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 they 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.
These cookies deserve 10 stars. Simple, delicious, everything I was hoping for. Thank you!!!
Oh so happy to hear that Angie, so glad they were everything you wanted, yay!
You were correct! Having a scale was very helpful in weighing the flour! mine turned out wonderful!
Yay, glad to hear it was so helpful! Sure makes things so fast and easy cleanup!
Omg, omg, omg! These are the best cookies I’ve ever had! You are a genius!
Oh woohoo Annie, so so happy to read this!!!
These were SO simple to make and equally delicious! I can’t wait to share them with my vegan friends! Thanks for the fantastic recipes!!
When I saw this recipe I couldn’t wait to try them. I used to love snickerdoodle cookies as a kid. The recipe was easy to follow and the results were even better than I expected! The chewy texture inside with the crunch on the outside of the cookie was perfect. I know my husband will finish off the batch within a day so next time I’ll double the recipe. This will be on regular rotation in our house forever now. Thanks Brandi!
Oh this review makes me so happy to hear, thank you Jill! Your husband sounds like mine, he ate 5 in a row yesterday, haha!
Did I miss something or does it not tell you to roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and then to flatten? I figured this was what I was supposed to do from the pictures, but it does not say in the instructions. Can you tell I don”t bake?? They tasted great, but mind didn’t crackle. Not sure what I did wrong. My husband’s favorite cookie growing up was the Snickerdoodle, and he LOVED these.
Hi Sharon! Yes, it says right on step 6 and 7 to roll into balls, coat in the sugar mixture and flatten between 1/4 – 1/2 inch so that is why yours didn’t crackle if you skipped that step. Flattening them the correct width is what will cause them to bake up and spread and crackle. I’m really glad to hear your husband loved these!
I forgot to flatten them as well haha. us non-bakers always making the mistakes.
Haha, hey Snickerdoodle balls sound yummy too!
Brandi, these are the BEST vegan cookies I’ve ever tasted! 😍 The deliciously sweet smell of these cookies reminds me of the Main Street Bakery at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. 😊
✌️💙🌱 – Annie
Woohoo, thank you so much for making them and leaving this awesome feedback Annie, that is so wonderful to hear they are the best, yay!!
I posted a review earlier, but I do not see it!
Anyways, I was expressing my WOW moment to when I tried these cookies!
The flavour and consistency are amaaaaazing!
Simple ingredients (and oil-free!)… and super easy recipe to follow! I measured everything as recommended by
Brady, you can’t go wrong!
Highly recommended! Can’t wait to do them again!
Thank you Brandy, love your recipes!!!
Wow! These cookies are amaaaazing, the consistency and flavor…just perfect!
I followed the recipe and measured everything as recommended by Brandy, and you can’t go wrong!
Simple ingredients (and oil-free!) but DELICIOUS taste!
Love your recipes Brandy!
Yay, so happy to hear this Patty, thank you so much for making them and taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot to me!
No apologies needed to our friends who eat traditional cookies loaded with fat, sugar and eggs. These are delicious and mine will be popped into the freezer for my gluten-free granddaughter. Be careful about eating the dough; it’s delicious.
I suggest baking one tray at a time rather than one under the other. My second tray was undercooked.
Woohoo, so glad these were a hit Angela! Thank you so much for letting me know how they turned out. Yes, agreed, I always baked one pan at a time, I will add that note now, thank you!
These cookies were probably the best healthy cookies I’ve made!!! My fiancé said they WERE the best cookies haha. I’ve enjoyed every recipe I’ve made by Brandi. So far most of them have been cookies, so your known as the cookie queen in my home hehe. But my goodness!!! These cookies were delicious and super easy to make which is a huge perk! I think I’ll be making up a huge batch of these snickerdoodle cookies for Christmas gifts so my loved ones can enjoy cookies that taste great with quality ingredients!! I’ve been looking for healthy cookies that actually taste like the real deal so I’m very thankful I came across you!! Keep them recipes coming!!!
Yay Kayla! They looked so fabulous on Instagram, thank you so much for making them! I’m very happy that your fiance said these were the BEST, haha! And I love the title “cookie queen” lol, I’ve been nicknamed cookie monster many times, lol. Great idea as a gift too! It feels good to enjoy something that is so delicious and not made with all the typical unhealthy ingredients, so you can feel that much better about over eating them, hahaha! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Super easy to make!! I did use more than one bowl so I could measure and prepare some items ahead of time since I did use my scales to measure several of them.
I didn’t let them cool 10 minutes at first like the recipe said (I’m so impatient!) but when I did it really made a difference! 😀
Great flavor and texture. No oil which is amazing especially when a traditional snickerdoodle has a cup of butter/shortening! And eggs too but none with this recipe!!! 👏🏻👏🏻
Thankyou Vegan 8 for developing this recipe!! Well done!!! 💕
Thank you so very much Roberta, I’m thrilled you loved these so much! And yes, haha, those traditional ones have SO much butter, yuck! Glad to have Snickerdoodles again without all that yucky butter! And thank you for the comment on FB to add the 5 stars, I’ll add them now!
ok my dear….these are the bomb! what a masterpiece! I consider myself a very decent cook but you are the master of mimicking old recipes to plant based no oil!! I am dumbfounded! Just love watching what you do. Have to say I try others and they just don’t always hit the nail on the head like you do! bowing down here!! 🥰 I didn’t even like snickerdoodles before because I could always taste the crisco…bluck!
btw…I have an avalanche of vegan plant based only cookbooks but when I recommend one to people nowadays – for recipes that ALWAYS turn out and taste amazing…it is always your Vegan 8 book. I’m not one to give praise when it isn’t earned -you have a gift. Who wants to buy a book and make things that require a bunch of ingredients – then it sort of turns out but maybe not! You answered a calling for sure! thank you!
