But we’re so lucky today in that you can find vegan butter, cream cheese, and egg replacements right in your local grocery store. Not to mention, there are an endless number of dairy-free cookie recipes out there! You’ll find everything from classic chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies to buttery shortbread and even homemade Oreos. These 25 vegan cookie recipes are just as good as, if not better than standard cookie recipes. So why not give one (or three) a try? I’ll bet you won’t even notice the difference.
The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies and More!
1. Vegan Chocolate Cookies
With their crunchy exterior and chewy center, these double chocolate cookies are hard to resist. I love the cracked look of these, which you get from the dryer dough. That’s what you want, so don’t try adding any extra liquid. The dryness will leave these with a lovely crisp edge and a perfectly tender middle. You can use any kind of chocolate chips you prefer here, but I think the chunks look way more effective. Just grab a vegan chocolate bar and hack it into pieces, so you’ll get bigger and smaller chunks throughout.
2. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
If you’ve been vegan for a while, you’ll already know that most peanut butter brands are totally vegan-friendly. For those who might be new to the world of dairy-free foods, just be sure to get peanut butter without honey. These cookies are bursting with peanut flavor, though you could swap it out for almond butter if you prefer (or have an allergy).
3. Vegan Shortbread Cookies
In my opinion, shortbread cookies should contain no more than five ingredients. But for the most authentic flavor, it should only be three. All you need for a perfectly “short” (crumbly) and buttery shortbread cookie is flour, sugar, and butter. Of course, vanilla is always welcome, though not essential in this case. The fifth and optional ingredient is cornstarch, which helps to keep the cookie tender. Since butter is the main focus flavor-wise, it’s important to buy vegan butter with the closest buttery taste. Many people consider Earth Balance to be the best in that regard.
4. Simple Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies get a bad rap, but I, for one, just love the chewy texture and wholesome flavor you can only get from adding oats to the mix. These have the added bonus of coconut, which adds to the texture with a sweet flavor boost. You’ll notice that the recipe calls for golden syrup, which is a pantry staple in the UK. This thick treacle-like syrup will give these incredible caramel flavors while making them super chewy and tender.
5. Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin and chocolate pair perfectly together, thanks to the earthy sweetness of the vegetable and the rich, slightly bitter notes you get from dark chocolate. I always add chocolate chunks to my pumpkin loaves, so it makes sense that these cookies would be near the top of the list! And don’t worry, these aren’t the cakey pumpkin cookies you’re used to. Instead, they’re wonderfully chewy and will melt in your mouth. Instead of vegan butter, you’ll use solid coconut oil, which just needs to be beaten into the sugars as you would butter in a standard recipe. It will turn light and fluffy, just like you’re used to.
6. Vegan Ginger Cookies (Gingersnap)
Gingersnap cookies take all those incredibly warm spices we love for holidays and amps them up to eleven. Instead of being subtle, these babies have an almost spicy kick, which is so delicious and perfect for a chilly afternoon. And as the name suggests, these cookies should be crisp and crunchy. They’re called ginger-snap cookies, after all.
7. Vegan Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies should be buttery, crumbly, and absolutely covered in powdered sugar. I expect to see a nice dusting on my shirt after I’ve devoured a plate! You’ll notice that the recipe is super similar to the shortbread cookies from above, so you know they’re going to be insanely tasty and perfectly crumbly. Pecans will add a nice bit of crunch to the mix, though you could also use macadamia, walnuts, or even pistachios if you want a pop of color.
8. 1-Bowl Vegan Sugar Cookies
You’ll probably never see a holiday cookie platter without sugar cookies, and that’s because they’re mild yet sweet and easy to decorate. Unlike the ginger cookies above, which some people may find too spicy, sugar cookies will always be a safe bet at any party. Unusually, this recipe uses pumpkin puree as an egg replacement, which leaves them with a slight orange hue. You won’t taste it, and you could swap it out for banana or applesauce if you prefer.
9. Vegan Lemon Cookies
These lovely lemon cookies have a super light and airy finish. They don’t use any fat or oil but are full of lemon juice and zest. Since these need to rest in the fridge before baking, you can go ahead and mix everything quite well. Then, the batter will relax in the fridge and start to aerate, so they’ll come out ultra-soft. After an hour, you should be able to portion your cookies out and have them hold their shape on the tray. But this will be too sticky to do by hand, so I recommend using a cookie scoop.
10. Vegan Snickerdoodles
These snickerdoodle cookies are more or less regular (vegan) sugar cookies; only they’re loaded with cinnamon. Between the vegan butter, white sugar, and cream of tart, these cookies are rich, sweet, and full of that signature tang you expect from snickerdoodles. Cream of tartar is also used to ensure a chewy texture, so although these are light, they still have that classic cookie mouthfeel.
11. Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
If you’re looking for grown-up cookies that are not overly sweet and bursting with flavor, this recipe is for you. It uses molasses, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate to give an almost bitter finish. If you love super intense chocolate desserts, you’ll love these. Although the dough calls for maple syrup and peanut butter, these are not very sweet, so they might not be the best option for your kids’ birthday.
12. 3-Ingredient Coconut Cookies
It’s hard to believe, but these cookies only need three ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time. Unlike other three ingredient coconut cookies, which typically call for whipped egg whites, these only need shredded coconut, sugar, and coconut milk. They won’t be as pillowy as coconut macaroons, but all the flavors are there, and they have a lovely crumbly texture. Plus, the bottom crisps up nicely.
