These sunbutter cookies are the perfect combination of sweet, salty, chewy, and wholesome. They're vegan, nut-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and easily made gluten-free. Ready in 25 minutes!
If you're a fan of sunflower seed butter you're going to love these deliciously rich and nutty-tasting cookies!
We love sunbutter cookies because they're:
- made from healthy, plant-based ingredients (WFPB)
- easy to prepare and ready in less than 25 minutes
- nut-free, vegan, and great for school lunch boxes
- naturally sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar
- and every bit as delicious as peanut butter cookies!
Ingredients
- roasted sunflower seed butter - I usually buy the unsweetened one from Trader Joe's, but there are several other brands available in stores and online, including the Sunbutter name brand. Or see tips below for making your own sunbutter at home!
- coconut sugar or other granulated sweetener
- maple syrup - if using sweetened sunbutter, decrease the maple syrup to 3 tablespoons and add 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk.
- flour - I've tested both spelt and oat flour in this recipe; all-purpose gluten-free flour should work, too.
- vanilla extract
See recipe card below for quantities and full instructions.
Equipment
To make this recipe you'll need:
- a mixing bowl and fork
- parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- and a large baking sheet
How To Make Sunbutter Cookies
I promised you they're easy, right? Here's a quick overview of the process. See recipe card below for full instructions.
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- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl cream together the sunbutter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. *Add ¼ teaspoon salt if using an unsalted sunflower seed butter.
- Add flour and stir just until a smooth dough forms.
- Scoop up 1 rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie. Roll between your palms to form a smooth ball, and place on baking sheet about 3 inches apart.
- Use the tines of a fork to create a criss-cross pattern on top of each cookie. This also flattens and helps them bake evenly.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. Carefully check the underside of one cookie, which should be golden.
- The cookies will be very soft straight from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a plate or cooling rack.
Tips and Substitutions
If you prefer to make your own sunflower seed butter, it's very easy to do. Follow this recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows, and simply omit the sugar, oil, and flavorings.
I haven't had a chance to test other flours in this cookie recipe (only oat and spelt), but I find it to be a pretty forgiving cookie. Similar to my peanut butter cookies, I suspect a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend would work well, as would whole wheat or all-purpose.
The recipe makes exactly one dozen cookies, so if you have a hungry family or are baking for a crowd, go ahead and double it!
Sunbutter cookies are freezer-friendly. Just make sure they are wrapped/sealed well to protect from freezer burn, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
RELATED: Check out my Top 12 Vegan Baking Tips!
Love nut-free recipes? Try our favorite Nut-Free Vegan Mac and Cheese and Nut-Free Vegan Ranch Dressing!
More oil-free vegan cookie recipes:
- Spiced Tahini Oatmeal Cookies
- Rosemary Tahini Cookies
- Vegan Protein Cookies
- Almond Flour Thumbprints
- Cashew Butter Cookies
- Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
I hope you love these nut-free sunbutter cookies as much as we do! If you try the recipe comment below to let us know.
By the way, they're perfect for vegan ice cream sandwiches!
Recipe
Easy Sunbutter Cookies (Vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup sunflower seed butter, unsweetened
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar or other granulated sweetener
- ¼ cup maple syrup - *Reduce to 3 tablespoon if using sweetened Sunbutter, and add 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk for consistency.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup oat flour or ½ cup spelt flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt - only needed if using unsalted sunbutter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a mixing bowl, use a fork to cream together the sunbutter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. If using unsalted sunbutter, add ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the flour and and stir until just mixed. The dough should look moist and smooth but not be too sticky.
- Scoop up one rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie. Roll the dough betwen your palms and place on cookie sheet at least 3 inches apart. The cookies will spread during baking. Use the underside of a fork to create a criss-cross pattern into the top of each ball of dough, gently pressing down to flatten into shape.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until fragrant and the undersides are golden. The cookies will be very soft straight from the oven. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for at least 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Patrice says
I was so pleased with the cookies. I made 1.5 recipes which gave me 17 cookies. My whole family liked them.
Elizabeth Halen says
Hello :)) I don’t have maple syrup :// any substitutions recommendations? Thank you
Lori says
Hi,
Yes, a syrup like agave nectar is the easiest swap. Another option is to add 1/3 cup granulated sugar (could be additional coconut sugar or another type of sugar) and 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk. Hope that helps!
Alicia says
Fantastic, simple recipe. Made these last night. With my scoop it made 12.5 cookies so of course I ate the raw half-cookie. It was delicious. Made with Sunbutter brand, which is salted, but I still added 1/8 tsp salt. I was out of real maple syrup so I used 1/4 cup honey instead. Mine was starting to solidify, so I added a splash of oat milk. Used oat flour. I found them slightly underbaked after 13 mins on my stoneware pan, but after sitting on the pan enough to cool, they did solidify into a perfect, chewy cookie. The few that got eaten after only ten minutes out of the oven were still very soft. But delicious! I love the texture. Might try these with almond and peanut butter as well. I found this recipe trying to use up my Sunbutter and coconut sugar, which I just wasn’t using. I have some vegan family members and do vegan baking & cooking somewhat often, but wow I’d actually buy Sunbutter again (which I didn’t love tbh) just to make these cookies!
Ju says
Hi could I use wow butter, my kid unfortunately doesn't like to take it to school so I'm trying to use it up some how and have her take it to school since it's nut free school.
Lori says
I haven’t tried it, but just looking at the ingredients of Wow Butter, yes, I think it will work well!
Mo says
The vegan sunbutter cookies are so easy and so good! I bake healthy treats for my neighbors and they loved these cookies so much I was told I could bake them a batch daily! I made four batches of these in about a week. Everyone but my butter addicted husband loves these. The only tweak I make is to squeeze about 20 cookies out of a recipe and sprinkle a little turbinado sugar on top for some crunch. Thank you so much for this really wonderful recipe!