These Vegan Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy, and have that hint of telltale tanginess that makes them oh-so special and delicious! These easy vegan cookies come together quickly and are perfect for Christmas or any holiday treat!
If you've never made your own snickerdoodle cookies, then it's time to give them a try! Not only are these Vegan Snickerdoodles insanely easy to make but they have an amazing texture that's soft and chewy on the outside with a lightly crisp shell making each perfect bite something special.
They are flavored with cinnamon and sugar, but get their telltale tanginess from the cream of tartar. I don't normally advocate buying special ingredients, but trust me when I say that the cream of tartar makes a big difference in these cookies!
Frankly, I can't say enough about how delicious and chewy these vegan cookies are. When I was testing this recipe, it was hard not to eat them all at once! But don't just take my word for it; try them out and see for yourself!
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You'll love this Vegan Snickerdoodles recipe because it's:
- Simple & Delicious
- Quick & Easy
- Vegan/Vegetarian
- Egg-free & Diary-Free
- Kid-friendly
- Perfect for Christmas, New Year's Eve, or any special holiday treat!
Ingredient notes
Wet Ingredients
- sugar: Organic 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: Just for a touch of liquid.
- vanilla: For added flavor.
Dry Ingredients
- all-purpose flour: White whole wheat flour, all-purpose gluten-free flour, or spelt flour could also work here, but I haven't tested them.
- cream of tartar: This acts as a leavening agent and also imparts a tangy flavor. Baking powder could be subbed in a pinch, but I highly recommend using cream of tartar.
- cinnamon: For flavor.
- baking soda: This is activated be the cream of tartar and helps the cookies to spread a little.
- salt: Adding a touch of salt to baked goods enhances the flavors.
For Rolling
- sugar: For extra sweetness and crunch.
- cinnamon: For extra flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
- Add the ¾ cup 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 soy milk and vanilla 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 an extra teaspoon or two of soy milk, but this batter should be firm.
In a small bowl or shallow plate, whisk together ¼ cup sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon for rolling.
Take about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball, then roll the ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, thoroughly coating the 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 dough in the refrigerator while the first batch is baking.)
Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes.
- When they come out of the oven, the cookies should have a thin crisp exterior (almost like a thin shell) 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 or store in an airtight container (fridge or counter) for up to 1 week.
Hint: This vegan cookie dough does not need to be chilled, but if you find yours is too wet to handle, cover and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.
Variations
Normally I offer an array of suggestions for variations on a recipe, but, frankly, these chewy vegan Snickerdoodles are perfect as they are, so I wouldn't change a thing!
Equipment
For this recipe, you'll need a stand mixer or hand mixer, a bowl, and a baking sheet.
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How to serve
Serve these Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies for any holiday or special occasion. They would make an excellent addition to your Christmas cookie platter. Pair them with Vegan Lemon Cookies, Vegan Red Velvet Cookies, and Vegan Christmas Sprinkle Cookies.
Storage
Store any leftover Snickerdoodles in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture. They can be stored in the fridge or at room temperature for up to a week.
To freeze the dough, I recommend rolling the dough into balls, placing them on a tray, and freezing them until they are hard. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Before baking, defrost the dough balls and then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and bake as directed.
Top tip
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).
FAQ
Cream of Tartar is a byproduct of winemaking (who knew!) and can be used as a leavening agent in baking (like baking powder). It gives the Snickerdoodle cookies their special tangy flavor, so I don't recommend skipping it. But in a pinch baking powder can be substituted.
Related recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Snickerdoodles
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- ½ cup vegan butter (at room temperature) (113g)
- ¼ cup vegan cream cheese (57g)
- 1 tablespoon soy milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Rolling
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
- Add the ¾ cup 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 soy milk and vanilla 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 an extra teaspoon or two of soy milk, but this batter should be firm.
- In a small bowl or shallow plate, whisk together ¼ cup sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon for rolling.
- Take about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball, then roll the ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, thoroughly coating the 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 dough in the refrigerator while the first batch is baking.)
- Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes. The cookies should have a thin crisp exterior (almost like a thin shell) 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 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.
- This recipe will make 16 to 20 cookies, depending on how big they are.
- Nutritional information is calculated based on 16 cookies.
- This dough does not need to be chilled, but if you find yours is too wet to handle, cover and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.
- 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
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Jessica says
Wow. These are so yummy chewy good... I made them for my colleagues to hand out as Christmas cookies and they couldn't believe they were vegan.
Julianne Lynch says
Awesome! Thanks so much for the review!