If you are looking for a vegan sugar cookie recipe, look no further. This roll-out cookie is full of flavor, super tender, and perfect for decorating. But it’s completely vegan!

This recipe is nearly identical to my classic sugar cookie recipe with three notable differences:

Butter
Eggs
Flavoring

To set the record straight, this recipe wasn’t developed to be strictly vegan. This recipe was developed to meet the dietary restrictions for some of the kids in my son’s preschool class. Some have egg allergies. Some have an intolerance to dairy. Others have nut allergies.

All that means that they can’t have butter, eggs, or almond extract. Three pretty important ingredients in my classic cookie recipe.

Thankfully, there are some great substitutions to transform my tried and true cookie recipe into not only a vegan sugar cookie recipe but an allergy-friendly sugar cookie recipe!

Instead of butter, this recipe calls for margarine. If nut allergies are a concern, then choose margarine made from vegetable oils, like avocado, palm, soybean. It’s important to note that margarine has a distinctive taste and will be a prominent flavor in your cookies. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing, it will just taste a bit different if you are used to baking with butter.

The eggs also get the ax in this recipe and are replaced with flax seeds. Yes, flax seeds! Flax is often used in vegan baking to replace eggs because when mixed with water it creates a thick slurry, similar to the texture of an egg.

The last change to this recipe is the flavoring. To ensure these cookies were nut-free, I skipped my favorite cookie flavoring: almond extract. Instead, I bumped up the vanilla extract to make sure that it wasn’t overpowered by the margarine.

Vegan Sugar Cookie Recipe

Makes 18 cookies

Ingredients

1 tbsp flax seed meal (or ground flax seeds)
2 1/2 tbsp water
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, slightly chilled
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (if margarine is unsalted)

Method

In a small bowl, combine flax seed meal with water and let sit for 5 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl cream together margarine and sugar with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add in the flax seed mixture and vanilla extra and mix until completely combined.
To the wet ingredients, add in half of the flour, the baking powder, and salt, and mix until mostly combined. Then add the remaining flour and mix completely.
Turn dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Top with another piece of parchment or with plastic wrap, then roll out to desired thickness. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicone mat. Cut cookie dough to desired shape and place on the baking mat about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges.
Let cool completely before decorating.

Note:

To make vegan royal icing, replace meringue powder in the traditional recipe with the same amount of aquafaba, which is the canning liquid of chickpeas.