These Eggless Sugar Cookies are tender, buttery, keep their shape when baked, and yes, taste amazing, too. Serve them with or without icing and watch them disappear right before your eyes! The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
I am super happy to share my favorite Eggless Sugar Cookie recipe. This recipe is simple, straightforward, and downright delicious.
Sugar cookies are a favorite at every holiday party, birthday, or any occasion that requires a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth treat and they will be the start of your table whether dressed simply with frosting, and sprinkles, or frosted with royal icing.
These Eggless Sugar Cookies are tender, buttery, keep their shape when baked, and yes, taste amazing, too.
So, let’s start off this season with a cheerful bang and bake a batch of sugar cookies to share with family, friends, neighbors, and school teachers. They are the perfect addition to your dessert table!
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here, skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour.
- Baking powder: Make sure is not expired or too old.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar o caster sugar.
- Cream cheese: This is my secret ingredient for the most wonderful egg-free sugar cookies. Do not skip it!
- Vanilla extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract!
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
1 – Make the Dough
One thing I love about these cookies is that they are quick and straightforward to make.
Start stiffing the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, and next add the salt to the mixture. Next, cream butter and sugars together in a separate bowl until it’s light in color and fluffy. You’ll be able to see the lighter color, so don’t quit mixing until you see it.
The next step is adding the cream cheese and vanilla. Now add the flour mixture. Mix it until it’s all combined, but don’t over mix it. Over mixing any batter or dough can lead to toughness.
2 – Roll Out the Dough
Divide the sugar cookie dough into two equal pieces. Place one piece between two large pieces of parchment paper (or silicone mats) and roll the dough out to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch (6 to 3 mm) thick. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
3 – Chill the Dough
Place both rolled-out doughs, one on top of the other, on a baking tray or cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
4 – Cut into Shapes
Working with one sheet of dough at a time, use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes.
5- Bake
Bake the cookies until just beginning to turn light brown around the edges.
6 – Decorate
Decorate the cooled sugar cookies as your heart desires! I like to use eggless royal icing and buttercream.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can’t! The cream cheese helps with the cookie structure so it’s important that you follow the recipe closely.
For brown sugar cookies, I recommend following this recipe.
I recommend rolling out the cookie dough to about 1/4 inch (7 mm approx.).
Yes, you do! Chilling the dough will help you get cookies that hold their shape with clean, sharp edges.
Substitutions & Additions
This recipe calls for just a few ingredients. With so few ingredients, it’s important that you follow the recipe closely.
For flavor: Add a touch of almond extract for additional flavor, if desired. 1 teaspoon of maple extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract, are also great additions. Or add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon.
Adapt This Recipe to Other Food Allergies
This recipe is egg-free and nut-free, but you can certainly adapt it to other food allergies.
Gluten-Free
Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour mix. My favorite brand is Better Batter Original All Purpose Flour Blend. Cup4Cup will also work fine, but the texture will be slightly different.
Dairy-Free
Use your favorite plant-based, dairy-free, or vegan butter and cream cheese. My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:
Don’t over mix the dough after you add the flour. It can overdevelop the gluten and cause the cookies to be tough.
Always refrigerate the cookie dough before cutting it into shapes.
The best way, in my opinion, to roll out the dough is between two big pieces of parchment paper. If the parchment paper is not an option a well-floured work surface will also work.
Try to roll out the dough evenly, no thinner than 1/8 of an inch. My personal preferred thickness is 1/4 of an inch.
Gather any scraps and reroll the dough, but no more than twice. After that, the dough will become too tough.
If you don’t have cookie cutters use a wide-mouth glass jar or cup.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store
- Cookie dough: Cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure is well wrapped in plastic wrap.
- Baked cookies: Baked eggless sugar cookies, plain or decorated, can be stored covered tightly at room temperate for up to 5 days. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
Freeze
- Cookie dough: Cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready to roll them out and bake.
- Baked cookies: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Just let the baked cookies come to room temperature, then pack them in a freezer bag or container and freeze them. Thaw them in the fridge or on the counter when you’re ready to eat them.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) salt
- 3/4 cup (175 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 6 ounces (170 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the salt and set aside.
