A Dozen of the Best Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes for the Holidays (2024)

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By Alisa Fleming on In The News

If there’s one thing I wasn’t going to give up when I went dairy-free, it was cookies. Back in the day, most store-bought brands contained butter, milk, and other miscellaneous dairy ingredients. That’s when I began baking like it was my job. And now, making dairy-free cookie recipes is my job! Which is why I have this incredible round-up of the best dairy-free cookie recipes for you – just in time for National Cookie Day.

A Dozen of the Best Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes for the Holidays (1)

A Dozen of the Best Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes for the Holidays

Today, there are many delicious options for purchasing dairy-free and even vegan cookies, but baking Christmas cookies is just as much fun as eating them. Well, okay, maybe not quite as much fun, but it’s close. And nothing makes a better or more thoughtful gift than home-baked cookies. (I said nothing – don’t even try to argue me on this one).

Since my kitchen is dairy-free, the gifts and party treats created in it are always dairy-free. I know some people are nervous about sharing their “free-from” goodies with those who regularly consume “normal” cookies, but trust me. Not only do I receive rave reviews, I’m also relied upon to always bring the desserts to every Christmas party. And I used to be the only one among our friends who was dairy-free. Yes, I said “used to be.” Cookies are that powerful people. They can create converts.

Bake some of these dairy-free cookie recipes and share the bounty this holiday season. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll bring a few more people over to the dairy-free light.

Chocolate Explosion Oatmeal Cookies

Believe it or not, this is a purely pantry recipe. Yet these vegan cookies are simply bursting with fudgy indulgence.

Snappy Molasses Cookies

This recipe has been a popular one for well over a decade. The perfectly tender cookies are a cross between gingersnaps and molasses cookies. If preferred, I do have dairy-free recipes for Gingersnaps and Big Soft Molasses Cookies too! I’ve covered all the bases.

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin makes these cinnamon-y cookies even more tender, and gives them a warm winter flavor.

Vegan Samoa Cookies

No one will believe these Caramel De-Lite copycats are dairy-free and egg-free! They are an impressive treat, and have the perfect balance of sweet, rich, and chocolaty goodness.

These baseline dairy-free cookies are delicious on their own, but they’re also perfect for decorating. Enjoy them drop style with or without icing, or roll and cut them into fun shapes. Need an egg-free option? Bake these .

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with a Candy Cane Creme Filling

It’s hard to resist these chocolate peppermint sandwich creme cookies. The recipe includes homemade vegan chocolate spritz cookies and a sweet, peppermint-infused, dairy-free icing.

Cinn-ful Sweet Potato Cookies

Each bite of these warm vegan cookies offers the satisfying flavors of maple, cinnamon, and brown sugar. You can add chocolate chips, or not. It’s your choice!

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

They might be vegan and gluten-free, but these sliced cookies beat out dozens of fantastic “normal” recipes in one of our big recipe contests.

Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These tender morsels are naturally gluten-free, vegan, and quick to make. If needed, they can be made peanut-free, or you can make these Sunblossom Cookies.

Casserole Cookies

This is my baked version of classic skillet cookies. I find these easier and less fussy. For gifting or a special treat, we usually roll them in coarse sugar or powdered sugar. Sometimes I do a little of each for a special look.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Nothing shows off the sunny side of winter like citrus desserts. And these sweet and zesty lemon cookies will brighten anyone’s day.

Thin Mint Cookies

I prefer baking my own “Girl Scout” cookies because they taste better and I can control the ingredients. This “just” dairy-free recipe has options for nut-free, soy-free, and vegan.

Snowball Cookies

No round-up of holiday dairy-free cookie recipes would be complete without snowballs! You might call them Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, or even Butterballs. No matter the name, they bring us up to a delicious baker’s dozen.

Even More Holiday Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes

It was hard to pick just a dozen dairy-free cookie recipes, so I have a little overflow. Here are some more holiday delights that you might enjoy baking this season.

