Amazing 3-Step vegan sugar cookies Joy

Okay, let’s be real for a second. Finding a vegan sugar cookie recipe that actually works for cut-outs is like discovering buried treasure. Too many times, I’ve gone through the whole mix-chill-roll dance only to end up with sad, spreading puddles on my baking sheet. I just don’t believe in complicated baking, especially when it comes to holiday favorites! That’s why I spent ages perfecting this recipe. Trust me when I say these are the **best vegan sugar cookies** you’ll ever meet: they are unbelievably soft, perfectly chewy, and, yes, they hold their shape beautifully for decorating. Baking should bring you joy, not stress, and this simple, plant-based recipe proves it!

Why These Are the Best Vegan Sugar Cookies You Will Ever Make

I’m telling you, the difference between a good cookie and a truly unforgettable one is all about texture and behavior! These aren’t just ‘good for vegan’; they stand up against any traditional recipe out there. We nail the flavor complexity while keeping the performance flawless for your holiday cutters.

• They come out delightfully soft and chewy, never cakey or dry.
• They bake up to that perfect pale gold, meaning they won’t spread into strange shapes when they hit the heat.
• You can link over to my favorite base recipe here for more background on the basics: classic soft cut-out cookies.

Achieving Soft Vegan Sugar Cookies Texture

It all comes down to the fat and the technique! We treat our vegan butter just like the real stuff—we cream it really well with the sugar. This traps necessary air inside, which prevents the cookies from becoming dense bricks later on. That initial fluffiness is your insurance policy for a soft final product.

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The Key to Vegan Sugar Cookies That Hold Shape

This is my biggest tip for anyone who cuts out shapes: CHILLING. Seriously, don’t even think about skipping it! The dough has to be super cold before you roll it out. If you’re tempted to just bake immediately? Don’t! Chilling firms up the fats, so when those cookies meet the oven’s heat, they settle down and keep their crisp edges instead of melting into a blob. It’s non-negotiable for clean cuts!

Ingredients for Perfect Buttery Vegan Sugar Cookies

Getting the ingredients right is half the battle won, especially when pulling off that classic buttery flavor without any dairy! I keep this recipe straightforward because baking should be easy, not a scavenger hunt. You’ll need to make sure that vegan butter is exactly right—softened, but not oily by any means. Remember, precise measurements make these **buttery vegan sugar cookies** hold their shape without fuss.

• 1 cup vegan butter, softened (stick form is best!)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (soy or almond work great)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but oh so good!)
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Okay, listen up on the butter. For the best results in these **best vegan sugar cookies**, please ditch the tub margarine! It has too much water and will make your dough too soft and messy. You want hard sticks of vegan butter meant for baking—that’s where the clean flavor and texture come from. Secondly, that teaspoon of almond extract? It seems small, but it gives these cookies that nostalgic, bakery-style snap that vanilla alone just can’t deliver. It really complements the sweetness perfectly.

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If you are planning to frost these heavily, maybe check out my recipe for fluffy, stable vegan buttercream later on!

How to Make Vegan Sugar Cookies Step-by-Step

Alright team, this is where the magic starts! Don’t rush these first couple of steps; they are your foundation for **chewy vegan cut out cookies**. It’s all about texture management here, even before we talk about rolling pins. I learned the hard way that patience in the mixing bowl saves so much heartache later on!

Mixing the Dough for Chewy Vegan Cut Out Cookies

First, grab your electric mixer or stand mixer. We need to cream the vegan butter and sugar together until it looks pale yellow and fluffy. I mean *really* fluffy—this traps the air that keeps these **vegan sugar cookies** from turning dense. Once that’s looking good, slowly pour in your plant milk and those wonderful extracts. When you add the flour mixture in, start on the absolute lowest speed. As soon as you see the last streaks of flour disappear, STOP. Seriously, stop stirring! If you keep mixing once the flour is in, you start developing gluten, and gluten means tough cookies. We want tender ones, remember?

