I’m not a negative person, but I do often expect the worst in order to safeguard myself from less than ideal outcomes.
For example, say we’re planning to hang out with friends. I think, “This may go terribly wrong. I’ll say something stupid. I’ll spill wine on their couch. There will be lots of awkward silence. They’ll never invite us over again.”
That way, if the evening goes at all OK, it was way better than I expected! Success! It’s like some twisted way of guaranteeing a “successful outcome” in any circumstance. Aren’t I smart? (Cheeky grin.)
Does anyone else do this? Because it kind of makes me feel like some bizarre form of a control freak and I need some more people in this boat with me. Either that or send 18 dozen of these sugar cookies to help me cope, STAT.
While I’m not able to predict many (read: any) things that will happen in life, I can predict this: Make these cookies and you will fall in love.
They are the classic, quintessential sugar cookie all veganized and tender and perfect, just dying to be frosted and brought to all of your holiday gatherings. Your friends and family will forget all about the gifts and nose dive into these bad boys, guaranteed.
These cookies are simple, as always. Just 1 bowl and no fancy methods or equipment required. Just good old fashioned cookies at your fingertips in less than 1 hour.
And when it comes time to frost, get festive – naturally!
I tried my hand at DIY natural food coloring using beet juice and it worked beautifully! Look at that hot pink like WHOA.
I also tried parsley for “green” but it was less successful. Has anyone else tried beets or other foods for dying? Do share. I’d love to know.
As far as the cookies go, you can cut them into shapes or just roll them into balls that bake into perfect, beautiful, fluffy discs. I want them all.
The shapes are a little more time intensive, but definitely worth it if you really want to get into the holiday spirit. But let’s be real, when it comes time to pick which cookie(s) to eat, we choose based on size and amount of frosting (the more of both, the better).
You’re going to LOVE these cookies. They’re:
Perfectly tender
Simple to make
Not too sweet
Vanilla-infused
Amazing with frosting
& Undetectably vegan
These cookies are definitely my new go-to for holiday gifting.
What are your favorite cookies to bake during the holidays? Growing up, I tried many different kinds, but always came back to the classic sugar cookie as my favorite. You really can’t go wrong.
Friends, if you try this recipe, show us! Take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram (or your preferred social media). We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers and happy baking!
1-Bowl Vegan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (such as Earth Balance // softened* // 1 stick equals 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (plus more for topping)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree* (acts as an egg substitute // sub with unsweetened applesauce with varied results)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling into shapes)
- 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder (for thickening/binding)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp non-dairy milk
FROSTING
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (softened // 1 stick equals 1/2 cup)
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
- Splash non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and cream with a mixer.
- Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and beat for 1 minute.
- Set your sifter over something that will catch fall out and add dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder). Use a spoon to briefly stir, then sift over butter and sugar mixture.
- Mix until until incorporated, being careful not to over mix. Then add almond milk and mix until a soft dough is formed. Switch to a wooden spoon if it gets too thick. If it appears to wet, mix in a bit more flour.
- Cover and freeze dough for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes (up to overnight).
- Five minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Scoop out heaping 1 Tbsp amounts of chilled dough and roll into balls. Alternatively, roll out between two pieces of wax paper, lightly flouring the bottom layer, remove top layer, and cut out shapes. (NOTE: For shapes, to ensure they keep their form while baking, freeze them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking.)
- Arrange cookies on a clean baking sheet 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. If you’ve rolled the dough into balls, dip a glass into cane sugar and gently smash down into a disc to help them cook more evenly.
- Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes for (8-10 for cutout shapes // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), or very slightly golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let rest on pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Prepare frosting in the meantime.
- FOR FROSTING: Wipe/rinse your mixing bowl clean and add softened butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Then add vanilla (optional) and mix once more.
- Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and continue mixing until thick and creamy. Drizzle in a little non-dairy milk to thin. You want this frosting to be pretty thick so it will hold its shape once on the cookies, so only add a little milk and add more powdered sugar if it gets too thin.
- To add natural food coloring, finely grate a raw beet into a clean dish towel and then squeeze it over the frosting and whisk.
- Once cooled, frost cookies and top with sprinkles (optional – vegan ones can be difficult to find). Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to a few days. Freeze for longer-term storage (up to several weeks).
