How to make vegan sugar cookies

Mix the plant milk and vinegar in a jar or bowl until well combined. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for at least 5 minutes.

Add the vegan butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract to an electric mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy. You could also use a regular bowl and a hand mixer.

Incorporate all the remaining ingredients (except the vegan royal icing) and mix until well combined.

Divide the dough in half and roll into 2 balls. Place each ball onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness (about 0.6 cm).

Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of one of the rolled-out doughs. Place a piece of parchment paper on top to prevent sticking, and then place the second rolled-out dough on top. Finally, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC.

Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge, and using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Then re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.

Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

Decorate the cooled cookies with the vegan royal icing.

Serve your vegan sugar cookies immediately.

Photo of a few baked vegan sugar cookies

Ingredients and tips

Unsweetened plant milk: any type of unsweetened plant milk will work, but soy milk is my favorite one for baking.

Apple cider vinegar: you could also make these vegan cookies with white vinegar or lemon juice instead.

Vegan butter: the store-bought version works amazing, but you could also make your own vegan butter at home. I’ve also made this vegan sugar cookie recipe using store-bought vegan butter, though.

Granulated sugar: I’ve only made this recipe using granulated sugar, but you can probably use any other type of sugar.

Vanilla extract: I always use homemade vanilla extract as it’s more affordable and extremely easy to make, but the store-bought one is also a good choice.

Almond extract: this ingredient is optional.

All-purpose flour: I’ve only made this recipe using all-purpose flour, but I think it could work if you use a different one. However, you may need to adjust the amount of it. Use a gluten-free flour blend for a gluten-free version of this recipe.

Baking powder.

Salt: I used ionized salt, but any salt will do.

Vegan royal icing: this ingredient is optional. You don’t need to decorate your cookies, they’re also delicious just by themselves!

Looking for more vegan cookies?