These soft, gluten-free Crumbl cookies have a chewy center and are topped with a swirl of fluffy cinnamon frosting. Friends who have eaten real Crumbl Snickerdoodles have told me that these gluten free copycats taste just like the iconic Crumbl Snickerdoodle, maybe even better. If you have wished Crumbl came out with gluten free cookies, these bakery-style copycats are delicious and fun to make.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: Since Crumbl does not have a regular gluten free cookie, I built a delicious copycat of its frosted snickerdoodle cookie. These cookies bake up thick and soft with lightly crisp edges and finish with a cinnamon buttercream swirl.
“My daughter and I both have celiac. We have a hard time finding baked goodies that don’t taste gluten-free. Usually, the texture is off and/or they seem to be dense. This cookie recipe was a 10 out of 10 for us. We’ll definitely make these again.”
Brooke E., Facebook comment
I have been eyeing the new Crumbl Cookie store that moved into town for weeks. This cookie store sells only a few cookie flavors each week, but the list constantly rotates. They make unique cookie flavors, many served warm, and they deliver.
Unfortunately, Crumbl does not sell gluten-free cookies. I wish they made gluten-free cookies, but with their open kitchens, they can not do this safely without cross-contamination with gluten. But one can dream, right? Luckily for me, these homemade Crumbl cookies have the same flavors and texture as Crumbl snickerdoodle cookies.
I based this cookie on my popular Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle recipe, with just a few simple tweaks. This is my favorite copycat Crumbl cookie flavor by far. You can also swap and use this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookie recipe in the fall.
Why This Recipe Works (When Others Do Not):
You may have seen other recipes online that suggest you can just “swap in a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend” to make a regular cookie recipe gluten-free. As someone who has been baking gluten-free for over a decade and testing every recipe on this blog multiple times, I am here to tell you that it is not always that simple. Every flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, and some need added binders or moisture adjustments to work.
That is why I tested this cookie recipe with two popular gluten-free flour blends (King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1) and included reader feedback about using Cup4Cup, so you know exactly what to expect. You can make these cookies knowing the texture will turn out soft, chewy, and delicious, not dry, gritty, or flat like what happens with a basic flour swap.
You will also notice my recipe doesn’t include cream of tartar. When testing these cookies, I found they were softer when I used aluminum-free baking powder. Crumbl cookies are known for their soft texture, and I wanted these cookies to have a similar texture.
I also made a copycat of Crumbl’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcake Cookies, Gluten-Free Rocky Road Cookies, Gluten-Free Cornbread Crumbl copycat, and these Gluten-Free Crumbl Buckeye Cookies.
Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Other blends will work; just adjust if the dough is too wet or dry. One reader tested Cup4Cup (old version) and said they needed to add 1/4 cup of additional flour. If your gluten free flour blend does not contain a binder, please add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Other flour blends should work, but adjust the dough moisture as needed. Every flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, which affects moisture. Read Why Gluten Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more.
- Binder – If your flour blend doesn’t include a binder, add one to your dry ingredients. Binders are what prevent your baked goods from falling apart. I recommend 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Read Why Binders Matter in Gluten Free Baking to learn more.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar adds sweetness and balances the cinnamon. Powdered sugar is for the frosting.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid any metallic aftertaste.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. See the Substitutions below for a dairy-free version.
- Eggs – Use large eggs. Eggs help to bind the dough and help give these cookies a soft, tender interior. See the Substitutions for a reader tested egg-free version.
Substitutions:
- Make these cookies dairy-free using a plant-based butter.
- Make these cookies gum-free using my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. It is made with psyllium husk powder and has no gums.
- Make these cookies egg-free. I didn’t test this, but one of my readers emailed me that they used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer to make this recipe egg-free, and it worked great.
“These are stinkin delicious!! Me family loves them and the frosting is to die for! I’ve made them twice this week😅😊.”
Jessica B., Pinterest comment
How to Make Gluten Free Crumbl Cookies (Step-By-Step)
Sandi Says: I mixed these cookies in mixing bowls. You can also make the cookie dough in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the wet ingredients to the stand mixer, and then gradually add the dry ingredients.
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients and whisk until they are well blended. I use a whisk because it helps mix ingredients thoroughly.
