Christmas cookies make a wonderful homemade gift during the holiday season, whether you're giving them to family or carolers that drop by. But with food allergies and special diets, it can be difficult to make one-size-fits-all cookies.
Vegan Christmas cookies taste just as great as their non-vegan counterparts, but are safe for people who are dairy-free or egg-free. They're made with only plant-based ingredients, including vegan butter and vegan chocolate chips, and they don't take any more time than non-vegan cookies.
Some of these vegan Christmas cookie recipes are also nut-free and gluten-free (we've got a whole roundup of gluten-free Christmas cookies for more), so they cover a lot of dietary considerations. From chocolate peppermint to cranberry pistachio, here are some of the best easy vegan Christmas cookie recipes to make for the holidays.
1. Vegan Orange Cinnamon Christmas Cookies
These frosted cookies are packed with almonds, hazelnuts, and cinnamon. If you'd like more orange flavor, add some orange extract or zest.
Recipe: Vegan Heaven
2. Almond Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Almond butter and almond milk gives these chewy cookies tons of nutty flavor. Dried cherries or chopped dried apricots would be delicious substitutes for the cranberries.
Recipe: Two Peas & Their Pod
3. Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Applesauce is used as the egg replacement in the plant-based version of these fudgy holiday classics. A mix of granulated and powdered sugar keep the outside white.
Recipe: My Darling Vegan
4. Choco Cranberry Coconut Macaroons
Chewy, coconut-filled macaroons get a holiday upgrade with dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips. They look just as festive as they taste, and they're gluten-free to boot.
Recipe: Veganosity
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5. Chewy Molasses Cookies
Full of spices like cardamom and ginger and with a sparkling sugar crust, chewy molasses cookies are a must for holiday cookie trays. Snack on 'em while you're prepping a Christmas breakfast casserole.
Recipe: Love & Lemons
Related: Best Christmas Cookie Recipes
6. Vegan Sugar Cookies
If you can't do a holiday season without decorating cut-out cookies with the kids, these sugar cookies will fit the bill beautifully. Don't forget the sprinkles!
Recipe: My Darling Vegan
Related: The 9 Best Online Vegan Grocery Stores for Plant-Based Pantry Staples
Photo credit: Monica Lorenzo/istockphoto7. No Bake Cookies
What could be easier than a cookie that you don't even bake? Oats, peanut butter, and cocoa powder make these rich, and they only need 30 minutes to chill.
Recipe: Love & Lemons
Related: 50 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes: Mains, Sides, Desserts, and More
8. Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
There's only three ingredients in the cookie base of this vegan and gluten-free thumbprint cookie. Caramel and chocolate are always a welcome pairing.
Recipe: Bakerita
9. Vegan and Gluten-Free Carmelitas
Carmelitas are a gooey, caramel-filled bar cookie made with oats. This recipe uses tahini, maple syrup, and coconut milk for a vegan and GF alternative to the classic.
Recipe: Happy Healthy Mama
10. Vegan Peanut Butter Blossoms
Hershey Kisses are not vegan, so you'll have to make your own chocolate filling for the center of these beloved cookies. If you have a favorite vegan chocolate, you can use those in place of the filling.
Recipe: Connoisseurus Veg
Photo credit: yumehana/istockphoto11. Vegan Linzer Cookies
That pop of colorful jam on Linzer cookies makes them perfect for Christmas cookie assortments. This one includes lemon zest in the cookie dough for added zing.
Recipe: Easy Vegan Cookies
12. Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Flax eggs, a vegan egg substitute, is used in this gingerbread cutout cookie. Ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves all give these men a hefty dose of spice. Feel free to use gumdrop buttons — just make sure they're vegan, too.
Recipe: Loving It Vegan
13. Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Red cranberries and green pistachios make this shortbread cookie recipe festive. They're slice-and-bake, which means you make the dough ahead of time and just slice and bake when you're ready. Don't be afraid to make them a month in advance and keep the dough in the freezer.
