These vegan snickerdoodles are soft, thick, and chewy with crisp edges. Made without eggs, butter, milk, or gluten!
There are a bunch of recipes for vegan snickerdoodles on my blog already, but most of them are made with coconut oil. This recipe uses a mix of vegan butter and cashew butter for a thick, chewy center. If you want a thin and crispy snickerdoodle, try these gluten-free snickerdoodles. Or if you want ones that are more soft throughout, try my easy vegan snickerdoodles. These cashew butter snickerdoodles are my current favorite, with slightly crisp edges, a soft, chewy bite, and perfectly cracked tops.
Key Ingredients
- Vegan Butter + Cashew Butter ⟶ I like to use a mix of nut butter and vegan butter in my cookies. The nut butter gives the cookies a more firm, thick bite. I like cashew butter for snickerdoodles since it has a more neutral flavor and keeps the cookies white/pale.
- Oat Flour + Potato Starch ⟶ Oat flour gives the cookies a chewy texture but can be a bit dry. Adding just a bit of potato starch makes the cookies a little softer and thicker.
- I have only made these cookies with potato starch, but you can try another starch like cornstarch, arrowroot starch, or tapioca flour.
- Ground Flax + Milk ⟶ Mix together, these act as an egg replacement to bind the cookies. Oat flour makes the cookies crumbly (due to the lack of gluten), so a binder is necessary!
- Baking Soda + Cream of Tartar ⟶ Cream of tartar is the key ingredient in snickerdoodles and gives them their signature tangy flavor. It also reacts with the baking soda to puff up the cookies and give them that nice cracked top.
- Cinnamon + Sugar⟶ No snickerdoodle is complete without being covered in cinnamon sugar!
Tips for Success
Use runny cashew butter ⟶ Your cashew butter should be thin and runny. If it’s too firm your cookies won’t form properly and they will likely turn out very thick and dry. If your cashew butter is thick from being in the fridge, you can pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so to thin it out.
Chill dough ⟶ Chilling the dough gives the flour time to hydrate, improving the flavor and making the cookie dough thicker (it will seem quite loose at first).
Bang pan after baking ⟶ Banging or dropping the pan from a couple inches up slightly flattens the snickerdoodles so they aren’t too puffy.
Cool completely ⟶ The cookies will be soft when you first take them out of the oven, but they will firm up more as they cool. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes – they are too soft and delicate to move right away. Then place them directly on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Vegan Snickerdoodles FAQ
Can I make them without cashew butter?
You can try another nut or seed butter like almond butter, macadamia nut butter, or tahini, but this will affect the flavor and color of the cookies. Or you can try these gluten-free snickerdoodles made with coconut oil.
Do I really need to chill the cookies before baking?
Technically no, but chilling the dough improves the flavor and helps the cookies bake up more thick and chewy since the fat in the dough has time to cool. If you don’t chill your cookies, you may end up with thin, flat discs.
Can I freeze the cookie dough unbaked?
Yes! Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes so it thickens, then roll into balls. Put the balls on a small baking tray or plate and place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes until the edges dry out. Then you can place the cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag and freeze (don’t coat with cinnamon sugar until right before baking).
How do I store vegan snickerdoodles?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for 2 months. Be aware that the snickerdoodles will soften slightly over time, so they will lose their crisp edges, but they’re still tasty!
More Vegan Cookies
- Apple Pie Snickerdoodles
- Miso Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Thin & Crispy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Funfetti Cookies
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Miso Lemon Senbei Cookies
If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Vegan Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp non-dairy milk of choice
- 2 tsp ground flax
- 52 grams (¼ cup) vegan butter, melted and cooled
- 60 grams (¼ cup) runny cashew butter
- 80 grams (about 7 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- 150 grams (1¼ cups) oat flour
- 10 grams (2½ tsp) potato starch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix milk and ground flax in a small bowl and set aside for a few minutes to gel.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk melted vegan butter and cashew butter.Tip: If your cashew butter is hardened from being in the fridge, microwave for 10-15 seconds until runny.
- Add granulated sugar and whisk until well combined.
- Add flax mixture and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- Add oat flour, potato starch, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Mix until a thick, cohesive dough forms.
- Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat*.
- Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
- Scoop about 1½ tbsp of dough and roll into balls, then roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on baking sheet with at least two inches of space between each dough ball.
- Bake for 9 minutes. Drop the cookie sheet a few inches from the top of the baking rack once to deflate the cookies, then remove from the oven.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
*Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, but the price remains the same to you. Thank you for supporting Ellie Likes Cooking!
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