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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Easy Homemade Lemon Cookies (Vegan)
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.
Rebecca says
We loved these cookies!! And especially the sugar crackle on the outside. We’ll definitely be making them again.
jencardenas says
Glad you like them!