Video
Notes
*I tested Miyokos vegan butter and Earth Balance soy-free buttery sticks. Both work, but I found Earth Balance gives them a slightly better texture.
*To speed-soften your butter, simply cut it into thin slices from the stick and it will soften much quicker.
*I have a hunch you could also use other purees, such as butternut squash, beet and banana. If you try it out, let me know! I think it would create fun color/flavor variations.
*Loosely adapted from my Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes and Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies.
*For alternative frosting options, try my macadamia-coconut frosting, or cashew frosting! Adjust with whatever spices/flavors you prefer. Just try and keep it on the thicker side for icing.
*We tested these cookies with our 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend in place of all-purpose flour and it worked well! Results will vary depending on the gluten-free blend used. We also have a GF sugar cookie recipe.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Kelly says
These are the MOST DELICIOUS cookies!!! Every year at cookie night, I make these – and they’re the only vegan cookies, and by far everyone’s favorite!!! They bake incredibly well as scoops, or rolled out as cut outs!! I’d give 10 starts if I could.
Whoop! We’re so glad you love these cookies, Kelly. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Shakeerah W says
OMG! These make the best cookies EVER!
Sugar cookies are not my fave but my son has been begging to make some and turn them into snickerdoodle cookies!
They taste awesome, just the right amount of sweetness and taste even better as snickerdoodles! Plus they were easy!
So good! Thank you so much!❤️
P.S. – could I swap the flour to make them gluten free?
Thank you for this amazing review, Shakeerah! We’re so glad you loved these cookies! Yes, you can use a GF blend – see the end of the notes section for details :)
Summer says
Popping in just to say these are my go-to sugar cookies, which I’ve now made many, many times. Absolutely love this recipe and thought I should say “thanks” for sharing! Can’t wait to decorate the holiday batch in the oven with my kiddo this afternoon! :)
Aww, thanks so much for letting us know, Summer! We’re so glad you enjoy these cookies. Have fun making them with your kiddo today! xoxo
Sheryl Sharma says
I know that the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, but I make ahead and freeze a week prior?
Definitely! We suggest shaping the dough before freezing.
Katie says
I’m kinda confused because every time I would make these cookies they would never flatten but then there was just one time where they did and I can’t for the life of me remember what I did differently. What should I do to make the cookies flatten? Maybe I didn’t chill the cookie dough long enough? From your experience, is that what causes the cookies to flatten. I want to know how I can get my cookies to look like actual cookies.
Hi Katie, chilling solidifies the vegan butter which slows the melting of the butter and allows the cookies to hold their shape. So chilling would actually make the cookies less likely to flatten. Another factor can be the amount of flour. Using less flour will lead to flatter cookies. But that will change the texture/flavor! Is it possible you haven’t been smashing the cookies into disc shapes (end of step 8)? Hope that helps!
Christina says
First time I’ve made homemade cookies! I was a bit nervous how’d they’d turn out. We rolled out the dough and used heart cookie cutters for Valentine’s Day treat. Just pulled them out of the oven and I tried one… they are so tasty! Soft and with a firmer bottom. Yum! I’m a long time follower. As a vegan household I use your site at least once a week for inspo. Thank you for all you do! 💚
Thank you so much for your sweet words and lovely review, Christina! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! xoxo
Teri says
My nephew wants me to replicate something from his childhood for his birthday this year. He wants a vegan orange sugar cookie that we used to buy in packages. They were a bit hard and crunchy with orange sugar on top. Do you think this recipe would work? I could maybe add a bit of orange juice in place of some of the milk and some orange zest in with sanding sugar? Any ideas? Thanks for all your great recipes.
Hi Teri! That sounds like it would be delicious and it should work!
Jen says
Delicious! Made three times this Christmas season. It’s now going to be my go-to sugar cookie recipe.
Whoop! We’re so glad you liked them, Jen! Thanks for the lovely review. xo
Daria says
Hi! I made these cookies with solid coconut oil, coconut sugar (I added just 1/2 cup of sugar) and spelt flour. The cookies turned out great, delicious! They have caramel flavor and light brown color. I love the recipe, thank you!
Yum, sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing, Daria!
APC says
Hi! Any subs for vegan butter? I live in a country where this does not exist. Thank you!
