If you’re like me and love all things lemon, you will love these easy vegan lemon cookies. They’re light, fluffy, and the perfect combination of tangy and sweet. They come together in less than 30 minutes, and they are bursting with fresh lemon flavor. They’re the perfect quick treat to bring to the summer BBQ, but they’re delicious all year round!
For more delicious vegan cookie recipes try these Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Vegan Snickerdoodles, or Vegan Funfetti Sugar Cookies.
For more fruity vegan desserts try these Vegan Lemon Bars, Vegan Key Lime Tart, or add this Easy Vegan Strawberry Compote on top of your favorite cakes or dessert breads.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Quick & easy – Only 8 ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes, these cookies are as easy as it gets.
- Allergy-friendly – This easy recipe is free of dairy and eggs and can easily be made with gluten-free flour as well.
Ingredients
- Canola Oil – Substitute with any neutral-flavored oil or melted vegan butter here if you prefer.
- White granulated sugar* – You could easily make these with cane sugar or brown sugar instead. Make sure to select a vegan variety (see notes).
- All-purpose flour – Swap for equal parts gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. This recipe will not work with a single-ingredient gluten-free flour like almond flour.
- Lemon extract – This is necessary for that super lemony flavor. Feel free to use more (or less) to your liking.
- Baking soda – This helps achieve the light and fluffy texture of these cookies.
- Salt – Don’t omit this! It really highlights the lemony flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice – Fresh-squeezed lemon juice provides the best results, but refrigerated lemon juice works well if you don’t have fresh lemons on hand.
- Oat milk – Any plant-based milk works here.
- Optional: powdered sugar for dusting.
Helpful Equipment
In addition to measuring cups and spoons, the following equipment is helpful for this recipe:
- Large mixing bowl
- Cookie sheet
- Cookie scoop
- Parchment paper (optional)
How to Make Vegan Lemon Sugar Cookies
This is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make this recipe, including photographs. For the quick version, skip ahead to the recipe card below!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Start by mixing the oil and sugar in a large bowl until they are well combined. Next, add in the lemon extract and stir.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add them to the wet ingredients.
Next, add the lemon juice and plant milk 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing each time, until a cohesive dough has formed. The dough should be wet but not sticky. If you find that your dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in more flour and mix until the correct consistency is achieved (shown below).
Next, use a spoon or cookie scoop to portion out the dough onto a lined baking tray. I like my cookies a bit larger, so I got about 15 out of this recipe. You could easily get up to 24 cookies with smaller scoops.
Flatten each scoop slightly with the bottom of a measuring cup for a more uniform shape (this step is optional).
Place the cookies in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes. If you like softer cookies, remove them at 12 minutes. If you prefer a bit of crisp on the bottom, leave them in for the full 15 minutes of baking time.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet. This usually takes about 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar or just leave them plain.
That’s it! Serve and enjoy!
Variations
- Swap for coconut sugar for a less-refined option.
- Top the cookies with homemade vegan frosting or icing sugar for an extra-sweet treat.
How to Store
- Room Temp: These cookies will store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Freezer: Freeze these baked cookies for up to 3 months.
More Tips
- Not Vegan? Use 1/2 cup of real butter instead of oil. Use dairy milk instead of plant milk.
- Gluten-free? Opt for a gluten-free flour and you’re all set!
FAQ
Of course! Make sure to melt the oil first to ensure the correct quantity.
You bet! Swap the juice and extract in equal amounts for any fruity flavor you desire! Orange, strawberry, and raspberry would work best.
Yep! Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container for best flavor. Thaw fully in the refrigerator then allow the batter to come to room temperature before portioning and baking.
Easy Vegan Lemon Cookies
Equipment
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar* (see notes)
- 6 tbsp canola oil
- 6 tbsp oat milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the sugar, oil, and lemon extract into a large mixing bowl and mix until the sugar begins to dissolve.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the oil and sugar mixture and mix. The dough will still look very dry.
- Add the lemon juice and oat milk until a wet but not sticky dough is formed.
- Scoop the dough into evenly-sized balls and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Flatten each dough ball using the bottom of a measuring cup.
- Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
-
- Not Vegan? Use 1/2 cup of real butter instead of oil. Use dairy milk instead of plant-milk.
- Gluten-free? Opt for a 1:1 gluten-free flour and you’re all set!
Nutrition
Please note, while all ingredients used in this recipe have been verified to be vegan and free of applicable allergens at the time of recipe creation, different brands may differ in their ingredients or processing procedures and may change their ingredients at any time. For some recipes, I do include ingredients that are processed in a facility that processes other allergens. Please make sure to check the ingredients and processing procedures for your specific purchases to ensure they meet your dietary needs.
Last Updated on July 8, 2025
These lemon cookies have the best flavor!
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I adore all things lemon & can’t wait to try these!
I hope you love them!
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
I hope you love them!
I love lemon flavored desserts. These look delicious, thanks for sharing!
Sounds like a delicious snack. Thank you for sharing this easy to make recipe. ☺️
Pastor Natalie (Examine This Moment)
My friend and I are both big cookie lovers, and since she’s vegan, this is the perfect recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
These look incredible! Thanks for sharing!
cookies look super yummy thanks for the recipe
They look delicious, I’ll make them tomorrow with My daughter
Thank you! I hope you like them 😊