Soft & Chewy Vegan Lemon Cookies

These Vegan Lemon Cookies are soft, chewy, and delicious! With lots of lemon juice and zest, these cookies are full of bright flavor. Plus, they’re made using almond flour, so they’re gluten-free. If you love lemon desserts, these are definitely worth a try!

this recipe

Are you a lemon dessert fan? It seems most of us fall one way or the other…and people who love lemon REALLY love lemon. If you’re one of those people, this vegan lemon cookie recipe is for YOU. (Pssst…you should also try this Lemon Cake and these Lemon Poppyseed Muffins!!) Plus, you already know I love my vegan and gluten-free cookie recipes! Since you’re here, I’m guessing you do too.

These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cookies are a dream come true: they’re a perfect balance of soft and chewy, with bright, fresh lemon flavor and a light sugary coating that takes them to the next level.

Add in the nutritional benefits of the ingredients used, and you’ve got a powerhouse dessert. The lemon juice and zest add vitamin C, and almond flour is low-carb and packed with nutrients. And you know I love my gluten-free almond flour cookies! I have plenty more gluten-free vegan cookie recipes in my top-selling cookbook as well!

Ingredients you’ll need for Lemon Cookies

The *most* imperative thing here is fresh lemons. Don’t use bottled lemon juice – since lemon is our dominant flavor in these gluten-free vegan lemon cookies, you want to have the bright, fresh lemon flavor that only comes from fresh lemon juice and zest! In addition to the lemons, you’ll need:

• Olive Oil: I love using olive oil in this recipe for the fruity extra *something* that it adds! Make sure it’s a light, fruity-flavored olive oil.
• Cashew Butter: or another nut butter of choice, but cashew butter’s neutral flavor works particularly well here.
• Coconut Sugar: for sweetness!
• Fresh Lemons: for the juice and the zest! Fresh is best :)
• Flax Eggs: can also use 1 egg + 1 yolk instead of a flax egg here, if you don’t need to keep the recipe vegan.
• Vanilla Extract: for flavor!
• Almond Flour: makes for a wonderfully soft texture and slight nuttiness.
• Baking Soda + Salt: for puffiness and flavor

How to make a flax egg for vegan baking: combine 1 tablespoon flax meal with 2.5 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Let sit and gel for about 5 to 10 minutes, before stirring and adding to the recipe.

How to zest a lemon: to zest a lemon, make sure you have a good zester. Hold the lemon in one hand and the zester in the other. Scrape the lemon against the blades of the zester, scraping along the rind as you rotate the lemon. Take care to get the lemon peel, but not the white pith underneath, which can be bitter.

What you’ll need to make them:

Having the right tools makes baking cookies SO much easier! Here are my must-haves for the best cookies:

• Mixing Bowls
• Silicone Spatula
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper or Silicone Liner
• Cookie Scoop

How to make Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cookies

These vegan almond flour cookies are EASY to make and come together so quickly – we love that, right?! The faster, the better, in my opinion :) here’s how you’ll make them:

First, you’ll mix together the olive oil, nut butter, and coconut sugar until smooth and combined.

Then, you’ll add in the flax eggs, vanilla extract, and your fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir stir stir until fully combined.

Finally, mix together all of your dry ingredients (almond flour, baking soda, and salt) and then stir them into the wet ingredients until a dough forms.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes to make it firmer and a little easier to work with. Then, using a cookie scoop, make your cookie dough balls.

I love rolling mine in sugar for a glistening sparkle on the outside. To do this, put some sugar into a bowl and roll each cookie dough ball in the sugar before placing on your lined baking sheet.

Press the dough balls down slightly and bake for about 10 minutes, until they’ve puffed up and are baked through. Let cool, and devour!

Tips & Tricks for the BEST lemon cookies:

I’ll say it again: make sure you use fresh lemons!! I would not recommend using something like bottled lemon juice or lemon extract here, as the flavor will not be the same as fresh lemon juice will give you.

To make the cookies ahead of time: you have choices. You can make the dough up to rolling it in the sugar, and after the cookie dough balls have been rolled, you can freeze them as is in a zip-bag. When you’re ready to bake, place them on the baking sheet, press down slightly, and let them bake – it may take an extra minute or two to bake based on how frozen they are.

To store baked cookies: I recommend storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the cookies in an airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.

More cookies to make you hungry…

• Lemon Macaroons with Lemon Glaze
• Snowball Cookies
• Chai Sugar Cookies
• Flourless Almond Butter Cookies
• Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

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