These soft and chewy vegan funfetti cookies are easy to make, and will bring a burst of color and joy to anyone’s inner child! They have a nostalgic cake batter flavor and require no rolling pin or cookie cutters.
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Rainbow sprinkles. I tested these cookies with cheap and fancy sprinkles and they both work well! I recommend using jimmies (the long strands) but avoid nonpareils or hundreds and thousands for Aussies (the little round balls) as their color bleeds into the dough.
Vegan butter. A block-style butter is best for these colorful cookies. If you can only access spreadable butter (margarine), I recommend reducing the amount of yogurt/milk.
Sugar. If you’d slightly caramelized cookies, you can replace some of the sugar with brown sugar.
Dairy-free yogurt adds moisture to the cookies and keeps them soft for days. Unsweetened applesauce also works well! Alternatively, you can use non-dairy milk, but your cookies will dry out a little quicker after the second day.
Vanilla. These cookies use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract for the best flavor!
Baking soda helps the cookies spread and adds a slight caramel flavor. Baking powder helps these cookies ‘lift’ a little.
Making the cookie dough
First, add room-temperature butter, sugar, vanilla and yogurt to a large mixing bowl (if using a handheld beater) or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. If you don’t have either, you can use a wooden spoon and some arm power. Beat the ingredients until light and fluffy.
Then, add the dry ingredients (flour and raising agents) and beat until well combined. Your cookie dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky. Finally, add the sprinkles and beat until everything is evenly distributed.
Some top tips:
- Please measure your flour accurately. Use the spoon and level method or an electric kitchen scale. Adding too much flour to your dough will result in dry cookies that don’t spread as much.
- Avoid overmixing the batter as this will break down the sprinkles and make your cookies too chewy.
Assembling and baking the cookies
Roll your funfetti cookie dough into about 16 balls then lightly toss each ball in sprinkles. As this is a slightly tacky dough, the sprinkles should stick to the dough without any issues.
These cookies spread in the oven, so make sure you space them apart on your baking sheet! They will also puff up but deflate upon cooling.
Tip: If you want slightly thicker cookies, chill the balls of dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Customizing this recipe
I haven’t tested these with gluten-free flour, but I imagine they will work with a good blend such as King Arthur’s measure for measure.
These cookies will work with a vegan spreadable butter but your cookies will be less chewy and rich. Please make sure your spread is completely chilled. If using, omit the yogurt and only add it back at the end if your cookie dough is dry.
Yes, scoopable coconut oil (but not melted) will work best for these cookies. However, coconut oil doesn’t lend much flavor and doesn’t caramelize in the oven. Since these cookies are vanilla-based, coconut oil isn’t the tastiest option.
Tip: Use different colored vegan sprinkles in these funfetti cookies to match the occasion! For example, use red and green sprinkles for vegan Christmas cookies, or pink/red sprinkles for Valentine’s Day.
More vegan cookie recipes
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Vegan Funfetti Cookies
These soft and chewy vegan funfetti cookies are easy to make, and will bring a burst of color and joy to anyone’s inner child! They have a nostalgic cake batter flavor and require no rolling pin or cookie cutters.
Servings: 16 cookies
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
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Add the butter, sugar, yogurt and vanilla extract to a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until the mixture is light, fluffy and well combined.
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Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix until combined. Add the sprinkles and fold through. The dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky.
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Use a cookie scoop to divide the dough into around 16 balls. Arrange the cookie dough balls on your prepared baking sheets leaving around 2 inches (5 cm) between them as they will spread.
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Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until they are a light golden brown and their edges look set. For softer cookies, bake them for less time, or for chewier cookies, bake them for longer. When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will look very soft but will continue baking on the sheets. After around 20 minutes, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
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Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature. Store leftover baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- If you’d like a little more depth of flavor in your cookies, use ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar and ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar. These cookies will also be slightly thicker.
- If desired, add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract for a classic birthday cake flavor.
- Alternatively, use 3 tablespoons (50g) applesauce. The cookies with made with milk, yogurt or applesauce all taste the same on the day of baking. However, the cookies with yogurt and applesauce stay softer for a few extra days.
- If you’re using measuring cups, ensure you spoon and level your flour otherwise your cookies won’t spread as much and will be cakey. To do this, fluff up the flour in the bag, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. For the best results, use an electric kitchen scale and the grams measurements.
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