These delicious gluten free lemon crinkle cookies are full of sweet tart lemon flavor. They have a sweet, powdered sugar coating that makes these cookies melt in your mouth! If you love lemon, this is a must-make cookie recipe! Make a batch in under 35 minutes!
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: These homemade gluten free lemon crinkle cookies are full of sweet lemon flavor. They are baked with a powdered sugar coating, which creates the crinkle effect. They are made with simple ingredients, and you can make a big batch in 30 minutes.
I am a lemon lover and these cookies did not disappoint. Instructions were super easy to follow and the bake time was spot on. My family could not tell they were gluten free. I will definitely be making this recipe again!! If you like lemon these are your cookies!!!”
Debbie, Blog comment
Hurray for my small, mighty lemon tree. It gives us the best lemons for cooking and baking. For this special cookie recipe, you can add a little yellow food coloring if you want a brighter yellow color. These cookies will turn out a pale yellow color without it, but the flavor is the same either way!
I have a lot of great homemade gluten free lemon recipes. If you love lemon flavor, check out some of my recipes! If you are a cookie fan, I have over 100 gluten free cookie recipes to try!
Testing Notes From My Kitchen
This cookie recipe uses fresh lemon juice and zest for flavor. I tested it with my two go-to cookie flour blends, King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Both blends worked very well. There is an optional step for chilling the dough. If you worry about your cookies turning out with a little grit, do this optional step. It allows the rice flour to soften.
I tested this recipe using regular butter and Earth Balance dairy-free butter for my readers who are dairy-free. Both worked very well in this recipe. These cookies do not turn bright yellow because they are made without Jell-O or any artificial ingredients. This is intentional in this recipe. If you want more yellow color, you can add a little food coloring.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. I found both worked well. The Bob’s needed about 1 tablespoon more flour than the KA flour blend. Other blends should work well in this recipe, but watch the moisture of the cookie dough and adjust with more flour or liquid as needed.
- Binder – Binders are critical for gluten free baking. If your blend doesn’t contain a binder, you can add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
- Lemon – Use fresh lemon juice or bottled. The benefit of using fresh is you have the zest for more flavor!
- Powdered Sugar – Most powdered sugar should be gluten free. Always read the label.
- Egg – I tested the recipe using large eggs.
If you enjoy crinkle-style cookies, try these Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies or these Gluten-Free Eggnog Crinkle Cookies.
How to Make Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well using a whisk.
Step 2: Whisk the partially melted butter in a microwave-safe bowl and add the wet ingredients to a bowl.
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Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to mix your cookie dough.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the batter’s moisture. If your cookie dough is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquid.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 4: This is a photo of what your dough should look like. Use the notes below about flour blends to adjust the dough as needed.
Optional: I advise chilling the dough for 30 minutes. This will help the cookies hold their shape and bake the perfect size. It also allows the rice flour in the flour blend to soften, so you do not end up with gritty cookies.
Step 5: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper as I did, or use this gluten free baking spray to prevent sticking. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop up some cookie dough. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls.
👀 Sandi Says: I recommend the cookie scoop because it helps make the cookies the same size. I like the XOXO brand cookie scoop because it is well made and lasts longer than other brands I have tested.
Step 6: Now, it is time to make the famous crinkles you see in this type of cookie. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball in the powdered sugar.
Step 7: Arrange the cookie dough balls so they have a little room to spread. Bake at 350º F for 10-11 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie dough balls.
Step 8: Remove the cookies from the oven and move them to a wire cooling rack. I slide the parchment paper with the baked cookies onto the rack. Try not to handle them too much because they will be a little fragile until they cool.
Tips for perfect gluten-free cookies:
1. Chill the dough. This has two purposes: it reduces spread and gives the rice flour in the blend time to soften, eliminating grittiness.
2. Use the right flour blend. Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. Here are the types of gluten-free blends and the types of recipes in which they work best.
3. I have a very helpful Gluten-Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide in case you need more guidance and tips.
4. Use the right tools. I wrote about all of my favorite cookie-making tools. Let me know what tools you like to use!
I have some great cookie baking tool recommendations that can help. You may also love this Gluten Free Lemon Shortbread Cookie recipe.
If you love crinkle cookies, I have Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Gluten Free Eggnog Crinkle Cookies, and Gluten Free Honey Crinkle Cookie recipes to try.
More Gluten Free Lemon Recipes:
Here are more of my favorite gluten free lemon recipes. I hope they inspire you to try them!
- The Best Gluten Free Lemon Brownies
- Gluten Free Lemon Layer Cake
- Fluffy Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Gluten Free Lemon Madeleines
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies In 30 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend * see notes
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 drops yellow food coloring
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. If you are going to chill your dough, which is recommended, but not required, preheat the oven when you remove the dough from the refrigerator.
- Note you can use mixing bowls as I did, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make this cookie dough.
- Combine the 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 cup cane sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Whisk the partially melted 1/2 cup unsalted butter in a microwave-safe bowl and add the rest of the 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to a bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix into cookie dough. If your cookie dough is very wet, add more flour. Every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio, so having dough variation is normal. If your dough is really dry you will need more butter.
- Optional: I advise chilling the dough for 30 minutes. This will help the cookies hold their shape and bake the perfect size. It also allows the rice flour in the flour blend to soften, so you do not end up with gritty cookies.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper as I did, or use this gluten free baking spray to prevent sticking. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop up some cookie dough. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls.
- Now, it is time to make the famous crinkles you see in this type of cookie. Place the 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball in the powdered sugar.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls so they have a little room to spread. Bake at 350º F for 10-11 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie dough balls.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and move them to a wire cooling rack. I slide the parchment paper with the baked cookies onto the rack. Try not to handle them too much because they will be a little fragile until they cool.
Nutrition
Notes
- I tested this recipe with both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s 1:1 blends. Other blends should work, but you may need to tweak the ingredients to get the right dough consistency.
- If your blend doesn’t contain a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
- These gluten-free lemon crinkle cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to three days. Because gluten-free foods tend to spoil quickly, I recommend freezing them after day one because they will remain fresh for up to 3 months. Place cooled cookies into a freezer-safe zipper bag. Squeeze out any extra air and place them in the freezer. Thaw the cookies on the counter or in the microwave for 10 seconds.
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!
I am a lemon lover and these cookies did not disappoint. Instructions were super easy to follow and the bake time was spot on. My family could not tell they were gluten free. I will definitely be making this recipe again!! If you like lemon these are your cookies!!!
I am so glad you loved my new cookie recipe! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it!