Basic Vegan Sugar Cookies with this Easy Roll & Cut Recipe

Sarah makes some amazing dairy-free sugar cookies, but I know many of you need egg-free, too! So I whipped up this recipe for vegan sugar cookies over the holidays. It’s a delicious, simple, versatile formula that takes minutes to make, and even less time to devour. Seriously! There were Pillsbury sugar cookies and these vegan sugar cookies at our house Christmas dinner, and these were the ones that everyone went back for. After we ate, my cookie plate had nary a crumb left.

Basic Vegan Sugar Cookies with this Easy Roll & Cut Recipe

We had a vegan sugar cookies recipe up that was good, but it needed just a couple of modifications. It was too salty (IMO), and spread just a little too much. I decided to work on this recipe since I had a lot of leftover buttery sticks and spreads from our Dairy-Free Butter Comparison Tests with Dairy-Free Shortbread Cookies. And I love baking on Christmas day!

Choosing Your Dairy-Free Butter Alternative

I used the Flora (salted) buttery sticks in this recipe, which spread a wee bit more than some of the others, but not too much. Each brand of buttery sticks (or spread) can produce different results (taste, texture, and spread), as you can see from our comparison tests. So make sure to use one that performs well in baking.

Egg Options

Some recipes for vegan sugar cookies use applesauce or banana for egg replacer, which makes them a bit pancake-y. Others use chia or flax “eggs,” which makes them a little rustic. Some use just water or milk beverage and omit the eggs, which can dry the cookies out. I chose aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas), because it helps to retain moisture in the cookie, without making it muffin-life. If you want to use eggs, see our Classic Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies Recipe.

Soft & Lightly Chewy or Crispy

When baked as directed, these vegan sugar cookies have a soft, tender bite with a light chew. Cover them in an airtight container, and they’ll keep their texture for at least a few days. If you want a crispier cookie, you can bake them a couple minutes longer.

Free Form Option

The dough works well as a roll and cut recipe, but you can also hand shape the dough, if preferred. Just roll it into small balls and flatten on your parchment. I didn’t have cookie cutters or a rolling pin, so I flattened the dough by hand and used a small glass to cut rounds. It worked great! As mentioned, everyone enjoyed the taste and texture of these vegan sugar cookies. The sweet vanilla buttercream on top was also well received!

Special Diet Notes: Roll & Cut Vegan Sugar Cookies

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Be sure to choose the buttery sticks that suit your dietary needs.

Alisa Fleming

Vegan Sugar Cookies (Roll & Cut) with Vanilla Frosting

4 from 1 vote

If you don't have cookie cutters handy, you can roll the dough into 1-inch to 1 1/2-inch balls and flatten with your hand or the bottom of a glass on the parchment paper on your baking sheet. Please note that the Prep time is hands-on time only. Allow at least and hour for refrigerating the dough, or make it ahead.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 28 minutes mins

Servings: 32 cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories:

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

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Roll & Cut Vegan Sugar Cookies

• ¾ cup dairy-free buttery sticks room temperature (see post above for brand tips)
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup aquafaba see Note below
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour scant 2 2/3 cups
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted buttery sticks and unsalted aquafaba

Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons dairy-free buttery sticks
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• Unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage or water as needed

Method

 

Roll & Cut Vegan Sugar Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream the buttery sticks and sugar with a whisk or hand mixer. Whisk or beat in the aquafaba and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until it comes together into a dough. It should be a little soft and sticky, but not so much that you can't loosely shape it with your hands.
3. Form the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for at least an hour.
4. Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Unwrap the chilled dough, and roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. If it's too firm, let it warm for a few minutes before rolling. Use cutters to cut cookie shapes, and transfer them to your prepared baking sheet. Bring the scraps together, reroll, and recut, until the dough is used up.
6. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until just starting to turn golden on the edges.
7. Remove the cookies to a plate to cool completely before frosting.

Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting

1. While the cookies cool, sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the dairy-free butter, vanilla, salt, and 2 teaspoons dairy-free milk beverage or water. Whisk or mix with a hand mixer on low speed until smooth.
3. Mix in more milk beverage or water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

Notes

Note: Aquafaba is just the liquid in canned chickpeas. It doesn't taste the least bit beany in this recipe! You can substitute two prepared powdered egg replacers (made with 1/4 cup water), like Ener-G, but might need to adjust the flour a little. Start with 2 1/2 cups, and add more as needed. If you want to use eggs, see this dairy-free sugar cookies recipe.

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