Soft & Sublime Vegan Lemon Cookies With Lemon Icing
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Vegan lemon cookies should taste bright and buttery, with enough sweetness to soften the tart citrus without covering it up. These cookies have soft, fluffy centers, fresh lemon zest in the dough, and a simple lemon icing that adds an extra tangy finish.
Aquafaba replaces the egg, so the recipe is completely dairy-free and egg-free. The dough comes together in one bowl after the dry ingredients are mixed, and the cookies need only 9 to 10 minutes in the oven. If lemon desserts are your weakness, save room for this vegan lemon iced pound cake, too.
Why These Vegan Lemon Cookies Work
Fresh lemon zest flavors the cookie dough without adding excess liquid. The zest contains fragrant citrus oils, so it gives the cookies a fuller lemon flavor than juice alone. Lemon juice adds the sharp, tart note, while vanilla rounds out the flavor.
Aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, helps bind the dough in place of an egg. Whisking it until frothy incorporates a little air before it goes into the wet ingredients. Baking soda supplies additional lift, which gives these lemon cookies their soft, slightly cakey texture.
The coconut butter adds richness. Another vegan butter can also be used, although the flavor and spread may change slightly depending on the brand. Finally, the short baking time keeps the centers tender. The cookies continue to set during their two-minute rest on the hot baking sheet.
Ingredients for Soft Vegan Lemon Cookies
- All-purpose flour: Three cups give the cookies their structure.
- Baking soda: One teaspoon helps the dough rise and keeps the texture light.
- Salt: A quarter teaspoon balances the sugar and sharpens the lemon flavor.
- Coconut butter or vegan butter: A quarter cup adds richness and tenderness.
- Organic granulated sugar: One cup sweetens the dough. Organic sugar is a straightforward choice when you want to avoid sugar processed with bone char.
- Fresh lemons: Use the zest from two lemons and about 3 tablespoons of juice in the dough. The icing uses another 3 tablespoons of juice.
- Vanilla extract: One teaspoon softens the sharper edge of the citrus.
- Non-dairy milk: Three-quarters cup supplies moisture. Unsweetened soy milk was used in the original recipe.
- Aquafaba: One-third cup replaces the egg and helps bind the dough.
- Organic confectioners’ sugar: One cup forms the base of the optional lemon icing.
For the cleanest zest, remove only the yellow outer layer of each lemon. The white pith underneath tastes bitter. Zest the lemons before cutting and juicing them because a whole lemon is much easier to hold.
How to Make Vegan Lemon Cookies
- Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, or coat it lightly with cooking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium-large bowl, stir together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Start the wet mixture. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/4 cup coconut butter or vegan butter with 1 cup organic granulated sugar until well combined.
- Add the lemon and milk. Stir in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3/4 cup non-dairy milk.
- Whisk the aquafaba. In a small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup aquafaba for 30 to 60 seconds, until frothy. Stir it into the wet mixture.
- Finish the dough. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. The finished dough should be soft and spoonable, not runny or stiff. If it seems too thick, add a small splash of non-dairy milk. If it seems thin, add a little flour.
- Bake. Spoon mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving room between them. The original recipe fits about nine cookies on each sheet. Bake at 350°F for 9 to 10 minutes.
- Cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
How to Make the Lemon Icing
Stir 1 cup organic confectioners’ sugar with up to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice until smooth. Because lemons vary in size and juiciness, begin with part of the juice and add more as needed. A thicker icing stays opaque; a thinner icing creates a light glaze.
Wait until the cookies are completely cool before icing them. Drizzle the icing with a spoon, spread it over the tops, or spoon it into a zip-top bag and snip off one small corner for a makeshift piping bag. Let the icing set before stacking the cookies.
Tips for Soft Lemon Cookies
- Measure the flour carefully. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level the top instead of packing it down. Too much flour can make the cookies dry.
- Use fresh zest. Bottled lemon juice can supply acidity in a pinch, but it cannot replace the citrus oils in freshly grated zest.
- Watch the baking time. Pull the cookies after 9 to 10 minutes rather than waiting for deeply browned edges. Their texture firms as they cool.
- Adjust only when needed. Plant milks and vegan butters behave differently, so use the dough’s consistency as your guide. Make small corrections with milk or flour.
- Cool before icing. Warm cookies melt the icing and soak it into the surface.
How to Store Vegan Lemon Cookies
Let the icing set fully, then place the cookies in an airtight container. Separate layers with parchment paper so the iced tops stay neat. Keep the container away from heat and direct sunlight. For the best soft texture, avoid leaving the cookies uncovered, since their exposed edges will dry first.