Recipe: Eggless Cooking
Photo credit: Shaiith/istockphoto14. Vegan Danish Butter Cookies
Getting a blue tin of Danish butter cookies is a holiday tradition for many families. You can make your own vegan version of the spritz cookies with dairy-free butter and almond milk.
Recipe: Wallflower Kitchen
15. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
It's hard to beat a chocolate chip cookie. These use coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature, in place of butter. They're fantastic with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top.
Recipe: Baker By Nature
Photo credit: DillonStein/istockphoto16. Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Who doesn't love seeing little bits of crushed candy canes or peppermints in their Christmas cookies? Even better when they're in a double chocolate cookie base.
Recipe: Short Girl Tall Order
17. Christmas Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies
You just can't beat sprinkles for bringing that holiday flair to your cookie tins. These peanut butter chocolate chippers includes almond extract and plenty of red and green sprinkles.
Recipe: Namely Marly
Photo credit: bhofack2/istockphoto18. Vegan Saltine Toffee
This cookie goes by a few names, including cracker candy. You make a simple brown sugar caramel, pour it over Saltine crackers on a baking sheet, then spread a layer of chocolate over it all. Cheerful sprinkles, sea salt, and pecans all make good toppings.
19. Easy Sunbutter Cookies
These nut-free, peanut butter-like cookies have only five ingredients. All you do is mix the ingredients in one bowl, roll, and bake, so they're super fast, too.
Recipe: My Quiet Kitchen
Photo credit: Benedicte THIERRY/istockphoto20. Vegan Chocolate Sugar Cookies
These cutout sugar cookies are for the chocolate lovers out there. Besides vanilla, they're flavored with cocoa powder, which goes great will all kinds of frosting and fillings.
Recipe: The Veg Life
21. Vegan Ginger Cookies
Similar to a gingersnap but chewier, these ginger cookies are a family favorite. They get their deep brown color from molasses, and their bite from an entire tablespoon of ground ginger.
Recipe: Nora Cooks
22. Iced Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Love Archway oatmeal cookies? These look and taste just like them, complete with that distinctive lacy frosting.
Recipe: Nora Cooks
Photo credit: Natalya_Yudina/istockphoto23. Aquafaba Meringues
Aquafaba sounds weird, but it's really just the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Believe it or not, it whips up light and airy just like egg whites for a beautiful, crispy vegan meringue cookie.
Recipe: Alton Brown
Photo credit: ALLEKO/istockphoto24. 1-Bowl Snickerdoodle Cookies
Full of cinnamon flavor, these fluffy vegan snickerdoodles also happen to be gluten-free — and you only need to dirty one bowl, to boot.
Recipe: Minimalist Baker
25. Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies
These cheery lemon cookies are a bright spot in every holiday cookie assortment. Turmeric gives them their sunny color, and lemon zest makes them flavorful.
Recipe: The Little Blog Of Vegan
26. Fluffy 1-Bowl Sugar Cookies
You can bake these easy vegan sugar cookies two ways: Roll them out and use a cookie cutter, or roll them into balls. The latter will end up with cookies that resemble Lofthouse sugar cookies.
Recipe: Minimalist Baker
27. Vegan Penguin Shortbread Cookies
Look at how adorable these penguin cookies are! There are only four ingredients in the shortbread, and one is orange zest, which is wonderful with the chocolate coating.
Recipe: The Little Blog Of Vegan
28. Vegan Cardamom Pecan Cookies
Cardamom lends a light floral and peppery flavor to these cookies, which complements the nutty pecans — and the maple syrup used as sweetener — very well.
Recipe: The Vegan 8
29. Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin and chocolate might be a controversial combination, but most people love it when they give it a try. These are soft and chewy and full of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Recipe: Eating Bird Food
30. Fudgy Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cookies
It's hard to resist a brownie, so add these brownie cookies to your Christmas sweets list. They're made with chopped dark chocolate and cocoa powder for a double chocolate punch.
Recipe: The Loopy Whisk