You are the best Stephanie, thank you so much for such an awesome comment! I’m so happy you loved these!! Thank you very much for your kind words, it really means so much to me that you love my recipes so much, thank you for taking the time to leave this review that made my day!
Can I substitute cream of tartar
You can try subbing the cream of tartar with 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (still use the baking powder too, of course). They will not have that classic subtle tang as snickerdoodles and may not spread as much, but I think it should work, but have not tested it personally.
I’m so excited to make these! I was wondering what kind of cookie I was going to make for the neighbors and now I know! Just making sure, we roll the balls in the sugar/cinnamon mixture before baking, correct? It’s been a long time since I’ve made non vegan snickerdoodles.
Oh my goodness, I totally forgot that step, I was rushing so much to get the post up this morning, haha! Yes, I’ve added the step now, sorry about that! Can’t wait to hear Elyse!
Can’t believe I just asked the same question as the person before me, Meera. So sorry!
No worries, enjoy Angela! Just fyi, tapioca starch is the same as tapioca flour and is sold at most grocery stores these days in the isle with all the other flours.
Please clarify what ‘tapioca starch/flour is. Any sub here?Thanks. My granddaughter, gluten free, will adore these.
Is there a sub for the tapioca starch if it’s not something I have on hand?
Cornstarch will be the best sub but they may not spread as much.
Will these work if I sub potato starch for the tapioca? I don’t have tapioca but have the potato starch on hand.
Cornstarch will be the best sub if you have that, but they may not spread as much. You can try Potato starch but just FYI, that starch makes things a bit drier and crumble more.
Thank you!
Hi! These look great! Can’t wait to try. Do you have to use parchment paper? Can I lightly oil the pan? Thank you
Hi Julie! Hmmm, not sure. They may burn on the bottom because of all the sugar crystals. They get pretty toasty as it is on the parchment paper, so you can try it, but they may cook a minute faster. Use a light color pan if possible and not a dark one, which will burn the bottoms quicker.
I LOVED these cookies!!!!!!!! So easy to make and so soft and pillowy. Just freaking delicious. You never disappoint-in fact 99 percent of all my recipes come from you. Thank you for everything that you do:-) BTW, my teen girls ate these up and the hubby too. Going to have make more next time:-)
This comment is so sweet Susan! I’m so thrilled everybody loved these so much and thank you for your kind words and taking the time to leave a review!!
The minute I saw these I thought THAT CRACKLE😮 Clearly your goals and my snickerdoodle dreams are right in line haha! Brandi I cannot believe how perfect these look. Just like the original for sure, but maybe better because we all know how buttery and divine almond flour is in cookies. Sorry AP, even if I did do gluten I think I’d still opt for almond flour when it comes to recipes that require a thick batter built for rolling in cinnamon sugar. And that crackle without oil or nut butter is even more impressive–such an awesome and simple ingredient list girl! I am sitting in the airport right now, and you don’t even know how badly I wish a batch of these was packed with me😍
Hey girl, thank you SO much!! That crackle was why it took me 4 trials to get them perfect, lol! I was sharing my fails in my stories and that was the hardest, to get them to taste right, look right and spread and crackle like I wanted. SO SO hard to do without oil, but I’m a stubborn woman, haha.xx
Is there any sub for the tapioca powder (like corn starch or rice flour)?
Cornstarch will be the best sub but they may not spread as much.
I love snickerdoodles and can’t wait to try this recipe! Could you tell us where/ what brand of superfine blanched almond flour to purchase? I’ve never seen almond flour labeled this way. Or is this just how all almond flour is made?
Thank you so much!
Hi Kat! Yes, most will say “superfine” but I used Natures Eats brand, but honeyville, King Arthur, Wellbees, Costco Brand abdcmanu should work, as long as it’s the blanched almond flour (without the skins). 🙂
Bob’s Red Mill makes a great one too! Just make sure you are buying the one that is sold in a yellow zip-top bag. It should be labeled super-fine.
Yes thank you!!
You can also get it at Trader Joe’s :~)
Good job mama! I love when we get these challenges and keep going until they end up right, such a great feeling! Especially when it turns out to be delicious cookies. I have had a snickerdoodle recipes on my back burner that I work on now and again, maybe one day I will perfect it but until then I’ll just keep eating all the cookies here!
Thank you so much my friend!! This one was harder than I thought it would be, too! I was after that crackle, haha! It took the right combo of dry sugar and liquid sweetener to finally get the batter the right texture. I do have a snickerdoodle cookie recipe in my ebook but it’s made with cashew butter and just a bit more work and all the people who follow my blog will never see it AND that version doesn’t crackle, so I was determined to get this version up. So glad I got it finally! I have SO many dang cookies here now, LOL!