Learn how to make the absolute BEST Vegan Gluten-free Snickerdoodles ever! They are so buttery, moist and delicious with the classic cinnamon sugar taste and crackle top, yet are gluten-free, oil-free, made in 1 bowl and in 25 minutes!
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VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE SNICKERDOODLES
It’s exciting to be sharing these Vegan Snickerdoodles with you today because it took me 4 trials to get them the way I wanted, as you all saw since I was sharing my testing trials in my Instagram stories and on Facebook. They really are the best vegan snickerdoodles you’ll ever have, shoot, best ever!
The most amazing part of these cookies is the fact that they taste so legit, yet are:
gluten-free, vegan, grain-free, oil-free and just 8 ingredients! The most challenging thing about baking my recipes in a lot of cases, is achieving optimal results, in taste, texture and appearance, all at 8 ingredients. That’s often why I have to trial multiple times. It would be a lot easier if I could do 9 or 10 ingredients, LOL.
THE BEST VEGAN SNICKERDOODLES
I wanted them to spread and crackle and look just like traditional snickerdoodles I used to get at bakeries. After much experimentation with flours and liquids and ratios, I finally got it. I tell you what, it is not easy to get a cookie the way you want it all the time, especially a snickerdoodle without using any butter, oil or nut butters! I was quite frustrated, but I kept on until I nailed these vegan snickerdoodles. The almond flour is the special ingredient here.
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN OIL-FREE SNICKERDOODLES?
To make these vegan gluten-free snickerdoodles, you only need 10-15 minutes of prep and 1 bowl, that’s it.
First, gather these 8 ingredients:
- blanched almond flour
- tapioca starch/flour
- baking powder
- cream of tartar
- pure cane sugar
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon
Next, whisk your dry ingredients, then add the syrup and vanilla to the same bowl and stir until thick.
Roll into balls and coat into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place the balls onto the lined pan. Flatten them and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes until golden and they should have puffed up and slightly crackled.
WHY DO YOU ADD CREAM OF TARTAR TO SNICKERDOODLES?
The reason for cream of tartar is for that classic subtle tang that the classic snickerdoodle cookie has. It is what sets them apart from just a sugar cookie. This is one reason I’ve always loved these cookies because they have that taste. So, naturally, these vegan oil-free snickerdoodles need it too. It also helps the baking powder react, so don’t omit!
MORE VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- 5 Ingredient Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Thin Mints
- Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
- Vegan Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Almond Butter Blossoms
- Grain-free Chocolate Coconut Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Double Chocolate Espresso Almond Cookies (my all-time favorite cookie)
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Snickerdoodles (Gluten-free, Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (252g) superfine blanched almond flour (please weigh for accurate results!)
- 6 tablespoons (48g) tapioca starch/flour
- 3 tablespoons (36g) pure cane sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) pure maple syrup
- 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar coating
- 6 tablespoons (72g) pure cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
NOTE
- Please do not ask to sub the almond flour, as you can see, it is the main ingredient. With no oil or butter in this recipe, it is the very source of moisture and buttery flavor. It simply will not work with any sub.
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt and whisk very well, making sure to break up lumps from the almond flour.
- To the same bowl, add the syrup and vanilla and stir with a spoon for several minutes until it all comes together into a thick, somewhat sticky batter. Keep stirring and pressing the mixture with the back of the spoon until this happens.
- To a small bowl, add the sugar and cinnamon for the coating and whisk well.
- With the batter, form balls using 1 1/2 tablespoons worth of the cookie dough. If you would like larger cookies, then use 2 tablespoons worth of dough. Roll into tight balls with your hands. The batter, if you weighed everything correctly, should be somewhat sticky, but you SHOULD be able to roll into balls. If it is too sticky to roll into balls, place in the fridge for 15 minutes or so.
- Place each ball in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and rotate it several times to really coat them well. Add them to the pan 2 inches apart. I got 18 cookies (9 on each pan). Depending on how big you make them you may get more or less.
- Press each cookie down between 1/4 to 1/2 inch, making sure the whole cookie is pressed down evenly. Pressing them down properly is what will help them crackle as they bake and spread.
- Bake 1 pan at a time. (While the first pan cools, bake the 2nd one) Bake for 10 minutes. They should have puffed up and slightly crackled, that is when they are done. I found 10 minutes to be perfect.
