Food & Nutrition Vegan Christmas Cookies You Won't Believe Don't Have Butter By Renee Cherry Renee Cherry Instagram Twitter Renee Cherry is a New York-based associate editor at Shape who covers beauty, celebrity news, food trends, fitness, and more. While studying magazine journalism at Syracuse University, she completed an internship at Cosmopolitan, getting her first glimpse at the media industry. After graduating, she joined Shape as an intern, eventually becoming a digital writer/producer before taking on her current role. Shape's editorial guidelines Updated on December 16, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Allergy Awesomeness These treats will satisfy *all* your holiday sweets cravings, and no one will even guess they're actually vegan Christmas cookies. 01 of 14 Best Vegan Christmas Cookies luza studios/Getty Images It's the most wonderful time of the year, and that's largely thanks to the existence of holiday cookies. And while, yes, your traditional gingerbread baked good might be loaded with butter and eggs, there are still plenty of sugary delights you can have even if you're vegan. There's a substitute (or four) for virtually every baking ingredient you'll need to make vegan Christmas cookies, so you can easily put a plant-based spin on all your faves. Whether you're looking for an easy vegan Christmas cookie recipe or are eager to whip up something that's a bit trickier, there's a vegan Christmas cookie out there for you. (Although, goes without saying: You can make these cookies to celebrate any holiday — not just Christmas.) Check out these 13 options. 02 of 14 Vegan Sugar Cookies Get the recipe Be Plant Well Have at it with the cookie cutters, but proceed with caution when it comes to food dyes since some aren't vegan. Instead of traditional food coloring, these sugar cookies are colored with beet, spirulina, and turmeric, and they're no less pretty for the swap. 03 of 14 Best Vegan Snickerdoodles Get the recipe Simple Veganista When you're exhausted but need to round out your tray, whip up these simple vegan Christmas cookies. If you've already done some vegan baking, you probably already have everything you'll need for the snickerdoodle recipe. ( 25 Healthy Holiday Cookies Recipes 04 of 14 Vegan Peanut Butter Blossoms Get the recipe Connoisseurus Veg Vegans might not be able to eat peanut butter blossoms with the classic Hershey's Kiss, but there's something to be said for the imperfect effect of hand swirling your chocolate. Even better: Everyone will know you made these vegan Christmas cookies with love. 05 of 14 Vegan Molasses Ginger Cookies Get the recipe The Full Helping Making melt-in-your-mouth molasses cookies is one of the best uses of holiday spices. But in case you need another reason to make these vegan Christmas cookies, know that molasses is rich in iron, which is less easily absorbed from eating plants than animal products, making these a perfect complement to any vegan diet. 06 of 14 Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Get the recipe Build Your Bite Sometimes the best vegan Christmas cookies are those that don't require that much effort. After all, the season can be stressful enough, so there's no need to add a complex vegan Christmas cookie recipe to your running to-do list. This freezer fudge features just five ingredients, so you can pull it off when you're low on time and/or willpower. And the combination of chocolate and peanut butter never disappoints. 07 of 14 Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Get the recipe Allergy Awesomeness Love a gooey center? Go with these easy vegan Christmas cookies that are filled with cherry pie filling instead of jam, then drizzled with melted chocolate. 08 of 14 Best Vegan Gingerbread Whoopie Pies Get the recipe Namely Marly Win your next (post-COVID-19) cookie swap with the crowd-pleasing combo of gingerbread and cream cheese frosting. Vegan cream cheese, flax, and plant milk keep these vegan Christmas cookies, err, whoopie pies dairy-free. 09 of 14 SunButter Chocolate Ritz Cookies Get the recipe The Fit Cookie When you've had your fill of chocolate-covered Oreos (which, praise, are vegan!), switch it up with this chocolate-covered Ritz cookie recipe. You'll sandwich SunButter between two crackers, but you could always sub in your favorite vegan peanut butter cracker sandwich to save a step and make these easy vegan Christmas cookies even, well, easier. 10 of 14 Cranberry and Pistachio Chocolate Bark Get the recipe Love & Lemons Instead of red or green candy, this vegan bark gets topped with antioxidant-rich pistachios and cranberries. But they're mostly chocolate, so everyone will be grabbing for the larger pieces. 11 of 14 Best Damn Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars Get the recipe The Nutritious Kitchen If you're a firm believer that bars are the best type of dessert, then this vegan and paleo recipe is for you. Starring seasonal ingredients such as maple syrup, nutmeg, and cinnamon, these vegan Christmas cookie bars take just 30-minutes to create. Top off with vegan frosting and sprinkles and you're golden. 12 of 14 Classic Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Get the Recipe Connoisseurus Veg Sure, chocolate chip cookies aren't the most seasonal of sweets, but a freshly-baked batch is always sure to please. Simply make a few quick ingredient swaps (i.e. eggs for aquafaba, the liquid from chickpeas) and, violá, you've got a heaping pile of vegan Christmas cookies for a delish dessert. 13 of 14 Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Peppermint Get the Recipe Cotter Crunch Crushed candy canes are the secret to simple vegan Christmas cookies that still look beautiful. But before you start smashing the peppermint treat into pieces, make sure to read the ingredients, as some store-bought varieties might actually contain animal products. 14 of 14 Gingersnap Chocolate Paleo Magic Cookie Bars Get the recipe If you need to narrow your search down to vegan Christmas cookie recipes that are also paleo and/or gluten-free, you can go with these chocolate gingersnap bars. With pecans, chocolate, ginger, and molasses, each bite tastes like a hybrid of your favorite holiday desserts. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit