Are Sugar Cookies Vegan? Everything You Need To Know
Sugar cookies are soft cookies that are often cut into interesting shapes and decorated with icing. They’re a beloved dessert in the USA and are gaining popularity in other countries, but are sugar cookies vegan? Let’s take a closer look to find out.
Who doesn’t love sugar cookies?! I didn’t try them until I was around 25 years old (!) but I have been hooked ever since.
Whilst they may be relatively new to me, sugar cookies have been popping up in different forms for centuries. Back in medieval Europe, bakers would make simple cookies with sugar, spices, and butter. They may not have always been the fancy, iced sugar cookies we know and love today but they were undoubtedly delicious.
As time went on and sugar became cheaper and more widely available, people started getting more creative, cutting them into cool shapes and decorating them with icing.
Finally, sugar cookies made their way to America and they’ve been a huge part of holiday baking ever since, although they can of course be enjoyed at any time of year. These days, you’ll find sugar cookies in all sorts of shapes and flavours. I have seen some amazing designs painted on them!
Are sugar cookies hard or soft?
Sugar cookies are soft, thick, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, with slightly crispy edges. You can bake them for longer or roll them out a little thinner if you prefer them to be crunchy.
Chilling the cookie dough in the fridge before baking them will help to keep the cookies’ soft texture by slowing down how quickly they bake.
What are they made of?
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients of a typical sugar cookie recipe. I used this popular recipe for reference.
- Flour. Flour gives structure to the cookies. Flour is made from wheat and is suitable for vegans.
- Baking powder. Baking powder is made from bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar, and usually a filler or two. It is vegan-friendly.
- Butter. Butter is the main source of fat in a sugar cookie. As butter is made from cow’s milk, it is not vegan.
- Sugar. Sugar may or may not be vegan depending on where you buy it. All sugar produced in the UK is vegan, however, in some countries like the USA, sugar may be processed using bone char. If you’re unsure, look for sugar labelled as vegan-friendly or opt for organic, which is always vegan.
- Egg. Eggs help to give sugar cookies their soft, light texture but sadly, eggs are not vegan.
- Vanilla extract. Vanilla extract adds flavour and is suitable for vegans.
Are sugar cookies vegan?
No, sugar cookies are not typically vegan because they contain butter and eggs. It is easy to make plant-based sugar cookies at home with a few simple ingredient substitutions. I used a combination of vegan margarine and soy milk to replace the butter and eggs in this recipe.
If you’d like to have a go at making them yourself, you can use my vegan sugar cookies recipe. The cookies contain only 6 simple ingredients and are super easy to make.
Are frosted sugar cookies vegan?
Sugar cookies are often topped with royal icing. This type of icing is not vegan-friendly because it’s almost always made with egg whites. However, you can make an egg-free royal icing using aqua faba instead! This recipe is super quick, creating glossy icing that pipes easily and hardens just like the traditional kind.
Are sugar cookies gluten-free?
No, sugar cookies are not gluten-free because they are made with wheat flour. However, there are many gluten-free vegan sugar cookie recipes to choose from online- you don’t have to miss out!
Summary
Traditional sugar cookies contain butter and eggs so are not suitable for vegans. You can make your own vegan version at home using dairy-free margarine plus a little bit of plant-based milk to help the dough stick together.
