These pink sugar cookies are gluten free dairy free sugar cookies that are naturally colored pink. They are so chewy, soft, and they melt in your mouth. The crackly, sugar-coated tops make them beautiful and delicious, and you only need one bowl. They are so easy to make in just 20 minutes-- no chill time required!
These are the perfect birthday sugar cookies with their fun pink color, and they're also a great Valentine's Day dessert. These heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies are another great option for Valentine's Day, too! For a non-pink version, check out these dairy-free-sugar-cookies which are so fluffy and soft.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- Allergen Friendly - These are gluten free and dairy free sugar cookies, but you can't tell because of how good they taste!
- One Bowl Cookies - They are so easy and quick to make in just one bowl.
- Natural Pink Color - There are no artificial colors or food dyes in these pink sugar cookies. They are colored with natural food coloring made from beet juice.
- Easy, No Chill Recipe - Nobody likes chilling cookie dough, but with this recipe you don't have to. You can have pink sugar cookies ready in just 20 minutes.
- Perfect for Holidays - These are the perfect birthday sugar cookies or Valentine's Day cookies with their fun pink color.
Ingredient Notes
You only need 10 ingredients for this recipe! Coconut oil sugar cookies are a simple way to make dairy-free cookies. Instead of using real butter, this recipe uses a combination of vegan butter and coconut oil which make the sugar cookies so chewy.
Here are some important notes on a few of the ingredients, including substitution recommendations to help you out:
- Vegan Butter - I like using Earth Balance or Melt vegan butter, but any dairy-free butter works. You can replace butter with more coconut oil, if you prefer.
- Coconut Oil - Soften your coconut oil slightly (but do not melt it) so it is easy to cream together with the sugar.
- Cane Sugar - Cane sugar is minimally refined, but you can replace with granulated sugar if you don't have cane sugar on hand.
- Gluten-Free Flour - Be sure to use a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour with xanthan gum in the ingredients. Almond flour or other nut flours won't work.
- Natural Food Coloring - To avoid artificial colors and dyes, use an all-natural food coloring, where the red color comes from beet juice.
Step-By-Step Instructions
I am not kidding when I say these pink sugar cookies are easy to make. Seriously, they are done in just 20 minutes! Here are instructions for making the cookies:
STEP 1: Beat butter, oil, and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the vegan butter, coconut oil, and cane sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
STEP 2: Add egg and vanilla. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed until thoroughly incorporated.
STEP 3: Add dry ingredients. Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the same bowl. Mix on low speed until just combined. Don't overmix!
STEP 4: Add natural food coloring. In small increments, mix in the natural red food coloring until the desired color is reached. You can always add more food coloring, but you can't make them "less colored" once you add too much! Mix until the color is distributed evenly throughout the sugar cookie dough.
STEP 5: Scoop cookie dough balls. Use a small one-inch cookie scoop to form the dough into balls. Roll them in cane sugar, and then place them on a greased baking sheet 1 to 2 inches apart.
TIP: Gently flatten the cookie dough balls to encourage spreading while baking. Gluten-free sugar cookies often don't spread as much, so this helps give them that thin, soft, and super-chewy texture.
STEP 6: Bake. Bake the pink sugar cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-11 minutes. They will spread and the tops should have cracks on them. They may appear soft and "underbaked," but this is good. This is what makes them chewy! Let the sugar cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
TIP: Be sure to let them cool on the pan! Don't skip this step. If you try removing the cookies too soon, they will be too soft and will crumble. Let them finish baking on the pan and you will have the best chewy sugar cookies.
Pink Sugar Cookie Variations
While these cookies are already so fun as they are, here are some more variations you can try:
- Pink Frosted Sugar Cookies - Decorating cookies with buttercream is a super easy way to make pink frosted sugar cookies. They taste delicious! I recommend baking your pink sugar cookies an extra 2 minutes so they are firm enough to frost.
- Birthday Sugar Cookies - Consider mixing vegan sprinkles into the cookie dough to create pink birthday sugar cookies. This is perfect for girl's birthday parties!
- Coconut Oil Sugar Cookies - If you want to make sugar cookies without any vegan butter, replace the butter with coconut oil to have chewy, soft coconut oil sugar cookies. The pink color really shines through in these!
