This soft & chewy gluten free and dairy free sugar cookies recipe uses allergy friendly ingredients without compromising on flavor or texture.

The recipe is also low oxalate and I provide substitutions to make it paleo and vegan.

I don’t include a royal icing or vanilla frosting with these cookies so feel free to use your favorite recipe if you want to decorate them. I think they’re fantastic as traditional sugar cookies on their own.

Recipe ingredient substitutions 

Coconut oil substitutions: For this recipe I generally use flavorless coconut oil or butter flavored coconut oil. You can also substitute either of these for regular full flavored coconut oil, vegan butter or even cow’s milk butter if you tolerate dairy. Whatever you decide, make sure to melt the oil or butter otherwise your cookie dough and cookies will end up being a bit dry and crumbly. I usually stay away from olive oil because the strong flavor won’t work with these mild cookies.

Gluten-free flour substitutions: Generally I use Robin Hood gluten-free flour blend for this recipe, however you can also substitute this for any other gluten-free flour mix. I have also tried this recipe with white rice flour and although the texture of the cookies turns out a little bit different, it is still delicious.

Sugar substitutions: Instead of using granulated white sugar, you can also use brown sugar or coconut sugar. The texture will be different using liquid sweeteners so I’d stay away from maple syrup or honey as they may not turn out the same.

Baking powder substitutions: Instead of 1 teaspoon of baking powder, use 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Egg substitutions: Instead of using regular eggs, use any egg alternative such as flax, chia or gelatin eggs.

Vanilla extract substitutions: Instead of liquid vanilla extract, you can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean powder.

image of plate of cookies with one cookie partially eaten

Dietary modifications

Make this recipe paleo: To make this recipe paleo, swap out the 1 ¼ cup gluten-free flour for 3/4 – 1 cup of cassava flour. Swap out the sugar for all coconut palm sugar.

Make this recipe vegan: Use one egg substitute/replacement (flax egg) instead of one chicken egg. You can eat the sugar cookie dough raw if you make them vegan cookies!

Make this recipe lower oxalate: Swap out the gluten-free flour blend for white rice flour, or a combination of white rice flour and potato starch.

Make this recipe lower calorie: Swap out most of the oil for almond milk and use less sugar or sweeten with stevia. The texture won’t be the same and the cookies wont be as soft and chewy though without oil.

Recipe FAQs

Does it matter if the coconut oil is melted? 

It is very important to melt the coconut oil or butter for this recipe. If not, the cookie dough will end up dry and crumbly and so will the cookies.

Why can’t I add all the wet ingredients at the same time?

This is most important if you are using coconut oil. One time when I made this recipe I put in the coconut oil at the same time as the egg. Because the egg was cold from the fridge, it made some of the coconut oil solidify and then affected how the recipe turned out in the end because the batter had chunks of coconut oil in it. For this reason, I suggest adding them separately or you can take out your egg a few hours ahead of time so that it is at room temperature. If you are using vegan butter or any other cooking oil, feel free to add all the wet ingredients at the same time.

Sugar cookies are sometimes different colors, how do I do that?

Use natural food dyes if you want your cookies to be red, blue, or green. They will look like the classic sugar cookies that kids used to bring to school, especially if you use cookie cutters to cut them into fun shapes and add sprinkles on top.

Want more gluten free and dairy free recipes? 

All the recipes on my blog are both gluten & dairy free, ALWAYS. If you are looking for more, you can also check out my 1 month gluten & dairy free meal plan or recipe book (which comes with 140 additional recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks & desserts). 

Tried the recipe?

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You might also like:

If you liked this recipe, check out my other gluten-free dessert recipes:

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image of stacked cookies beside glass of dairy free milk

Sugar Cookies Recipe (Gluten Free & Dairy Free)

Tara Klippert
This soft & chewy gluten free dairy free sugar cookies recipe uses allergy friendly ingredients without compromising on flavour or texture
No ratings yet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 228 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Set oven to 325 F
  • Mix all dry ingredients together in a stand mixer or large bowl.
  • Add melted coconut oil or vegan butter and stir until thoroughly mixed.
  • Add egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and thoroughly mix.
  • Roll the dough into 10 small balls (or use a cookie scoop if you have one) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Press down on cookie dough balls to flatten them out a bit. Alternatively, you could also roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to shape them.
  • Bake cookies for roughly 16 minutes. These cookies will be quite soft when you take them out of the oven.
  • For best results, let them cool for a bit so they firm up. This is important to make sure you get soft & chewy cookies.
  • Once cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. They freeze really well and will last in the freezer much longer!

Video

Notes

Whether you are using coconut oil or vegan butter, make sure that it is fully melted before adding it. Otherwise, your cookie dough will be a bit dry and then this will make the finished cookies dry as well.
If you are using coconut oil, it is important to mix it in ahead of the egg, otherwise the coconut oil might start hardening up again because the egg is cold (and coconut oil is solid at room temp). However, if you are using vegan butter you can add all the wet ingredients at the same time.

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 28.6gProtein: 1.6gFat: 11.7gSaturated Fat: 10.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 18.6mgSodium: 71.4mgPotassium: 12.3mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 13.5g
Keyword dairy free, gluten free, low oxalate, soy free
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Tara Klippert
About the author Tara Klippert

Tara Klippert is a Registered Health and Nutrition Counselor and holds a diploma in Holistic Nutrition and Health Coaching. She shares her gluten free, dairy free & allergy friendly recipes.