Dairy-Free Red Velvet Cookies

I’ll be honest—I didn’t think vegan cookies could really nail that classic red velvet thing until I tried making these. You know, that slightly cocoa-y flavor with the bright red color? Turns out you don’t need eggs or dairy to get there.

The secret is in how the ingredients work together. The flax egg gives you structure, the vinegar reacts with the baking soda for that perfect chewy texture, and the vegan butter keeps everything soft. I was skeptical about the red food coloring at first, but it’s what gives you that look everyone expects from red velvet. And those white chocolate chips? They’re the perfect sweet contrast to the subtle cocoa flavor.

These cookies are pretty straightforward to make, too. No weird techniques or hard-to-find ingredients—just mix, scoop, and bake.

What Kind of Vegan Butter Should I Use?

Any vegan butter will work great for these cookies, whether you go with a stick-style butter or the spreadable tub variety. Brands like Earth Balance, Miyoko’s, or Country Crock Plant Butter all work well and give you that rich, buttery flavor you’re looking for. Just make sure your vegan butter is softened to room temperature before you start mixing – this helps it cream together nicely with the sugar and creates that perfect cookie texture. If you’re in a pinch and don’t have vegan butter on hand, you can substitute coconut oil, though it will give the cookies a slightly different flavor and texture.

Options for Substitutions

These cookies are pretty adaptable, so here are some swaps you can make:

• Flax egg: You can use a chia egg instead (1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 5 minutes). Other options include 3 tablespoons of applesauce or a commercial egg replacer.
• Vegan butter: Coconut oil works well here, though it’ll give the cookies a slight coconut flavor. You can also use vegetable shortening for a more neutral taste.
• Brown sugar: White sugar will work, but you’ll lose some of that chewy texture and caramel notes. If using white sugar, add 1 tablespoon of molasses to get closer to the original flavor.
• Red food coloring: For a natural option, try beet powder (start with 2 tablespoons) or freeze-dried strawberry powder. The color won’t be as bright, but it’ll still give you that reddish hue.
• Vegan white chocolate chips: Regular vegan chocolate chips work great, or you can chop up a vegan white chocolate bar. If you can’t find vegan white chocolate, just leave them out or add chopped nuts instead.
• White vinegar: Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice will do the same job of reacting with the baking soda to help the cookies rise.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake with vegan cookies is overbaking them – since they don’t contain eggs, they can go from perfectly chewy to rock-hard in just a minute or two, so pull them out when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone.

Make sure your flax egg has at least 10-15 minutes to thicken in the fridge before using it, otherwise your dough won’t hold together properly and your cookies will spread too much on the baking sheet.

Don’t skip the vinegar even though it seems like a small amount – it reacts with the baking soda to give these cookies their signature fluffy texture and helps bring out that classic red velvet flavor.

For the best color, add the food coloring gradually and mix well since vegan dough can sometimes absorb color differently than traditional recipes, and remember to leave at least 2 inches between each cookie ball because they’ll spread quite a bit while baking.

What to Serve With Vegan Red Velvet Cookies?

These cookies are perfect on their own, but they really shine when paired with a cold glass of oat milk or almond milk for dunking. If you’re putting together a dessert spread, serve them alongside some vanilla nice cream or coconut milk ice cream – the creamy texture goes great with the soft, chewy cookies. For a cozy afternoon treat, I love enjoying these with a hot cup of coffee or chai tea, which brings out the subtle cocoa flavor. You can also crumble them over dairy-free yogurt for breakfast or pack them up as a sweet snack with some fresh strawberries and raspberries on the side.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep your red velvet cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They’ll stay soft and chewy if you toss a slice of bread in the container with them. You can also store them in the fridge if your kitchen gets warm, though they might firm up a bit.

Freeze: These cookies freeze really well for up to 3 months. Just layer them between parchment paper in a freezer-safe container or bag. You can also freeze the dough as balls on a baking sheet, then transfer to a bag once frozen so you can bake fresh cookies whenever you want.

