These are my all-time favorite gluten-free sugar cookies! I think you’re going to fall in love with it too. They are soft and flavorful, but like classic sugar cookies, hold their shape while baking. They’re great for decorating with frosting and sprinkles.
This recipe also includes my all-time favorite sugar cookie frosting (hint it has sour cream) which takes these cookies to the next level.
Why You’ll LOVE this Recipe
- Soft sugar cookies with crispy edges
- Almond extract for amazing flavor
- Hold their shape while baking
- A little sour cream (secret ingredient!) for moist cookies
- Easily made dairy-free with vegan butter and dairy-free sour cream
- Freezes great!
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients to make these best gluten-free sugar cookies. If you have any additional questions leave me a comment/
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: Also known as gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. I like to use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum. King Arthur flour is my favorite brand.
- Cornstarch: A little cornstarch gives these cookies a lighter texture.
- Sour cream: Sour cream imparts a richness to the cookie dough and helps create a chewy texture in gluten-free baking. You can easily use dairy-free sour cream if you prefer.
- Vanilla extract/almond extract: The combination of these two extracts gives this the cookie dough amazing flavor!
Dairy-free? To make these cookies dairy-free I recommend using 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup vegan butter in place of the 1 cup of butter. You can also use Forager dairy-free sour cream.
For an almond flour version, try these almond flour sugar cookies!
How to Make Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer) add the butter and white sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, salt and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add half of the sour cream followed by the cornstarch. Add 1/2 of the gluten-free flour blend to the wet ingredients followed by the other 1/2 of the sour cream. Mix until combined then add the other 1/2 of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
- Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl then mix again until totally combined.
Roll and Bake the Cookies
- Divide the dough into two flattened balls and wrap the dough balls tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Chilled dough creates cut-out cookies that hold their shape. The chilling time also gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate for a non-gritty dough.
Tip: If you prefer drop cookies and don’t want to roll out the dough, try these gluten-free Christmas cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Lightly sprinkle a clean counter or work surface with gluten-free flour. Roll out the chilled dough with a rolling pin to the desired thickness on the lightly floured surface. For a soft sugar cookie, roll the dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. For crisper cookies you can roll the dough thinner to 1/8 inch. I prefer 1/4-inch thick cookies!
- Cut out the cookies with desired cookie cutters, then use a thin spatula to transfer the cookies to the cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes until set. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
You also might like these gluten-free funfetti sugar cookies!
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Frosting
These gluten-free sugar cookies are perfect for any holiday! We like making them as Christmas cookies during the holiday season. They also make great hearts for a Valentine’s cookie, pumpkins for a Halloween cookie and more.
You can use any frosting you like to decorate these cookies. They work well with royal icing or buttercream frosting.
I’ve included my favorite recipe for buttercream frosting (that has a secret ingredient) in the recipe below. Once you try sour cream in buttercream frosting you’ll never go back! It’s so delicious.
Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Store: Store the cookies in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: Plain gluten-free sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. To freeze, layer the cookies between sheets of parchment paper and place in a freezer-friendly container or Ziploc. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
Making gluten-free sugar cookies is one of our favorite holiday traditions! I hope you like this recipe as much as we do! If you try it be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies (Tried & True!)
Video
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup butter softened, 227g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup sour cream 60g (dairy-free sour cream works!)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour 380g
For the Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter 113g
- 1/4 cup sour cream 60g (dairy-free sour cream works!)
- 3 cups powdered sugar 390g
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons milk or almond milk
- food coloring optional
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer) add the butter and granulated sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, salt and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add half of the sour cream followed by the cornstarch. Add 1/2 of the flour followed by the other 1/2 of the sour cream. Mix until combined then add the other 1/2 of the flour and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl then mix again until totally combined.
- Divide the dough into two flattened balls and wrap each ball tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Bake the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Lightly sprinkle a clean counter with gluten-free flour. Roll out the chilled dough to the desired thickness on the lightly floured surface. (Tip: For a soft sugar cookie, roll the dough until it is about ¼-inch thick. For crisper cookies you can roll the dough thinner to ⅛ inch. I prefer ¼-inch thick cookies!)
- Cut out the cookies with desired cookie cutters, then use a thin spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared pan.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes until set. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a hand mixer, whip until light and fluffy. Add a little more milk if the frosting is too thick, or more powdered sugar if it’s too thin.
- Frost the cookies as desired. Enjoy!
How long can the frosting sit out?
