These rich, chewy, and decadent Vegan Red Velvet Cookies are filled with vegan white chocolate chips. They come together quickly with just a handful of ingredients and make a perfect special treat for Christmas or Valentine's Day.
If you've been looking for a special cookie recipe to make this Christmas or Valentine's Day, then look no further! These Vegan Red Velvet Cookies are so decadent, soft, and chewy, that my mouth is watering just thinking about them!
To make these cookies, you mostly need simple baking ingredients. You'll also need red food coloring for that tell-tale red velvet color, vegan white chocolate chips, and the secret ingredient that really sets these cookies apart: vegan cream cheese!
Because these vegan cookies are dairy-free and egg-free they are perfect for sharing with people who have food allergies. Make a batch to take to a holiday party, but good luck not gobbling them all up yourself!
Jump to:
You'll love this recipe because it's:
- Simple & Delicious
- Quick & Easy
- Vegan/Vegetarian
- Dairy-free and Egg-free
- Kid-friendly
- Perfect for Christmas, Valentine's Day, or any time you want to make a special vegan dessert!
Ingredient notes
Wet Ingredients
- sugar: white or natural sugar are both fine.
- 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.
- soy milk: Any type of plant-based milk will work here.
- vanilla: For a touch of flavor.
- red gel food coloring: Beet juice could act as a more natural substitute. You can make these without food coloring if you want--they'll just be a light brown cookie instead of red.
Dry Ingredients
- all-purpose white flour: White whole wheat flour, all-purpose gluten-free flour, or spelt should work here, but I haven't tested them.
- natural cocoa powder: I don't recommend Dutch-process cocoa powder because it's too dark and your cookies won't have that nice red color (although they will still taste fine).
- baking powder: For lift and fluffiness.
- baking soda: For helping the cookies spread.
- salt: Adding salt to baked goods enhances the flavors.
Add-in
- vegan white chocolate chips or chunks: These add such a rich, creamy contrast to the red velvet cookies (reminiscent of the cream cheese frosting that usually accompanies red velvet cake). If you can't find these, regular vegan chocolate chips will also work.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.
Add the sugar, butter, and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to cream the ingredients. (Or mix them in a bowl with a hand mixer).
Add the soy milk, vanilla, and food coloring and mix again until just combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in half-cup increments, mixing until just combined each time. In the end, a thick dough will form. If your dough is too crumbly, you could add another teaspoon or two of soy milk, but this dough should be quite firm.
- Add in the white chocolate chips and mix to combine.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (170C).
- Take about 1.5 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place the ball on a lined cookie sheet. These cookies spread a little but you should easily be able to fit 9 to 12 cookies per cookie sheet. Repeat until you've made the number of cookies you want to make (if you are baking them in two batches, store the extra batter in the refrigerator while the first batch is baking.)
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies should have a thin crisp exterior and a lightly browned bottom, but they should still be soft on the inside. Let the cookies rest for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Serve and enjoy right away or store for later.
Hint: Never add cookie dough to a hot baking sheet because it will cause them to spread too much. If you are baking them in two batches be sure to let the cookie sheet cool completely before you start a new batch.
Variations
Here are a few variations if you want to switch things up
- Christmas Red Velvet Cookies - use pistachios and vegan white chocolate chunks for the mix-ins.
- Double chocolate - use vegan chocolate chips or chunks as the mix-in.
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies - to turn these into crinkle cookies don't include the baking soda when mixing the dough. When rolling the balls, use a smaller amount of dough (1 to 1.5 tablespoons per cookie). Place 1 cup of powdered sugar on a plate in in a bowl and roll the balls in the powdered sugar before baking. This will make 20 to 24 red velvet crinkle cookies.
Equipment
For this recipe, you'll need a stand mixer or a hand mixer, along with mixing bowls and a baking sheet.
All of my favorite products and kitchen tools can be found in my Amazon shop.
How to serve
Serve these delicious cookies as a special dessert any time of year. They would be perfect additions to your Christmas or Valentine's Day Celebration!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to a week.
Top tip
The trick to getting soft and chewy cookies is to not overcook them. When the cookies come out of the oven they will still be soft inside but they will a *very* thin, crispy shell-like exterior and will continue to cook as they cool. If the tops are still wet, then cook them for a minute or two longer. After they come out of the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
FAQ
While both are leavening agents, they aren't the same. Baking powder and baking soda are not the same. Baking soda needs an acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc) to activate (it can also be activated by baking powder). It helps the cookie to spread and get a crunchy exterior. Baking powder doesn't need an acid to activate and it gives the cookie lift.
If you only have baking powder you can still make this recipe--the cookies won't spread as much, but you can flatten them with a spatula when they come out of the oven. (I tested this method and the cookies are still delicious!)
You can use regular vegan chocolate chips instead of white chocolate. I enjoy the decadence of the white chocolate, but I've tested both and regular also tastes great!
More vegan cookie recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Red Velvet Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- ½ cup vegan butter (113g)(at room temperature)
- ¼ cup vegan cream cheese (57g)
- 1 tablespoon soy milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1.5 teaspoons red gel food coloring
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder (12.5g) (not Dutch-process cocoa powder)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Add-in
- ½ cup vegan white chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Add the sugar, butter, and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to cream the ingredients. (Or mix them in a bowl with a hand mixer).
- Add the soy milk, vanilla, and food coloring and mix again until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in half-cup increments, mixing until just combined each time. In the end, a thick dough will form. If your dough is too crumbly, you could add another teaspoon or two of soy milk, but this dough should be quite firm.
- Add in the white chocolate chips and mix to combine.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (170C).
- Take about 1.5 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place the ball on a lined cookie sheet. These cookies spread a little but you should easily be able to fit 9 to 12 cookies per cookie sheet. Repeat until you've made the number of cookies you want to make (if you are baking them in two batches, store the extra batter in the refrigerator while the first batch is baking.)
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies should have a thin crisp exterior and a lightly browned bottom, but they should still be soft on the inside. Let the cookies rest for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Serve and enjoy right away or store for later.
Notes
- Do not use Dutch-processed cocoa powder because it will make the cookies too dark. (They'd taste fine, they just won't have a nice red color)
- 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.
- This recipe will make 16 to 20 cookies, depending on how big they are.
- Nutritional information is calculated based on 16 cookies.
- If you are baking these cookies in more than one batch, be sure to chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator between batches and let the cookie sheet cool completely before starting a new batch (placing cookie dough onto a warm cookie sheet can cause the cookies to spread too much).
Nutrition
Want access to my Exclusive Meal Planning Tips & Printables page?
Did you try this recipe? Have a question? Just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you ASAP!
Leave a Reply