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These Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are holiday baking perfection: rich, fudgy, crackly, and easy to make. I recommend making a double batch: one to share, and one to hide for yourself. These cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly, and they come together quickly with simple pantry staples.
As a gluten-free baker for over a decade, I’ve tested countless cookie recipes for the holidays, and this chocolate crinkle cookie is one of the most dependable, crowd-pleasing cookies I make every year!
I don’t know about you, but fall is the holiday cookie testing period around here. You know I love all the gluten-free cookie recipes! Plus all the vegan cookie recipes, too. But if we’re honest, I’m definitely partial to the chocolate ones. And these Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies? They’re definitely worthy of being the star.
If you love gluten-free cookies, vegan Christmas cookies, or easy holiday baking, these belong at the top of your list.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These are a fan favorite around here because they are so simple to make! If you bake gluten-free/vegan regularly, you probably already have all the ingredients on hand, too. The results of your effort makes a cookie that is:
- Deep, rich chocolate flavor with a fudgy, brownie-like middle
- Crispy crackle crust for that classic crinkle-cookie look and texture
- Buttery and indulgent even though they’re fully dairy-free and vegan
- Naturally gluten-free and paleo-friendly (no complicated flour blends needed!)
- Made with everyday ingredients you likely already have on hand if you’re a GF/vegan baker
- Freezer-friendly—perfect for holiday baking prep
How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Cream the wet ingredients: Beat together the coconut oil, cashew (or other) nut butter, and coconut sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the binder + flavor: Mix in the flax egg and vanilla. (Swap in 1 egg + 1 yolk if you’re not keeping these vegan.)
Add the dry ingredients: Stir in the cocoa powder, almond flour, baking soda, and salt until a thick dough forms, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes—this makes the dough easier to handle and helps the cookies crinkle properly.
Roll + bake: Scoop the dough into balls, roll in turbinado sugar or powdered sugar, and bake on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until puffed and crackly. Eat one warm—the most important step! Let the rest cool on a cooling rack.
Expert Baking Tips
- Precision matters: Use a kitchen scale for the best gluten-free baking results.
- Chill for structure: The crinkles form best when the dough is cold.
- Swap smartly: Almond butter, coconut sugar, and flax eggs all behave predictably in this recipe—trust the formula for best results.
- Make ahead: Refrigerate the dough for up to 48 hours, or freeze the rolled dough balls for future holiday baking.
- Change up the flavors: this dough is perfect for flavoring with extract – 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract or orange extract (plus some fresh zest) will give a delicious and different flavor profile.
How to Store & Freeze Vegan Crinkle Cookies
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Refrigerator: Keeps well for 1 week.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months, or freeze the dough balls and bake fresh as needed.
These Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are my idea of cookie perfection, and I hope you adore these beauties as much as I do. The sugary crackle crust adds the perfect texture, and breaking through it into that fudgy, brownie-like center? Heaven on earth. These are perfect for lunchboxes, weeknight desserts, holiday cookie platters, gifts, or wherever else life calls for chocolatey cookies. Enjoy!
Here are some other healthy cookie recipes you’ll love:
- Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies –> the OG favorite around here!
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies –> for the PB lover in your life!
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies –> to fill out the rest of your holiday cookie platter!
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (37g) coconut oil, softened with a texture similar to softened butter
- 3 tablespoons (48g) creamy cashew butter, or nut butter of choice
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 ½ flax eggs, 1.5 tablespoon flax meal + 4 tablespoons water, whisk and let set for 10 minutes. Use 1 egg + 1 yolk if they don’t need to be vegan
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (148g) blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup raw turbinado sugar or coconut sugar, to roll the cookies in – you can also use organic powdered sugar for a more traditional look
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the coconut oil, nut butter, and coconut sugar until fully combined, about 1 minute.3 tablespoons (37g) coconut oil, 3 tablespoons (48g) creamy cashew butter, ½ cup coconut sugar
- Beat in the flax eggs, then stir in the vanilla extract.1 ½ flax eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the blanched almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until completely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips..1 ½ cups (148g) blanched almond flour, ¼ cup cacao powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
- Place dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before forming balls to make it easier to work with – you can leave the dough in the fridge, covered, for up to 48 hours.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place the turbinado sugar in a small bowl to roll the cookies in.⅓ cup raw turbinado sugar or coconut sugar
- Use a small cookie scoop (mine fits 1.5 tablespoons of dough) to make cookie dough balls, roll into a ball with your hands, and then roll each dough ball in the sugar mixture. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Press down lightly with your palm.
- Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they’ve puffed and cracked. Let cool completely on the cookie sheet.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Refrigerator: Keeps well in an airtight container for 1 week.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months, or freeze the dough balls and bake fresh as needed.
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For Paleo, can I roll the balls of dough in coconut sugar instead? This sounds yummy!
Hi Deb – yes, absolutely!!
Tried these with tahini and they turned out great! Fantastic recipe, excited to share with everyone :)
So thrilled you’re loving them, Jessica! Thanks for the feedback.
Hi! I’ve never made a recipe of your’s that I haven’t LOVED! Would I replace 1.5 flax eggs with 1.5 chicken eggs? Just want to double-check before I make them tonight! Thanks!
Hi Carla, yes that should be fine! I’d use 1 egg plus 1 yolk :) enjoy and thanks for the love!!
Thanks for the quick reply! (And I also just read your suggestion about the egg in the directions. Oops! Sorry I missed that!)
No worries! Happy to help :) enjoy!
Delicious! Might be my new favorite Bakerita recipe yet!!
I am anxiously waiting for her cookbook :)
This makes me so happy! Thank you so much for the love, Liz!
Easy to bake with a toddler (and she can lick the spoon), and extremely delicious for even the non-paleo eaters at home. Thank you for such reliably awesome recipes!
So thrilled it was a hit with you and your family, Iris!
These are amazing. I skipped the sugar at the end but they were still SO GOOD. Used Hu chocolate so totally refined sugar free. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
So glad you loved them Kelly! Thanks for the feedback.
Delicious! Great cookie texture and perfectly dark. Left out the chocolate chips – perfect chocolatey bitterness without being two sweet!
So glad you’re loving them, Devi!
Rachel do these get flattened before baking or do they go into the oven as balls? I’ve read the whole post and don’t seem to see it mentioned and want to be sure because I know this can be an important step! Can’t wait to make these!
Hi Vanessa, oooh you’re right – usually flattening a tiny bit with your palm doesn’t hurt to make sure they spread well :)
I took your advice and doubled the batch – and thank goodness I did because these were the biggest hit at the party!! We tried some rolled in icing sugar and some just plain and not rolled in anything – both were great! I swear by all of your recipes – thank you for another hit!!
So glad they were a hit, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!!
This was rated absolutely delicious by the volunteers in the community cafe i run. Very easy to make, i used a magimix and just threw the wet ingredients in, mixed, and then added all the dry. Added the chocolate roughly chopped at the end and pulsed a couple of times. A really great recipe thank you
So glad to hear they were a hit! Thanks for the review, Lucy.