The best kind of cookies are ultra soft and chewy, and these vegan snickerdoodles are exactly that. Plus, they’re easy to make and just so happen to be gluten free!
There is absolutely nothing better than biting into a perfectly soft and chewy cookie that has a very slight crunch on the exterior. It just SO satisfying.
These vegan snickerdoodles went through a long process of trial and error to get the absolute perfect texture. Flavors are always easy to master when I’m recipe testing, but it’s the texture that takes time.
These snickerdoodles have a slightly crispy (but not crunchy) exterior (mostly thanks to the sugar coating) and the most irresistible soft, puffy and chewy center. They’re nice and thick too and even gluten free!
If you don’t know what a snickerdoodle is, it’s basically a sugar cookie with the addition of cinnamon and cream of tartar.
Snickerdoodles, unlike sugar cookies, are also rolled in a combination of sugar and cinnamon to give a crispy exterior and give the signature snickerdoodle appearance.
How to make snickerdoodles
Add the solid coconut oil or butter to a large mixing bowl and microwave for about 10 seconds or until soft.
You don’t want it completely melted, but if you press on it with your finger, it should leave a dent. The butter will take about 20 seconds to soften properly, the oil about 10.
Once softened, add in the light brown sugar and cream together using an electric mixer.
Beat in the remaining wet ingredients until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
Add the dry to the wet and use a wooden spoon to mix together until combined.
Add the dough to the fridge to set for 30 minutes. During the final 15 or so minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use a cookie scoop and roll into even balls. Roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with enough room between each cookie and bake for 10-14 minutes. 11 minutes is usually ideal in my oven, but all ovens are different.
They should look really soft in the center when they come out of the oven, but will continue cooking as they cool, so avoid leaving them in for longer if you want them nice and soft.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack using a spatula.
Importance of cream of tartar
Cream of tartar is kind of a weird ingredient, also with a weird name. It has nothing to do with cream and is naturally dairy free. It is actually a byproduct of wine production and is an acid (in powder form) and is used as a leavener in baking.
When combined with baking soda in this recipe, it produces carbon dioxide which gives snickerdoodles their distinct flavor.
Cream of tartar is particularly important in snickerdoodles because it gives it a slight tangy flavor and the perfect chewy texture.
If you want to make these without cream of tartar, you can leave out the baking soda and the cream of tartar and instead use 2 tsp of baking powder. This won’t achieve quite the same result, but it will be somewhat similar!
Oil vs. Butter
If using coconut oil, be sure to use refined coconut oil for this recipe. Virgin coconut oil will give off a coconut-y flavor and not pair very well with the other flavors.
I don’t recommend any other kind of oil since it’s important for it to start out in a semi-solid state.
You can also use butter which will give a slightly richer flavor to the cookies, but they can easily be made without vegan butter and just coconut oil instead!
Storage tips
Once prepared, these vegan snickerdoodles will keep for 3-5 days. Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring to an air tight container. Store at room temperature for best results.
You can also freeze the dough before baking. To properly freeze cookie dough, you want to roll the cookies into balls, roll in the cinnamon sugar, then freeze in a freezer safe bag or container.
You can bake the cookies right from frozen, but you’ll want to lower the oven temperature to 325 Fahrenheit and add a few extra minutes to account for the dough being frozen.
They may not spread as much, so they will be a bit thicker and chewier, which hopefully is a good thing!
Try these vegan desserts next!
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Gluten Free Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. If you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram and leave a comment below!
Chewy Vegan Snickerdoodles
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet:
- ½ cup refined coconut oil or vegan butter use vegan butter for a richer flavor
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk at room temperature*
Dry:
- 1 ⅓ cup fine blanched almond flour
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour I used gluten free, regular will also work
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cream of tartar*
For Rolling:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar I used cane, but brown or coconut both work
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Add the solid coconut oil or butter to a large mixing bowl and microwave for about 10 seconds or until soft.
- You don't want it completely melted, but if you press on it with your finger, it should leave a dent. The butter will take about 20 seconds to soften properly, the oil about 10.
- Once softened, add in the light brown sugar and cream together using an electric mixer.
- Beat in the remaining wet ingredients until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry to the wet and use a wooden spoon to mix together until combined.
- Add the dough to the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
- During the final 15 or so minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use a cookie scoop and roll into even balls. Roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with enough room between each cookie and bake for 10-14 minutes. 11 minutes is usually ideal in my oven, but all ovens are different.
- They should look really soft in the center when they come out of the oven, but will continue cooking as they cool, so avoid leaving them in for longer if you want them nice and soft. I always use a round cookie cutter and right after they come out of the oven scoot it around the cookie to create a perfect circle.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack using a spatula.
Jean says
Really good. Used a good quality vegan butter formulated for baking, Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose GF flour, added 1/2 teas. Xantham gum, oat milk in one batch, almond milk in the other. Recipe doesn’t say to flatten the cookie dough balls. Wasn’t sure what to do so flatten them slightly when I took them out half way through to turn the pan around. Came out great.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed these.
Jean says
Made two batches of the snickerdoodles, one with oat milk and one with unsweetened almond milk. Both were delicious and everyone loved them. Curious about cookie size (as I am counting calories). There is a stated number of calories per cookie, but how many cookies are in a batch?
Claire Cary says
There are about 12 cookies in a batch!
Stacie says
I substituted almond flour for coconut flour. They turned more into cookie balls but were still good!
Claire Cary says
Coconut flour is generally not a safe sub for almond flour, you usually only need a small fraction of the amount, but glad they still turned out!
Joanie Ivy says
Can you use regular butter and milk in this recipe?
Claire Cary says
Yes! That will be fine.
Sanjana says
Which dairy free milk did you use?
Claire Cary says
I always use almond, but anything works!
Christine Anderson says
Awesome flavor and consistency!!
Rachelle Burt says
I want to make these for a friend who has a nut allergy, what can I replace the almond flour with?
Claire Cary says
There isn’t really a good replacement for almond flour since it absorbs ingredients in a very particular way, but your best bet is probably oat flour! You may need a bit less, closer to 1 1/4 cup instead of 1 1/3. Let me know how they turn out if you try them!
Bethany says
These cookies were delicious! I followed the recipe exactly as written, I used vegan butter (earth’s balance). My husband said they were his new favorite cookies.
Claire Cary says
Aww yay!! Nothing better than a husband approved recipe!
Carla says
I tried this recipe and it’s definitely going to one I save 😋. Who knew a gluten free cookie would be this good and moist 🤗.
Claire Cary says
Thanks Carla! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Kylie says
These are the best!
Claire Cary says
So happy you like them!