s used in the dough and combined with cane sugar to make the cinnamon sugar coating.
How to Make Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl, then set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Mix in the milk and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix with a spatula until a dough forms.
- Roll pieces of the cookie dough into balls and coat each one in the cinnamon sugar. Place the balls on a prepared baking sheet and lightly flatten each one.
- Bake the snickerdoodles, then set them aside to cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy the cookies while they’re still warm and puffy or store them for later.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Spoon and level the flour: If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure the flour using the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and scrape the excess off the top with the back of a knife. With properly measured flour, you’ll end up with cookie dough that will look slightly dry but stick together when you pinch it.
- For extra thick and puffy snickerdoodles, don’t flatten the cookie dough balls before baking.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies! We’re going for soft, thick, and puffy cookies, NOT hard or crisp cookies. For the best results, weigh the ingredients with a kitchen scale and underbake them slightly. They’ll look pretty soft coming out of the oven but will firm up slightly as they cool.
Serving Suggestions
As the ultimate holiday cookie, vegan snickerdoodle cookies are fantastic with a glass of vegan nog, nut milk, or a warm mug of vegan hot chocolate. Don’t forget to put some out for Santa, too! They’ll instantly get you on the nice list, along with any of these 18+ Vegan Christmas Cookie Recipes.
If you’re looking for more vegan Christmas cookies, you’ll also love these Vegan Linzer Cookies, these Ginger Molasses Cookies, these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, and these Chocolate Chai Shortbread Cookies!
How to Store Leftover Snickerdoodles
Eggless snickerdoodles will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container on the kitchen counter to help them stay soft, chewy, and puffy.
The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag.
To freeze the cookie dough balls (without the cinnamon sugar coating), flash-freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer the balls to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
When ready to bake, coat your desired number of frozen cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar, place them on a prepared baking sheet, and bake right away. Add 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time or bake until they’re soft and puffy.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: I have not tested a gluten-free version of these snickerdoodles; however, I’d recommend substituting a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if you’d like to experiment with it.
- Butter Substitute: Use an equal amount of softened refined coconut oil instead.
- Cream of Tartar Substitute: According to Sally’s Baking Recipes, 2 teaspoons of baking powder should work as a substitute for the cream of tartar and baking soda. The snickerdoodles will still be soft and chewy but missing their distinct tangy flavor.
- Cornstarch Substitute: You can use arrowroot powder instead.
Recipe FAQs
It isn’t 100% known where the snickerdoodle name originates. Some say the name means nothing, while others claim it comes from the German word “Schneckennudel” (meaning snail noodles).
You can technically skip it but without it, your vegan snickerdoodles will taste more like a vegan cinnamon sugar cookie. Still delicious, but missing that integral tangy flavor.
I love a healthy cookie now and then but these puffy snickerdoodles require the full cup of butter and no less! Adjusting the amount just isn’t worth it.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup salted butter or 2 sticks, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar see note
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 3 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Make the topping by mixing the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cream the Butter: Add the softened butter and sugar to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and mix again until well combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl. Use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients together, then incorporate them into the butter mixture to form a dough. The dough may look slightly dry, but should stick together when you pinch it. If the dough is too dry add more milk in 1 tablespoon increments.
- Form the Cookies: Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to divide the dough into 2-tablespoon sized balls. Roll the cookie dough together to form a smooth ball, then roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar topping and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly flatten each cookie dough ball onto the sheet as they will not spread much when baking. (Note: if you want your cookies extra thick, don’t flatten them!)
- Bake: Bake for 9 minutes; the cookies will appear puffy and soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
- Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cookies (or cookie dough!) for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
- Cornstarch can be replaced with arrowroot powder.
- Butter: If you are using unsalted butter add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt with the dry ingredients in step 3. Vegan butter can be replaced with softened coconut oil. I recommend using refined coconut oil, as it has no coconut flavor.
These are addicting! I’m not a vegan but wanted to make it for my vegan friends and i am hooked!
Thank you!
so happy you enjoyed!
I’m in australia and we don’t have these here. I’ve always been intrigued by them so I thought I’d finally make them. They are so easy to make! And so yummy. I love cinnamon so they’re perfect. Not overly sweet either which I like.
So happy you loved it!
Very yummy! Mine were definitely more fluffy than your pictures, but still a delight to eat!
These were so easy to make and so yummy. The whole family loved them ❤️
So happy to hear that, Heather! ♥
Absolutely delicious! They stayed soft until they were gone by the end of the next day. My co-workers loved them! Most of them asked for the recipe and people who weren’t even there the day that I brought them somehow knew about them, too!
What a success! Thank you for sharing it with your co-workers, MacKenna! We’re so happy to hear everyone loved the recipe.
Hi!! Just made last night and they were spectacular. I did freeze some little cookie balls for the future. How long should I bake from frozen? Thank you!
You can cook them for 11-13 minutes from frozen 🙂
Yum! I haven’t made snickerdoodles before and these are perfect! Love the chew, and the cream of tartar really is the secret ingredient. This recipe will save many days ahead when there’s no chocolate to be found in the house.
Glad you gave it a try!
Just finished the recommended cooling off period and tried one out. Delicious! Great recipe – using a 2 tablespoon cookie scooper worked perfectly – somehow there was no left over dough! I love the crackled appearance when they come out of the oven. Thanks again for yet another great recipe! Everyone I have made so far has turned out great – thanks for all your hard work!
We’re happy to know every recipe has turned out great for you, Rebecca! Thank you so much for making them! ♥
I am sometimes skeptical of desserts that do not contain chocolate lol, but these cookies came out sooo delicious and were a big hit on Christmas. They are buttery and melt-in-your mouth. They’re possibly even better a day or two later after sitting at room temperature in an airtight container. I ended up using tapioca flour instead of cornstarch because I was out, but it worked out totally fine. 🙂
Great to know tapioca flour worked as well! Glad you loved them 🙂
Really good!! Just a bit crumbly ? Maybe more milk or applesauce? Thanks again awesome flavor!!!
If your Vegan Snickerdoodles are a bit crumbly and you want to adjust the texture, try adding a little more non-dairy milk to the dough. Add it gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough reaches the desired consistency. Ensure the dough holds together well without being too dry. Also, consider checking your flour measurement and, if you prefer, experimenting with a small amount of unsweetened applesauce for added moisture. Enjoy your cookies!
Can confirm these are delicious with an all purpose gluten free flour! Soft and not crumbly. Yum!!
Great! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
vegan?
with butter?
vegan butter 🙂
These cookies melt in your mouth! The recipe was very straightforward and produced the most decadent snickerdoodle cookies that I have ever tasted! I was contemplating making a double batch but was happily surprised that this recipe yielded 26 cookies.
So happy you enjoyed these, Emily!