Hi, It’s possible solid coconut oil (refrigerated if in a warm climate) could work here, but we haven’t tried it. You need something that starts solid (vs. a liquid oil) for the recipe to work. Hope that helps!
Connie Cockrell says
These are fantastic. Light, delicious, and easier to make than you might think. I haven’t had sugar cookies in over a decade and these hit the spot. Love them. I took a picture but can’t see how to load it here.
We’re so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Connie. Thank you for the lovely review! There’s not a way to upload a picture here, but feel free to tag us on Instagram or Facebook if you have either of those :)
Sheryl Sharma says
Can I refrigerate the prepared dough for 2 days? How far ahead can I make it?
Hi Sheryl, that should be okay! You could probably make the dough up to 1 month ahead if freezing it.
Ashley says
This recipe is incredible! We made both large and smaller cookies, baking only 10 minutes for the most airy, not overly sweet sugar cookies that completely remind my family of those Lofthouse Sugar Cookies we used to love before we became vegan. We topped them with icing and they were to die for! Definitely will be using this recipe for the upcoming holidays! Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed the cookies, Ashley. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
E says
This is the first times I’ve used pumpkin as an egg sub, I don’t think I’m gonna go back to applesauce. I added a dash of cinnamon and OMG, delish!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Dominique says
These cookies and delicious. I love making them with my daughter
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Dominique. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Ariel says
Omg. Amazing cookies. I didn’t have vanilla so I used vanilla chai tea, just emptied two packets into the batter and another into the frosting. Perfect holiday cookies. I also used vegan sour cream and vegan cream cheese and vegan butter… I was low on everything so I cobbled it together. Amazing frosting. I’m so happy. I’m waiting for them to cool. No I didn’t make shapes, they’re just drop cookies and so fluffy. I’m not really a measuring sort of person. I have measuring spoons… prolly should have used them. Lol.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Ariel!
Kamielle says
This is my GO-TO sugar cookie recipe. You are SO right, they turned out perfect and I was in love the first time. I have made so many batches of these, following the recipe exactly…except I do not bother with sifting! XD I use the president’s choice plant based unsalted butter, it comes in a big block like traditional butter, and I have had great results.
I have made these cookies in hand-rolled circles dipped in sugar as suggested…perfect and delicious.
I most recently decided to try to put in the extra work to make holiday shaped cut-out cookies. I followed the suggestion to cool the shapes on the baking sheet (by just sticking them outside in this cold weather!) and it worked PERFECTLY. No spreading to complain about here. It’s definitely worth the extra work. The cookies were so cute and I piped the buttercream frosting on with beautiful results. I’m just about to make 2 more batches for Christmas and my only adjustment will be to make twice as much frosting! :)
Everyone who eats these cookies loves them, me especially. It’s so funny because my husband JUST NOW saw the pumpkin puree while I’m setting up for baking and wrinkled his nose, “what’s THAT?!” haha but he NEVER knew there was pumpkin in them before, and he’s eaten many. :P
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your family are enjoying them, Kamielle. Thank you for sharing! xo
Shannon says
So so delicious. Skipped the brown sugar and instead of pumpkin purée used thick homemade applesauce. Didn’t worry about sifting and they were plenty sweet and seriously so good.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Shannon!
Jessica Donaghey says
These are absolutely delicious! And following the directions, they didn’t spread as much as I expected. Excellent recipe, I’m sharing with everyone! Thank you!
Aw, yay! Thank you for sharing, Jessica! xo
Claire says
If I want to bring out the pumpkin flavor for Halloween, could I add a little pumpkin pie spice and maybe cinnamon? If you think that would work, how much would you recommend? Thanks!
Yes, that would be delicious! We also have a pumpkin sugar cookie here.
Laurie says
I’d like to make these into a cookie cake for my daughters bday. Any idea if I should change bake temp or time?
Hi Laurie! We have never tried these cookies as a cookie cake so we cannot guarantee results. We do think it would probably need longer in the oven, but the same temp should be fine. Let us know how it goes!
Gabby says
Hi! I’m about to make these, they look delicious!
Just had a question about the oven temp. I have a fan oven and wondered if I needed to adapt the temp to suit?
Thanks :)
Hi Gabby! You probably want to lower the recommended temperature by ~25* F, but we aren’t positive. Perhaps your oven’s instructions can help!