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the cream cheese and vanilla; mix until incorporated.
- Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture; beat just until incorporated and the dough starts to come together. Divide the dough into two equal pieces.
- Place one piece of dough on a big, lightly floured piece of parchment paper (or a silicone mat). Lightly dust the dough with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top to prevent sticking. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch (6 to 3 mm) thick. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- Place both rolled-out doughs, one on top of the other, on a baking tray, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Working with one sheet of dough at a time, use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Gather up the dough scraps and form them into a disk, then roll out and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat the process to cut and bake the remaining dough.
- Decorate the cooled sugar cookies as desired. If using eggless royal icing, let the icing dry completely, about 1 1/2 hours, before serving. Once the cookies have completely dried, they can be stored either in an airtight container with waxed paper in between each layer, or in an airtight bag in a single layer. You can store them at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Don’t over mix the dough after you add the flour. It can overdevelop the gluten and cause it to be tough.
- Always refrigerate the cookie dough before cutting it into shapes.
- The best way, in my opinion, to roll out the dough is between two big pieces of parchment paper. If the parchment paper is not an option a well-floured work surface will also work.
- Try to roll out the dough evenly, no thinner than 1/8 of an inch. My personal preferred thickness is 1/4 of an inch.
- Gather any scraps and reroll the dough, but no more than twice. After that, the dough will become too tough.
- If you don’t have cookie cutters use a wide-mouth glass jar or cup.
Nutrition
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Originally posted in December 2017, the post content was edited to add more helpful information and new photos in June 2022.
Thanks for bringing holiday baking joy back to this egg-allergy home!
Followed your recipe exactly and the dough was delightful to work with; the cookies held their shape and were so much fun to decorate…that they were deliciously flavorful was an incredible bonus!
Hello Tej! I am glad that my recipes are helpful to you and your family! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Hi Oriana, I used your recipe to make dinosaur shaped cookies for my 3 yr old’s birthday (who has several food allergies). Also used your eggless red velvet cake recipe to make his allergy safe birthday cake. He was over the moon that he could enjoy all the treats and I was one happy mama. Thankyou!
Hello Usurug! So glad you and your boy enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know!
Hello!
I’m trying this recipe for the first time and forgot to cover the dough with aluminium or plastic wrap before refrigerating it. Is there anyway I can still make it work?
Thanks so much! Fingers crossed!
Hello Asha! It might dry out a bit, but I think it will work. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried a handful of egg-free sugar cookies and they’ve just been ok and usually hard as a rock. These are wonderful! The dough was easy to work with, made perfect cutout cookies… and best of all stayed soft up to four days later. (We don’t like hard, crispy cookies.) Love this recipe! It’s a keeper! Thank you! 🙂
Hello Natalie! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know. I hope my recipes inspire you to continue baking. Please make sure to reach out if you have any questions or special requests. I am happy to help! =)
These were perfect! Cutout sugar cookies are a big holiday tradition in our house. My 2 year old is allergic to eggs and this was the first year he made/ate cookies so we had to try a new recipe. We added almond extract so it would taste like our old recipe. I can hardly tell a difference! And they baked so perfectly and held their shape!
Hello Aubrie – It sounds like you nailed it! I am thrilled that my recipes help with the inconveniences that egg allergy brings to our day-to-day life. Please reach out if you have any questions or specific recipe requests. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know – xo
Delicious!! Buttery and with the perfect texture. Great on it’s own or with icing. Followed as described but added 1/4 tsp of cardamom powder. Thank you!
Hello Jay! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
At my son’s school I am known as the cookie mom because I make decorated sugar cookies for all occasions. I have a secret recipe that I do not share. However, this recipe is better than my tried and true recipe. I love that it is not as sweet as my other cookies. I dipped these face down in Oriana’s Eggless Royal Icing and not only were they beautiful but the icing added just the right amount of sweetness. This is my new go-to sugar cookie recipe. Definitely a 5 star recipe.
Hi Tonya – WOW, what a compliment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know!
