Thick & Soft Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies
My Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies are every bit as delicious as the traditional version, with that classic cozy cinnamon flavour and soft, thick, and fluffy texture. Bonus: they’re also gluten-free!
Snickerdoodles are the kind of cookie you can make year-round, but their warm cinnamon flavour also makes them ideal for holiday baking. So basically, this is a cookie recipe you want to have in your back pocket, which is why I knew I had to come up with a vegan version. Friends, these vegan snickerdoodle cookies are SO GOOD! Like my Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, they are soft and chewy, but they’re also delightfully thick and they’ve got all that cinnamon goodness you expect in a snickerdoodle. While I developed the recipe to be gluten-free, it’s also easy to make it with regular flour too.
Why These Snickerdoodles Are Absolute Perfection
It took me a while to get this recipe just right and let me tell you, it was worth the effort! Here’s why you’ll love these cozy cookies.
- Easy to make. These vegan snickerdoodles are easy to make, no nonsense cookies. Just make the dough, shape it into balls, and roll them in sugar.
- Just the right texture. If you love your cookies thick and chewy, these soft batch cookies are for you!
- Divine flavour. The cinnamon sugar coating—well, that goes without saying. But I also use vegan butter in the dough, which makes these cookies ultra-buttery and delicious.
Notes on Ingredients
Here are some notes to keep in mind when grabbing the ingredients for these vegan snickerdoodle cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Cane sugar – You’ll need some for the cookie dough and some for rolling.
- Cinnamon – This is another ingredient that goes in the dough and also coats the cookies.
- Gluten-free flour – Use a blend formulated for baking. Not gluten-free? Use the same amount of all-purpose flour.
- Cream of tartar – This helps give the cookies that fabulous chewy texture.
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Brown sugar – While you can use any sugar, I recommend light brown sugar, as it helps the cookies bake up soft and chewy.
- Vegan butter – I usually use store-bought, but my homemade Vegan Butter also works.
- Egg replacer – Either a store-bought egg replacer or Flax Eggs.
- Vanilla extract – Or swap in vanilla paste for little flecks of vanilla bean.
How to Make Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies
If you’ve made classic snickerdoodles in the past, the process is pretty much the same!
- Make the cinnamon sugar. Stir the cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Cream the sugar and butter in a stand mixer, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the egg replacer. Once that’s incorporated, mix in the vanilla.
- Combine wet and dry. Beat the flour mixture into the wet ingredients in 3 portions, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Chill. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate while preheating the oven to 350ºF.
- Form the cookies. Shape tablespoon portions of dough into balls and roll each in the cinnamon sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Bake. Flatten the cookies slightly. Place the pans in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and slightly crisp, but the insides are still soft.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
My Tips for the Best Snickerdoodles
- Don’t skip the chilling. This step is important! Chilling the dough in the fridge helps keep it from spreading in the oven, giving you those perfect thick snickerdoodle cookies.
- Let the baking sheets cool if you need to reuse them. If you don’t have enough baking sheets for all the cookies, I recommend keeping the remaining cooking dough in the fridge and letting the baking sheets cool completely before you bake another batch. Putting the dough on a hot pan can lead to spreading and also over-bake the bottoms of the cookies.
- Cool before storing. Putting warm cookies in a container will create a humid environment that ruins the texture of the cookies, making them overly soft. Only store them once they’re completely cooled!
Freezing the Dough
You can freeze the dough for these vegan snickerdoodle cookies and have freshly baked cookies anytime the craving strikes! Here’s how to do it:
- Follow the recipe instructions and end with rolling the dough balls in cinnamon sugar.
- Place the balls of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, press down slightly, and freeze until they’re completely solid.
- Transfer the dough to an airtight container or freezer bag.
- Bake as instructed in the recipe, adding a few minutes to the baking time to account for the dough being frozen.
