These dairy free snickerdoodles are the classic cinnamon sugar coated, soft and chewy cookie you know and love, just without the dairy! These cookies are so easy making them a great recipe to bake for all skill levels.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ these are great! snickerdoodles remind me of being a kid baking with my grandma, and they taste just as good as the dairy version. – amy
If you like these cookies, make sure to also try my vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles!
Snickerdoodle cookies are a well known cookie in the US and are often a family favourite. While they don’t seem to be as common here in Australia, they have become one of my all time favourite cookies to bake.
They are the perfect I want to bake something but don’t know what cookie. The cookie dough is quick and easy to make using pantry staples, and they taste so so good (especially while still warm from the oven!).
I’ve made these dairy free snickerdoodle cookies HUGE because I think they are better when large but you can make smaller ones if you prefer. The larger size however does allow more of a puff when baking that gives them that signature wrinkly top.
These are such a popular cookie, everyone loves them! So there really is nothing stopping you from making a batch!
For more cinnamon sugar treats, try my vegan small batch cinnamon rolls, this classic cinnamon tea cake, or these dairy free cinnamon doughnuts!
Recipe Background
A little warning, this section does contain a personal story. Skip on past if you’re just here for the recipe but I just need a moment to leave a note on this recipe as to how it came into my life because it’s special to me.
This recipe is based on a clipping I found when looking through some old family photographs when visiting relatives in North Queensland. Among the photos was my great grandmothers recipe collection. I never met her, but there was something lovely about sitting there with my Mum and Aunt and looking through all the recipes wondering if she baked them or if she had just saved them because they looked interesting.
The first time I ever tried a snickerdoodle was when I adapted one of the recipes found in her collection to be dairy free (that was back in 2017). I’ve tweaked it a little bit since then to get it exactly right but I do love thinking about the history of this recipe in my life when I bake them. I think that connection to family that food can have is just so special.
Alright, back to the recipe!
Key Ingredients
These snickerdoodle cookies use mostly pantry ingredients making them a great cookie to bake when the need arises!
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy free butter – using a good quality vegan butter substitute will be essential to getting not only the texture but the taste right in these cookies. In Australia I use Nuttelex Buttery. You also want to use it cold from the fridge otherwise you’re cookie dough will be too soft.
- White sugar – to sweeten the cookies and help them spread in the oven. We’re also rolling the dough balls in cinnamon sugar for a crisp exterior.
- Eggs – providing structure and helping ensure these cookies are thick and chewy. I have not tried this recipe with any egg substitutes so cannot say how it would work.
- Vanilla extract – to flavour the cookies.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US.
- Cream of tartar – an essential ingredient that makes these snickerdoodles. It prevents the sugar in cookies from crystallising therefore resulting in a much chewier texture. It also works with the bicarbonate of soda to work as a leavening agent and allows the cookies to puff up while baking.
- Bicarbonate soda – also known as baking soda in the US.
- Ground cinnamon – for the outside coating of the cookie giving them that essential cinnamon sugar taste and texture.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make these cookies, you’ll need an electric mixer as the first step is to cream the dairy free butter and sugar together. I usually like to just use my Kitchenaid Cordless handheld mixer but a stand mixer also works. You’ll also need a couple of large baking trays. Now that I have a larger oven, I definitely need to upgrade my baking trays!
Start by beating together the dairy free butter and sugar with your mixer until well combined. Add in eggs one at a time then vanilla until smooth and slightly paler in colour.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cream of tartar, salt, and bicarbonate soda. Mix into the wet ingredients a little at a time until all has been combined. The cookie dough should be quite soft and sticky but you should still be able to roll it into balls. If not, place your cookie dough in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the extra sugar and ground cinnamon. Scoop out large balls of cookie dough – I did about 2-3 tablespoons per cookie. Roll the dough into balls and then coat in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Place balls of dough on a baking sheet lined with baking paper approx. 5cms apart to allow the cookie to spread in the oven. Don’t press the balls down as they will flatten in the oven and the ball shape will create a thicker, softer cookie.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should only have a slight colour around the edges. They will be puffy, but will flatten out and firm up a little as they cool.
👉Tip! For perfect looking cookies, as soon as the cookies have been removed from the oven, use a spoon or a large round cookie cutter that fits over the cookie, to gently shape the cookie back into a circle. This only works if the cookies are still soft so needs to be done immediately before they start to cool.
Recipe FAQs
For this recipe, I have not tested any substitutions therefore I don’t recommend substituting it as the results may not be the same. The cream of tartar plays an essential role in these snickerdoodles to work with the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
The cream of tartar is also what makes these a snickerdoodle, not just a sugar cookie.
Snickerdoodles are a soft and chewy, almost cakey vanilla sugar cookie. They shouldn’t be hard. They will have a slightly crisp exterior thanks to the cinnamon sugar coating which also gives them their classic taste, almost like a cinnamon doughnut!
While I haven’t tested it, for gluten free, substituting the flour for a 1-1 gluten free baking blend that contains xanthan gum (such as Bob’s Red Mill) should work. Let me know in the comments if you try!
In this recipe I do not recommend any egg replacers to make the cookies vegan as the eggs play a key role. I would instead look for a recipe that has been specifically developed to be vegan like these vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More dairy free cookies:
Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dairy Free Sugar Cookies
Dairy Free Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Rocky Road Cookies
Dairy Free Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 250 grams (1 cup) dairy-free butter
- 1 ½ white sugar/granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups plain flour/all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
For rolling:
- ¼ cup white sugar/granulated sugar extra
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, beat together the dairy free butter and sugar with an electric handheld mixer until combined. Continuing to mix, add in eggs one at a time then vanilla until smooth and slightly paler in colour.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cream of tartar, salt, and bicarbonate soda. Mix into the wet ingredients a little at a time until all has been combined. The cookie dough should be quite soft and sticky but you should still be able to roll it into balls. If not, place your cookie dough in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine the extra sugar and ground cinnamon. Scoop out large balls of cookie dough – about 2-3 tablespoons per cookie. Roll the dough into balls and then coat in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
- Place balls of dough on the baking trays approx. 5cms apart to allow the cookie to spread in the oven. Do this in batches if necessary, depending on the size of your trays. Don’t press the balls down as they will puff up and then flatten in the oven.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should only have a slight colour around the edges. They will be puffy and soft, but will flatten out and firm up a little as they cool. Once the cookies have firmed up on the tray, you can remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This post was originally published on the 12th December 2017. It has been republished to include better instructions, more helpful information and new photos.
Mitchell says
Turned out great. Followed recipe verbatim and cookies turned out perfect
Sally says
So happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Amy says
These are great! Snickerdoodles remind me of being a kid baking with my grandma, and they taste just as good as the dairy version. Just a note that my cupboard was missing cream of tartar. I replaced it with 4 tsp of extra baking soda. They still puffed up the same and the taste is there!
Sally says
Oh I love that Amy! Thanks for sharing! Also happy to hear that sub worked well for the cream of tartar!