This is the only snickerdoodle cookies recipe you’ll ever need! Chewy and soft, these undetectably healthy vegan snickerdoodle cookies are easy to make and completely egg free, dairy free, gluten free, and low in sugar!
The Best Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies
As cookie season is quickly approaching, I thought I’d whip up a batch of one of my favorite and surprisingly easy vegan cookie recipes of the fall and winter months.
You know those softy and chewy snickerdoodle cookies that basically just melt in your mouth and have that nice tang to the chewiness?
Yeah, that’s what we have right here.
No joke, these are the best snickerdoodle cookies that I’ve ever tasted, and my family shockingly concurred. Every time I’ve made a batch for testing, they’re gone by the day’s end!
And you wouldn’t even know that these easy snickerdoodle cookies are not only healthy and low in sugar, but they’re also completely dairy free, vegan, and gluten free.
And if my mom can’t tell that they’re healthy, then chances are you won’t be able to either haha! She has a knack for these things 😉
What’s the difference between a sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle cookie?
So many people actually think of snickerdoodles as basically a cinnamon sugar cookie…which it is, but there’s another trick to it that really makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle and that is…
Cream of tartar!
Now, cream of tartar is actually dairy free and vegan, despite its name. The white baking ingredient actually comes as a byproduct of the winemaking process! Adding cream of tartar to your vegan snickerdoodles give it that classic snickerdoodle cookie taste!
How to make my favorite vegan snickerdoodle cookies
These are just about the easiest snickerdoodle cookies you’ll ever make. Mainly because all you really need is two bowls, a spoon, a cookie scoop, a hand mixer, and a baking sheet. And the cookie dough only needs to chill for about 20-30 minutes.
Oh, well, you do need a few ingredients in addition to those baking essentials, or else you wouldn’t get any cookies now, would you?! Check these out:
- Gluten free flour (or regular all-purpose flour, or cassava flour for a grain free version)
- Vegan butter (or coconut oil)
- Unsweetened applesauce (check out my trick for making your own here)
- Sugar (you can use coconut sugar, but it will give them a more caramel color)
- Vanilla extract
- Cream of tartar
- Cinnamon
Now that we have our ingredients down, let’s go over how to make these this easy snickerdoodle recipe!
- Start by whisking together the flour, leavening agents, and cream of tartar, then set that bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the softened vegan butter, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla until it’s nice and smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and combine with a spoon until it’s completely mixed.
- Next up, chill the dough for about 20-30 minutes in the fridge. While it’s chilling, whisk together the extra sugar and the cinnamon together to create the cinnamon sugar for rolling the snickerdoodle cookie dough balls.
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop about 1 tablespoon worth of cookie dough and roll into a small cookie dough ball. Either sprinkle the cinnamon sugar or roll the cookie dough ball into the cinnamon sugar to evenly coat, then place it on a the cookie sheet. Then just repeat until all of the dough is gone and bake!
For this recipe, I recommend the pan-banging method. Essentially, halfway through the baking time, we’ll remove the pan from the oven and lightly tap it a few times on the counter.
Then place the pan back into the oven to finish baking. Once they’re fully baked, remove the pan again and lightly tap the pan once more on the countertop.
Snickerdoodle Cookie Tips & Tricks
Of course I have tips and tricks for making the best snickerdoodle cookie recipe, I mean, how could I not include this part?! I want these cookies to be the best dang cookies you’ll ever taste, and you won’t even know that they’re healthy. Here are some of my best cookie tips:
- You can use gluten-free or regular AP flour! With some exceptions…I have not tested these cookies with a blend of almond flour and coconut flour, but the flours that do work are as follows: regular all purpose flour (go organic if you can), gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill, but not their regular gluten free flour here), and cassava flour for a Paleo flour.
- Use either vegan butter or coconut oil. I personally go for the vegan butter here (my personal favorite is Miyoko’s), but you can also use coconut oil if vegan butter is unavailable! Now, if you don’t like the coconut taste that comes with coconut oil, go for the refined coconut oil.
