These Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies are uber lemony, tart, and sweet! They have a soft, chewy interior with a lightly crisped shell of crinkled powdered sugar. Made with just a handful of ingredients, they're perfect for birthdays, holidays, or any time you want a delicious and citrusy vegan treat!
I've always been a huge fan of lemon desserts. That balance between sweet and sour is a perfect combination. And these Vegan Lemon Cookies definitely hit the mark! They are soft and chewy with a slightly crisped, sweet exterior.
Not only are these cookies tart, citrusy, and delicious, but they are also insanely easy to make. You can mix up the ingredients in just a few minutes. Then let the batter chill for a while, roll it into balls, and bake!
Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies make the perfect vegan Christmas cookie. They're also great for other Holidays, Birthdays, or any time you want a delicious vegan treat! But they're also easy enough for a special weeknight dessert. The whole family will love them!
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Ingredient notes
Dry Ingredients
- all-purpose white flour: White whole wheat flour, all-purpose gluten-free flour, or spelt flour could also work here, but I haven't tested them.
- baking powder: For lift and fluffiness.
- salt: Adding a little salt to baked goods enhances the flavors.
Wet Ingredients
- vegan butter (at room temperature): Choose a brand that is in block form and has a good flavor.
- vegan cream cheese: I recommend a plain vegan cream cheese that's thick and has a neutral flavor. Here are some tips for choosing vegan cream cheese. The cream cheese not only adds creaminess to the cookies, but it acts as an egg substitute.
- sugar: organic white or natural sugar are both fine.
- lemon juice: Fresh or bottled are both fine but it makes sense to use fresh lemon juice since you also want the zest.
- lemon zest: Use a microplane or grater to grate the lemon zest. It adds a delicious punch of flavor to the cookies.
For Rolling
- powdered sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the sugar, butter, and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment and mix at medium speed to cream the ingredients. (Or mix them in a bowl with a hand mixer).
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until combined.
- Add a half cup of flour to the wet mixture and mix to combine. Repeat until all of the flour has been added and a dough has formed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Chill the dough, covered, in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (177F).
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough to roll 1-inch balls. Only roll out the number of balls you plan to bake.
- Add the powdered sugar to a shallow bowl or plate. Roll each of the dough balls in the powdered sugar, thoroughly coating each ball. Then place the balls onto a lined or nonstick baking sheet. These cookies spread a little, but you should be able to fit 9 to 12 cookies on the baking sheet.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom and the tops have a lightly crisp but not hard exterior (almost like a thin shell).
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Then serve and enjoy!
Hint: If you are baking these cookies in two batches, be sure to put the extra batter back in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes. Use a different baking sheet for the second batch or let the first cool completely before adding the new batch.
Variations
Here are a few ways to mix things up.
- White Chocolate - for an extra creamy addition, try adding vegan white chocolate chips.
- Poppy Seed - add poppy seeds to the batter and mix before chilling the dough.
- Key Lime - Swap the lemon juice and zest for Key limes!
- Orange Crinkle Cookies - Swap orange juice and zest for another citrusy treat!
Equipment
For this lemon crinkle cookie recipe, you'll need a hand mixer or stand mixer, a mixing bowl, and a cookie sheet.
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How to serve
Serve these Vegan Lemon Cookies as a stand-alone holiday or birthday treat. Or pair them with Vegan Red Velvet Cookies, Christmas Sprinkle Cookies, Vegan Snickerdoodles, and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for an unforgettable vegan Christmas Cookie Platter!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Vegan Crinkle Lemon Cookies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To freeze the dough, roll it into individual balls. Place the balls on a tray in the freezer until they are hard. Then transfer the balls to a freezer bag or airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost, roll in powdered sugar, and bake as directed.
Top tip
It's quicker to roll all of the cookies you're going to bake into balls first, and then roll them all in the powdered sugar.
FAQ
If you don't have fresh lemons and want to use bottled lemon juice, just leave out the zest. The lemon flavor won't be quite as pronounced, but the cookies will still taste great!
More vegan cookie recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Cookies (Easy Crinkle Cookies!)
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose white flour 281g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter 113g (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup vegan cream cheese 57g
- ¾ cup sugar 150g
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- zest of 1 lemon
For rolling
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the sugar, butter, and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment and mix at medium speed to cream the ingredients. (Or mix them in a bowl with a hand mixer).
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
- Add a half cup of flour to the wet mixture and mix to combine. Repeat until all of the flour has been added and a dough has formed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Chill the dough, covered, in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (177F).
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough to roll 1-inch balls. Only roll out the number of balls you plan to bake.
- Add the powdered sugar to a shallow bowl or plate. Roll each of the dough balls in the powdered sugar, thoroughly coating each ball. Then place the balls onto a lined baking sheet. These cookies spread a little, but you should be able to fit 9 to 12 cookies on the baking sheet.
- Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom and the tops have a lightly crisp but not hard exterior (almost like a thin shell).
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Serve and enjoy or store in an airtight container (fridge or counter) for up to 1 week.
Notes
- I highly recommend weighing the ingredients for which weights are listed. This will ensure the exact measurements and give you the best results. If you don't have a scale and need to use measuring cups, be sure the flour is loose and not packed into the cup.
- It's quicker to roll all of the cookies you're going to bake into balls first, and then roll them all in the powdered sugar.
- If you are baking these cookies in two batches, be sure to put the extra batter back in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes. Use a different baking sheet for the second batch or let the first cool completely before adding the new batch.
- The butter should be at room temperature, which means it should be soft but not melted.
Nutrition
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Allison says
Could I use gluten free flour to make these? Something like King Arthur’s one for one.
Julianne Lynch says
I haven't tested that, but generally the all-purpose gluten-free flour can be subbed at a 1:1 ratio.