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Vegan Christmas Cookies

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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

Homemade and healthy chocolate oatmeal cookies in a red box. Close up view.Photo credit: Monica Lorenzo/istockphoto

7. 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.


RecipeConnoisseurus Veg

Linzer Christmas cookies filled with raspberry jam on concrete backgroundPhoto credit: yumehana/istockphoto

11. 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

Danish cookies made of butter and sugar.Photo credit: Shaiith/istockphoto

14. 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

Peppermint DazzlersPhoto credit: DillonStein/istockphoto

16. 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

Homemade Chocolate English ToffeePhoto credit: bhofack2/istockphoto

18. 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

Christmas chocolate biscuits/cookies ready to be cooked in the ovenPhoto credit: Benedicte THIERRY/istockphoto

20. 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

Sweet and airy bizet in a glass plate on a white brick wall background with copyspacePhoto credit: Natalya_Yudina/istockphoto

23. 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

Homemade Snickerdoodle cookies close-up on the table. HorizontalPhoto credit: ALLEKO/istockphoto

24. 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

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