- Swap in coconut sugar for the cane sugar. To make these vegan snickerdoodle cookies also Paleo, simply use cassava flour and coconut sugar! The only caveat is that the cookies might look more caramel colored due to the fact that coconut sugar is brown!
- Use a cookie scoop! This is the best tip for making perfectly round cookies 🙂 great for if you’re making these for a cookie exchange!
- Bake longer than you think you’ll need. Because these are vegan snickerdoodles, they need a bit more time in the oven to make sure that they’re baked completely through and that the middles will set. You won’t need more than 10 minutes, but go for more towards the 10 minute mark if you can, then definitely let the cookies sit for a little before enjoying!
I hope you love this healthy twist on the best snickerdoodle recipe as much as I do! They seriously come together so easily and make for the most perfect holiday cookie for cookie exchanges, parties, or just because you want something cinnamon-y and sweet!
If you make these cookies, let me know in the comments below, and as always, I absolutely love seeing your creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there! I truly just have the best community, you guys always knock my socks off.
Happy vegan snickerdoodle cookie baking!
More vegan Christmas cookie recipes you’ll love:
Simple Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Paleo Vegan Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs
Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
The BEST Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe (you won’t believe they’re healthy!)
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 21 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is the only snickerdoodle cookies recipe you’ll ever need! Chewy and soft, these undetectably healthy vegan snickerdoodle cookies are easy to make and completely egg free, dairy free, gluten free, and low in sugar!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour (swap in all-purpose flour for regular and cassava flour for Paleo, at equal ratios)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 5 tbsp cinnamon
- 5 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar, then set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar, softened butter, applesauce, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and fold together until it becomes a thick dough.
- Place the snickerdoodle dough into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper (depending on how big your cookies will be).
- When you’re ready to roll the dough into balls, whisk together the cinnamon and remaining 3 tbsp of sugar together to create the cinnamon sugar that you’ll roll the balls in.
- Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form tbsp sized dough balls. Roll one snickerdoodle dough ball in the cinnamon sugar or sprinkle it evenly around using a spoon. Place it onto the baking sheet and repeat for the remaining dough. You should get between 18-21 cookies, depending on how big you make them.
- Place the cookies back into the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes. Once they’re ready, place the cookies into the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes (intervals). After 4 minutes of baking, remove the pan and lightly tap it on the counter to flatten the cookies. Place the pan back into the oven to back for another 4-6 minutes. Then remove from the oven and tap the pan several times again.
- Let them cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before enjoying to let the cookies set.
- Store on the countertop for up to 3 days, the fridge for a week, and the freezer for up to a month.
Keywords: vegan snickerdoodle cookies, best snickerdoodles cookie recipe, snickerdoodles, gluten free snickerdoodle cookies, healthy Christmas cookies
Oooo these are so soft and delicious! The perfect fall cookie! 🙂
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Thank you so much!! Hope you love!
Yum!!! Just made these today and everyone loved!!! Thanks girly : )
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Oh my goodness!! I’m so happy to hear it!!! Thank you so much for trying 🙂 Enjoy!
These look DELICIOUS can’t wait to make them today! Should I use salted or unsalted vegan butter?
Hi Claire! AW thank you!! You can use salted vegan butter, but if using unsalted, just add in 1/8 tsp!
I’m so excited to make these!! But I was wondering if I would be able to sub coconut oil for vegan butter?
Aw so happy to hear it!! Yes, you can! They might not spread as much (make sure you follow the pan-banging instructions), but they will still be delicious!
I could not be more impressed with these cookies! They’re so soft, and the sweet vanilla spice flavors brought on ALL the nostalgic holiday feelings. I substituted almond butter for the vegan butter and the texture still turned out great! They probably didn’t spread as much, but I was really pleased with them. Baking your recipes brings me so much happiness. Thank you for what you do!
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Aw I am just so happy to hear it!! And wonderful to hear it works with almond butter! Thank YOU for trying them!! Really means the world 🙂 Enjoy!
These were such a hit! I made these while I was babysitting my cousins and they loved it! These were gone really quick, next time I’ll have to make a double batch! 😉
Aw I’m so happy to hear it!! Enjoy! 🙂