Kate says
I’m pretty new to baking so I hope this doesn’t sound ridiculous! If I use salted earth balance for the cookie dough, should I omit the 1/4 tsp salt the recipe calls for? Also does the earth balance for the frosting have to be unsalted? I would think so since salty frosting doesn’t sound appealing, but I do wanna double check.
Hi Kate, we welcome any questions =) We’d suggest only using a pinch of salt in the cookie dough if using salted butter. Salted should be fine for the frosting since it’s not strongly salted. Hope that helps!
Mary says
I made these, subbing dairy butter for the vegan butter and unsweetened applesauce for the pumpkin puree. They turned out great! I love my sugar cookies without frosting, so that’s how I served them.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Mary!
Jack says
I made this recipe with two substitutions. For one, I didn’t have any vegan butter in “stick” form on hand. I thought the stuff in the tub would be too soft so I went with vegan cream cheese instead! :D I also used Krusteaz Gluten-free Flour Blend. The verdict on Krusteaz is that I hate it… the flavor isn’t very nice and it always throws off the texture, but it’s what I had on hand. That said the cookies still turned out delicious. I’ll definitely be making these again once I’ve got some good ol’ Bob’s Red Mill in the house!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Jack! Sorry to hear the Krusteaz threw off the texture, but glad to hear they were still delicious!
Nicole says
I did these today with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF and they turned out great! 5 stars!
Yay! Thanks, Nicole!
nora says
i’ve made this recipe two years in a row and my family and coworkers love it!! i swap out the flour for 1:1 gf flour (king arthur) & it’s worked wonderfully both time!!! i was a little skeptical about the pumpkin purée at first but you cant even taste it!
Amazing! We’re so glad everyone enjoys it! Thank you for sharing, Nora! xo
II says
These cookies are so delicious! Me and my family love making them every year! Some of my family members are cutting of sugar so I was wondering if there is an alternative for the sugar parts in this recipes what do you suggest?
We’re so glad you and your family enjoy them! The sugar is pretty key for the right texture. You could perhaps cut it back a little, or maybe a 1:1 sugar substitute. We haven’t experimented much with sugar substitutes so unfortunately don’t have advice to offer on what type.
Jennifer Parker says
Great cookies. I just made them. I made wayyy too much frosting though. How long does the frosting last if I store in the fridge, freezer, or cabinet?
Thanks.
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Jennifer! The frosting will keep for 1 week in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer.
Jacki says
I have made these cookies for the past couple years and use Bob Red Mills 1 to 1 Gluten Free baking mix and they come out great. The need to bake a few more minutes and they willharden more after sitting a bit. I get so many compliments on these and the non-vegan/non-GF love them.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Jacki! We’re so glad you enjoy them! xo
Shalleene Pickard says
I made these to take the place of the traditional sugar cookies I make and decorate with our daughter at Christmas. The only modification I made was to add some almond extract (a tiny bit) to the frosting with the vanilla extract. The cookies came out so soft and the frosting was perfect. We will definitely be making these again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Shalleene! Thank you for sharing! xo
Jess says
Hi, just made these but when I was trying to cut shapes the dough was too soft. Does it just need to be frozen longer or do I need to adjust the recipe?
Thank you for all your amazing recipes, minimalist baker is always my go to!
Hi Jess! It may just need to chill longer, did you make any modifications to the recipe?
Jess says
Thank you! I did end up chilling them longer and they came out perfectly
Great! Thank you for the update!
3 year old vegan says
As someone who does not like brown sugar, what do you recommend as a replacement? I just don’t like the molasses flavor. Can’t wait to make these with my mom!
Hi, you can sub more cane sugar. Hope that helps!
Ariel says
I used coconut sugar in place of brown sugar. It’s a common replacement of mine.
Rjfoodjourney says
Sooo yummy! I had Apple, pear and peach puree I make for my daughter’s food allergy treatment program. it worked perfectly and tasted great! I also added cinnamon! This was the best sugar cookie recipe I’ve tried! I made it with our two year old but had to keep putting it back in the fridge to keep its form.
Def recommend!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
HappyBaking says
This is my go to recipe for Christmas cut out cookies, every year. This recipe is impossible to mess up. The cookies come out soft and they stay soft! My 6 and 8 y/o have so much fun making, decorating, and eating these cookies. Thanks for helping us make cookies and memories.