  • Homemade Fortune Cookies
  • Christmas Medenki Cookies
  • Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
  • Cookie Butter Pinwheel Cookies
  • Snickerdoodle Blondies
  • Grain-Free Snickerdoodles
  • Classic Gingerbread Men

Easy Dairy-Free Cookie Fun

These dairy-free cookie recipes are less conventional, but still perfect for the holidays. They each use shortcuts so you have more time to spend with loved ones!

Melting Snowman Cookies

You can use our homemade sugar cookies recipe or buy some allergy-friendly cookies to make these adorable cookies. The preparation is fun to do with kids.

Raw Cookie Dough Bites

Skip the baking and enjoy these no bake cookies. They’re safe to eat raw because they contain no eggs or flour. They’re also a healthier, but equally delicious, alternative.

Pudding Cookies

All you need is four simple ingredients to bake these colorful cookies. One of them is instant pudding – yes, most varieties are dairy free!

Holiday Sandwich Cookies with Various Flavored Fillings

I’ve got four filling recipes in this post, because it’s all about the icing, right? The options includeMint Chocolate Chip, Lemon, Rasberry Creme, and Maple!

A Dozen of the Best Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes for the Holidays (19)

For Even More Sweet Treat Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!

A Dozen of the Best Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes for the Holidays (20)

A Dozen of the Best Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes for the Holidays (2024)

FAQs

What cookies are milk free? ›

10 dairy-free cookies any kid will love
  • Coco Crème Cookies. Care.com. ...
  • M&M sugar cookies. ...
  • Snickerdoodles. ...
  • PB&J Graham Cracker Thumbprints. ...
  • Shortbread cookies. ...
  • Thin mints. ...
  • Oatmeal raisin cookies. ...
  • Peanut butter peck cookies.
Mar 11, 2022

What is the favorite Christmas cookie survey? ›

Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three.

What is the most popular Christmas cookie in Minnesota? ›

Peanut butter blossoms reigned supreme in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

What is the number one holiday cookie? ›

Peanut Butter Blossoms are America's favorite Christmas cookie, based both on total number of pageviews from the U.S. population as a whole, and number of states that ranked it as their top cookie (which is six, by the way).

What is the most popular cookie for Santa? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

What non dairy milk is best for cookies? ›

Among other milk alternatives like almond milk, soy milk and oat milk, soy milk is by far the best for baking. I learned this over the course of several years and many cookies, cakes, muffins and pies. Moreover, some people will tell you that you must swap full-fat coconut milk in for heavy cream or half-and-half.

What is a dairy-free substitute for butter in cookies? ›

In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

What is the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

What is the number one cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the most loved cookie? ›

Chocolate chip cookies

What is the most popular type of cookie? It might just be this one.

What dessert is Minnesota known for? ›

And when it comes to dessert you have Minnesota to thank for bundt cakes - the design we are familiar with today was introduced there in the 1950's by Nordic Ware. You're also likely to see plenty of bars when you visit Minnesota.

Which Christmas cookies last the longest? ›

Shortbread cookies and spritz cookies are real holiday troopers, lasting a bit longer than the rest. These buttery and crumbly cookies are a great option for a holiday cookie. Shortbread is known for its rich flavor, while spritz cookies are often made with a cookie press.

What is in cowboy cookies? ›

As with most things in Texas, Bush's Cowboy Cookies are enormous and wholly stuffed with so many mix-ins: oats, coconut, pecans, and of course, chocolate chips. They're sure to win over any crowd.

What is the original Christmas cookie? ›

Modern Christmas cookies can trace their history to recipes from Medieval Europe biscuits, when many modern ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds and dried fruit were introduced into the west.

What's the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

What are the most Googled Christmas cookies? ›

Italian Christmas Cookies grow as top cookie

Zoom in: Italian Christmas Cookies were the top cookie in 13 states, more than double the six states from 2022, Google Trends curator Katie Seaton told Axios. Seaton said the Italian cookies dominated the East Coast both this year and last year.

What is Santa's second favorite cookie? ›

2. Holiday Candy Cookie Bites – Number two on the list of Santa's favorite cookies is Holiday Candy Cookie Bites, which is a holiday version of the year-round favorite, Chocolate Chip Cookies. Instead of traditional chocolate chips, these cookies are studded with red and green candies and white baking chips.

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