How to Store
- Room temperature: Store vegan snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze already baked cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Vegan Cookies to Try
Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan snickerdoodle recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup cane sugar (for rolling), (48g) or any sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 5g
Snickerdoodle Cookies
- 2 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, (370g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar, 6g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, 5g
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2.5g
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, 3g
- ½ cup cane sugar, (96g) or any sugar
- ½ cup organic brown sugar, (96g) or any sugar
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature* (226g)
- 2 Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer egg substitutes** , or 2 flax eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5mL
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- In a bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon for rolling the cookies in. Set aside.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
- In a separate bowl (I usually just mix them in the measuring scale container), mix together the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a stand or hand mixer, cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl for at least 5 minutes until creamed and combined. Scrape down the bowl, and mix in the egg replacement, and the vanilla and blend again for another minute.
- Add the flour mixture into the mixture in 3 different portions, mixing each time for about 15 seconds. Scrape down the bowl again and mix one more time.
- Gather the dough together into a ball and place the container in the fridge while the oven preheats (about 15-20 minutes). Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C degrees.
- Once preheated, take the dough out the fridge. Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough and roll into a ball. Roll each cookie dough in the sugar cinnamon mixture to coat thoroughly. Place on a cookie sheet line with a silicone baking mat (you will need more than one if making the entire recipe), allowing 3 inches of space between each cookie.
- Press down cookies slightly before baking. Bake for 12 minutes for slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Don’t overbake!
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 2-5 minutes outside of the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for ten more minutes. You don’t want to disturb them before that – the cookies are still cooking from the residual heat. Serve and enjoy! Store the cookies in an air tight container once cooled.
Notes
- *Most vegan butter is salted! If you use unsalted, compensate it with more sea salt.
- **Bob’s Red Mill’s Egg Replacer powder is my FAVOURITE egg replacement for baking, especially cookies! Blog post here to learn how to make a flax egg.
- Room temperature: Store vegan snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze already baked cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I tried to half the recipe but these turned out super dry 🙁 I even tried to add an additional flax egg and water.
Hi Kemi,
Oh no! This dough is reasonably wet so that should never have happened. Let me see if I can help – Did you weight out the ingredients? Did you do any ingredient swaps? Both of those are things that may cause it – let me know so I can help!
These turned out great! My whole family loved them. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi Claire,
Wow I am SO happy to hear that!! You’re so welcome and thanks for sharing with me!!
Wow! Jessica, THANK YOU for such a wonderful vegan cookie recipe!
Mine turned out looking beautiful, as if they came straight from a professional bakery.
Next time I would just grind my sea salt a little finer as I only had course sea salt on hand and I’d weight the ingredients, as you mentioned, for total perfection.
I didn’t have time to bake them right after making the batter so popped them into the fridge overnight.
I think these would be perfect with a cup of tea.
Thanks so much Suzanne for taking the time to write such a heartwarming comment. We are really happy that you enjoyed this recipe! Jessica has these cookies with tea almost daily so we approve of your pairing! 🙂
i made these with non hydrogenated shortening as i didn’t not have enough vegan margarine. i also used 2 tsp baking powder instead of the soda/cream of tartar. they puffed up but deflated when cooled to the perfect consistency. i also used 1/3 almond flour that was left over from baking for a gf buddy.
these came out moist and delicious. can not wait to make again!
Wow I am SO happy to hear that!!
Hey Jessica! Can I sub the egg powder for real eggs and if so, how many? Can’t wait to make these; they look scrumptious. Thank you.
Hi Gina,
I’m not sure because I haven’t tried it with eggs! But you can definitely try!
Oh my goodness way too good! Thank you so much! I used flax eggs and a combo of coconut sugar and brown sugar. So delish!
Thank you so much for this nice review Kaide!
I like the crisp outside from the sugar compared to the soft inside of the cookie. I used two chia eggs instead of the flax eggs because that’s what I had available. Mine didn’t seem to be quite as golden as the photos though.
Awesome Kelly! We’re so happy that you like it. We’re happy that you were successfully able to make it your own.