Amazing! We’re so glad you and your family enjoy them! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Siobain Cole says
This cookie recipe was absolutely amazing. The best vegan sugar cookies and I have tried several recipes looking for the perfect one! Great flavor and easy to put together.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Siobain! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
TN says
This is my first time making a vegan cookie and I was genuinely surprised by how great it turned out! I followed the recipe exactly and voided the frosting. Instead I added white chocolate chips on top for some extra sweetness. I rolled mine into balls, then flattened them out with my palms since these cookies don’t spread on their own. Their shapes will be exactly how flat you pressed them together in your hands. I would highly recommend this recipe for Xmas!
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad your first vegan cookie recipe was a success! xo
Lisa says
I made these according to your recipe except substituted the flour with Measure for Measure gluten-free flour and oat milk. Our family has egg, dairy, gluten, nut allergies, but this recipe pleased everyone and we all got to enjoy the same cookies! Even those with no allergies loved them. They aren’t too sweet, have great texture, and are adjustable for the level of crunch vs. chew. I doubled the recipe and refrigerated for 24 hours. We used cookie cutters to make shapes and didn’t have room in the freezer, so we refrigerated for 15 minutes. Worked perfectly. Great recipe! Thank you!
Amazing! This is what we love to hear. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Lisa!
Sarah says
So glad I found these! I plan to make them to accompany Christmas gifts and wanted to test them out beforehand. They are delicious! I followed the recipe pretty strictly (especially the part where you briefly freeze them before baking since I made cut-out cookies) and they came out perfect. I also briefly froze the dough between waiting for the next round of cookies to finish. I baked them for just barely 8 minutes because I love sugar cookies on the softer side. I also added 1/4 tsp of almond extract, as well as vanilla and they, were so tasty. I think I’ll up the almond extract next round. I used the brand farmers market organic pumpkin puree and I think it gave them a very slightly strange after taste so I may try non-organic pumpkin. I only noticed it because I’ve been using that puree a lot lately and have noticed that taste with other baked goods. For the frosting, I had beet powder on hand and it too turned out great! Very tasty and a little beet powder goes a long way. Couldn’t even taste the beet flavor and the color was gorgeous. Thanks so much, Dana and team for another wonderful vegan recipe!
We LOVE to hear this! So glad these turned out well for you, Sarah! Thanks so much for such a thoughtful review!
Alice says
Made these for children with egg, nut & milk allergies. My testers (non-allergic adults) liked this cookie very much! Soft & great flavor. So pleased to make cookies the young ones can decorate & everyone will eat!!! Made via recipe, no variations, thank you!
Yay! So glad to hear that everyone could enjoy these. Thanks so much, Alice!
Frances says
I made these and they came out perfect. I used apple sauce I didn’t have pumpkin puree but I look forward to trying the pumpkin . Because the apple sauce is so moist I did refrigerate the dough for an hour . I was really amazed at how good they came out . I cut back on the amount of white sugar because I knew using the powder sugar to roll them out would cake the bottoms of the cookies which taste amazing. I made thin hard sugar cookies and the thicker softer ones. I prefer the hard ones especially for decorating. Love this recipe!! Making more right now .
We’re so glad you’re enjoying them, Frances! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Avril says
Hey I want to make these for Christmas but I was wondering if the applesauce flavor come thru?
Hi Avril, No, the flavor of the applesauce doesn’t come through. Hope that helps!
Kristin Klappenbach says
Hi- what’s the best way to freeze dough and thaw? Best sugar cookies I’ve found
Hi Kristin! We’d recommend shaping the cookies like you would to bake them, then freeze. When you’re ready to bake you can put them straight into the oven and bake! Maybe 1-2 minutes longer if needed. Hope this helps!
Beth says
The dough made delicious cookies – very sweet with a nice texture. I actually made more dough than I ended up needing, though (sudden change of plans). Can I freeze the dough to use in a few months?
We’re so glad you enjoy the cookies, Beth! For freezing, we’d recommend shaping the cookies like you would to bake them, then freeze. When you’re ready to bake you can put them straight into the oven and bake! Maybe 1-2 minutes longer if needed. Hope this helps!
