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These puffy, soft, and sweet Strawberry Sugar Cookies are a berry-packed treat for Valentine’s Day or summer! Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
These Vegan Strawberry Sugar Cookies are perfectly soft and puffy with lots of lovely strawberry flavor! Soft and chewy on the inside with crisp edges and an eye-catching pink color on the outside, you (or your Valentine) won’t be able to stop after just one.
Table of Contents
Strawberry Season Just Got a Lot Sweeter
If you think fruit + cookies don’t go well together, think again! Just like my Lemon Crinkle Cookies, these Vegan Strawberry Cookies are packed with juicy strawberry berry flavor and have a soft and chewy texture.
The best part is that these cookies get their distinct strawberry flavor and color from freeze-dried strawberries—no artificial sweeteners or dyes needed! The strawberry powder and freeze-dried berries give the cookie dough a gorgeous pink hue with delicately sweet berry flavors – and they’re available year-round.
These puffy pink cookies would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, but I honestly love eating them year-round, especially throughout the strawberry season!
Ingredients for Vegan Strawberry Cookies
These cookies require 7 vegan baking staples, plus freeze-dried strawberries for that signature strawberry flavor and color:
- reeze-Dried Strawberries: a must-have for that delicate strawberry flavor and pink color! I buy my freeze-dried strawberries from Trader Joe’s but they’re usually available in most major grocery stores and online.
- Flax “Egg”: the glue that holds these cookies together. Flax “eggs” are made from a mix of ground flaxseed and water to bind the cookie dough together, just like real eggs. If you don’t have ground flaxseed, you can use ground chia seeds instead.
- Salted Vegan Butter: if you want to use unsalted vegan butter as a substitute, remember to increase the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Sugar: you need both brown sugar and cane sugar to sweeten the cookie dough. Before baking, the cookie dough balls are rolled in a little cane sugar for more sweetness and crispier caramelized edges (yum).
- Flour: all-purpose flour leads to soft and chewy cookies every time!
How to Make Strawberry Sugar Cookies
- Stir the ground flax and water in a small bowl, then set aside.
- Chop half of the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until they’re broken into smaller pieces, then set aside. Add the remaining strawberries to the processor and pulse until a fine powder forms. Set aside.
- Cream the vegan butter, some of the cane sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the flax egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour, strawberry “powder”, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Beat until just combined, then fold in the remaining chopped freeze-dried strawberries.
- Chill the cookie dough in the fridge.
- Add the remaining cane sugar to a small bowl.
- Divide the cookie dough into 12 small cookie dough balls. Roll each ball in the cane sugar, then place them on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are set.
- Set the strawberry cookies aside to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then enjoy.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Avoid the strawberry dust: Freeze-dried strawberry powder is very dusty, so do NOT open the blender or food processor right after blending. Keep it sealed until after adding the dry ingredients to the bowl (step 3 in the recipe directions) to give the powder time to settle.
- The right way to measure flour: Avoid adding too much flour to the cookie dough with the spoon and level technique—use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then level off the excess on top with a knife.
- How to know the cookies are done baking: The bottom edges will look firm and slightly golden when the cookies are done. Don’t worry if they still look soft and puffy when they come out of the oven; the cookies will continue to cook on the cookie sheet and firm up as they cool.
Serving Suggestions
Strawberry season occurs throughout the summer here in the Pacific Northwest and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by treating myself to a vegan strawberry cookie or two. I like to dunk ‘em in a glass of this Strawberry Milk or pair them with this Healthy Berry Galette and these Baked Berry Donuts for an unforgettable berry dessert spread.
Another fun way to enjoy these cookies is on Valentine’s Day. If you’re treating your sweetie to a romantic dinner at home, serve them this Pink Beet Pasta with Roasted Parsnips on the side and homemade strawberry sugar cookies for dessert.
Want to gift a plate of sugar cookies to your loved ones instead? You can take them over the top by dipping or drizzling them in melted chocolate (dark or white) or topping them with a dusting of powdered sugar, sprinkles, vanilla glaze, or vegan frosting.
If you’re looking for more vegan strawberry treats, you’ll love these Baked Strawberry Donuts, this Vegan Strawberry Shortcake, these Strawberry Overnight Oats, and this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!
Or, if you’re looking for more vegan sugar cookie recipes, you’ll love these Flourless Tahini Sugar Cookies, these Vegan Chai Sugar Cookies, and these Ube Sugar Cookies!
How to Store Vegan Sugar Cookies
Once cooled to room temperature, transfer the strawberry cookies to an airtight container and store them on the kitchen counter. They’ll stay chewy and moist for up to 4 days.
The cookies also freeze well for 1 or 2 months. Keep them in an airtight container in the freezer, then allow as many cookies as you’re craving to thaw before enjoying.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: Make this recipe with an equal amount of all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of regular flour. When I tested this version, the cookies spread a little more in the oven but still tasted delicious.
