If you love lemons, then this lemon crinkle cookie recipe is for you! Naturally egg-free, these vegan lemon crinkle cookies are tender, chewy and bursting with lemon flavor.
Back with one final vegan Christmas cookie for you this year. In addition to my peppermint meltaway cookies, homemade oreos and chai sugar cookies, these vegan lemon crinkle cookies are a fun addition to any holiday cookie box.
This bright, lemon flavor is one of my favorites. I love citrus desserts. My vegan orange olive oil cake and lemon olive oil muffins are two of my favorites. There is something so refreshing about a sweet citrus dessert, and this lemon crinkle cookie recipe is no exception.
Here’s what you’ll need for this simple lemon cookie recipe:
I really love the lemon flavor in these, but if you find that you want more of a subtle lemon flavor, then I recommend using only 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice. If you want even more lemon flavor, you can also use a lemon extract instead of vanilla extract.
Instead of lemon, you could also use orange juice– or even a mixture of lemon and lime for a margarita-inspired cookie.
The turmeric gives an extra punch of yellow color, but you can omit if desired. Just know that your cookies won’t be as yellow as these. Or you can use a natural yellow food coloring.
As with all of my Christmas cookies this year, these vegan lemon crinkle cookies use dairy-free butter. While I’m not vegan, I do like baking (and cooking!) plant-based foods often, and I think it’s fun to showcase how delicious cookies can be without the typical egg and butter.
That said, you can use whatever butter you want– I do not recommend trying to substitute with coconut oil as these cookies will flatten too much while cooking and become crisp. That’s the opposite of the texture we are looking for– you want a soft, chewy cookie!
In order to really bring maximize the lemon flavor, you’ll want to rub the lemon zest into the sugar using your hands. This helps release the lemon oil and maximizes the lemon flavor!
Add in the butter and cream with the sugar, then add in the rest of the wet ingredients: vanilla and lemon juice. As mentioned below in the recipe card, I like the full 6T of fresh lemon juice but you can use a smaller amount if desired.
Add in the rest of the dry ingredients until a dough forms.
Next, roll the dough into tablespoon balls, then roll in sugar and powdered sugar and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the batter and bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Gently remove the cookies from the baking trays (they are delicate!) and place on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
To make these more uniform in size, I recommend using a cookie scoop. This is the 1 tablespoon one that I use. If you’ve got kids– then this is a great task for them! Both my 5 and 2 year old loved scooping and rolling the dough in the sugar.
The butter needs to be room temperature for best results. Cold butter won’t work the same way in this recipe.
I typically use my stand mixer to make these cookies as I find it easier than using a large bowl with a hand mixer, but that also works if you don’t have a stand mixer.
Lastly, I recommend lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone mat like a silpat for best results, but lightly sprayed will also work.
These store best in an airtight container on the counter.
If you are like me and plan on making several cookies (and bourbon balls) for holiday boxes, then I recommend making the batter then rolling into the dough ball and flash-freeze. Then, place the frozen cookie dough balls in an airtight container and store for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Before baking, remove and roll in powdered sugar and then bake as directed. If you bake from mostly frozen, you will need to add 1-2 minutes onto your baking time.
I hope you like this lemon crinkle cookie recipe! If you try them, make sure to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
Print
If you love lemons, then this lemon crinkle cookie recipe is for you! Naturally egg-free, these vegan lemon crinkle cookies are tender, chewy and bursting with lemon flavor.
*Room temperature is best for these cookies. You can also use regular butter if you don’t want them to be vegan.
**I love the lemon flavor in this, but if you want them to be less lemony, then only use 4 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Tag @delishknowledge on Instagram and hashtag it #delishknowledge
The Ultimate Plant-Based Protein Cookbook + Course
(Includes 40+ recipes!)
FREE 7-DAY COURSE + COOKBOOK
(5 comments) leave a comment
What are your thoughts about using nut flours or chickpea flour for this recipe
★★★★
I haven’t tried it using alternative flours so hard to say if it would work. If you do try it, let me know!
These are phenomenal! I made them exactly as written and they were wonderful, then I made a second batch subbing half the lemon zest/juice for orange zest/juice and those were also delicious. I will definitely be making these again 🙂
★★★★★
Can these be made with gluten free flour?
I would recommend using a gluten-free 1:1 baking blend for best results