If you're craving something totally different, give these gluten free pumpkin cookies or these vegan molasses cookies a try. You can always save them for later, too!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature butter - If your vegan butter has been in the fridge, it will be hard to cream it with the sugar and coconut oil. Make sure to slightly soften your butter and coconut oil to make it easy to mix, but DO NOT melt it!
- Use a cookie scoop - Using your hands to roll the dough into balls can make it too warm, increasing spreading in the oven. You won't get as many crackles on the tops of the cookies, so using a cookie scoop is best.
- Don't bake too long - The cookies will seem soft and underbaked on the tray after 10 minutes, but this is good! Remove them from the oven and let them set up on the pan for 10 minutes to finish baking. This gives you super soft and chewy pink sugar cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Add your favorite sprinkles to the cookie dough after mixing in the natural food coloring. Using rainbow sprinkles turns them into the best birthday sugar cookies!
You can dye pink cookie dough with natural red food coloring, made from beet juice instead of artificial colors and dyes. Mix in a little bit at a time, checking on the color as you go until you get the perfect shade of pink.
Yes! You can put food coloring in sugar cookies after mixing in the dry ingredients. Mix in small amounts of food coloring at a time until you get the perfect color.
There are about 294 calories in a pink sugar cookie.
Yes! Decorating cookies with buttercream is the perfect way to make sugar cookies with pink frosting. I recommend baking the cookies 1-2 minutes longer so they are firm enough to frost easily.
Yes. Freeze sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Storing And Freezing
Store the pink sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
To freeze the sugar cookies, place them in an airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months. Let them thaw on the counter for at least an hour before enjoying again.
More Cookie Recipes
If you made these pink sugar cookies, please leave a rating and review below! I'd love for you to post a photo of them on Instagram and tag me so I can share! For more recipe inspiration, follow me on Pinterest and join my email list to stay updated with new recipes and exclusive content each week.
Recipe
Pink Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Electric Mixer or stand mixer
- 1 Large Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter softened
- ½ cup coconut oil softened
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten-free 1:1 flour with xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 teaspoons natural red food coloring
- ½ cup cane sugar for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat vegan butter, coconut oil, and cane sugar with an electric hand mixer until smooth and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).½ cup vegan butter, ½ cup coconut oil, 1 cup cane sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat on medium speed until creamy and well-combined.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed until just incorporated.2 cups gluten-free 1:1 flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add natural red food coloring to the cookie dough, a small amount at a time. Stir and add more natural food coloring until the desired pink color is reached.1-2 teaspoons natural red food coloring
- Use a small 1" cookie scoop to form the dough into balls. Roll them in cane sugar before placing them on the baking sheet 1-2" apart. Gently press on the tops of the cookie dough balls to flatten them slightly to encourage spreading while baking.½ cup cane sugar
- Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes. They should spread and have crackly tops. They may appear underbaked, but this is what makes them chewy. Let them set up on the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
Sarah says
Could you please share what brand GF flour you used? I've had variable results with other recipes based on which 1:1 flour I used. Thank you, these look delish and I want to get the best results possible. ❤️
admin says
Hi Sarah! Great question. I have used King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure flour and I've also used "Divided Sunset" Gluten Free All Purpose-Flour (found at walmart). Always check to make sure there is xanthan gum in the ingredients list and the cookies should be fine! Just don't use almond flour or coconut flour, make sure it's a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour. Let me know if you have other questions!
Mallory says
Super easy and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Ana says
These pink sugar cookies are delicious! Love that its dairy free and simple to make.
Michelle says
These are so pretty! I like shaping them into hearts too and adding fun sprinkles 🙂
Sara says
Hi! If i want to make the recipe with normal all purpose flour, how can i make it work?
author says
Hi Sara! You can replace the gluten-free flour with all-purpose flour and they should turn out just fine. 🙂 Try using 2 cups all-purpose flour as a direct replacement and let me know how they turn out! Enjoy!
Katie says
These cookies are so fun and delicious! Such a perfect Valentine’s treat!
Gina Abernathy says
So Pretty and perfect for Valentine's Day (or in my book) any day would be perfect for a cookie! 🙂
nancy says
so pretty! pinned for later
Yasmin says
These look amazing! Could you make these vegan and use something to replace the egg?