I’m laying on our couch watching Tony eat a huge plate my vegan tofu nachos. The best part is that he has no idea that I made them with a healthy cheese sauce made from nuts, or that the ‘meat’ is actually tofu. This is exactly why I love doing what I do: helping people eat healthier and more nutritious without sacrificing taste.
And sometimes you need a cookie that’s the best of both worlds: both sweet and a little more nutritious.
I’d like you to meet my gorgeous fat little grain free snickerdoodles. They’re soft, dairy free, have chewy centers & crispy edges, and are basically THE MOST ADDICTING COOKIE RECIPE EVER! They make your house smell like a delicious cinnamon sugar cookie candle from Bath and Body Works. Trust me, Santa will not be disappointed.
These healthy snickerdoodles are based on my favorite gluten free sugar cookie recipe and come together in ONE BOWL. That’s right, you’ll have one of these snickerdoodles in your belly in less than 20 minutes.
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Ingredients you’ll need
This easy gluten-free snickerdoodle recipe is naturally sweetened but the cookies taste like the real deal snickerdoodles you know and love. Dairy-free and paleo-friendly, too! Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Flours: we’re using a mix of almond flour and coconut flour to keep these snickerdoodles gluten free & grain free.
- Spices: you’ll add good old cinnamon to perfectly spice these gluten free snickerdoodles.
- Sweeteners: we’re naturally sweetening these snickerdoodles with a bit of pure maple syrup and coconut sugar.
- Wet ingredients: you’ll also need coconut oil and an egg to give these grain free snickerdoodles the perfect amount of moisture.
- Baking staples: don’t forget to add vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar (which makes the cookies taste like snickerdoodles) and a pinch of salt to help them bake up properly!
- For rolling: I love rolling the dough in a little organic cane sugar + cinnamon to give the snickerdoodles a pretty, festive look.
Using cream of tartar in snickerdoodles
I know it seems like a strange ingredient, but cream of tartar is something that differentiates snickerdoodles from all other cookies. It gives snickerdoodles an amazing, soft texture because it prevents the sugar from crystallizing, and it reacts with the baking soda to make them puffy and delicious. Cream of tartar also has a very slight acidic flavor that pairs with the sugar and that you’ll find in traditional snickerdoodles.
Easy ingredient swaps
Missing a few things or want to customize these gluten free snickerdoodles? Here’s what I recommend:
- For the coconut oil: feel free to use melted butter. I personally LOVE using melted salted butter in these.
- For the coconut sugar: the coconut sugar keeps the snickerdoodles paleo, but you can also use regular sugar if you prefer!
- For the maple syrup: feel free to use honey instead, or just add another tablespoon or two of sugar.
Can I use all purpose flour?
Unfortunately, no, I would not recommend using all purpose flour in these grain free snickerdoodles. If you’re looking to use all purpose flour, try one of these cookies instead:
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Snickerdoodles
- Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies
Can I make them vegan?
I haven’t tested this recipe using an egg replacer, but I’ve seen in the comments that other readers have used a flax egg with success! Let me know if you try it.
Tips & tricks for the best gluten free snickerdoodles
- Use room temperature ingredients. Use a room temp egg and cooled coconut oil so that your wet ingredients don’t coagulate. You can simply place your egg in warm water for 3-5 minutes and wait for your coconut oil to become room temp after melting it.
- Let your dough rest. After you’ve mixed your wet & dry ingredients together let your dough sit for about 5 minutes to let it thicken up.
- Flatten the cookie dough balls so that they’re about 1/4 inch thick after placing them on your cookie sheet. Because these are grain & gluten free snickerdoodles, they won’t spread as much as regular ones.
- Bake until barely golden brown. They’re delicious slightly underbaked and we don’t want dry snickerdoodles!
How to freeze grain free snickerdoodles
Good news: these grain & gluten free snickerdoodles are freezer-friendly! There are two ways to do it:
- Freeze the dough: roll the snickerdoodle cookie dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. Once the cookie dough balls firm up, you can transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container. Cookie dough will keep well for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, simply bake the cookies as directed. You may just need a few extra minutes of baking time.
- Freeze already baked grain free snickerdoodles: wait for the snickerdoodles to cool completely, then transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container lined with wax or parchment paper. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Cookies will keep well for up to 2 months. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy.
More cookie recipes you’ll love
- Grain Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Grain Free Chocolate Orange Pinwheels
- Soft Brown Butter Ginger Cookies with Lovely Lemon Icing
- Mint Chocolate Cookies with Mint Frosting
- Grain Free Gingerdoodle Cookies
Get all of my cookie recipes here!
I hope you love these easy grain free snickerdoodles! If you make them be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Grain Free Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- ¼ cup melted and cooled coconut oil or melted butter
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups packed fine blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For rolling:
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add in melted coconut oil or melted butter, sugar, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well combined, smooth and creamy.
- Next add in almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix until a dough forms. Allow dough to sit for 5 minutes to thicken up while you make the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- While dough is sitting, mix together cane sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
- Use your hands to roll dough into 10 golf-sized balls, then roll each dough ball into cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated completely. Place each dough ball on prepared cookie sheet then flatten each with the palm of your hand so that they are about 1/4th inch thick.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow cookies to cool completely. Makes 10 cookies.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on December 5th, 2017, republished on December 16th, 2020, and republished on December 5th, 2022.
These cookies are amazing!! We have to bulk up my toddler and these have turned into a go to! Healthy enough to be eaten multiple times a day and delicious enough that she is all over them. Even the doesn’t like dessert husband is a fan. I could eat them all day. Beautiful chewy texture and crispy on the outside. So satisfying
I’m glad she loves them! Perfect treat 🙂
These are amazing and so easy to make! My father in law loves them so much I make dozens every christmas!! Freeze and bake well also!
