These gluten-free sugar cookies are one of my daughter’s favorite treats to make! They’re light, fluffy, and buttery, with a touch of vanilla and almond extract for extra flavor. This simple recipe is also super easy; you only need 20 minutes from start to finish, and there’s no chill time needed! I love them as they are, but my kids, of course, love them with frosting and sprinkles. This recipe also includes a dairy-free option.
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Recipe
When I say this recipe is easy, I mean it! You only need simple gluten-free pantry staples, a few basic kitchen tools, and your oven. These gluten-free sugar cookies are known as a ‘drop’ cookie, meaning you drop the dough onto a baking sheet instead of rolling it out and cutting it into shapes. This makes them perfect for little hands to help in the kitchen! They always bake up perfectly soft with a bakery-style texture.
I don’t recommend using this dough for cut-out cookies, though, because it’s too soft. However, I do have a separate recipe for gluten-free cut-out cookies if you want a dough you can cut into shapes!
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: For mixing with the sugar and creating the buttery base for these cookies. I like Smart Balance butter when I’m making gluten-free dairy-free sugar cookies!
- Granulated Sugar: They wouldn’t be called GF sugar cookies without the sugar! This adds sweetness and creates a delicious texture.
- Egg: I use one large egg to bind the ingredients together.
- Pure Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract: I love the combination of these flavors. It creates a nutty, warm vanilla flavor, which makes these treats stand out at any event.
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour with Xanthan Gum: Pillsbury gluten-free flour is my favorite blend and the one I used to create this recipe. It also already contains xanthan gum as standard. I can’t guarantee the same results if you use a different flour blend.
- Baking Powder: Helps to create soft, slightly puffy cookies!
- Salt: A little salt goes a long way in enhancing the overall flavor.
Tips and Suggestions
- I always use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (not a Pyrex liquid measuring cup), and I use the spoon and level method when measuring my GF flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife to stop you from accidentally packing it and using too much.
- This recipe won’t work with coconut or almond flour.
- I highly recommend using a greased cookie scoop to bake these cookies. I use a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop.
- I also like to use Reynolds Kitchens Cookie Baking Sheets. It has a smart grid that makes it super easy to line up your cookies on your baking sheet. I bought mine at Walmart.
- Be sure to mix your wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls before combining them. Gluten-free flour can clump easily, so slowly adding the flour to the wet ingredients will create a smoother batter.
- I bake my gluten-free sugar cookies until lightly browned around the edges. Overbaking will make them crispy instead of soft, so keep an eye on them while they’re in the oven.
How to Decorate Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
This is the part my kids love the most whenever I make these easy gluten-free sugar cookies. There’s truly no right or wrong way to do this, but I always layer a generous helping of frosting and top it off with sprinkles. I like the Wilton cookie icing and sprinkles whenever I decorate cookies. They’re gluten-free, but always check your labels, as things can change!
Here are some other frosting options I like:
- Gluten-free vanilla buttercream frosting
- Gluten-free royal icing
- Strawberry frosting
- Chocolate buttercream frosting (from my gluten-free chocolate cake recipe)
I’ve also added sprinkles to my homemade GF sugar cookies before baking them in the past. It works well; you just need to press them into the dough so they don’t fall off. However, some sprinkles can ”bleed” color during baking, so keep that in mind!
Can I Make the Dough in Advance?
Yes, you sure can! I often make cookie dough ahead of time during the holidays. Make the dough as directed and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I also keep some of this dough in the freezer for last-minute bake sales at my kid’s school! I place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for an hour to flash-freeze them. Then, transfer the frozen dough into a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. I bake the dough balls from frozen in a preheated 375°F and bake on a prepared baking sheet for 12-14 minutes (2 minutes longer than the original directions).
Storage Instructions
Any undecorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. However, I think they’re best eaten within 2-3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months; just let them thaw at room temperature before enjoying them again! Once the cookies are decorated with frosting and sprinkles, I prefer to store them in the fridge in a single layer in an airtight container.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes To Try!
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies
- Or check out all of my favorite gluten-free cookie recipes here!
Sugar Cookie recipe adapted from Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Cookbook.
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, dairy-free use Smart Balance butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum, I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth.
- Beat in the egg, pure vanilla extract, and pure almond extract.
- In a small bowl, stir together gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly pour the flour mixture into the batter and mix until fully combined.
- Scoop batter with a greased cookie scoop (11/2-tablespoons) and place cookies 2-inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned.
- Allow cookies to cool for 2–3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- My favorite gluten-free flour is Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- Always measure your gluten-free flour using the spoon and level method.
- Dairy-Free Option: I use Smart Balance butter.
