These Gluten-Free & Vegan Snickerdoodles are thick, chewy, and pillowy soft with a delicious cinnamon-sugar coating. They’re perfect for healthy holiday baking or whenever a cookie craving strikes!

These Paleo & Vegan Snickerdoodles are some of the chewiest, softest cookies ever, with tons of cinnamon and a delectably crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. You'll be making them again and again!

Say hello to the best gluten-free & vegan snickerdoodle cookies you will ever bake. They have an extra soft and chewy texture with a buttery melt-in-your-mouth center you will swoon over! Not to mention — they’re full of healthy ingredients, yet they are incredibly rich and chewy, and coated in a crunchy cinnamon sugar edge.

These are exactly the kind of cookies we need heading into the holiday season (along with all of these amazing gluten-free cookies)!

These Paleo & Vegan Snickerdoodles are some of the chewiest, softest cookies ever, with tons of cinnamon and a delectably crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. You'll be making them again and again!

Ingredients for gluten-free vegan snickerdoodles:

These healthy paleo snickerdoodle cookies only require a handful of simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Blanched Almond Flour: Be sure to use almond flour and not almond meal as this will affect the texture and structure of the cookies. 
  • Cassava Flour: Another grain-free flour I love to help create a delicious, soft cookie texture. You can substitute extra almond flour if you don’t have cassava on hand.
  • Coconut Sugar: Using coconut sugar keeps the cookies refined sugar-free but you can also substitute brown sugar if needed.
  • Flax Egg: To make this recipe vegan you’ll use a flax egg by mixing 1.5 TBSP flaxseed meal and 4 TBSP water. Allow the mixture to set for 10 minutes until a thick texture forms.
  • Refined Coconut Oil: Make sure your coconut oil is sightly softened and not completely melted. The texture should be similar to softened butter.
  • Creamy Cashew Butter: Cashew butter provides structure to the cookies without the use of traditional butter as a fat binder. I love Artisana Organics brand for quality and flavor. 
  • Baking Soda: To help the cookies puff up and rise!
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Kosher Salt
  • Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a must for snickerdoodle cookies! It helps create a warm, comforting flavor and is crucial for the outer coating.
  • Raw Turbinado Sugar: This is for the outer cookie coating but feel free to substitute coconut sugar if that’s all you have or want these to remain paleo.
These Paleo & Vegan Snickerdoodles are some of the chewiest, softest cookies ever, with tons of cinnamon and a delectably crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. You'll be making them again and again!

Can you make snickerdoodles without cream of tartar?

Yes! You’ll notice these snickerdoodle cookies don’t require cream of tartar. In traditional recipes, cream of tartar and baking soda are used in order to obtain the soft, crumbly cookie texture with a tangy flavor.

However, these cookies become soft and chewy from ingredients like coconut sugar, softened coconut oil, and cashew butter. You will still need baking soda as well to help the cookies puff up but we found cream of tartar was not necessary here.

How to make extra thick & soft snickerdoodle cookies:

There are a few key factors for making these snickerdoodles the super thick, chewy, and soft cookies we all love.

You’ll use a combination of softened coconut oil and cashew butter in place of regular butter as the fat binder. I love using cashew butter for the neutral, buttery flavor it creates, however, almond butter may work as well! This combination of healthy fats creates the traditional soft and chewy snickerdoodle texture we all love without using the cream of tartar.

For the dry ingredients, you will notice a mixture of almond flour and cassava flour. Not only do these flours make the cookies paleo-friendly, but they also help create an extra pillowy soft texture. Both are key staples in my kitchen and get used in many recipes like this yummy gluten-free vegan shortbread!

These Paleo & Vegan Snickerdoodles are some of the chewiest, softest cookies ever, with tons of cinnamon and a delectably crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. You'll be making them again and again!

Tip for the cinnamon sugar coating

A snickerdoodle is not a true snickerdoodle without the cinnamon sugar coating! This pretty much makes or breaks your cookies. While the dough chills, you will mix together cinnamon and raw turbinado sugar. I love using turbinado sugar to create an extra crunch however coconut sugar or raw cane sugar will work too.

Once the dough is chilled, you will roll the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar coating before placing them into the oven to bake! I love having these straight from the oven after baking for an extra warm and soft cookie. What more do we need in life right?

These Paleo & Vegan Snickerdoodles are some of the chewiest, softest cookies ever, with tons of cinnamon and a delectably crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. You'll be making them again and again!

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These Paleo & Vegan Snickerdoodles are some of the chewiest, softest cookies ever, with tons of cinnamon and a delectably crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. You'll be making them again and again!

Gluten-Free Vegan Snickerdoodles

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Rachel Conners
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 16 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

These Paleo & Vegan Snickerdoodles are some of the chewiest, softest cookies ever, with tons of cinnamon and a delectably crunchy cinnamon-sugar coating. You’ll be making them again and again!


Ingredients

Scale

For the cookies

  • 3 tablespoons (37g) refined coconut oil, softened with a texture similar to softened butter
  • 3 tablespoons (48g) creamy cashew butter
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • flax eggs, 1.5 tablespoon flax meal + 4 tablespoons water, whisk and let set for 10 minutes
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1⅓ cups (128g) blanched almond flour
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (53g) cassava flour
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoons kosher salt

To roll the cookies in

  • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar or raw turbinado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the coconut oil, almond butter, and coconut sugar until fully combined, about 1 minute.
  2. Beat in the flax eggs, then stir in the vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the blanched almond flour, cassava flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until completely combined.
  4. Place dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before forming balls to make it easier to work with – you can leave the dough in the fridge (covered) for up to 48 hours.
  5. When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
  6. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl to roll the cookies in.
  7. Use a small cookie scoop (mine fits 2 teaspoons of dougto make cookie dough balls, roll into a ball with your hands, and then roll each dough ball in the sugar mixture. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an parchment-lined cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they’ve puffed and cracked. Let cool completely on the cookie sheet.
  9. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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