Step 2: Heat the butter in a microwave-safe dish for 25 seconds to soften it. Don’t let it get too hot, or it can cook the eggs. If you notice your butter is too hot, let it sit for a few minutes, then add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Partially melting the butter incorporates less air than creamed butter, which gives a denser, chewier cookie.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix well. You should end up with a soft cookie dough. If yours is dry or hard, add more butter. If it is too wet, add more flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
👀 Sandi Says: Resting lets the rice flour hydrate, which reduces grit, and it firms the butter, which limits spread
Step 4: Combine the ground cinnamon and white sugar in a small bowl. Whisk to blend.
Step 5: Scoop up the dough with a medium-sized cookie scoop. Roll it into a ball with your hands, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat it all around.
Want oversized cookies like Crumbl makes? Use two scoops of dough per cookie. Crumbl cookies are famous for their large size.
Step 6: Place the cookie dough balls onto a prepared baking sheet. I lined my
Step 7: Bake the cookies at 350º F for 12-14 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Remove the gluten-free cookies from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
👀 Sandi Says: Do not frost the cookies until they are completely cooled to room temperature. Warm cookies will make the frosting melt.
Step 8: Add the cinnamon frosting ingredients, including powdered sugar, butter, cinnamon, and milk, to a standing mixer bowl. Attach a wire whisk attachment to the stand mixer.
Mix the frosting on low speed, then gradually increase the speed until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the powdered sugar.
Step 9: Place a circle tip (I used an 1A-size frosting tip) into a piping bag. Put the frosting into the bag. Line the cookies up on the wire rack. Hold the piping bag over the middle of a cookie. Gently squeeze the frosting bag so a little frosting comes out in the middle of the cookie, then swirl outward while squeezing. This will help you make the famous Crumbl frosting swirl pattern (spiral) on top of the cookie.
🔑 Sandi says: Don’t frost too close to the edge. Leave a little space so it is easy to hold them without getting frosting all over your fingers. You can check out all of my Favorite Cookie Baking Tools for suggestions.
Step 10: Refrigerate the cookies for 15 minutes to set the frosting, then sprinkle some of the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture over the frosting.
Feel free to add sprinkles if you want. Check my Gluten-Free Sprinkles List to check the sprinkles you use to ensure they are gluten-free.
Why did my cookies spread?
If your cookies spread, it is most likely that you used a gluten free flour blend that was higher in starch. Starchy blends need more flour. To fix this next time, add 1-2 TBSP of additional flour until your cookie dough matches the texture of mine in the photos above.
Why are my gluten free cookies gritty?
If your cookies are turning out gritty, it is the rice flour in your gluten free flour blend. To fix this issue, let your cookie dough rest for 15 minutes. This gives time for the rice flour to rehydrate and soften.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I have not tested coconut sugar instead of white sugar in the cookie recipe. In theory, it should work as it does in other cookie recipes I make.
Yes! Just swap dairy-free butter such as Smart Balance.
I also have a helpful gluten free cookie troubleshooting guide if you need more guidance in gluten free cookie baking.
For more information on frosting, including how to add flavors, colors, and decorating tips, check out my Gluten-Free Frosting Guide! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this gluten free Crumbl cookie recipe!
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes:
Try more of my delicious gluten-free cookie recipes or one of these favorites:
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free Crumbl cookie recipe? I would love to hear how it turned out, and which flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gluten Free Crumbl Snickerdoodles (With Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk or non-dairy milk
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon You can definitely add more
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend them together.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add ½ cup unsalted butter (partially melted), 2 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix into a soft cookie dough. Optional: Feel free to chill the dough for 15-30 minutes. This can help eliminate the grit from rice flour in your flour blend.
- NOTE: You can also use a standing mixer to make this cookie dough. If you use one, add the wet ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and then gradually add your blended dry ingredients on low speed. Turn off the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl down, and slowly increase the speed to medium.
- In a shallow bowl, add the ¼ cup cane sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and mix it well.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough. If you only have a small cookie scoop, use two scoops per cookie.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls. Roll the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat all sides of the balls. Place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Press each cookie down slightly. Bake for 12 minutes until done.
- Remove the cookies from the oven to a cooling rack. Do not frost the cookies until they are fully cool!ed
- Use a standing mixer or electric handheld mixer to whip up the ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon milk or non-dairy milk, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Put a small circle frosting tip into a frosting bag. Add the frosting to the bag.
- To frost the cookies, start in the middle of a cookie and swirl the frosting as you pipe it in a spiral towards the edges of the cookie.
- Place the cookies into the refrigerator to set the frosting. You can sprinkle leftover cinnamon sugar over the frosting if you like.
