Vegan Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ligia Lugo
Published:
December 6, 2021
Last Modified:
May 20, 2026
Get festive with vegan Christmas sugar cookies! These colorful and fluffy treats are a perfect treat made with plant-based ingredients. Spread some holiday cheer with every bite!
These quick and easy vegan sugar cookies for Christmas can be made with simple ingredients from any grocery store and are perfect for bakers of all levels.
Snowy white, vegan icing can be dyed to whatever colors feel most festive to you, then showered with vibrant sprinkles.Â
These colorful and festive sugar cookies are perfect for a Christmas dessert table! They also make for a thoughtful take-home gift for friends or family visiting for the holidays, or give as a hostess gift at your next gathering.Â
Ingredient Notes
For the Cookie Dough:
- All-purpose flour – Used as the base for the cookie dough.Â
- Baking powder – Helps the cookies rise.
- Baking soda – Gives the cookies their light and fluffy texture. The baking soda also aids in the rising of the dough.
- Salt – Balances out the sweetness in the cookies.
- Unsalted vegan butter – Gives the sugar cookies a rich flavor. Make sure to use vegan butter sticks, as they are great for baking. Do not use tubs of spreadable vegan butter because they typically contain water, which may ruin your Christmas sugar cookies. Or, swap out the vegan butter and use coconut oil instead.
- Organic cane sugar – The key ingredient in sugar cookies! Sugar gives these cookies their famous sweet, sugary flavor. Regular white granulated sugar is not always vegan, so look for a vegan certification on your sugar or choose an organic variety.Â
- Vanilla extract – Adds flavor.
- Vegan egg substitute – Used as a binding agent in place of eggs in this vegan Christmas cookie recipe. Use your favorite vegan egg alternative here: chia egg, flax egg, pumpkin puree, or unsweetened applesauce all work nicely.Â
- Vegan sour cream – Gives the cookies a moist, tender texture.
For the Icing:
- Organic powdered sugar – The base of the frosting. Powdered sugar gives the frosting sweetness, texture, and volume.
- Almond milk – Used to achieve the desired consistency of the frosting. You can use another plant milk if you prefer; coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk all work well too.Â
- Vanilla extract – For added flavor.
- Light corn syrup – Gives the frosting a shiny, smooth finish and extra sweetness.
For Decorating:
- Vegan sprinkles and candies – To decorate the frosting!
- Vegan food dyes – Incorporate a few drops of food coloring into the icing recipe to make colored icing.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a second bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the vegan butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Then mix in your vegan egg substitute (such as chia egg, flax egg, or pumpkin puree).
- Add dry mixture. Add about ½ of the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and stir to incorporate.
- Add sour cream. Add about ½ of the vegan sour cream and stir to incorporate. Then repeat the process: add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining vegan sour cream, stirring after each addition.
- Form dough. Use a rubber spatula to continue folding the dough together until it is smooth and cohesive.
- Chill dough. Transfer dough to a smaller bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Bake and cool. Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Knead about ¼ of the cookie dough at a time with a small amount of flour, just until the dough is smooth and easy to handle. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough on a floured surface about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters as desired and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly brown, then remove and cool on a wire cooling rack.
- Set up and decorate. While the cookies are baking, make your frosting: simply combine all of the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. To make different colors, divide the frosting into as many individual bowls as you need and add a different vegan food coloring to each. Once the cookies are completely cooled, decorate as desired.
Tips From Ligia
Use a kitchen scale to measure flour.
Using a scale to weigh your flour can guarantee that you use the exact amount every time you bake. However, you can scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a knife if you’re using measuring cups. Do not scoop the flour using the measuring cup or pack the flour into the cup.
Let cookies cool completely before decorating.
Decorating the cookies while they’re still warm will cause the icing to slide off, so make sure they’re completely cooled before starting!
To make these vegan Christmas cookies in advance:
Prepare the dough and place it in the refrigerator for three days before rolling it out and cutting out the shapes. Another option is to freeze the dough, then let it thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling it out and cutting out the shapes.
How To Store
At Room Temperature Place your Christmas sugar cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh. Because the icing is delicate, try to store the cookies in a single layer if possible. However, if you must stack the cookies, insert parchment paper between the layers to protect the icing. The cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerating Pack your cookies into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Freezing The cookies can be frozen with or without a decorative frosting applied to the surface. Wrap the cookies tightly in plastic wrap, then store in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Thawing Let the cookies sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before enjoying or decorating
Vegan Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted vegan butter, softened
- 1 2/3 cups organic cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 vegan egg alternative such as chia egg, flax egg, or 1/2 cup pumpkin puree or unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup vegan sour cream
For the Icing:
- 3 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
- 2-3 Tbsp almond milk
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
For Decorating:
- vegan food coloring, as desired
- vegan sprinkles or candy, as desired
Instructions
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
- In a second bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the vegan butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Then mix in your vegan egg substitute (such as chia egg, flax egg, or pumpkin puree).
- Add about half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, then stir to incorporate.
- Stir in about half of the vegan sour cream. Then repeat steps 3 and 4, adding the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining vegan sour cream. Stir after each addition.
- Use a rubber spatula to continue folding the dough together until it is smooth and cohesive.
- Transfer dough to a smaller bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Knead about ¼ of the cookie dough with a dusting of flour until it is smooth and easy to work with. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and arrange on baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly brown. Remove and cool on a wire cooling rack.
- While the cookies are baking, make the frosting by whisking all of the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. To make different colors, divide the frosting into separate bowls and add a different vegan food coloring to each. Once the cookies are completely cooled, decorate with icing and sprinkles as desired.
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