- Strawberry Substitute: This recipe should work just as well with another freeze-dried berry, like blueberries or raspberries.
- Vegan Butter Substitute: Coconut oil will work in place of the vegan butter. Just remember to place the oil in the fridge 20ish minutes before you start baking so it can chill and harden.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately, no. Fresh strawberries have too much moisture in them and would make the cookies soggy.
Yes, chilling the cookie dough prevents the cookies from spreading in the oven. Cover the bowl with the cookie dough with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour or overnight before baking.
Instead of folding the freeze-dried strawberry chunks into the dough, you can try using freeze-dried blueberries (or another berry), vegan chocolate chips, or vegan white chocolate chips.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 flax “egg” 1 tbsp ground flax + 2 1/2 tbsp water
- 1.2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries divided
- 1/2 cup 1 stick salted vegan butter* softened
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons cane sugar divided
- 1 packed tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour* spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare the flax egg by combining the ground flax and water in a small bowl, then set aside for at least 5 minutes to thicken. Use a food processor knife to chop half of the freeze-dried strawberries into small pieces; set aside. Place the remaining strawberries in a blender or food processor (make sure it is completely dry!) and blend or pulse for 30 to 45 seconds until a fine powder forms; set aside. Note: do not open the blender/processor right away – it will be very dusty! I recommend keeping it sealed until adding the dry ingredients in step 3 after some of the powder settles.
- Cream the Sugar: Add the vegan butter to a large mixing bowl, then add in 1/3 cup of cane sugar and brown sugar. Use a handheld mixer to cream the butter and sugar together over a medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the thickened flax egg and vanilla to the bowl and beat again until the flax is fully incorporated into the butter mixture.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, strawberry “powder”, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Beat on the lowest setting of your mixer and mix until just combined, using a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the chopped freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl and fold them into the batter. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool for 60 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Form the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350F while the cookie dough is chilling and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl. Divide the cookie dough into 12 even balls (mine were just under 2 tablespoons each), using your hands to roll into small spheres. Roll each cookie dough ball in the cane sugar until fully coated, then place on the lined baking sheet about 2” apart. Use your hands to flatten each cookie dough ball slightly – they will spread some in the oven, but not a lot.
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies look set, but the centers are still soft and puffy. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies set for 5 to 10 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Serve & Store: Enjoy immediately, or store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. You can also store your cookies in the freezer for 1 to 2 months and de-frost as necessary.
Recipe Notes
- Flour: Make sure to measure your flour correctly, or the cookies will be too dry! Use a spoon to fluff your flour and gently fill your measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife.
- Gluten-Free: You can also make this recipe with equal parts of an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend; the cookies will spread a little more in the oven but will still be delicious.
- Vegan Butter: If you are using unsalted vegan butter, increase the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. you can also replace the vegan butter with coconut oil; measure the coconut oil and place in the fridge for 20 or so minutes before using so it is slightly harder
I just made this for the second time, and they are wonderful. I actually used 2x the amount of freeze dried strawberries this time because I wanted a stronger strawberry flavor. Thank you for such a great recipe!
You are so welcome, Kari!
I find vegan baking so challenging to get the right fluff but loved this recipe as it was good at both consistencies I had my baches at. Perfect cookies for valentines day to leave the food dyes off the table.
Glad you liked them, Megan!
Can granulated sugar be substituted for the cane sugar?
yes!
Love these cookies and s does everyone I gift them too!
Wow! Thank you, Sarah!
These are so incredible! I made these for my honey on valentine’s day and we were both so impressed with how they turned out. I’m definitely going to be making these again soon!
I’m so happy to hear that, Tiffini!
Made these and used an egg instead of flax because I didn’t have that and then turned out great! Very delicious. My only comment was that they didn’t spread out too much and stayed thick but they were still tasty!
These are definitely meant to be a puffier cookie, though the egg might have prevented more spreading. I’m glad you enjoyed them, Danielle!
First time trying a recipe from this blog! I love how much the strawberry flavor comes through in these cookies. Will definitely try more recipes.
I’m so happy to hear that, Ri!
Made these and loved them. Second time I made them, I added a lemon glaze to the top to make strawberry lemonade cookies. I might try it with white chocolate chips or do freeze dried blueberries instead. This was such a fun recipe!
Hi there! The ingredients say 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar PLUS 2 additional tbsp for rolling, but the instructions don’t reference the extra 2 tbsp sugar (aside from the 2 tbsp for rolling). I’m guessing the recipe calls for 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp for rolling only? Thanks!
That is correct!
Saving this recipe! Even with my modifications they turned out delicious. I was trying to reduce sugar so I didn’t cover them in sugar, I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, and I used whole spelt flour (they spread a little more like you mentioned gluten free would). Crunchy on the outside and chewy and with bright strawberry taste. Yum. I just finished my second. Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re so welcome, Valeria! Glad you loved the recipe.