You'll LOVE these amazing vegan lemon crinkle cookies. They're buttery, and moist, with an incredible lemon flavor. It's the best summertime treat, packed with tons of lemon - using zest and juice! So easy to make and will definitely become a new go-to recipe to impress your friends and family.
Ingredient notes
- Vegan butter stick - Butter sticks are better for baking compared to the butter in the tubs. The tubs are normally used for spreads, so the cookies might end up being really greasy.
- Fresh lemons - Now, this wouldn’t be called a lemon crinkle cookie without actually using real lemons can it? For this recipe, we’ll be using the whole lemon from the zest to the juice. So, if you can, try to get organic unwaxed lemons. No worries if you can’t, you can use regular lemons just be sure to wash them thoroughly before using them.
- Lemon extract - While we do use a lot of lemon in this recipe, using extract will help heighten the flavor and make it taste extra delicious.
Top tips
- Measure your flour properly. My recipes are 100% tested in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar. I like to rub the lemon zest into the sugar with my fingertips beforehand. This helps to release the essential oils from the zest and makes the cookies even more fragrant and aromatic.
- Wash your lemons! This goes without saying, but please wash your lemons before you start zesting. Unless you’re buying organic or farm fresh, you might want to get the chemicals off your produce before you use them for baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Should the dough be really soft? Yes! This keeps the cookies moist and soft. Do not add any more flour.
- Why roll the dough balls in two kinds of sugar? I like to toss my cookie dough in both granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Using granulated sugar first helps produce the perfect crackly texture and also keeps the powdered sugar in place!
- Do I really need to chill the dough? Chilling the cookie dough ensures that the cookies won’t melt and flatten the cookies during baking. This is a crucial step, so please do not skip it.
- How long do these cookies stay fresh? Store the baked vegan lemon crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also store the dough in the fridge for up to a week.
- Can I make this gluten-free? Yes, I would suggest using a 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour!
If you enjoyed this vegan lemon crinkle cookie recipe, check these out
If you tried this recipe let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe for more delicious recipes. While you’re at it, don’t forget to tag me whenever you recreate my recipes! Happy baking!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Pro TipIf a recipe calls for it, use a food scale to weigh ingredients in grams for the best results! Use the options below to toggle between cups or grams.
Ingredients
- 113 g 1 stick – vegan butter, softened
- 200 g 1 ¾ cup - all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon - salt
- 1 teaspoon - baking powder
- ½ teaspoon - baking soda
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 150 g ¾ cup - granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon - vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons - lemon juice
- 2 drops of yellow gel food coloring (optional)
- 1 tablespoon - non-dairy milk
For coating:
- ⅓ cup - powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup - cane or granulated sugar
Equipment:
- Food scale (highly recommend https://amzn.to/3zZxeXy)
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Electric Hand Mixer https://amzn.to/3zYezLM
- Microplane or fine grater https://amzn.to/41bSBB0
- Small cookie scoop https://amzn.to/2GtDgYA
- Parchment paper
- Rimmed baking sheets
- Bowl cover or plastic wrap
- Wire cooling rack
Instructions
- If you haven’t done so already, set out your vegan butter to soften at room temp, it’ll take about 30-40 minutes. Please do not melt it, it won’t turn out the same.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. This helps release the oils from the zest and helps boost the lemon flavor.
- In the same bowl, add the softened butter, vanilla extract, lemon juice, yellow food coloring, and non-dairy milk. Using an electric hand mixer, mix on low until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, and continue to mix on low until you get a smooth dough.
- Cover the bowl and allow the dough to chill in the fridge for 1 hour. You can also keep it in the fridge overnight if you want to bake the cookies the next day.
Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough with a small cookie scoop and roll it in your hands to form a ball. Place it onto the prepared baking pan, leaving about 2 inches apart, and repeat.
- Roll each ball first in granulated sugar and then in powdered sugar until it's fully coated.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies have risen and expanded into little rounded mounds with cracks in their sugar coating.
- The cookies will be very soft and delicate immediately out of the oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure your flour properly. My recipes are 100% tested in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
- If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, that this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
- Wash your lemons! This goes without saying, but please wash your lemons before you start zesting. Unless you’re buying organic or farm fresh, you might want to get the chemicals off your produce before you use them for baking.
- Fresh lemon juice vs. concentrated. Fresh works better in this kind of cake, as it gives a tart flavor rather than a sour one from the concentrate. Besides, you’re already buying lemons, so why not right?
- Should the dough be really soft? Yes! This keeps the cookies moist and soft. Do not add any more flour.
- Do I really need to chill the dough? Chilling the cookie dough ensures that the cookies won’t melt and flatten the cookies during baking. This is a crucial step, so please do not skip it.
- Why roll the dough balls in two kinds of sugar? I like to toss my cookie dough in both granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Using granulated sugar first helps produce the perfect crackly texture and also keeps the powdered sugar in place!
- How long do these cookies stay fresh? Store the baked vegan lemon crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also store the dough in the fridge for up to a week.
- Can I make this gluten-free? Yes, I would suggest using a 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour!
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @flouredframe on social!
Sebastien says
I just made this recipe tonight, and they taste absolutely amazing! I used orange zest and juice instead of lemon for a twist. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly, even weighing out the ingredients with a scale. I also used the same Countrycrock butter stick I see in the picture! My only problem was that after chilling the dough for an hour, it was only really chilled on the outside, not through to the center. I knew I should have chilled it longer, but I was inpatient to taste them because they smelled so good! The cookies flattened out a lot in the oven as a result. Still turned out delicious, with a slightly crunchy outside and chewy inside, but next time I'll chill the dough overnight.
Floured Frame says
I'm sorry that the cookies flattened out way more than it should have! Another trick that might help, but will take a little bit more time, you can scoop and roll out the cookie dough and place them on the baking sheet and let those chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Then you can send them straight to the preheated oven to bake. But I'm glad you enjoyed making this recipe and that it still turned out delicious for you!
Floured Frame says
Yay! I'm so glad you liked this recipe! I gotta try making heart shape indentations, I bet yours turned out super cute!