- To Store: Keep unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. Frosted cookies should be stored in the refrigerator.
- Mama says, “Check all of your labels!”
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies Step-by-Step
Preheat oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat ¾ cup butter and ¾ cup sugar together on medium speed until smooth.
Beat in 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, and ⅛ teaspoon pure almond extract.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 ½ gluten-free flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt.
Slowly pour the flour mixture into the batter and mix until fully combined.
Scoop batter with a greased cookie scoop (1 ½-tablespoons) and place cookies 2-inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned.
Allow cookies to cool for 2–3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!
The recipe is spot on! I added dark chocolate and butterscotch morsels to it ans it was a huge hit!
Love this recipe easy and delicious. My grandson is gluten and sugar free and I used a gluten flour mix from another site and monk fruit/erthritol sweetener it turned out better than anticipated. I did put it in the fridge for 20 mins and they rolled well the dough was a bit sticky.
What type of icing do you recommend for these cookies?
Hi Cass, we used this GF buttercream frosting recipe (click here!).
What do I use instead of pure almond extract since it ain’t available to buy in Australia 🇦🇺 where I live as a full resident with gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance but I can use pure vanilla extract listed on your recipe. Can I use lactose free alternatives instead of your dairy free alternatives like Liddells brand or Philadelphia brand or Paul’s zymil brand or coles brand or Woolworths brand, will gluten free flour(well & good brand or White wings or Orgran or Woolworths or coles brand) work for this recipe.
Hi Tammy, you can use all vanilla extract in place of almond. Lactose-free alternatives should work just fine. We test all of our recipes in the U.S., so we do not have access to those brands of flour, but any GF flour with xanthan gum should work in this recipe, although you may need to adjust the total amount of liquid slightly.
Can you roll these for cut outs instead of scoops?
Hi Nancy, we don’t recommend it, as this dough is designed to puff up a bit as it bakes, which will cause the shapes to lose their definition.
Do you soften your butter or just use it straight from the fridge?
Hi Marlo, the butter should be room temperature!
Followed The recipe exactly and my batter was still runny. What do you think caused this?
Hi Tina, what brand of GF flour did you use? Different flours require different levels of hydration, so we suspect this may be the culprit here.
Yummy! I made a flax egg in replace of the real egg. It still came out great!
I was just going to ask if anyone substituted something for the egg. Glad to hear it worked out
I made these for a friend but of course I had to try one. I was not disappointed! I used Country Crock Plant Butter and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour because those were what I could find, and happily they came out great.
I used bobs red mill 1:1 baking flour and I did cook them for an additional 5 minutes after 12 minutes to get the Golden brown rims of the cookie but I could totally see not doing the five extra minutes because the rims of the cookie were crunchy so I was thinking oh no the whole thing is going to be super hard and crunchy, which is not what I was wanting. (The crunch on just the outsides was perfect tho for me) I finished the cookies though, I used this sugar cookie base for Susan Spungins day 12 Christmas cookies and oh my god they were SO good. The insides were chewy and moist, litetally one of the best cookies I’ve made by far for gluten free. Going to be saving this recipe for sure!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I used real butter in place of the dairy substitute and I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Cup to Cup(Blue Bag) because it has become my go to for everything. It all worked perfectly. The sugar cookies were fabulous plain. I didn’t frost them. I stored them on a plate inside of a Hefty gallon sized storage bag. They kept very well for almost 2 weeks. I won’t use another sugar recipe now. Thank you!
Delicious!
Delicious and simple! That’s why I keep coming back to your recipes. I did add an extra half cup of flour (I use King Arthur flour). I remembered from your tortilla recipe you said if you use king Arthur’s flour to use a half cup more to make the tortillas, so I did it for the cookies and they came out perfect. Thank you again! Another favorite of yours to come back to.
I’ve done the elimination diet and am allergic to gluten and dairy. I LOVE to find recipes that actually taste great. This is one for sure. I find myself returning to the Mama knows gluten free website all the time! Thanks so much for making my life tasty again!
Thanks for the easy gluten free recipe! I am not a great baker but I managed these. I also like the dairy free aspect. I changed one thing. I added lemon extract instead of almond. I just don’t like almond very much. They taste wonderful and it is nice to be able to have something homebred that I can eat!!
These turned out great! Do you happen to have a recipe for harder/crunchier sugar cookies that one would roll out and use cookie cutters and then ice with crunchy icing?
Very good! I would recommend letting the cookies sit out for a little while if you want a harder cookie! Thanks again, Audrey!
Excellent cookie! A rich sweet taste that is soft and fluffy. Sweet tooth fulfilling. I will be making these cookies again.