The Non-Negotiable Step: Chilling the Vegan Sugar Cookie Dough

This is the part that separates the party cookies from the flat flops. Once your dough is mixed, divide it into two nice, flat disks. Wrap them tight—I hate it when the dough dries out in the fridge! Pop them in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. I like to leave mine for four hours if I can manage it, especially if I’m preparing for holiday baking. Why the wait? Cold dough is firm dough. Firm dough doesn’t spread everywhere when it hits the heat. This chilling process is the single most important thing you can do to ensure your shapes stay sharp and perfect! Once they are chilled, you’ll be ready to roll them out thin and cut your shapes before heading to the oven.

When they come out perfectly baked, maybe check out my guide on how to get cookie icing to dry rock hard before decorating them!

Baking and Cooling Your Easy Vegan Holiday Cookies

Now that the dough is perfectly chilled, we can get these beauties into the oven! Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) before you even think about doing anything else. A properly heated oven is critical for those crisp edges.

On a lightly floured surface—see my notes on setting up a great workspace earlier if you need a refresher—roll out that cold dough until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Thicker means softer, thinner means crisper, but 1/4 inch is the sweet spot for these **easy vegan holiday cookies**.

Cut out your shapes and transfer them carefully to parchment-lined sheets. Now, here’s the trick for soft cookies: bake them for just 8 to 10 minutes. I always pull mine out around the 8-minute mark. They should look pale and just set—not deeply golden. They continue to cook a little bit on the hot tray afterward, which guarantees that beautiful, soft center.

Let them sit on the baking sheet for about five minutes so they firm up enough to move. If you try to lift those hot rounds right away, they’ll definitely tear! Once they’ve set a little, move them over to a wire rack to cool completely. If you rush the cooling, they can get sticky, and you won’t get a clean surface for decorating. If you want more tips on baking for the holidays, check out how I make my easy Christmas sprinkle cookies!

Decorating Your Plant Based Decorating Cookies

Once these **vegan sugar cookies** are completely cool—and I mean *cold*—it’s time for the real fun! This is where you turn them into showstoppers. Because the cookie itself is so sturdy, it handles any kind of topping you throw at it. We are talking about truly stunning **plant based decorating cookies**!

For the holidays or sharp, detailed designs, you absolutely need royal icing. But if you’re looking for that pillowy soft, sweet experience—you know, the kind you find at the bakery?—you should definitely go for a thick, homemade vegan buttercream. Both options work brilliantly with this base recipe.

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Making Vegan Royal Icing Recipe for Sharp Edges

If you choose the royal icing route, remember you need two main consistencies. First, you make a thicker icing—this is for ‘outlining.’ You use this to draw the border around the edge of your cookie shape. This border acts like a little dam, holding the thinner icing in place. After that dam sets up (usually 15 to 30 minutes!), you mix a thinner icing, called ‘flooding’ consistency, to fill inside that border. If you want the complete walkthrough on getting that perfect, smooth, hard shell finish, my full $\text{E-E-A-T}$ guide on easy cookie icing is right here. That icing dries hard, so these cookies package and store like a dream!

Troubleshooting Common Vegan Sugar Cookies Issues

Even the absolute best recipes can have an off-day, right? Don’t panic if things look a little weird when you start rolling. These are my quick fixes for the most common woes I’ve run into when making **vegan sugar cookies**.

If your dough feels too sticky when chilling is done: Don’t be tempted to throw in extra flour! That throws off the balance. Just wrap it back up and pop it in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Cold dough is happy dough.

Cookies spreading too much? That means your butter was too warm, or you skipped the chilling time. Next batch, make sure that butter is just soft, not liquidy. If you notice spreading mid-bake, try sliding the whole tray into the freezer for 5 minutes next time!

If your finished cookies are tough, I’m betting you overmixed once the flour went in. Remember what I said about stopping when you just see flour streaks? That’s so important for keeping these **soft vegan sugar cookies** perfectly tender. It happens to the best of us!

Storage and Reheating Instructions for Dairy Free Christmas Cookies

The best part about these **dairy free Christmas cookies** is that they are amazing planners’ treats because they store so well! If you made cut-outs but aren’t ready to decorate yet, pop the plain, cooled cookies into a truly airtight container at room temperature. They stay perfect for almost a week. You can even freeze the unbaked dough discs—just thaw them in the fridge overnight before rolling. That’s my secret weapon for quick holiday baking!

