Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies
These vegan lemon crinkle cookies are soft, chewy and full of flavour. They’re easy to make, with just a few simple ingredients, and are perfect to enjoy during Springtime!
It’s officially March and although it’s still absolutely freezing in Scotland, that means spring is on its way. And what better way to celebrate spring than with some soft and chewy vegan lemon crinkle cookies?!
I’ve made a couple of crinkle cookie recipes in the past, including my vibrant green Christmas Grinch cookies, so it feels only right to keep adding to my collection!
If you’d like a quick, condensed version of how to make this recipe, you can find it in the recipe card at the end of this post. For any beginner vegan bakers out there, just keep reading for detailed ingredient notes, step-by-step instructions with images, and top tips. Enjoy!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Self-raising flour: I like to use self-raising flour for my cookies because it saves the need to add any extra raising agents such as baking powder or baking soda.
- Vegan margarine: Make sure to use the soft, spreadable type of vegan ‘butter’ for this recipe rather than the blocky type- the latter will leave the cookie dough too dry and crumbly. I like to use Vitalite.
- Sugar: Caster sugar will give these cookies the best texture. This is also known as superfine sugar in some other countries.
- Flavour extracts: I used lemon extract and vanilla extract which gave a nice balance of flavours. You can omit the vanilla if you prefer.
- Yellow food colouring: This is optional but I highly recommend it for aesthetic purposes! You could also use a small pinch of turmeric for a natural alternative to food colouring. Be careful not to use too much though, otherwise, your cookies may end up tasting like curry!
- Lemon juice: I recommend using fresh lemon juice for best results but bottled would also work in a pinch too.
- Icing sugar: Or powdered sugar, to create that classic crinkled look. In this case, the more, the better!
Equipment
- Baking tray and baking paper: You’ll need to leave a little bit of space in between the cookies on the tray because they’ll spread quite a lot as they bake. You should be able to bake 6-8 per tray at one time so you can have two trays to hand or reuse the same one. If you’re not using a non-stick tray, you’ll also need some baking paper to prevent sticking.
- A small bowl, a large bowl and a plate: The bowls for mixing and the plate for rolling the cookies in icing sugar.
- Wooden spoon: For mixing everything together.
How to make vegan lemon crinkle cookies
Step 1: Add 200g of self-raising flour to a large bowl. Measure out 70g of vegan margarine then add it to the bowl with the flour. Rub it in to create a breadcrumb-like mixture.
Step 2: Stir in 150 of caster sugar.
Step 3: Place 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a small mixing bowl or mug then stir in 1+1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Step 4: Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture along with a small amount of yellow food colouring. Mix well and when it starts to stick together, use your hands to press it into a ball of dough.
Step 5: Wrap or cover the dough and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. This will ensure the cookies spread evenly while they bake.
Step 6: While the cookie dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 180°C (or 160°C if you’re using a fan oven).
Step 7: Once the 30 minutes are up, take the cookie dough out of the fridge and divide it into 12 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. They’ll be quite small but don’t worry, they spread out a lot while they bake.
Step 8: Pour 100g of icing sugar out onto a plate and roll each ball into it until well covered. Place them onto a lined baking tray, leaving an inch or two of space in between.
Step 9: Bake for 10-12 minutes. When they’re ready, the cookies should have a nice crinkle on top and be set around the edges. Let them cool completely before removing them from the tray.
Top tips
- Make sure your cookies are coated in lots of icing sugar! This will help them look their best once baked.
- Fresh lemon juice can be substituted for soy milk or any other plant-based milk. You can add a couple of spoonfuls of fresh lemon zest for an extra fresh burst of flavour.
- Use margarine, not the blocky type of vegan butter. The two produce different results when it comes to cookies!
- Some food colouring is not vegan-friendly because of certain e-numbers that may be added. I like to use PME gels but if you’d like to check specific e-numbers, take a look at my vegan e-numbers guide.
- Cookies will bake a couple of minutes faster on a non-stick tray so keep an eye on them if you’re using one.
FAQ
These cookies will taste best if eaten within 4-5 days. Make sure to store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in a cool, dry place such as a kitchen cupboard.
You sure can! To freeze them, pop them into airtight containers with squares of baking paper in between to prevent them from sticking together. Freeze for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to defrost them, transfer them to a wire rack or plate and let them sit out at room temperature until thawed. Do not refreeze.
I haven’t tested this particular recipe with gluten-free flour so I’m not sure how the flavour would be. However, my chocolate crinkle cookies can easily be made gluten-free.
More vegan lemon desserts
I hope you have fun making these vegan lemon crinkle cookies. If you find this post useful, please give it a share using the share buttons on this page. Happy baking!
Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Soft, chewy lemon crinkle cookies that are perfect for spring.
Ingredients
- 200 g Self-raising flour
- 70 g Vegan margarine
- 150 g Caster sugar
- 1+½ Teaspoons Lemon extract
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
- Yellow food colouring
- 100 g Icing sugar
Instructions
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Add the flour to a large bowl and rub in the margarine to make a breadcrumb-like mixture. Stir in the caster sugar.
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Mix the lemon juice and flavour extracts together then add them to the bowl along with the yellow food colouring.
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Mix well then use your hands to press everything together into a ball of dough. If the dough is too dry, add a little more lemon juice. If it's too wet, add more self-raising flour.
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Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 180℃ (or 160℃ for fan ovens).
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Once the dough has chilled, divide it into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
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Put all of the icing sugar onto a plate and roll each ball into it until well covered. Place the balls onto a lined baking tray, leaving a little space in between to allow for spreading.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are crinkled and slightly firm at the edges. Leave to cool completely before removing them from the tray.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
