Soft vegan snickerdoodles with thick puffy centers, chewy edges and lots of cinnamon! This cookie recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients, and the dough doesn't need to be chilled before baking. And they're perfect for Christmas or all year round!
Simple ingredients you'll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Ground cinnamon for the cookie dough and the sugar coating!
Cream of tartar gives the cookies some lift and tangy flavor, characteristic of traditional snickerdoodles. Without the cream of tartar, these cookies will just be cinnamon sugar cookies.
Vegan block butter is best for this recipe. If you only have access to a spreadable vegan butter, I suggest omitting the dairy-free milk.
Non-dairy milk. I prefer soy milk in this recipe as its higher protein content makes these cookies more tender. However, oat milk or almond milk are also great for these snickerdoodles.
How to make vegan snickerdoodles
These cookies are made just like classic chocolate chip cookies as you beat the wet ingredients (including the sugar), and then mix in the dry ingredients.
For the best vegan snickerdoodle cookies, I recommend:
- Measure your flour and sugar accurately using the spoon and level method (if using measuring cups), or using the gram measurements. If you use a measuring cup to scoop flour out of a bag, it'll add too much flour to the dough adn result in drier cookies.
- Use room-temperature butter. If your butter is too cold, your butter won't mix well with the other ingredients. If your butter is too warm, vegan snickerdoodles may spread too much.
- Your final cookie dough needs to be tacky for the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Add an extra dash of milk if your cookie dough is a little dry.
Coating the cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar
One of the best things about snickerdoodles is their delicious cinnamon sugar coating!
Here are some tips for coating the cookie balls:
- For extra flavor and crunch, toss the snickerdoodle dough balls in the cinnamon sugar twice
- Make sure your cinnamon sugar is mixed well. Every now and then, the ground cinnamon will sink to the bottom of the bowl and your cookie dough ball will collect the sugar but miss the cinnamon.
Baking your perfect cookie
For soft vegan snickerdoodles, bake the cookies for around 10-12 minutes then transfer them to your wire rack.
If you prefer crunchier snickerdoodles, bake them for 13-15 minutes and leave them to cool on the cookie sheet.
When your cookies have finished baking, they will look very puffy, almost like whoopie pies. This is okay! When the cookies cool, they will deflate and form beautiful cracks and bumps.
How to keep snickerdoodles soft
These snickerdoodles stay soft for days!
If you like your snickerdoodles to be extra soft, store them in a sealed container with a slice of bread. The snickerdoodles will absorb the moisture from the bread and will stay soft for longer.
Customizing this recipe
I haven't tested this recipe with coconut oil. However, vegan butter is normally 80-85% oil so you may be able to replace the butter with ⅔ cup (150g) room temperature coconut oil AND 1 ½ tablespoons (25g) dairy-free milk.
Chill the balls of dough in the fridge before you toss them in the cinnamon sugar. Sugar is hygroscopic so if you store in the balls in the sugar, the sugar will dissolve over time.
When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven and roll your cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar. As the cookie dough is cold, you'll need to bake the cookies for at least 13 minutes.
These vegan snickerdoodles would also be delicious with:
- other warm spices, such as ginger, cardamom and nutmeg
- chocolate chips or chunks
Alternatively, check out my vegan pumpkin sugar cookies or vegan ginger cookies.
More vegan cookie recipes
Or check out my roundup of vegan cookies for the holiday season.
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Vegan Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30g) dairy-free milk, or as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled (note 1)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
To coat
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Prepare the snickerdoodle cookie dough:
- Add the butter, sugar, dairy-free milk and vanilla to a large mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy and there are no more chunks of butter.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Mix until well combined. The dough should be slightly tacky (this will allow the cinnamon sugar to stick to the cookie dough balls). If your dough is a bit dry, add a dash of dairy-free milk and mix again.
Shaping the snickerdoodles:
- Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Using a small cookie scoop, divide the dough into 18 balls (each should be about 2 tablespoons or 38g). Roll each ball of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar. If desired, roll each ball in the sugar twice.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls on your lined baking sheets, with about 2 inches (5cm) between each. They will spread in the oven.
Baking and storing the snickerdoodles:
- Bake the cookies for 11-14 minutes or until the edges appear cooked and the cookies have puffed up. Bake for less time for softer cookies or longer for firmer cookies. The cookies will deflate when you remove them from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 15 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. If desired, sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on the vegan snickerdoodles.
- Enjoy the snickerdoodles warm or at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 2 months. For extra soft cookies, place a slice of bread in the cookie container.
Notes
- To spoon and level your flour, fluff up the flour in its container, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Using your measuring cup to scoop flour out of the container will pack too much flour into your cup, which will result in drier and cakey cookies that don't spread as much. For the best results, use a kitchen scale and the gram measurements.
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James says
Fantastic! I have made these and a bunch of your recipes so far and they have all been winners. Thank you Anthea.
Anthea says
Hi James, I'm so glad that you enjoyed these cookies and a few of my other recipes! Thanks so much for your ongoing support and for taking the time to leave a comment here 🙂