Nutrition
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean other flours won’t work; I just haven’t tested others. Note that every gluten free flour blend has a different grain-to-starch ratio, which can affect the moisture level of your cookie dough. If your batter is runny, you need to add more flour. If your batter is dry, you need to add more melted butter. You can read Why Gluten Free Flour Blends Vary for more details.
- Binder – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- One reader said Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer worked for an egg-free version. I haven’t personally tested it, so please leave a comment if you had great results, as my reader did.
Storage and Freezing Instructions:
- Store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. These cookies are easy to freeze.
- I recommend flash-freezing the cookies on a tray to solidify the frosting swirls, then placing them in a freezer bag in a single layer. Thaw them on the counter.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
These came out perfect! I have always loved snickerdoodles but could not achieve soft puffy cookies until now. I am definitely keeping this one on repeat.
I am so glad you love these snickerdoodles. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment.
I made these gluten free snickerdoodle cookies today and they turned out delicious! moist, chewy and cooked perfect.I used king Arthur measure to measure.
I am so glad you loved these cookies. They are one of my personal favorites. Thank you, Starla :-).
Has anyone tried the recipe with an egg replacer?
Hi Carrie, I haven’t heard of anyone using an egg replacer in this particular recipe, but many readers have great luck using Bob’s Egg Replacer in my other cookie recipes. It leads me to think you can use that in this recipe without issues.
I made these with plant based butter and without the frosting. They were GREAT!
I am so glad you loved the cookies. I am sure other readers will be so glad to know they are great with vegan butter. Thank you!
Perfection! I will make these all the time.
You made my day. I am so glad you loved the cookie recipe and want to add it to your favorites list!
Snickerdoodles are my son-in-laws favorite cookie and I used to bake them for him often. Being gluten free, I keep a 100% gluten free kitchen. He thought he would never get a good snickerdoodle again. When I made these for him and he tasted them, he thanked me profusely for making him “regular” cookies – lol. He loved them! He couldn’t believe it when I told him they were actually gluten free. So thank you, again, for another fantastic recipe! You make being gluten free about as easy as it can be.
I am so glad your son in law loved this recipe. My husband is also a huge Snickerdoodle fan…so I totally know how important having a favorite cookie is. Thank you!
SO YUMMY! Made with KA flour and Violife butter. Silk almond milk for the frosting party. I made them too big (next time I will also refrigerate the dough). It was a bit soft and stinky but then rolled in the cinnamon sugar it was easier to handle and “plop” onto a cookie sheet. My kids absolutely LOVED these. I think I will make a tad more frosting though, I didn’t have enough for the last cookie. Next day, they were even better! Thank you so much for this recipe. Definitely will make again and would love some sort of a regular cake batter sugar cookie version to make birthday cake ones or maybe a strawberry or lemon… missed crumbl so much!
I am so glad you loved the recipe. I would definitely try chilling the dough. I haven’t used VioLife butter, but I have used Smart Balance in this recipe.
Going to try this recipe out this weekend & I was wondering if I can use a milk substitute for the frosting? Would almond milk be ok? Thank you in advance!
Hi Krystyna, That should be fine. I use Milkadamia nut-milk often in my recipes. I hope you enjoy the cookies.
I used Silk almond milk 🙂
The taste is great but my texture was way off. My cookies really spread in the oven. I’m wondering if I should whip the dairy free butter (I used Earth Balance) before adding eggs and vanilla? My dough felt very sticky after I added the dry ingredients as well. Any advice? I followed the directions otherwise and used Bobs Red Mill 1:1 baking flour. Thanks!
Hi Nicole, Thank you for your note. I did use that flour blend to test this recipe, so maybe it is the Earth Balance getting melted that is the issue. The dough isn’t typically sticky. I agree with you to whip the dairy-free butter with the sugar and try it that way to see if it helps. Please do keep me posted.
I used Land o’ Lakes butter and King Arthur flour. My dough is very sticky and unrollable.
Hi Buffie, It sounds like you may have used a flour blend I haven’t tested. Every blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. If your dough was sticky, you needed to use more flour (your blend was starchy). I don’t roll my dough, so I was a little confused by your mentioning this.
Hi Sandi
Do you have any experience using coconut sugar or maple syrup in place of white sugar in baking? I was thinking of trying it with these cookies but I don’t want to compromise the delicious taste and outcome.
Hi Marybeth, I haven’t experimented with alternate sweeteners in this recipe.
I had this too, and wondering if it was the vegan butter used. I will try the alternative method too (whip it first and Sandi also recommended refridgerating too)