Hi there, since the frosting contains dairy it’s best to store the frosting (or frosted cookies) in the fridge (they’ll last up to 5 days). The frosting can sit out at room temperature for a couple hours safely. Unfrosted cookies can stay out much longer. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hi! Thank you so much for publishing this recipe! I can’t wait to try it. My question is, can I use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, as I don’t want to have to make another trip to the store. Thank you and happy holidays!
Hi Lisa, thank you for your question! You can use full fat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. Happy holidays!
Hello,
I don’t have many cutout cookie cutters, but I have cookie molds. Do you think this recipe would work in a mold?
Hi Deborah, we haven’t tried this recipe using cookie molds, but it’s worth a try! We’d love to hear how it goes!
May I substitute the sour cream with no fat Greek yogurt?
Hi Dee, we recommend full fat Greek yogurt as a replacement for the sour cream. You can try non-fat Greek yogurt, but it will most likely impact the richness and moisture of the cookies since they need the fat content for the best results. We hope this helps!
Could I use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream?
Hi Danielle, that should work! We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hi Erin!
Looking to make these vegan-friendly, and wondering whether egg replacer is a good substitute for the egg, or if I should use something else (not sure apple sauce would work here).
LOOK NO FURTHER these ARE the ones. For that classic sugar cookie taste and feel yes yes and more yes. I made mine on the thick side and it’s they reminded me of my favorite sugar cookie back when I could eat gluten. Thank you Erin!
Aww, thank you for such kind feedback, Johanna! We’re so glad you loved them. Thank you for sharing with us!
These are SOOO good! The frosting addition is key in my opinion but I’m sure would be great with other options as well! So delicious!
Yay! We’re so glad you loved the recipe, Sarah! We love the frosting too! Thanks for sharing with us. Happy baking!
Hi there! I am excited to try these cookies! I am just wondering what the best gluten-free flour for baking is and if I remove the almond extract will it alter the tastiness of the cookie, or will I be ok?
Thanks so much!
Hi Alana, we love King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour. Erin uses it in a lot of her recipes. You can leave the almond extract out or replace it with more vanilla to ensure plenty of flavor. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Can the dough be placed in the freezer? It states the baked cookies can, but curious if the dough can be made a head and froze.
Hi Sarah, yes you can freeze the dough cutouts and bake at a later time. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Will they do okay with all DF butter and no shortening? Thank you!!
Hi Julie, the shortening adds stability and reduces spreading when the cookies are baked since it’s all fat and vegan butter often contains water. You can try it without the shortening and all DF butter, but we’d recommend chilling the dough longer before baking. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Help I’m confused by this mention of shortening because I don’t see anything except butter listed in the ingredients?
Hi Emily, we offer a dairy-free option to replace the butter with a combo of vegan butter and shortening. Otherwise, if not needing dairy-free, we recommend regular butter. We hope this helps!
Is the butter supposed to be unsalted?
Hi Amy, salted butter works best! We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hi, would love to try these but am grain free & sugar free. Do you think subbing almond flour and monkfruit 1:1 for sugar and standard flour will work?
Hi there, these won’t work the same with almond flour, but we do have a great almond flour sugar cookie recipe you may like! We don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes so we haven’t tested it with monkfruit to say how that would impact the taste and texture. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Have you ever tried baking these in a sheet pan and cutting squares after they bake?
Hi Jolynne, we haven’t tested that out, but it sounds possible! You’d most likely need to let them bake longer, but the duration would depend on the thickness. If you try it, we’d recommend starting with the original baking time and monitoring from there. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi Stephie, thank you for your feedback! We hope one of our other cookie recipes will be a better fit for you. Happy baking!
This is so good. My mom is gluten intolerant so I’m always trying to find good recipes for her. Instead of the vanilla, almond, and cornstarch, I used one of my Breakfast Essentials vanilla milkshake packets that tastes like pudding, and added a tablespoon of water to compensate. It tastes like cream cheese cookies. It was so hard to actually make cookies instead of eating the dough!
We’re so glad you liked it, Amber! It’s good to know those modifications worked. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us!
Fantastic recipe! Your gluten-free sugar cookies look scrumptious and are a great option for those with dietary restrictions. Thanks for sharing such a tasty and inclusive treat!
Thank you for the kind feedback! We’re glad you liked the recipe!
Yep, I would say these are pretty much total perfection. I’ve tried a large amount of recipes for sugar cookies and yes these are The Ones. It does depend on what GF flour I use–I use my every day 1:1 flour sometimes, but for holidays I use a higher-priced one.
Aww, we appreciate your kind words, Gaye! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us!