I have had good luck with cookie recipes that replace eggs with cream cheese. My regular (biscuit-like, slightly crunchy) sugar cookie recipe uses eggs, but my vegetarian in-laws are coming for Christmas. I made two batches of cookies yesterday, my usual with the eggs, and this one. Side by side, this recipe wins out in all aspects!
This recipe was easier than my “egg” recipe to roll evenly, more firm to cut with detailed shapes, and transfer to the pan, which was better when baking with my kids. I skipped the “refrigerate shapes before baking” step and they still baked totally fine. The are crisp with a slight tenderness inside.
This recipe will replace my old “egg” recipe, everyone loves these cookies!
Hello Deena! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know. Happy 2021!
Great recipe. The cookies really held their shape well. My wife and I made these for our egg allergic grandson (18 months) to decorate for Christmas and start a new tradition. Though some may think they are not sweet enough, that is taken care of once they are frosted. Thanks so much.
Hello BW! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know!
I tried this recipe and it turned out amazing 😻
Hello Faith! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
I like the idea of no eggs, so I tried this recipe. The dough came out with the correct texture and seemed to bake evenly and well. Unfortunately they really don’t taste like cookies, but more like biscuits. It seems like there is a need for more sugar. Thankfully we’re putting frosting on them and that should add some sweetness.
Hello Kim, I am glad this recipe worked out well even though it wasn’t sweet enough for your taste. Thanks for trying my recipe.
This recipe is amazzziinnggg.Thank you Thank you Thank you ??
Hello Dunali! I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed it so much. Thank YOU so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Great recipe. Made them for my Granddaughter’s daycare class where there is an egg allergy issue.
Cookies tasted wonderful and they loved the little ghosts with eyes. I will be using this recipe again.
Thanks so much.
Hello Susan! Sounds like you nailed it =) Thanks so much for your feedback and for trying my recipe.
Hi there, Thanks for the eggless cookie recipe. I tried it today and it tasted great. However i realised i needed about 20 mins to get the cookie’s edges to turn brownish. The middle portion stays the same. Before i put the dough into the fridge, it is super soft. Not sure if Im doing anything wrong. The cookies turn out more like shortbread. Is that right?
Hello Angelistic! These cookies are supposed to be a little crunchy. If you want soft sugar cookies, please use this recipe: https://mommyshomecooking.com/easy-eggless-soft-sugar-cookies/
Can you roll the dough into different shapes with the soft sugar cookies recipe.
Hello Muriel! The soft sugar cookies do not hold their shape. If you want cut-out cookies I would recommend using this recipe. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Can I bake and decorate these, and than freeze them? I need to make about 100 but I was hoping to start early, and freeze them so I’m not doing them last minute
Hello Angela! I don’t have a lot of experience with freezing decorated cookies decorated but a couple of readers had done it and they said it worked very well. If you do try freezing them please let me know the outcome. Thanks for your interest in my recipe.?
Do you know if this dough would work in a cookie press? I’m horrible at rolling out dough. I can never get it quite right and end up throwing it out.
Hello Lory! If you want to use a cookie press I would suggest this recipe: https://mommyshomecooking.com/easy-eggless-spritz-cookies/
Can dough be frozen for later use?
Hello Courtney! Yes, just form dough into a disc, wrap the disc in plastic wrap and place the disc inside plastic freezer bag (being sure to press out all the air) and seal. Freeze up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature. When thawed, use a rolling pin to roll to desired thickness, cut into shapes, then bake. Hope this help!
Is there any other alternative to cream cheese which won’t affect the flavours & textures much. The recipe looks great and I’m excited to try it out. But finding cream cheese where I live is really tough.
Hello Amrisha! Thanks for your interest in this recipe. You can use 2 flax eggs but the look and texture will be slightly different. To make 1 flax egg combine 1 tablespoon of golden flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Mix to combine and let it rest for 5 minutes, or until thickens.
Ummm, you said that you could use a flax egg, but can you use butter instead of the two options?
Hello Tejas! The flax egg suggestion was for someone how didn’t want to use cream cheese. I suggest following the recipe as is. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)