13. Homemade Vegan Oreos Cookies
Did you know that some sugars include bone char (natural carbon) to help achieve the bright white color? Since it’s made from charred animal bones, you should know that not all sugar is vegan. Though there’s no bone actually inside the sugar, so if you’re not hard-core vegan, this shouldn’t be an issue. Anyway, some Oreo sugar suppliers are known to use bone char. So, if you want an Oreo that is 100% vegan, it’s best to make your own. What’s the best thing about making your own Oreos? You can add all the filling you can handle!
14. Healthy Vegan Breakfast Cookies
The ingredient list for these cookies is similar to what you might see on a recipe for homemade granola. These are probably the healthiest vegan cookie on the list, full of oats, seeds, coconut, dried fruits, and almond butter. In fact, if you’re in a rush, you can make this recipe in a baking dish and cut these into bars if you prefer. Either way, it’s the perfect sweet snack or light breakfast.
15. Vegan Almond Butter Cookies
Almond butter is one of the healthiest nut butters around, and that flavor just can’t be beaten. I have a friend who is deathly allergic to peanuts but is an almond butter fanatic. So, needless to say, these cookies don’t last long. They have a similar texture to the peanut butter cookies above, and that chocolate drizzle is just what they need to add a bit of decadence.
16. Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Unfortunately, Nutella is not vegan-friendly because it contains milk powder to guarantee the creamiest, silkiest texture possible. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the same flavors. It just means you need to get a little creative. Between the cocoa powder, ground hazelnuts, and chocolate chips, these have such a heavenly Nutella-like flavor. I recommend toasting some hazelnuts and rough chopping them before mixing them into the dough.
17. Raspberry Almond Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Did you grow up making these too? I can still remember helping my grandma and getting all excited when it was time to stick my thumb in the dough! They’re such a fun, kid-friendly cookie, and you can so easily modify them by adding different flavors of jam. Again, since they’re essentially an almond-flavored shortbread cookie, all you’ll need to make this dairy-free is to substitute vegan butter. When adding the almond extract, remember that a little goes a long way. I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon and going from there.
18. Orange Almond Biscotti
There’s nothing I love more than a crunchy, flavorful biscotti with my mid-morning coffee, especially when they’re as unique as these orange and almond cookies. Since these are twice-baked, you’ll need to carve out some time to make a batch. They’re not quite as straightforward as other cookies, but so worth the extra effort. First, you’ll bake the dough in kind of a flat log until it’s golden and just about set. Then, it needs to cool for around 10-15 minutes. Finally, use a serrated knife to cut the log into biscotti cookies, turn them on their side, and bake again until crunchy.
19. Maple Cream Cookies
Maple syrup has such a distinct flavor and having lived in Toronto for a while, I know how seriously our hockey-loving neighbors of the Great White North take it. When it’s at its purest, maple syrup is one of the best all-natural sweeteners around. So, if you make this recipe, don’t go for the cheap stuff! The filling for these is simple maple butter, which you should be able to find near the jams and spreads in the supermarket. Otherwise, try making your own for the most authentic flavor possible.
20. Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cookies
Individually, brownies and cookies are about as close to perfect as you can get in the kitchen. But together? You might have to sit down for this one. These are supposed to be quite thick; that way, you get a nice firm edge but still have an impossibly fudgy center. To get the right consistency, you’ll use aquafaba, which means you’ll need a can of chickpeas. And since you’ll have the chickpeas leftover anyway, you might as well try this recipe for chickpea blondies, too.
21. 6-Ingredient Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies
Thanks to the pecans and maple syrup, these cookies really do have a lovely pecan pie-like flavor. Of course, unlike pecan pie, these aren’t loaded with sugary corn syrup. They’re also gluten-free and use oats instead of flour for extra texture. Did I mention these are crazy-easy to make? You’ll just need a food processor and a few minutes to make the dough followed by 10 minutes in the oven.
22. Healthy No-Bake Unicorn Cookies
These no-bake cookies are such a fun way to include a little color into your day. They’re designed to be an edible cookie dough of sorts, though shaped to look like cookies and colored with sprinkled. I like these chilled with a slightly firmer texture, but if you want them to melt in your mouth, let them sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes. I found that nonpareils (tiny round sprinkles) were the best for these cookies because they spread the color perfectly. However, if you only have regular sprinkles, I suggest using less than the recipe calls for.
23. The BEST Thin Mints
Thin mints are the perfect blend of refreshing peppermint, rich, bitter cocoa, and smooth chocolate. They’re also wonderfully crunchy and surprisingly easy to recreate at home. Many gluten-free baking recipes call for tapioca or potato starch, or arrowroot (or a blend of them all). This will help to keep the cookie tender yet firm. Although you can substitute for corn starch (use half the amount), tapioca has a naturally sweet flavor which is perfect in low/non-sugar recipes.
24. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Being a die-hard chocolate chip cookie lover, I feel like I’m experienced enough to tell you that these cookies are dangerously good. The taste, the texture, and even the look of them is exactly what you want in a chocolate chip cookie, and it’s totally vegan! However, before adding the coconut milk and applesauce, I think it’s best to beat the coconut oil and sugar a little more than the recipe suggests. That way, you won’t get any lumps in the dough.
25. Vegan Flourless Pistachio Cookies
Pistachios don’t just taste delicious; they look great, too. I love using them in baking because they naturally draw your eye and look sensational on camera. For these cookies, you’ll use ground pistachios and ground almonds, along with sugar and aquafaba for the binder. Orange zest is an optional extra, but these are much tastier when you include it. I also added some dark chocolate chunks for good measure. Click on a star to rate it!
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