Kamielle says
I was definitely skeptical about the pumpkin puree, but I happened to have some on hand (and was madly craving sugar cookies) so I went for it! Wow, these cookies were easy to make and SO delicious.
I didn’t have Earth Balance sticks, but I had Earth Balance in a tub so I used that, and it seemed to go just fine! My cookies are not as beautiful as yours, but they sure are tasty.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Kamielle. So glad you enjoyed!
Seema Raniga says
I made this with applesauce and it turned out really well. 😊🙏
Claudia says
I’ve made the sugar cookies twice. I eliminated the nondairy milk – dough was moist enough without. I rolled the dough and used cookie cutters. I did freeze before baking but they still spread. Nevertheless, tasted GREAT! Going to make another batch and try the method without cookie cutters. Was wondering how far in advance dough can be made.
Thanks so much for the review, Claudia! So glad you enjoyed! We haven’t tried making the dough in advance, it could possibly work a few hours in advance, though it should probably come to room temperature before baking. Hope this helps!
Claudia says
When I grated carrot 200g is far more than one cup. It was closer to 2 cups. How much grated carrot is needed?
Hi Claudia, this recipe doesn’t have carrots in it. Perhaps you meant to comment on a different one?
Claudia says
OOPS!
Erika J. says
My family adored these. They’re the best-tasting sugar cookies I’ve ever made, vegan or otherwise! They hold their shape but are nice and soft, even after fully cooled. Using pumpkin as egg replacer was a stroke of genius. (I used 3 bowls – 2 for the cookies and 1 for the frosting, since I didn’t want to wash anything until I was done). I used Smart Balance sticks. The frosting ingredient list didn’t say how much vanilla to put in, so I used 1/2 tsp. The dough is great to work with – perfect texture for cutout cookies. Also, the subtle pumpkin taste made them a great choice for Halloween! I will probably use this for Christmas cookies too.
Woohoo! We love to hear this. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Erika!
Morgan says
Could you substitute potato starch for the corn starch and it work ok? My son has a corn allergy and we don’t have arrowroot powder. Thanks!
We haven’t tried it, but it might work! Tapioca could also work if you have it. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Kelly says
I was skeptical of the pumpkin purée, but this is the best vegan swap for the classic sugar cookies and is now my “go to”. Cook time is tricky with cut outs of various shapes, but they firm up even if it seems like they haven’t been in the oven long enough.
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Kelly! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Ali says
These cookies are the most perfectly yummy … just really amazing! Definitely a solid in my go to rotation for, “feeding to other people with smashing success!”
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Ali. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Alexa Katz says
I tried making the sugar cookies and used “just egg” for the egg substitute, coconut sugar and brown sugar, and tub butter. With that being said, I don’t know if that affected the final product but these tasted more like biscuits to me! The consistency was like a biscuit too. Not sure what I did wrong :(
Hi Alexa, sorry to hear they didn’t turn out! We’re thinking it was a combination of coconut sugar (which makes them softer) and just egg.
Zoe says
It was so delicious. I’m making these every Christmas !!!!!!!🎄
Yay! Thanks for the lovely review, Zoe! xo
Karina says
Is it possible to sub the vegan butter for oil?
Hi Karina! It’s possible that coconut oil could work here, but we haven’t tried it. You do need something that starts solid, not a liquid oil, for the recipe to work. Let us know how it goes if you give it at try! xo
Michaela Rayer says
My sister has a TON of allergies, including ones in this recipe so good cookies are hard to find… but these turned out amazing!
I made them for my sister for her birthday and she can’t have egg, gluten, dairy, or almond so I used Minnesota Flour Company gluten free flour and I used oat milk instead of almond milk and they were AMAZING.
I dyed the frosting using Raw Nice super food food coloring so we did pink dye (pitaya).
