• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Hassle Free Vegan

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Is it Vegan?
  • Restaurants
  • Tips
  • About
    • Facebook
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Is it Vegan?
    • Restaurants
    • Tips
    • About
    • Facebook
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Published: Apr 13, 2022 · Modified: Dec 11, 2022

    Easy Homemade Lemon Cookies (Vegan)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These Easy Homemade Lemon Cookies are one of my favorite vegan desserts to make. These cookies are sweet (but not too sweet) and lemony (but not too lemony). They are a little crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. These cookies are quick and easy to make and only use 1 bowl for a quicker cleanup.

    This recipe doesn't use a flax egg or an other egg replacer. I find that flax eggs (made by combining flax meal and water) make baked goods dense and gummy. I always avoid them in my baking.

    plate of lemon cookies.

    Making the Lemon Cookies

    To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened vegan butter and the sugar. You can also use a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl.

    My favorite vegan butter to use is Earth Balance which comes in both a tub and butter sticks. It's much easier to measure using butter sticks so if you can find them, I highly recommend them.

    Next, zest the lemon.

    plate of lemon zest.

    Add the non-dairy milk, lemon extract and lemon zest to the butter/sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. The lemon zest gives it a fresh lemon flavor while the extract makes sure you can really taste the lemon.

    I use unsweetened soy milk for all my cooking and baking but almost any non-dairy milk will work. My second favorite to use is unsweetened almond milk as it doesn't have much flavor. I just don't use coconut milk because it gives everything a coconut flavor. If you want to learn more about the differences in the vegan milks, click HERE.

    Next, the dry ingredients. Add the cornstarch, baking powder and flour to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Do not overmix your dough. It will be a thick dough with a similar consistency to playdoh.

    Using your hands, roll the dough into about 24 balls. Try to make them close to the same size but don't stress over having them perfectly equal. Because they are rolled in sugar, these will almost be like crinkle cookies but without a lot of cracking.

    lemon cookie dough balls on plate.

    Put the granulated sugar that you'll use for rolling in a small bowl. One at a time, take each of the cookie dough balls and roll them in the sugar. Place them on the lined baking tray.

    cookie dough ball rolled in sugar.

    Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 13 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies sit for 2 minutes. Then, use a spatula to put the cookies on a cooling rack to cool completely.

    lemon cookies on cooling rack.

    These easy vegan lemon sugar cookies are a favorite in our house and do not last long. For best results, store in an airtight container at room temperature. Eat within 3 days for best texture. If you're feeding these to your family, you might want to make a double batch of cookies if you want them to last that long!

    Cookie Option:

    I love that these vegan cookies are rolled in sugar before baking. It gives the cookies a little crackle and a little more sweetness. Another option would be to leave out rolling the dough balls in sugar and instead use a lemon glaze.

    Once the cookies are cooled, drizzle or spoon some lemon glaze on top of them. Check out 3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze from Plantbased on a Budget which uses only powdered sugar, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.

    lemon cookies on a plate with lemon slices.

    FAQ

    Can I substitute the flour to make these gluten-free?

    I use regular all purpose flour for these cookies. I have not tried them with almond flour or other gluten free flour. If you do, leave a comment and let me know how they turn out!

    Summary

    These Easy Homemade Lemon Cookies go quick in our house! They are sweet and lemony and perfect for a snack or dessert. These are one of our families favorite vegan cookies!

    Interested in other vegan recipes with lemon? Check out:

    • Baked Vegan Donuts (Lemon Glazed)
    • The Best Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins

    Easy Homemade Lemon Cookies (Vegan)

    These cookies are sweet, lemony, and melt in your mouth. They use simple ingredients and are quick and easy to make.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 13 mins
    Total Time 28 mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 111 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • ¾ cup vegan butter, softened
    • ¾ cup white sugar
    • 2 teaspoon non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened soy)
    • 2 teaspoon lemon extract
    • 2 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • white sugar for rolling

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare the baking pans by lining them with parchment paper.
    • Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer and a large bowl), cream together the softened butter and sugar.
    • Add the non-dairy milk, lemon extract and lemon zest and mix thoroughly.
    • Add the cornstarch, baking powder, and flour and mix until combined. Do not over mix.
    • Use your hands to roll the cookie dough into balls and place on a plate. You should be able to get about 24 cookies from the dough.
    • Put the white sugar for rolling into a small bowl. One at a time, roll the dough ball in the sugar and place on the prepared baking pan.
    • Place in the oven and bake for 13 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies sit for 2 minutes.
    • Use a spatula to move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
    • Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. For best texture, eat cookies within 3 days.

    Notes

    • I use Earth Balance vegan butter.  It comes in sticks so it's easy to use
    • I use unsweetened soy milk but you can use any non-dairy milk.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 111kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 61mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Recipes

    • Platter with baba ganoush with peppers and pitas.
      Easy Baba Ganoush Without Garlic
    • Stack of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
      Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Butter)
    • Collection of photos from the recipes.
      35+ Best St. Patrick's Day Vegan Recipes
    • Plate of Grape Nuts Muffins.
      Grape Nuts Muffins With Cranberries (Vegan)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rebecca says

      April 24, 2022 at 1:21 pm

      5 stars
      We loved these cookies!! And especially the sugar crackle on the outside. We’ll definitely be making them again.

      Reply
      • jencardenas says

        April 24, 2022 at 1:34 pm

        Glad you like them!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Jen! I love all things vegan. I'm a food blogger, recipe developer, and mom of three. My goal is to show how the vegan lifestyle can be easy, delicious and fun.

    You can find out more about my vegan journey by reading Keep Taking Steps to Change for the Better.

    Recent

    • Junior Mints candy scattered.
      Are Junior Mints Vegan? All Ingredients Listed (2023)
    • Comparison chart showing nutritional differences between black and pinto beans.
      Pinto Beans vs Black Beans: What Are the Differences?
    • Box of CLIF bars.
      Are CLIF Bars Vegan? All Ingredients Listed (2023)
    • Bowl of Cheetos Crunchy.
      Are Cheetos Vegan? All Products Reviewed (2023)
    • uncooked breaded eggplant slices.
      The 10 Best Egg Substitutes For Breading
    • Panera Bread sign.
      Vegan Options at Panera Bread: The Complete Guide (2023)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Contact

    • Contact Us

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme