These vegan strawberry sugar cookies are packed with 3 cups of fresh strawberries and use only common pantry ingredients. They are soft and chewy, offering real strawberry flavor combined with the buttery taste and texture of classic sugar-coated cookies.

FULL RECIPE:

Ingredients

• Strawberry Reduction:
  • 3 cups (360g) fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and chopped
• Cookie Dough:
  • ½ cup (113g) vegan butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Optional: Pink or red food coloring, or beetroot powder, to achieve desired color
• Coating:
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

Directions

1. Prepare the Strawberry Reduction: Puree the strawberries using a stick blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer the puree to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about ⅓ cup (approximately 120g) and thickened to a paste-like consistency. This process removes excess moisture and intensifies the strawberry flavor. Let the reduction cool completely.
2. Make the Cookie Dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened vegan butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cooled strawberry reduction and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. If using food coloring or beetroot powder, add it now to achieve your desired shade of pink. Mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky but not overly sticky. If the dough is too sticky, refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to firm up.
3. Shape and Coat the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the ¼ cup of granulated sugar for coating into a small bowl. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, portion out the dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar coating and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
4. Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set, and the centers appear slightly undercooked. The cookies will firm up as they cool. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Facts

• Serving Size: 1 cookie (assuming the recipe yields 24 cookies)
• Calories: Approximately 90 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 13g
  • Sugars: 7g
• Fat: 3.5g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
• Protein: 1g
• Fiber: 0.5g
• Sodium: 50mg

Why You’ll Love These Vegan Strawberry Sugar Cookies

These vegan strawberry sugar cookies are a must-try for anyone who loves soft, chewy, and fruity desserts. They bring together the nostalgic flavors of traditional sugar cookies with the fresh, natural taste of strawberries. Unlike store-bought or artificially flavored cookies, these treats use real strawberries, making them a healthier and more flavorful option. Another fantastic aspect of this recipe is its simplicity. It requires only basic pantry ingredients, making it easy to prepare without a trip to a specialty store. Whether you’re an experienced baker or a beginner, you’ll find the process straightforward and rewarding. These cookies are also a great way to use up fresh or frozen strawberries, especially when they’re in season. If you have overripe strawberries sitting in your fridge, this recipe provides a delicious way to prevent food waste while treating yourself to something sweet.

The Secret to the Best Strawberry Flavor

One of the biggest challenges of baking with strawberries is the high water content they contain. Simply adding fresh strawberries to cookie dough can make the cookies too wet and prevent them from holding their shape. That’s why this recipe calls for a strawberry reduction—a process of cooking down the strawberries to remove excess moisture while intensifying the natural flavor. This technique ensures that every bite is packed with real strawberry taste without compromising the cookie’s texture. The result is a cookie that is soft, chewy, and bursting with natural sweetness. For those who want an even stronger strawberry flavor, you can add a small amount of freeze-dried strawberry powder. This enhances the fruity taste and gives the cookies a naturally pink hue without the need for artificial food coloring.

Perfect Texture: Soft and Chewy

The ideal sugar cookie should be soft, slightly chewy, and have a delicate crispness around the edges. These cookies achieve that balance thanks to a few key factors:

• Vegan butter provides a rich, buttery flavor while helping maintain a soft texture.
• Baking powder and baking soda create just the right amount of lift and spread.
• Granulated sugar contributes to the chewy consistency and slight crunch on the surface.

Customizing Your Cookies

One of the best things about this recipe is how easily you can customize it to suit your taste preferences. Here are some fun ways to modify your cookies:

• Add chocolate chips: White or dark chocolate chips pair wonderfully with strawberries, adding an extra layer of sweetness.
• Mix in nuts: Chopped almonds or pecans add crunch and complement the fruitiness.
• Make them gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour to make these cookies suitable for those with gluten sensitivities.
• Add citrus zest: A touch of lemon or orange zest can brighten up the strawberry flavor even more.

Best Occasions to Serve These Cookies

These vegan strawberry sugar cookies are perfect for any occasion, whether casual or special. Their soft pink color and sweet taste make them a great choice for:

• Valentine’s Day: The fruity flavor and beautiful pink hue make them an ideal romantic treat.
• Mother’s Day: Show appreciation for your loved ones by baking a batch of these delightful cookies.
• Summer picnics: Their light, fruity flavor makes them a refreshing dessert for warm weather gatherings.
• Holiday cookie exchanges: These cookies offer a unique alternative to traditional holiday flavors like cinnamon and ginger.

How to Store and Keep These Cookies Fresh

To keep your cookies fresh and delicious, follow these storage tips:

• Room Temperature: Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Placing a slice of bread in the container can help maintain softness.
• Refrigeration: If you need to store them for a longer period, place them in the fridge for up to a week. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
• Freezing: These cookies freeze well! Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. They can be stored for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, simply let them thaw at room temperature.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even though this recipe is simple, there are a few common mistakes to watch out for to ensure the best results:

• Skipping the strawberry reduction: Not reducing the strawberries properly will result in too much moisture, making the dough difficult to work with and causing the cookies to spread too much.
• Overmixing the dough: Overworking the dough can make the cookies tough rather than soft and chewy. Mix until just combined.
• Using melted butter instead of softened butter: Melted butter can lead to flat, greasy cookies. Make sure your vegan butter is softened but not liquid.
• Baking for too long: Overbaking will result in dry cookies. They should look slightly underdone in the center when you take them out of the oven.

Health Benefits of These Vegan Strawberry Sugar Cookies

While these cookies are a sweet treat, they also offer some benefits compared to traditional sugar cookies:

• No dairy or eggs: Perfect for those with lactose intolerance, egg allergies, or a vegan diet.
• Lower in saturated fat: Since they use plant-based butter, they have less saturated fat than cookies made with dairy butter.
• Real fruit content: Unlike artificial strawberry-flavored treats, these cookies contain real strawberries, which provide natural vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.

Conclusion

Vegan strawberry sugar cookies are a delightful combination of fruity, sweet, and buttery flavors that make them perfect for any occasion. Their soft, chewy texture, combined with the natural taste of real strawberries, sets them apart from regular sugar cookies. By using a strawberry reduction, these cookies achieve an intense strawberry flavor without excess moisture, resulting in a perfectly balanced treat. The recipe is easy to follow and allows for plenty of customization, making it ideal for both beginner and experienced bakers. Whether you’re baking for a holiday, gifting to a loved one, or simply treating yourself, these cookies are a fantastic choice. With simple storage methods, you can enjoy them fresh or freeze them for later. Plus, their vegan and dairy-free nature makes them suitable for a wide range of dietary preferences.