So yummy and will definitely make again!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad your sister was able to enjoy them with some modification! Thank you for sharing, Michaeala! xo
Lisa says
I used applesauce & omitted the nut milk. Subbed coconut sugar for the brown sugar. Used Earth Balance sticks. Refrigerated dough overnight. Dough was easy to roll between parchment, no sticking at all. Used small, simply shaped cutters. Forgot to put some in freezer before baking and they did not spread – perhaps because dough was chilled? Remembered to chill rest before baking and found no difference. Cookies were softer than a typical sugar cookie but delicious!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Lisa! We’re glad you enjoyed them =)
Anna says
These cookies were incredible! Made them for Valentine’s Day and, inspired by Dana’s beautiful photos, did a white/pink/red gradient for the frosting. Will try beets next time. I used one cup of powdered sugar for the frosting (for a half-recipe of 10 cookies) rather than 1.25-1.5, and it was plenty for the right consistency and sweetness. I was generous with the vanilla, perhaps doubling it in the cookies and throwing in a hearty splash for the frosting. Two of us devoured 10 cookies in one sitting, and the dogs went nuts licking the bowl. (Thank goodness we didn’t make the whole 20-cookie recipe! :D) Soooooooo good. Paired wonderfully with cold brew.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Anna!
Carissa says
I made these and made them pink for valentine’s day and one they are so good! I’ve never made sugar cookies since I’ve gone vegan and I was afraid I’d mess up, but they came out perfect!! Also I didn’t cool them (I’m not the best at reading all the recipe directions) but they still turned out in tact, although they probably would’ve been better had I cooled them haha!! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe, I will definitely be using it again!
Love that idea! Thanks so much for sharing, Carissa! xo
Alex M says
This recipe is amazing!! I added a little bit of almond extract with the vanilla extract, and it was sooo good. I actually used it to make the crust for a fruit pizza. I just shaped it into a circle and then rolled it out between two sheets of parchment like the recipe said, then baked the whole thing. Ended up baking it for about sixteen minutes and it was completely perfect.
Sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Alex!
tee says
I am allergic to eggs so I usually use vegan recipes as a base. I made this with cow’s butter, didn’t have brown sugar so added more white, and used the apple sauce, and used cow’s milk, and it was amazing! I baked for about 14 minutes and they’re perfectly crispy on outside and soft on inside. Haven’t iced yet because I probably won’t be able to keep them un-eaten long enough to do that.
We’re so glad it turned out well with those modifications. Thanks for sharing!
Chelsea says
These turned out perfectly! Even our non-vegan family enjoyed them!
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Chelsea! xo
Sara says
Gosh, this makes an excellent sugar cookie! Followed the recipe as exactly written and comes out perfect every time! Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Sara. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Kiki Leigh says
These are amazing!!!! I went vegan this year and I was afraid I’d miss out on my grandmother’s amazing sugar cookies. I think that these maybe taste better even :o
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Kiki! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Keri says
First, I want to say “Thank You!”…love all your recipes and can’t begin to tell you how much they save me on a daily basis. I made this recipe with a gf flour, Pillsbury Best, Gluten Free All Purpose Blend. Haven’t tried other gf flours but have to say these are yummy and we haven’t even frosted them yet.
Can’t wait to frost them. Had a great time with my kiddos making these. :)
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Keri!
Anaya Crow says
I’ve used baking soda and vinegar as egg replacer for some recipes. They work for some but not for others. Do you think it would work well for these sugar cookies?
Hm, we don’t think so in this one, but haven’t tried it. Let us know if you try it!
Jess says
I love love LOVE this recipe! I’ve used it twice now, once for Halloween cookies, and today for Valentine’s. I used the 10 minute freeze trick for the shapes, and they did not spread at all! I used an 8 minute baking time, which was forgiving for inconsistent thicknesses.
This recipe is pure perfection, thank you so much!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it. Thanks so much for sharing, Jess! xo
Nikki says
Made this exact recipe yesterday and DELICIOUS!!!! I’m vegan and have never made sugar cookies. Will probably never use another recipe lol. I was a little worried you’d taste the pumpkin (I love pumpkin but just didn’t want it to be super noticeable in the cookie) but after refrigerating overnight you couldn’t even tell! Love!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Nikki!
Nad says
Made these today with my 7 year old as Christmas goodies for her friends. first time making these and they were awesome! a little time “sensitive” with having to freeze and freeze in between cutting out shapes, but other than that, super easy and yummy to boot. we used apple sauce instead of pumpkin puree and turned out great! will be making more batches this week for more treat dropoffs. thanks Dana!
Such a great idea! Thanks for the lovely review! xo
Trisha B says
Currently 730 pm; Can I refrigerate the dough till tomorrow evening around 6 pm? Or freezing it and leaving it in the fridge for the day? Would you recommend rolling it out?
