These Vegan Lemon Sugar Cookies are eggless and dairy-free, use fresh lemon zest and juice for their lemon flavor, and are iced with tangy lemon icing. They require no chill time, are soft and chewy, and so easy to make!
I love a lemon dessert. It is delicious as the star of the show, like in my Vegan Lemon Cake, and it is also delicious when it's paired with berry flavors like in my Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cookies, or Vegan Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes. It is so versatile!
And if you're a lemon lover, these Vegan Lemon Cookies are for you. They are bright and zippy, and the lemon is the star of the show. And I love that all of the flavor comes from real lemons. No lemon extract needed!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- These cookies are so easy to make, so this recipe is perfect for beginner bakers.
- They bake up super soft and chewy and require no chill time.
- These Lemon Cookies are dairy-free and completely vegan.
- And they are flavored with real lemon zest and juice. No extracts or flavorings required!
- And most importantly, they are absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
Vegan Butter: I love Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks. They taste great and are easy to find.
Non-Dairy Milk: I used oat milk, but any non-dairy milk works.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is combined with lemon juice to make a tangy lemon glaze.
Lemon Zest and Juice: I use both zest and juice here for maximum lemon flavor in these Vegan Lemon Cookies. All the lemon flavor lives in the zest, so we don't need to use any extracts or flavorings in these cookies.
Instructions
Step 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream non-dairy butter, sugar, and lemon zest until well combined and creamy.
Then, add non-dairy milk and vanilla and mix on low until combined.
Step 2. Next, add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
Mix on low to form the cookie dough.
Step 3. Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop 8 cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Then, bake the vegan lemon cookies in a 350*F oven for 14-16 minutes or until the cookies are just turning golden at the edges.
Step 4. While the cookies cool, mix the lemon glaze. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl and mix until completely smooth.
Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Allow the glaze to set for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe FAQs
To store, place the cookies into an airtight container and leave them at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to a month.
The cookie dough needs to have a good amount of fat and sugar to stay soft. But, it is also important not to overmix the cookie dough and bake the cookies until they are just set at the edges.
Lemon zest is the very outer part of the lemon peel. It is where all of the lemon flavor is! To get the zest, I like use a Microplane or other rasp grater to grate it off.
Expert Recipe Tips
I like to use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop for evenly sized and round cookies. And don't crowd the baking sheet! I like to bake 8 cookies at a time to allow plenty of space for the Vegan Lemon Cookies to spread.
Once the dry ingredients are added to the bowl, mix only until the dough is formed. If you continue mixing, the cookies may be tough.
Looking for More Lemon Recipes?
If you tried this Vegan Lemon Cookies 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 Lemon Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 3 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 8 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter
- 1 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Lemon Zest This is the zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ Cup Non-Dairy Milk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt half this amount if using table salt
For the Glaze
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 5-6 teaspoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream non-dairy butter, sugar, and lemon zest until well combined and fluffy.8 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter, 1 Cups Granulated Sugar, 2 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- Add the non-dairy milk and vanilla and mix well.¼ Cup Non-Dairy Milk, 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low until just combined.1 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop 8 dough balls, evenly spaced, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then, bake in a 350*F oven for 13-16 minutes, or until the edges are set and just starting to brown.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
To Make the Icing
- Add the powdered sugar and 5 teaspoons of lemon juice into a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the remaining teaspoon of lemon juice if you prefer a runnier glaze.1 Cup Powdered Sugar, sifted, 5-6 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Use a spoon to drizzle icing onto cookies. Allow glaze to set completely before stacking or storing.
Laurel VanBlarcum says
Just made these with AP gluten free flour. The batter, not surprisingly was much too thick, like bread dough so I added another 2 Tbsp lemon juice....yum. This was because I needed an excuse for more lemon, yeah, sure. These cookies are absolutely divine. I can't tell you how many GF vegan cookies I've tried over the last decade and they've gone from inedible to better than nothing. These, however, will be made again and again. Actual edible cookies that I can share. Amazing. Thank you.