- Leave them to cool on the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to cool another 10 minutes. They will flatten back out a bit as they cool. These cookies do finish cooking as the cool in the insides, so I would wait before eating one until they are cooled, or they will seem a bit underdone still in the middle. They will fluff up on the inside more as they cool. They should have a crispy edge with a moist and soft, chewy center. Store sealed in a container.
Recipe Notes
I use Bob's "superfine" blanched almond flour.
Hello! This cookie recipe is fantastic! You must have the patience of Job to figure this stuff out! I only had a course almond meal that wasn’t blanched, so I put it in my coffee grinder and made it super fine. It turned out great! I did sub coconut sugar for the cane sugar for rolling and that was awesome as well! I am so glad you insisted on weighing the dry ingredients, they were quite different from the rough measurements you gave! My new favorite cookie recipe! Thank you for the work you did!
Haha you are too sweet Jill! I love baking SO MUCH that I enjoy creating and testing these recipes. Although, I will say, cake testing gets on my nerves since cakes are much, much harder to perfect (especially throwing in gluten-free, oil-free and only 8 ingredients) that it often requires a ridiculous amount of testing, so my patience does wear thin with cakes, haha. I’m so glad these are your new favorite cookie! Yes, weighing is always MUCH more reliable since everybody scoops up flour differently. Thank you for the lovely review!
I hate to ask, but I’m not home with all my ingredients. Can I sub corn starch for tapioca starch?
Hi Kathy, yes, I think that should work!
These were so good! I kept trying to mess the instructions up like dumping the cinnamon into the batter! I was able too get most out, but they still turned out great. I pretty much ate them all myself!
These were really great! The texture was perfect… crispy outside, soft inside.
I would like to make them slightly less sweet, though.
Do you think I could reduce the maple syrup and sub something else for half of the syrup? Maybe molasses?
I wouldn’t do molasses as it is much thicker and will affect the overall flavor and make them too hard. Just try subbing in a bit of creamy milk, but be careful not to add the same amount as it’s much runnier and won’t perform the same in baking as the syrup.
How do recommend storing these cookies? I’d like to bake them a few days before Christmas.
Hi Beth, I don’t know how fresh they’d taste making them days before Christmas. I usually never make my cookies more than a day in advance. These are incredibly fast to whip up. They are very moist but they will lose their crispy edges factor baking them days in advance. But I would just store them in a glass container with parchment in between them so they don’t stick together. You can try that.
I have made these three times, and each time they come out better. Had a happy mistake this last batch, used xanthan gum instead of cream of tartar (shame on me for baking multiple recipes at a time), and this sub produced the softest, fluffiest cookies I’ve ever made!
Oh wow, that’s awesome to hear! I know it works in cakes, but cool to know about the cookies!
Yet another amazing recipe. The house smells so good! They will not last long around our house. My husband has eaten almost half the batch, moments after they cooled. He asked if I have enough ingredients for a second batch.
haha, I love hearing that Kelly! So glad your hubby loves them so much!
So easy to make and delicious! Thanks for the excellent recipe:)
You are so welcome, thank you Wendy for making them!
Hi Brandi, I wanted to let you know that I have not had a Snickerdoodle in many, many years because the original recipes called for oil, butter and eggs. Your recipe makes the BEST Snickerdoodles that I have ever tasted! I baked the first batch and brought them into work. They were gobbled up! I have made several more batches and they are a hit with everyone who has tasted them! People can’t believe that they are Vegan and GF. I found that they keep very well in a tightly sealed container. I also have made them and frozen them (after they are completely cooled). They take just a few minutes to thaw and are delicious. Thank you, once again, for your excellent recipe!
Wow, Carolyn, this was just about the best feedback ever! So so happy you loved these so much!! Thank you for taking the time to leave such an amazing review!
Hi! I dont have a scale! Is there anyway to use measuring cups and measuring spoons instead?
Hi Debra! Yes, just use the cups given and the best way to measure almond flour is the take the cup and scoop it into the flour and lightly pat it down into the cup and level off! Liquids are much easier to measure with cups than flours, so just pour them into the cups. Just use the measuring spoons called for and it will work fine!