Hi Trisha, that should be fine. Just let the dough sit at room temp for about 20-30 minutes until pliable. Hope that helps!
Heather Knox says
We made this recipe x 6 (at least!) today. We used mashed bananas (instead of pumpkin) and coconut oil (instead of vegan butter which we don’t have access to) and it worked beautifully. We have over 200! We will be giving them to children living in extreme poverty in a rural village in the Central Highlands of Guatemala tomorrow. Thanks for a great and easy recipe!
Wow, love the generosity, Heather! Thanks so much and happy holidays! xo
Annie says
we baked cookies and decorated with this recipe. They held shape super well and were a healthy version. Unfortunately my kids didnt like the taste, they said it tasted like healthy pancakes not sugar cookies. They ate them all 😁
Hi Annie, it sounds like you only used this recipe for the frosting, not the cookies? Is that correct?
Jenna Lueth says
Excited to try this recipe! What have you found to be the best non-dairy milk option? Was thinking of trying coconut but wasn’t sure if almond would give it a better flavor. Thanks!
Hi Jenna, we find almond milk typically works best in baking. Hope that helps!
Lylian Munoz says
No, sorry we only followed the recipe for the cookies. Im baking the rest of the dough right now but just for hubby. Kids dont want any 😢
Joseph says
Can I substitute the pumpkin puree for aquafaba?
We haven’t tried that in this recipe, but it might work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Cha says
My husband is suffering from Acid Reflux and I am in search for a cookie receipe he could eat. I would love to try this one but wondering if I should make further modifications? Thank you!
Hi Cha, unfortunately, we can’t offer personalized nutrition advice. We’d suggest working with a practitioner (such as a nutritionist) for guidance.
Nico Peralta says
If refrigerating overnight, the dough gets hard. Can I roll them flat onto a baking sheet and then refrigerate overnight?
Yes that should work, Nico!
Ashlee says
Hello, can you sub maple syrup for the sugar, or would that ruin the recipe? If you don’t think that will work, can you just use 1/4c of coconut sugar for the brown sugar, and then maple syrup for the white sugar portion? Let me know!
I think your second swap sounds better: coconut sugar for brown, and maple for the white sugar. However, this will darken the cookies and change their flavor. And you may need to add more dry ingredients to compensate for the moisture maple syrup adds.
Victor says
Does corn starch or arrowroot powder yield better results? (You know how it is feeding nonvegans vegan food… everything has to be perfect!) Also, do you know if it would be possible to half this recipe?
You can halve this recipe. And yes you can add in a bit of cornstarch (2 Tbsp?) for more structure, similar to this GF recipe!
sarah says
this recipe is super easy and dough comes out great! followed the recipe exactly and had a lot of fun with some christmas shapes. first time making any sort of sugar cookie and happy that these came out well! the frosting also is perfection !
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Sarah! xo
Maddie says
These. Are. So. Good. Dangerously good! I plan on making them again to decorate for the holidays, but I just whipped them up today for fun! Half of the dough went in the freezer to be baked at a later date. Love!!!!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy them, Maddie. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Lydia says
I’d love to make this but I am not vegan, if I were to use eggs instead of pumpkin puree, how many eggs would that be? And if I do end up using pumpkin puree, I was wondering how does it taste? Does it taste like pumpkin?
Thanks!
Hi Lydia, it adds moisture, but does not taste like pumpkin. But if you’d like, you could try replacing the pumpkin with 1 chicken egg. Let us know how it goes!
Grace says
I decided to try this recipe for my first of many Christmas cookie makings! I tried it out by also making them GF, using the Bob’s Red Mill GF all-purpose baking flower, and I was out of pumpkin puree and applesauce so I substituted with a flax egg. They are delicious!! I will be posting on my instagram about them and a few pics of them if you want to see! I will be sure to tag, my account is @atoast.to.avo
We’re so glad they turned out well! Thanks so much for sharing, Grace! xo
Stephanie Pin says
Hi!
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. This is my 3rd year making this for the holidays. They are always a huge hit and my husband easts at least 5 in a row after we frost them. This year I made the dough late to let it chill overnight and forgot the arrowroot flour :(((((. Good news is cookies still turned out great. I can not really tell the difference. Happy Holidays.
Aw, yay! We’re so glad it still worked and that you enjoy this recipe. Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review, Stephanie! xo