Thaw: Let frozen cookies sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes and they’re good to go. If you froze the dough, you can bake the cookie balls straight from frozen, just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3000-3200
• Protein: 25-30 g
• Fat: 110-120 g
• Carbohydrates: 480-500 g

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 flax egg (2 tbsp flax meal plus 4 tbsp water, set for 10 mins)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I like using C&H Golden Brown for moisture)
• 1/2 cup vegan butter (I prefer Miyoko’s Creamery for a buttery texture)
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark for a deep color)
• 3/4 tbsp red food coloring
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

For the mix-ins:

• 3/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips (I recommend Enjoy Life brand)

Step 1: Prepare the Flax Egg and Preheat

• 2 tbsp flax meal
• 4 tbsp water

Combine flax meal and water in a small bowl, stirring well to combine, then set aside for 10 minutes to thicken—this creates the binding agent that replaces a traditional egg.

While the flax egg is setting, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder until well combined and no lumps remain.

I like to sift the cocoa powder separately to ensure it’s evenly distributed throughout, which gives you that rich, deep red velvet color without streaks.

Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugar

• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

In a large bowl, beat vegan butter and brown sugar together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

This creaming process incorporates air into the dough, which helps the cookies rise slightly and develop a tender crumb.

Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.

Step 4: Build the Wet Mixture and Combine

• flax egg from Step 1
• 3/4 tbsp red food coloring
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• dry ingredient mixture from Step 2

Add the thickened flax egg from Step 1 to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing until fully incorporated.

Then add red food coloring, white vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond extract, stirring until the mixture is a vibrant red.

The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to enhance the rise and contributes subtle tang that balances the sweetness.

Add the dry ingredient mixture from Step 2 and mix on low speed just until combined—don’t overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.

Step 5: Fold in Chocolate Chips and Scoop Dough

• 3/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips

Gently fold the vegan white chocolate chips into the dough using a spatula—I prefer folding over stirring here because it keeps the chips intact and prevents overmixing.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop dough onto unlined or parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for gentle spreading.

Step 6: Bake and Cool

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underbaked—they’ll continue cooking as they cool.

Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

This resting period on the hot sheet gives them a slightly chewy center while the edges crisp up a bit.

Dairy-Free Red Velvet Cookies

Delicious Dairy-Free Red Velvet Cookies recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 37 minutes mins

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 3100 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the dough::

• 1 flax egg (2 tbsp flax meal plus 4 tbsp water, set for 10 mins)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I like using C&H Golden Brown for moisture)
• 1/2 cup vegan butter (I prefer Miyoko's Creamery for a buttery texture)
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark for a deep color)
• 3/4 tbsp red food coloring
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

For the mix-ins::

• 3/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips (I recommend Enjoy Life brand)

Instructions

 

• Combine flax meal and water in a small bowl, stirring well to combine, then set aside for 10 minutes to thicken—this creates the binding agent that replaces a traditional egg. While the flax egg is setting, preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder until well combined and no lumps remain. I like to sift the cocoa powder separately to ensure it's evenly distributed throughout, which gives you that rich, deep red velvet color without streaks.
• In a large bowl, beat vegan butter and brown sugar together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. This creaming process incorporates air into the dough, which helps the cookies rise slightly and develop a tender crumb. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
• Add the thickened flax egg from Step 1 to the creamed butter and sugar, mixing until fully incorporated. Then add red food coloring, white vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond extract, stirring until the mixture is a vibrant red. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to enhance the rise and contributes subtle tang that balances the sweetness. Add the dry ingredient mixture from Step 2 and mix on low speed just until combined—don't overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.
• Gently fold the vegan white chocolate chips into the dough using a spatula—I prefer folding over stirring here because it keeps the chips intact and prevents overmixing. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop dough onto unlined or parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for gentle spreading.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underbaked—they'll continue cooking as they cool. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This resting period on the hot sheet gives them a slightly chewy center while the edges crisp up a bit.