12 Days of Easy Vegan Christmas Cookies

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, and Fully Festive Goodies

Written by
Cathy Jacobs
A freelance journalist and avid home cook, Cathy Jacobs has more than 10 years of food writing experience, with a focus on curating approachable menus and recipe collections.
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Cathy Jacobs
Updated 12/17/20
Tea Cake Cookies Recipe

 The Spruce

The Christmas season is filled with cookie exchanges, holiday baking parties, and fun family gatherings where buttery sweet treats are the focus. While many traditional cookie recipes are not vegan, there's still a lot of baking that can be done. With these delicious vegan cookie recipes, you'll be proud to share the egg-free, dairy-free treats with family and friends throughout the holidays.

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  • 01 of 12

    Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

    Vegan gingerbread cookies recipe

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

    What would Christmas be without gingerbread cookies? This vegan gingerbread cookie recipe includes the usual molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and swaps an egg replacer into the blend. Everyone will enjoy the super-soft, lightly-spiced treats. Let kids help you cut out the shapes and decorate them with faces and buttons for a fun family holiday activity.

  • 02 of 12

    Vegan Russian Holiday Tea Cakes

    Vegan Russian tea cake recipe

    The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

    Russian holiday tea cakes are made with ground almonds and flour and look just like little snowballs on your dessert tray! This vegan recipe requires only five ingredients—plus some extra confectioner's sugar to create the powdery coating. Try dipping them into your tea for a fun Christmas morning treat grown-ups can enjoy right along with the kids.

  • 03 of 12

    Vegan Chocolate Spice Cookies

    Vegan Chocolate Spice Cookies

    Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

    These yummy spice cookies are a lot like gingerbread, but with added cocoa for the chocolate flavor. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves add a rich warming flavor to these treats, which are guaranteed to fill your kitchen with a wonderful aroma. Go ahead and decorate them with a bit of powdered sugar on top, too.

  • 04 of 12

    Dairy-Free Shortbread Cookies

    Dairy-Free Shortbread Cookies

    Claire Cohen

    Shortbread cookies are a holiday favorite. This dairy-free recipe is a real find for vegans who crave their comforting buttery flavor, minus the butter. Once baked and cooled, you can decorate them with icing, beads, and sprinkles to create ugly sweaters, Santa Claus faces, or whatever else your imagination inspires.

    Continue to 5 of 12 below.
  • 05 of 12

    Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies

    Double chocolate chunk vegan cookies

    The Spruce

    Egg-free, dairy-free, and completely delicious—that's what you can look forward to with these double chocolate chunk cookies. Made with egg replacer, soy milk, and vegan chocolate chunks, they're simply a lot of fun to bake. Dress them up for the holidays with a sprinkle of finely-chopped hazelnuts or crushed candy cane bits, added just before baking.

  • 06 of 12

    Vegan Lemon Sugar Cookies

    Vegan Lemon Sugar Cookies

    joshblake / Getty Images

    Sugar cookies are a Christmas essential and this vegan recipe gets an extra festive zing from lemon zest. Adding silken tofu to the batter makes them soft, moist, and irresistible. Kids will enjoy decorating the cookies with vanilla icing, rainbow sprinkles, or red and green baking beads.

  • 07 of 12

    Spiced Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

    Spiced vegan oatmeal cranberry cookies

    The Spruce 

    These spiced oatmeal cranberry cookies are thick and chewy, just the way oatmeal cookies should be. They also smell wonderful while baking, thanks to a whole lot of homey fall spices, including cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

  • 08 of 12

    Vegan Pfeffernusse Cookies

    Vegan Pfeffernusse Cookies

    The Spruce

    Originally a traditional German holiday treat, pfeffernusse cookies are enjoyed all around the world on Christmas day. Molasses, black pepper, brown sugar, and your favorite baking spices give them a scrumptious, fragrant scent that's perfect for enjoying with your Christmas morning coffee or tea.

    Continue to 9 of 12 below.
  • 09 of 12

    Vegan Honey Almond Biscotti

    Vegan Honey Almond Biscotti

    Mokkie / Wikimedia Commons

    Making homemade vegan biscotti is easier than you may think, with sweet agave nectar replacing honey in this recipe. Add some dried cranberries to the cookie batter for a festive twist on the traditional Italian treat. You may want to make an extra batch because they're a lovely edible gift for friends, family, and teachers.

  • 10 of 12

    Vegan Chocolate Chip “Bacon” Cookies

    Tea Cake Cookies Recipe

     The Spruce

    Make your kids' holiday wishes come true when you let them munch on amazing "bacon" chocolate chip cookies while they're opening gifts on Christmas morning. The secret? The completely vegan treats are actually made with veggie bacon and egg substitute, along with vegan chocolate chips, so you'll stay on Santa's "nice" list.

  • 11 of 12

    Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

    No bake chocolate peanut butter cookies

    The Spruce

    When you need cookies but don't want to bake, this recipe will save the day. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is always a hit and these cookies get extra flavor from coconut milk. You'll simply melt the main ingredients on the stove, stir in some oats, then drop them on a cookie sheet. They set up in minutes so you can get on with the day.

  • 12 of 12

    Vegan Whoopie Pies

    Vegan Whoopie Pies

    Brian Yarvin / Getty Images

    These whoopie pie sandwich cookies—with a sweet, dairy-free cream cheese filling between two pillowy discs—are a crowd-pleasing vegan treat any time of year. Give them a Christmas makeover by adding some red food coloring to the batter for red velvet-style results.