These super soft vegan funfetti cookies literally taste like cake batter in cookie form! Made from scratch, no chill, and completely dairy free, these vegan birthday cake cookies are so easy to make and absolutely delicious!

You are just going to absolutely love these funfetti cookies for a few reasons.

Firstly, they’re entirely vegan and dairy free (with an option for gluten free!), yet you’d never know it. I’m serious. They taste just like your favorite cake batter cookie, only without eggs and dairy.

Secondly, these funfetti cookies are no chill. Yep, you don’t need to chill these cookies for even a minute! Just make the dough and scoop them into dough balls to be baked immediately. It’s such an easy recipe.

And thirdly, these funfetti cookies taste like your favorite vegan birthday cake, full of sprinkles and even chocolate chips if you’d like! Trust me, you’d think these cake batter cookies came from a bakery!

vegan cake batter cookies

The secret to vegan funfetti cookies:

I know, so cliche, but these vegan funfetti cookies do have a secret ingredient that sets them apart from other cookies, even other vegan cookies that I’ve baked on the blog!

The secret to these cake batter cookies is in the cake flour.

Yep! Using cake flour makes these funfetti cookies quite literally taste like birthday cake in a cookie form. That’s because cake flour, while also super fine, contains cornstarch, which creates this wonderful tender and crumb-like texture to cakes.

It’s what makes a cake go from great to jaw-on-the-floor. And that’s exactly what will make this cookie recipe your new go to.

stack of birthday cake cookies

Ingredients for funfetti cookies

You already know one of the key ingredients for these birthday cake cookies: cake flour. But let’s go over the rest of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for these vegan funfetti cookies!

  • Flour: we’ve gone over this above, but make sure to check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredient swaps and measurements
  • Coconut sugar: you can also use granulated sugar. Granulated sugar will make these cookies look and taste more similar to actual funfetti cake. However, if you want a refined sugar free version, like I used here, use coconut sugar!
  • Vegan butter: you can also use coconut oil.
  • Applesauce: I use unsweetened applesauce. This replaces the eggs found in a typical cake batter cookie recipe.
  • Vanilla and almond extracts: I find that both of these extracts are necessary for the traditional funfetti cake flavor. If you’re nut free, you will need to omit the almond extract.
  • Sprinkles: I have a few different vegan sprinkles options that I discuss in the sections below!
  • Chocolate chips: this is optional, but I personally love chocolate chips, so I added them in!

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, you’ll also need a baking sheet, silicone baking mat (or parchment paper- I prefer silicone baking mats though, as it helps the cookies spread a bit more!), large bowl, hand mixer, and a cookie scoop!

funfetti cookie dough

How to make soft vegan birthday cake cookies from scratch (no box mix!)

The full directions are found down below in the recipe card. However, as you saw from the ingredients section, we’re not using any box mix here. We’re making these funfetti cookies from scratch!

Baking these cookies is really no different than any other vegan cookie recipe. We’re simply creaming together the butter and sugar until dissolved, then adding in the applesauce and extracts. Fold in the flour and toppings, and scoop onto a baking sheet.

For the baking sheet, if your baking sheet is darker in color, I recommend using a silicone baking sheet. This is because darker baking sheets prevent cookies from spreading that much.

If you’re using a lighter color baking sheet, you can use parchment paper!

funfetti cookie directions

Melted vegan butter vs softened vegan butter

Many people wonder: do I actually need room temperature butter or can I just melt it? It’s a common baking question, even in vegan baking.

I’ve tried these cookies with melted vegan butter and with room temperature vegan butter. Personally I think that the best texture comes with room temperature vegan butter. Check out this post for a more in depth explanation of room temperature butter.

They’re soft yet have more structure.

With melted vegan butter, you’re still going to get a wonderfully soft and chewy cookie. They’ll just spread a bit more! Either method works though, it just depends on what kind of vegan cookie you prefer!

What sprinkles are vegan?

For these vegan funfetti cookies, I used the WholeFoods 365 brand! However, there are many vegan sprinkles on the market these days.

Let’s Do Organic also has wonderful confetti sprinkles, and you know that I’m a big fan of Sweetapolita and their whole vegan line! Fancy Sprinkles is also rolling out some fun vegan sprinkles as well.

I recommend the Bouqet sprinkles by Sweetapolita or the Birthday Party ones!

Super Soft Vegan Funfetti Cookies (No Mix!)

Absolutely! If you want to bake these funfetti cookies at a different time, simply scoop the cookies into cookie dough balls, then chill them in the fridge to solidify.

After about 15 minutes of chilling, you can place the cookie dough balls into an airtight ziplock bag or container, and into the freezer. Freeze the cookies for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to bake, simply bake these funfetti cookies according to the directions below, adding on a minute or two to account for the freezing!

bitten vegan funfetti cookie

I hope you love these secretly vegan funfetti cookies as much as I do! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment below along with a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find the recipe!

As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy funfetti cookie baking!

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Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

Super Soft Vegan Funfetti Cookies (No Mix!)
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vegan cake batter cookies

Chewy Vegan Funfetti Cookies (Gluten Free)

  • Author: thebananadiaries
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 15 large cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These super soft vegan funfetti cookies literally taste like cake batter in cookie form! Made from scratch, no chilling time, and completely dairy free, these vegan birthday cake cookies are so easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter or coconut oil, softened to room temperature but still slightly chilled
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 1/3 cup cake flour* (see notes for GF option)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder 
  • 2/3 cup chocolate chip
  • 1/2 cup vegan sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the vegan butter and coconut sugar until the coconut sugar begins to dissolve into the butter. 
  3. Add in the applesauce, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and cream again until it forms almost a paste.
  4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the flour into the wet mixture, mixing it until it forms a very soft dough and the flour is just mixed into the wet.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  6. Use a cookie scoop, and scoop about 1.5 tbsp of dough into a ball. Roll between your palms and place onto the prepared baking sheet, separating each cookie about 2.5″ apart.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to set and look lightly golden.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cookie cooling rack. 
  9. Enjoy!

Notes

*Cake flour: if you don’t have cake flour, you can also use all-purpose flour, and sift in 1 tsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch. If you need gluten-free flour, you can use oat flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour, along with 1 tsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 163
  • Sugar: 13.4 g
  • Sodium: 50.8 mg
  • Fat: 9.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 26.5 g
  • Fiber: 2.4 g
  • Protein: 1.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 16.3 mg

Keywords: funfetti cookies, vegan funfetti cookies, cake batter cookies, birthday cake cookies,