Easy Vegan Lemon Cookies Recipe (Soft and Lemony!)

Easy.

Soft.

LEMONY.

This vegan lemon cookies recipe produces super soft lemon cookies that taste like little lemon drops in your mouth! No lemon extract involved here–just some fresh lemons. I came up with this recipe to use up all the beautiful Meyer lemons my neighbor keeps supplying me with and I have to say, this one is quickly becoming a favorite. It’s so easy!! And as is the case with lots of cookie recipes, this one is perfect for making the lemon cookie dough ahead of time and baking up as many (or as little) as you need. With bright lemon flavor, this lemon cookies recipe is the perfect treat for all lemon lovers!

Let’s get into it!

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What Kind of Lemon Cookies are We Talking ABout?

There are a lot of lemon cookies recipes out there. There are lemon drop cookies, lemon crinkle cookies, and soft lemon sugar cookie recipes. But, if I may say, this vegan lemon cookie recipe gives you the best lemon cookies. Why? Because this easy lemon cookies recipe gives you lemon cookies that have:

• perfect texture
• bold lemon flavor
• easy to find ingredients

One of the best things about this vegan lemon cookies recipe is that it doesn’t involve a lot of ingredients. Moreover, the recipe calls for simple ingredients, things you can easily find already in your fridge and pantry or at your local grocery store. Still, if you need help with substitutions, make sure you review the Key Ingredients and Substitutions section below for all my recommendations.

A lot of lemon cookies recipes I found online don’t incorporate any lemon flavor in the cookie itself, instead relying exclusively on the lemon icing that goes on top of the cookies for all the lemony work. To me, that’s just a regular cookie with lemony stuff on top. Not so with this lemon cookies recipe! This lemon cookies recipe will infuse the soft sugar cookies with a ton of fresh lemon zest, which means you can technically skip the lemon glaze if you want and still have amazing lemon cookies.

KEY INGREDIENTS AND NOTES ON SUBSTITUTIONs For Lemon Cookies Recipe.

The following are the key ingredients for these vegan lemon cookies:

Lemons.

Sorry, you cannot make these vegan lemon cookies without lemons! You don’t need a lot of lemons, but you will need at least one! You’ll be using both the fresh lemon juice from one lemon, as well as its lemon zest. As with all lemon desserts, I find Meyer lemons work best because they are extra sweet, but regular lemons will also do! Can you rely on store bought lemon juice and skip the lemon zest? Sure, but then you’ll miss out on adding that tangy lemon flavor directly to the cookies and will have to rely on just the lemon topping.

Vegan Butter.

Vegan butter will not only enhance the flavor of these lemon cookies, they will ensure the proper texture. But, if you don’t have vegan butter (I know it isn’t always available in all parts of the world), your best substitute would be virgin coconut oil that’s solid at room temperature. You can also use a neutral vegetable oil, but that will not give you the same texture as either vegan butter or coconut oil.

Dairy Free Yogurt (Preferably Hi-Protein).

Yup! Hi-protein vegan yogurt to the rescue! Look, non-vegan cookies always require eggs and there’s a reason for that–it helps the cookie dough bind, but it also helps with providing structure for the cookies (so they don’t end up super dense and blobby). Without an egg yolk, we use something else with protein for these lemon cookies and I find vegan yogurt does that the BEST. A lot of them also come infused with vanilla already, which is great when you’ve run out of vanilla extract at home! 🙂

Some brands I like: Silk Green Style Yogurt, Icelandic Provision’s Oatmilk Skyr, and Siggi’s Plant-Based Yogurt.

I tested this out when developing the best vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe and I honestly have not found a better egg-substitute for baked goods. You can use a regular vegan yogurt, too, but it may not yield the same, soft texture.

All Purpose Flour.

These lemon cookies call for all purpose flour. Can you make it gluten-free? I haven’t tested it with gluten-free flour, but you should be able to substitute in your favorite gluten-free flour blend, one-for-one. The crumb, however, may be dense and/or a bit fragile, since there aren’t any eggs to help keep it all together.

Corn Starch.

I told you that one of the reasons these are the best lemon cookies is because they are so super soft. How do we make them so soft? Corn starch! A little cornstarch will give the insides of these lemon cookies an almost cake-like consistency you’re going to absolutely love.

Organic Cane Sugar and Icing Sugar.

This vegan lemon cookies recipe incorporates both granulated sugar, as well as icing sugar or powdered sugar. I have not tested the recipe with sugar substitutes, and given the methodology, it would be pretty difficult. You might be able to use caster sugar for the icing, but the cookies themselves require the coarseness of granulated sugar.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda.

Without eggs, this vegan lemon cookies recipe relies on baking powder to provide the “lift” necessary for that perfectly soft texture.

Sprinkles.

I’m making these lemon cookies for Easter and so, I added some pastel colored vegan sprinkles to them after icing them. I’m not really a sprinkles person, but they do look quite adorable! If you like sprinkles, keep them. If you’re not into them, ditch ’em! These cookies will taste great either way!

Step-by-Step Instructions For Making Vegan Lemon Cookies.

Step 1: Release the Oils!

To a large bowl, add your sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, massage zest into the sugar. The sugar crystals will “cut” your zest, releasing their oils. This will help maximize flavor for your lemon cookies.

Step 2: Cream Your Butter.

Next, add your vegan butter (which should be at room temperature if you want your life to be made easier). Using a hand mixer (you can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but that’s a lot of equipment and much harder to wash than a regular ole’ hand mixer), begin mixing on low speed for about a minute, as your butter softens. Then increase your speed to medium-low and continue mixing until your butter becomes fluffy and light colored (about 3 minutes). Add vegan yogurt and continue mixing until fully incorporated (about 1 minute).

Step 3: Create and Freeze Cookie Dough.

To a separate bowl, add flour, corn starch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to remove any lumps. Then, add to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix together using your hand mixer until just combined (guard against over-mixing). You will have a pretty sticky cookie dough. Place the bowl onto a sheet of parchment paper and shape it into a large log–about 16 inches long, roughly 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the cookie dough log into the freezer for at least one hour.

Step 4: Bake the Lemon Cookies.

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough log from the freeze and, using a sharp knife, cut pieces that are about 1/2-inch thick. Place them on your parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Your cookies will still feel a little soft, but firm on the outside, with hints of brown coloring around the edges. Place them on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes while you make the lemon icing.

Step 5: Make the Lemon Icing.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with the lemon juice until well-combined. It’ll seem like not enough lemon juice, but trust me–you don’t need a lot. Place the bowl next to a small bowl containing the sprinkles (if using). Dip the tops of the cooled lemon cookies into the lemon icing mixture. Then dip the cookies in sprinkles or sprinkle them on by hand (if you want less sprinkles).

Enjoy!!

Frequently Asked Questions.

Recipe Card.

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