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Once they are decorated, keep them in a single layer if possible, or separate layers with parchment paper, still in an airtight container. If you made a shiny royal icing batch, they’re fine on the counter for about ten days. If you used a softer frosting, though, you might want to keep them in the fridge for freshness. I love that I can pull these out anytime I need a little happy moment, even linking to my guide on making easy dipping sauces for a quick snack spread!

Frequently Asked Questions About Egg Free Frosted Cookies

I get asked these questions all the time when people are new to making **egg free frosted cookies** without dairy. It’s totally normal to wonder about substitutions when you’re moving away from traditional recipes. I’ve gathered the most common ones right here just for you!

Can I make these vegan Lofthouse cookie recipe style?

Oh, absolutely! That soft, pillowy Lofthouse style is one of my favorites, too. If you want that look, ditch the crisp royal icing we talked about earlier. Instead, you’ll want to whip up a thick, fluffy vegan buttercream. The key is making the buttercream slightly thicker than a standard frosting so it piles high on top of the soft **vegan sugar cookies** without running down the sides. That dense, buttery topping is what makes that **vegan Lofthouse cookie recipe** vibe.

How long do I need to chill the dough for the best vegan sugar cookies?

I know the wait is tough when you want immediate results, but for the absolute **best vegan sugar cookies** that hold their shape perfectly, you need a minimum of two hours. If you can push it to four hours, do it! The colder the dough, the less it spreads. Seriously, firm dough equals sharp edges. It’s the secret weapon for achieving those gorgeous, consistent shapes you see in my pictures. You can even chat with me on Facebook about your baking progress over at Pure Cooking Joy!

For storage questions, you can always reference my notes on keeping those easy homemade sauces and sides fresh, which uses some similar airtight container principles!

Estimated Nutrition for Vegan Sugar Cookies

Okay, I know we are here for joy and flavor, not calorie counting! But sometimes it’s nice to have a general idea of what we’re enjoying, right? Please remember that since these are homemade—and you might load up on frosting or use different brands of vegan butter—these numbers are just a general estimate based on my recipe yield. Treat them as a fun guideline, not gospel!

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 180
• Fat: 9g
• Carbohydrates: 24g
• Protein: 2g

We keep the cholesterol at zero because we’re using only plant-based ingredients, which is always a win! Enjoy every single one of these melt in your mouth vegan cookies.

The Best Soft Vegan Sugar Cookies (Cut-Out Style)

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Hi, I’m Alex, and I’m so glad you’re here. I believe that incredible, soul-satisfying food doesn’t have to be complicated. This recipe gives you soft, chewy vegan sugar cookies that hold their shape perfectly for decorating, making them ideal for holidays or any celebration.

• Author: purejoyalex
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Total Time: 160 min
• Yield: 24 cookies 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Chilling and Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

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• 1 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (soy or almond work well)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional, for classic flavor)
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step builds the texture.
2. Beat in the plant milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
5. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Chilling is key for cookies that hold their shape.
6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of chilled dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
8. Carefully transfer the cut-out vegan sugar cookies to the prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps and continue cutting.
9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. For soft cookies, slightly underbake them; they should look pale but set. For chewy vegan cut out cookies, aim for the lower end of the time range.
10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Once cool, decorate with your favorite vegan royal icing or frosting. These plant based decorating cookies are ready to share!

Notes

• For the best buttery vegan sugar cookies flavor, ensure your vegan butter is room temperature but not melted.
• If the dough becomes too soft while rolling, return it to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• To achieve a Lofthouse cookie texture, use a simple vegan buttercream frosting after cooling.
• This recipe makes excellent dairy free Christmas cookies that are egg free frosted cookies.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 180
• Sugar: 15
• Sodium: 110
• Fat: 9
• Saturated Fat: 2
• Unsaturated Fat: 7
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 24
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 2
• Cholesterol: 0