So happy to hear that!
These are amazing!! And soneasy to make. Every christmas I make dozens because my father in law literally eats dozens himself haha. Theyre delicious!!
I followed this recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly! I am new to gluten-free and dairy-free baking and was blown away by how “normal” these tasted. Will definitely be adding these to my rotation!
Amazing! So glad you loved them!
This recipe is so delicious. They baked up so beautifully. I followed the recipe exactly. 😋 Wonderful
Amazing! Glad you loved them!
OMG!!!! These are amazing!!!I have, by choice, been gluten and dairy free for almost 3 months. I’ve been craving cookies lately, though! Then I stumbled on this recipe. My husband – a confirmed snickerdoodle connoisseur- thought they were delicious. I followed the recipe – exactly. I took them out after 8 minutes because I didn’t want to overcook them. I probably could have left them in a minute longer but I didn’t want to risk overcooking. DELICIOUS!!!
WOO! This makes me so happy, Helen. Glad you are both loving these cookies and they are a hit for you!
These were delicious! I used coconut sugar in both the batter and the topping with the cinnamon. I also added 1 tsp baking powder and used a small ice cream scoop to make 20 cookies. Thank you for the nutritional information.
Ah yay! Sounds amazing 🤩
hi! do these cookies hold their shape? a lot of grain free stuff is crumbly. Im looking for mess free lunch box snacks.
thanks
Yes! I would recommend following the instructions exactly and they should turn out perfectly! Enjoy 🙂
Maple syrup and Coconut sugar? These look like nice cookies, but they’re certainly not low carb at 17grams Carbs per cookie! A little misleading for those following a low carb way of eating unless this recipe has been listed in the wrong category? Most people following a low carb diet opt for 20-50gr Carbs a day.
Had high hopes but was left severely disappointed. They were fluffy, soft, chewy etc. but did not taste good at all- and I followed the recipe exactly. It was more fun to bake than eat them, which says a lot because I hate baking. Two stars, because one star is rude.
These are pretty good for a healthier snickerdoodle. I liked the texture – soft and fluffy but also chewy.
Yay! So glad you are enjoying this recipe!
What is the purpose of the one tablespoon of coconut flour?
I love your snickerdoodles recipes, and I want to make some for a friend who is gluten free. Thanks for developing this recipe.
Hi Sara! Coconut flour is very absorbent so the tablespoon helps create the perfect texture in these cookies. I hope you and your friend love them!
I followed this recipe exactly and there wasn’t nearly enough wet to even begin to make a dough. I ended up with a bowl of sand that had to be dumped. Waste of expensive flours.
I’ve been grain free, dairy free, soy free for over a year now and have never found a good cookie recipe until this one! I substituted the sugar with a smaller amount of Monk fruit, And was amazed at how much they tasted like the real snickerdoodles that I remember. They’ve always been my favorite cookie and now I have a version that I can eat! Best cookie recipe ever.
Yay! I am so excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Julie ❤️🙂
These are some of the BEST cookies I’ve ever had (healthier or not) PERIOD! What a great recipe! I was able to leave out the cream of tartar and they still turned out beautifully. I also kept them dairy free by using coconut oil. Thank you!
I love this grain free cookie and the molasses version! When I don’t want a big cookie production with the mixer and multiple bowls, these recipes are quick and so delicious! I love having some cookie recipes that just make one sheet. It’s also perfect to involve my toddler, as she can roll some of the balls in sugar. Most important is the taste, which is awesome!
Nice!! So happy you guys had fun making them together 🙂
This recipe is the first non-gluten snickerdoodle I’ve had that perfectly captures the snickerdoodle taste! I was so impressed. I used maple sugar instead of cane or coconut and melted ghee in place of butter. I also used a T of plantain flour in place of the coconut flour. These cookies baked up to the PERFECT texture, crisp on the edges and pillow soft in the center. The recipe is super simple too. As soon as I baked them I had to give one to my mom because I was so excited with how well they came out! Thanks Monique!
Oooh LOVE the maple sugar idea! Happy to hear it all worked well and that you enjoyed them 🙂
I LOVE these! So easy and SO delicious. and crazy addicting.
Since going low carb, I’ve been craving my favorite childhood cookies. These cookies are the solution (they are low carb snickerdoodles if you sub the sugar for monk fruit ;)!
They turned out pretty good. I subbed one flax egg and used slightly less melted vegan butter and added a little more maple syrup in its place. I used half coconut sugar half cane sugar. The cookie batter was very thick. They were not cooked after 10 minutes. I let them sit out for about 15-20 minutes and then cooked them again for another 8 minutes and they were perfect
Glad that you enjoyed them, Helene!
SO good and easy to make. I didn’t have coconut flour, so I subbed a tbsp of GF all-purpose flour and they came out fine! They are so soft and chewy and flavorful. Will be making again!
Perfect! I’m glad that worked out well 🙂
I’ve made these many times now, and they’re pretty speedy to make. I don’t usually have coconut sugar around, and mine turn out less brown and maybe a bit fluffier with white sugar. But I like the flexibility to use the sugar (and fat: coconut or ghee) that I have on hand. Really do make sure your egg is room temp– or place it in warm water for a few minutes to speed that process up–so that the fat stays liquid.
A quick and really tasty cookie! I’ll definitely be making it again.
very delicious – fluffy and the perfect snack (totally ate them all in one day!!)
Legit perfect cookie. So soft and addicting. Will def make on repeat