Dairy Free Sugar Cookies
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These dairy free sugar cookies are buttery, soft, and chewy with perfectly crisp edges. These easy cookies only have 8 ingredients, there’s no chill time, and they’re ready in 20 minutes or less!
These soft and chewy sugar cookies are one of my favourite basic cookie recipes. They are almost impossible to mess up AND they are an all-season cookie so you can enjoy them during the holidays or in the heat of summer.
I loved this recipe so much that I made an edible sugar cookie dough recipe based on it too!
This sugar cookie dough doesn’t even need to be chilled, and although it has no dairy butter, the vegan butter gives it that delicious buttery flavor!
Why You’ll Love My Dairy Free Sugar Cookies
- These cookies are extremely soft and each bite has a delicious buttery flavor – you’d never even guess that they’re dairy free!
- There’s no chilling required for this dough, so the whole recipe comes together in 20 minutes or less!
- These cookies are perfect for baking year round! They are great for the holiday season, birthdays, or for when you’re just craving sugar cookies!
Ingredients Needed
These easy dairy free sugar cookies only require 8 simple ingredients! A few notes about the ingredients:
- Butter: You can use any kind of dairy free butter here (or even regular dairy butter if you don’t follow a dairy free diet). Just be sure to use softened!
- Flour: This recipe calls for all-purpose flour. Be sure to properly measure your flour!
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is key is sugar cookies, and helps give them the slightly crispy edges. Substituting for brown sugar will change the texture and color of the cookies, so this shouldn’t be substituted.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
STEP ONE: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
STEP TWO: In the bowl of a handheld mixer or standing mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
STEP THREE: Add in the egg and vanilla extract and cream together until light in colour, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
STEP FOUR: Add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
STEP FIVE: Use a medium sized cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out 1 1/2 tbsp sized balls of dough onto the baking sheets. If you’d like, you can roll the dough in sugar before baking.
STEP SIX: Bake for around 8-11 minutes, or until the edges look set. The middles will look soft. Leave the cookies on the baking tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- In order to get soft, buttery sugar cookies, it is crucial to properly measure your flour by using a kitchen scale or the scoop and level method. If you scoop the flour with the measuring cup right out of the bag, you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- It’s better to under-bake the cookies than over-bake them! The cookies may look a little underdone, but if the edges are set then take them out! They will continue to set on the baking sheet.
- Don’t over-mix your dough. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the last speck of flour disappears.
Storage Instructions
The sugar cookies can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
To freeze the cookie dough, you can scoop it onto the baking tray then put the tray in the freezer until the dough is firm. Place the semi-frozen balls of dough into a parchment lined container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
You can also freeze the cookies after they have been baked! Just put them in an airtight ziploc freezer bag, then thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (dairy free or regular), softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2½ cup (312.5 g) all-purpose flour, SEE NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, combine butter and sugar, mixing until light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract, and mix until combined and light in colour.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until combined. Do not over-mix!
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop 1.5 tbsp sized balls onto the baking sheets. Be sure to leave at least 4-5 inches between each ball of dough, as the cookies will spread out. If you'd like to roll the dough in sugar before baking, pour a little bit of sugar into a small bowl and roll the dough in it before placing it on the tray.
- Bake one tray at a time for 8-11 minutes, until edges look set. The middles will look soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Ahhhh! These cookies are my absolute favorite! I made them as Christmas cookies and my family and I loved them. They are perfectly chewy, lightly fluffy and have a golden brown crust. I made them with completely organic ingredients and they taste awesome without making you feel bad after eating a few. Also here’s the recipe I used for icing that I think also pairs great with this recipe if its helpful!
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
1/2 tbs almond extract
1tbs vannila extract
2tbs milkmilk
Thank you Mckenna!
I made your nondairy sugar cookies & they are the BEST even BETTER than regular sugar cookies. My grand LOVES them so much!!
No one would think they were nondairy. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is so sweet, thank you so much!
We went dairy free for my nursling and were still dairy free come his first birthday.
I made these sugar cookies instead of having a traditional cake. Everyone at the party loved them, kids and adults.
A few of the adults had far more than they cared to admit, and even asked for the recipe.
Happy to hear these were a hit at the birthday party!
Highly recommended
These are absolutely amazing however I have a problem with them going really flat like super thin. Is there something I’m doing wrong? I tried fresh and dough that had been chilled. I weighed the flower in the recipe. 359 degrees for 10 min. They turn into like soft extremely thin flat cookie crisps.
This could be a few things – what temperature is your butter at? Are you using regular butter, vegan butter, or something else like margarine? Are you over-mixing the dough? Do you use an oven thermometer? The oven temperature could be off.
can we make this gluten free, asking because a friend is gf
Yes! Just use a one-to-one gluten free flour substitute!