Vegan Lemon Cookie FAQs
What is aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the liquid packed with canned chickpeas. In this recipe, 1/3 cup is whisked until frothy and used as the egg replacer. Drain the chickpeas over a bowl and save the chickpeas for another recipe.
Can I use vegan butter instead of coconut butter?
Yes. The original recipe allows another vegan butter in place of coconut butter. Because brands differ in water and fat content, check the dough before baking and make only a small milk or flour adjustment if needed.
Why did my lemon cookies turn out dry?
Dry cookies usually point to too much flour or too much time in the oven. Measure the flour without packing it, and remove the cookies after 9 to 10 minutes. They should finish setting on the baking sheet.
Do I have to add the lemon icing?
No. The cookies already contain lemon zest and juice, so they still have citrus flavor without icing. The icing makes them sweeter and adds a sharper lemon finish.
These soft vegan lemon cookies balance sweet icing with fresh, tart citrus and a tender, fluffy center. For more bright desserts, browse these 25 vegan lemon desserts or try vegan rhubarb cookies with lemon. If cookies are the priority, the soft vegan sugar cookies are another easy batch.
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Sublime Vegan Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Cookies Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup coconut butter (or another vegan butter)
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice (or juice from 1 lemon)
- 1 Tbsp +1 tsp lemon zest (or zest from 2 lemons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (we used unsweetened soy milk)
- 1/3 cup aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas)
Lemon Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup organic confectioner's sugar
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice (or juice from 1 lemon)
Instructions
Lemon Cookies Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium-large bowl mix 3 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- In a large mixing bowl mix 1/4 cup coconut butter (or Vegan butter) with 1 cup organic sugar. Stir until mixed well.
- In the large bowl add these other wet ingredients and mix: zest from 2 lemons, juice from 1 lemon (juice from other lemon is used in frosting), 1 tsp vanilla, and 3/4 cup non dairy milk.
- in a small bowl whisk 1/3 cup aquafaba for about a minute until it's frothy. Then stir it into the large bowl with the other wet ingredients.
- Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the large bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir to combine. The dough should not seem very thin or very thick. If it seems too thick, add a little bit more non-dairy milk. If it seems too thin add a little more flour.
- On a baking sheet use a silicone mat, parchment paper, or cooking spray and spoon clumps of the dough onto it. We could fit 9 cookies per sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Remove and let them rest on their baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Lemon Frosting Instructions
- Combine juice from 1 lemon with 1 Cup of organic confectioner's sugar. Mix well until a frosting consistency is made. Make a double batch if you want lots of frosting.
- Apply the frosting as you wish with a piping bag (we just cut a small corner off of a ziploc bag), or spread it on with a spatula, knife, or by the spoonful.
I wish I could leave a picture. These tasted TERRIFIC. Like soft chewy lemon clouds. Only mine never puffed up and even after 10 minutes baking at 350° they never browned. The completed dough was more like pancake batter. I’ve never used aquafaba before so I’m thinking maybe I whipped it (used an electric mixer) too long. I also used baker’s sugar and all purpose flour.
Hi Tanna J,
We’re so happy you liked the taste of these lemon cookies! They are one of our favorites! The batter should be a bit thicker than pancake batter, but not as thick as normal cookie batter. It sounds like maybe the measurements were off somewhere perhaps? It’s hard to say exactly why they didn’t rise up for you. We’ve made these a bunch of times and they always get super fluffy.
I hope you’ll try them again, and maybe next time try with a new batch of baking soda, make sure when you get the batter ready that it’s not runny (if it is add a little more flour).
Very tasty! For the second batch, I used whole wheat pastry flour. For a third of the sugar I substituted monk fruit sugar. They rose super high and were great without the glaze. Perfect with coffee on my afternoon break. thanks!
Can I use an Egg replacer like Bob’s Redmill? I can’t use chickpea. Any possible alternative?
Yes, you can absolutely use an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill as a substitute for the aquafaba. Just follow the instructions on the package to replace the equivalent of one egg, which is typically what 1/3 cup of aquafaba replaces. This should work well as a binding agent in the cookie recipe.
If you’re looking for more natural alternatives, you could also use a “flax egg” (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2.5 tablespoons water, let sit until thickened) or “chia egg” (1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 2.5 tablespoons water, let sit until it forms a gel-like consistency).
Just made these and they are so good! I absolutely love how you wrote the instructions!!! I didn’t have to constantly look back at the recipe for the amount. Super helpful when baking with kids!
Thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!! It’s one of our faves!!
Would gluten free AP flour work in this recipe? Should it include xanthan gum?
Yes, a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend should work, although I haven’t tested it in this recipe. If your blend already contains xanthan gum, don’t add more. If it doesn’t, add about ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum for the 3 cups of flour. The texture may be slightly different. I’d let the dough rest for 15–20 minutes before baking.