These vegan lemon blueberry cookies are the perfect easy recipe for Spring! They’re a healthier gluten free cookie that are made in just one bowl and ready to eat in 20 minutes.
Spring has sprung so get ready for tons of delicious lemon and blueberry desserts! These vegan lemon cookies have been on my list for a while and I can’t wait for you you to try them!
With fresh juicy blueberries, a sweet and tangy lemon sugar cookie base and finished off with a two ingredient lemon glaze. This healthier recipe is ready to devour in just about 20 minutes and are so easy to whip up!
They’re kind of like a cross between a shortbread cookie (but with no butter) and a sugar cookie, but have a really chewy base that’s almost cake like. They’re made with almond flour and gluten free all purpose flour, but have plenty of substitutions to make them work with what you have!
We’ll be using lemon juice, lemon zest AND lemon extract to really get a strong lemon flavor. If you don’t have lemon extract, you can safely just sub for extra lemon zest with no problem.
Plus, the lemon glaze really seals the deal flavor wise so you won”t be missing out. Try my lemon muffins, vegan chocolate chip cookies or vegan tahini cookies next!
How to make vegan lemon cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whisk together all wet ingredients in a mixing bowl. Fold in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flours.
When a dough has formed, fold in the blueberries. Try not to much them too much, I do like to mash a few because it gives the cookies a slightly marbley look which is pretty!
Use a medium cookie scoop and scoop into balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten the tops with your fingertips, they won’t spread much while making.
Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 11-15 minutes. I usually do 13-14. These don’t crisp up as much as a typical cookie, but the bottoms should be golden brown when you take them out of the oven.
Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze, then drizzle on top when the cookies have cooled. Enjoy!
How to properly store cookies
They do best in a container with the lid ajar. Because of the fresh ingredients (mostly the apple sauce and blueberries) they can get a bit too soft if left completely covered. Be sure to let them cool completely before storing.
These vegan lemon cookies will keep for about 3 days. You can keep them in the fridge for a few extra days!
You can also freeze these cookies, just let them cool completely, transfer to a freezer safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven at 300 until warm through the center.
Ingredient swaps
Almond flour. I use almond flour in a lot of my vegan and gluten free baked goods because it helps keep them light/fluffy without the need for eggs. If you want to make Your best bet would be oat flour, which you can sub 1:1. You can also try my oat flour chocolate chip cookies!
Sugar. This recipe calls for both maple syrup and a granulated sugar of choice. I don’t recommend using all maple syrup because the dough will end up being a bit too wet.
You can use any granulated sugar you like (I used white) but keep in mind the color may be different than what’s pictured. To make these refined sugar free, use coconut sugar.
Add poppy seeds!
I also have a lemon poppy seed cookie recipe, but they have eggs and are not vegan, so feel free to add about 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds to the dough for this recipe.
Other lemon desserts to try!
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Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cookies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- ⅓ cup melted refined coconut oil measure when melted
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 6 tbsp = 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
Dry
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free all purpose flour can use regular if not GF
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together all wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Fold in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flours.
- When a dough has formed, fold in the blueberries. Try not to mash them too much, I do like to mash a few because it gives the cookies a slightly marbley look which is pretty!
- Use a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) and scoop into balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12-16 minutes. I usually do 14-15, but all ovens are different. These don't crisp up as much as a typical cookie, but the bottoms/edges should be golden brown when you take them out of the oven.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze, then drizzle on top when the cookies have cooled. Enjoy!
Carlotta says
😍I’d like to make cookies tomorrow morning. But I need to have the recipe with weights in grams. It is possibile? Thank’s for help 🙏
Claire Cary says
You can switch the measurements to metric in the recipe card!
Emily Raney says
These are fantastic! The combination of lemon and blueberries is delicious & the texture reminds me of a scone (which I love because I feel like it allows me to eat these for breakfast). My family (who eats gluten) swears they can’t tell that these are gf/v
Claire Cary says
Amazing! So happy you enjoyed these.
Quinn says
Hi! My son has an egg and nut allergy. Can I replace the almond flour with anything?! THANK YOU!
Claire Cary says
Unfortunately, there isn’t a great sub for almond flour here! You can try subbing with half the amount of additional all purpose flour (so add 3/4 cup more), but I haven’t tried this and cannot guarantee the result.
Ansley says
Can I use whole wheat all purpose flour?
Claire Cary says
I have a gluten allergy so I am unable to test my recipes with other flours, but that should be ok.
Jennifer M says
Just omg! These are perfection. Such a great flavor and texture and so easy to make! Will definitely be making these again!
Neeti Desai says
Can we use unsalted butter instead of coconut oil?
Is it imperative for us to add maple syrup, can’t it be done with light brown or granulated sugar?
Claire Cary says
You can definitely use butter! I choose ingredients for my recipes with intention, so maple syrup is in there for a reason. You can try subbing for a granulated sugar but I cannot guarantee the results.