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

Are Pillsbury cookie dough dairy free? ›

Sure, most brands of “conventional” cookie dough do contain milk in some form. But Pillsbury Cookie Dough comes in a huge array of flavors, and over THIRTY of them are dairy-free! We've updated this post with the latest varieties, and with some fun news: most of these doughs can now be eaten baked or raw.

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!

Which cookies freeze best? ›

As a general rule of thumb, 'drop cookies,' which include oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, and 'cut-out cookies,' such as gingerbread and sugar cookies, are freezer-friendly.

What is the #1 cookie in the United States? ›

The chocolate chip cookie is far and away America's favorite cookie This should come as no surprise to anyone who enjoys the tasty treat. More than 53% of American adults prefer the cookies over the next most popular kind, peanut butter.

What is America's favorite Christmas cookies? ›

Speaking of holiday baking, nearly half of the country has a favorite Christmas cookie. 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.

Are crescent rolls dairy free? ›

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Miss those flaky, buttery pillows of perfection? You can pick up a tube of Pillsbury Crescent rolls to fill your craving, because they don't contain any dairy products. Pillsbury's pizza dough and apple and cherry turnovers are also dairy-free.

Do Pillsbury grands contain dairy? ›

Allergy Information

CONTAINS WHEAT; MAY CONTAIN MILK INGREDIENTS.

Is Nestle cookie dough dairy free? ›

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. This product has 1 ingredient with dairy and 2 ingredients that may have dairy.

What is the most popular cookie at Christmas? ›

Judging by state, sugar cookies with frosting were America's favorite Christmas cookie, winning 21 of 50 states. Chocolate chip cookies weren't far behind the sugar cookies, taking home the top prize in 18 states — impressive for such a basic recipe.

What is the most eaten 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. Ever the crowd-pleaser, the chocolate chip cookie is renowned for its balance of richness and sweetness.

How long before Christmas should you make Christmas cookies? ›

As for the cookies—made for cookie swaps, church potlucks, household snacking, and Santa's plate—there is one little cheat: make now, freeze for later. You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December.

How many days before Christmas should you make cookies? ›

Aim to make them about two weeks in advance if you keep them at room temperature. Making them one week or a few days in advance is even better if you are going for the freshest possible cookies. Remember that you can always make a new batch if you accidentally keep your cookies out for too long and they become stale.

Is it better to freeze dough or freeze the cookies? ›

In most cases, I prefer to freeze cookie dough over freezing baked cookies. That way, you still get the nice homemade smell and softness of the cookies when they come out of the oven. But if you want to get the whole job done, you can certainly bake the cookies, then freeze them later.

What is the most searched Christmas cookie? ›

Most popular Christmas cookies by state. Italian Christmas cookies were the No. 1 most searched cookie in 2023 nationally, with 15 states looking up the cultural dessert.

What is the most popular cookie in December? ›

What are the most popular Christmas cookies? Our survey found frosted sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies to be the most popular Christmas cookies in the country. They were the fan favorites in 39 states.

What is the 2nd most popular cookie? ›

Nabisco Oreo was the second ranked cookie brand of the United States with about 674.2 million U.S. dollars worth of sales in 2017.

What is the most popular cookie? ›

Chocolate chip cookies

What is the most popular type of cookie? It might just be this one. Ever the crowd-pleaser, the chocolate chip cookie is renowned for its balance of richness and sweetness.

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