This recipe for Easy Vegan Cut Out Sugar Cookies is eggless, dairy-free and only requires 7 ingredients! Decorate them with a simple vegan royal icing for a festive holiday cookie.
Its almost that time of year! And by that "time of year" I mean holiday cookie season. Its the perfect time to make a batch of classic Vegan Gingerbread Cookies or something less traditional like Vegan Lemon Cookies or Vegan Hot Cocoa Cookies.
Or you can make the cookie recipe I'm sharing today. These Vegan Cut Out Sugar Cookies are made with basic ingredients and can be decorated as simply or as intricately as you like!
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe for Vegan Cut Out Sugar Cookies yields light and crisp sugar cookie that holds its shape.
The key is the combination of granulated and powdered sugar. The granulated sugar keeps the cookies crisp, while the starch in the powdered sugar keeps them light and tender.
What Goes into This Recipe
Vegan Butter: I always recommend Soy-Free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks. I think the flavor is better than the original variety. But, any non-dairy butter will work here.
Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens and lends structure.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar keeps these cookies light and crisp.
Non-Dairy Milk: I used oat milk, but any non-dairy milk will work.
Baking Powder: A bit of baking powder. We want a little lift but no spreading.
How To Make This Recipe
- Cream the vegan butter and sugars together.
2. Add the non-dairy milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.
3. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.
4. Form the vegan sugar cookie dough into a disc, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
5. Roll the cookie dough out on a lightly floured work surface and use cookie cutters to cut cookies out.
6. Then, bake until golden brown.
7. Mix together royal icing and use food coloring to make different colors.
8. And decorate your cookies as desired.
FAQs
I like to use vegan royal icing. Other options include cinnamon & nutmeg, sprinkles, or granulated or turbinado sugar. The other options should all be added to cookies BEFORE they are baked.
Store them in an airtight container stored at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Yes! The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Yes! In the recipe card, there is a 2x button that you can press to automatically double the recipe.
Expert Tips and Tricks
These Vegan and Dairy-Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are meant to be thin and crispy, so be sure to roll them out to approximately ⅛ of an inch.
If they are too thick they don't turn into a nice soft cookie. Rather, they get a chewy. If you prefer a thick and chewy sugar cookie, make my Vegan Funfetti Cookies instead!
Don't substitute the powdered sugar for granulated sugar. The powdered sugar helps keep these cookies light, tender and crisp which is crucial here. No one wants a hard cookie!
Looking for More Holiday Cookies?
If you tried this Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookie recipe or any other recipe on Earthly Provisions, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- 1 Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 Rolling Pin
- Various Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar see note
- 1 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- Turbinado Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Colored Sugar optional, see note
Vegan Royal Icing
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 4 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk
- ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Food Coloring optional
Instructions
- In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar.8 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter, ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar, 2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar
- Then, add the vanilla and non-dairy milk and mix well to combine.1 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk, 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Now add the flour and baking powder and mix until it forms a dough. The dough should stick together when squeezed. If yours doesn't, add a teaspoon more non-dairy milk.1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour, ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour, or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 375* F. Line a baking tray with parchment.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator. Lightly flour your work surface as well as a rolling pin.
- Roll dough out to about ⅛ of an inch thickness (see note) Use cookie cutters to cut cookies out and transfer the cookies to the baking sheet leaving about 1 inch of space between each cookie.
- Press the cookie dough scraps back into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and place back into the refrigerator.
- If you want to decorate with colored sugar, cinnamon or turbinado sugar, sprinkle the cookies with them now. If you want to ice the cookies with royal icing, leave them plain. Bake the cookies in a 375* oven for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.Turbinado Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Colored Sugar
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Cool completely before decorating.
For the Royal Icing
- In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Mix until completely smooth. If your icing is too thick, add a bit ore non-dairy milk by the ½ teaspoon until you reach your desired consistency.3 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted, 4 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk, ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- If using food coloring, divide the royal icing up among a few bowls, then add food coloring.Food Coloring
- Decorate as desired.
Valerie Taylor Shannon says
It was the perfect little cut out…after I made friends with the dough. To be fair, I haven’t had much practice with cut-outs. Will use over and over again!
Megan Calipari says
So happy to hear you enjoyed these!