These gluten-free snickerdoodles bake up with crisp, golden edges, soft centers, and that classic crackly top dusted in sweet spice. They’re just the thing to make when you’re craving a cookie that is simple, nostalgic, and full of cinnamon sugar flavor in every bite.
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This is the ultimate in classic gluten-free cookies. Mr. Fearless Dining has always been a fan of Snickerdoodles, but for some reason, I have never posted my recipe on the blog. This easy gluten-free Snickerdoodle cookie recipe is the stuff dreams are made of.
Although Snickerdoodles are typically soft cookies, they have a little crispiness, so you can also use them to make perfect ice cream sandwiches. All you need is 20 minutes to make this simple Snickerdoodle recipe!
This homemade Snickerdoodle recipe is the base cookie in my popular Gluten-Free Crumbl Snickerdoodle Cookie copycat!
These Gluten-Free Russian Tea Cookies are another fun cookie recipe to make. If you love baking cookies, I have 100s of delicious gluten-free cookie recipes to try!
Are you ready to see how easy these soft gluten-free Snickerdoodles are to make? First, gather your ingredients.
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 Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Other blends will definitely work, but you may need to adjust moisture levels. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary So Much to learn more.
- Sugar – Use cane sugar.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend does not contain a binder, please add 3/4 teaspoon. Read Why Binders are Important in Gluten-Free Baking to learn more about binders.
- Ground Cinnamon – This spice is for rolling the dough in.
- Eggs – I recommend large eggs.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. Use a dairy-free butter like Earth Balance if you are dairy-free
- Vanilla Extract – I recommend using pure vanilla extract. It makes a big difference in the flavor, trust me!
A Note From My Kitchen
This is the recipe I make when I have something to add to the “Honey Do” list. They are Mr. Fearless Dining’s favorite. I have tested this recipe with multiple flour blends over the years. As I mentioned above, every blend performs a little differently depending on the starch-to-grain ratio. It is very normal to need to adjust the cookie dough. If it looks too soft, chill it and add more flour if needed. If it seems too hard or dry, add more melted butter.
How to Make Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar:
Step 1: Add the gluten-free flour blend, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt into a large
Step 2: Partially melt the butter to soften it, then add it to a
Note that you want your butter to be very soft and partially melted, but not super hot. If your butter is too hot, it will cook the eggs when you mix them.
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Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them into a cookie dough.
As in this photo above, your Snickerdoodle cookie dough will be a little stiff. If your dough is runnier, add more flour. If your dough is thicker, it is okay to mix in a little more butter. Every flour blend varies depending on the starch-to-grain ratio.
Step 4: Use a
I use parchment paper on the cookie pan to prevent the cookies from sticking. You can also use this gluten-free baking spray on the cookie pan if you prefer. (Always check to ensure your baking spray is gluten-free! Pam baking spray is NOT gluten-free.)
Step 5: Use a glass bottom or your hand to partially flatten the cookie balls.
Step 6: Bake at 350º F for 10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Remove from the oven to cool. Cool for two minutes, then move the cookies to a wire rack.
You may also love these Gluten-Free Apple Butter Snickerdoodles or this Gluten-Free Toll House Cookie recipe!
Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles:
- Use room-temperature eggs. I know it sounds odd to use eggs at room temperature, but it really helps how your cookies will turn out.
- Take special care to measure your gluten free flour correctly. If you add in too much gluten free flour, it can mess with the cookies as they bake. If they don’t have the proper ratios of ingredients, you may end up with a disaster.
- Chill your dough when possible. I know you are probably ready to eat your cookies right now, but taking a few minutes to chill the batter makes them less likely to spread.
- Use a cooled cookie sheet when baking. Don’t put cookie dough on a hot
cookie sheet , or the cookies won’t turn out. They start baking immediately, and it messes with their shape. Use a couple of sheets and rotate them out when making large batches of cookies.
I wrote a Gluten-Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide to help you make the best cookies. If you love the flavors of chai, try my Gluten-Free Chai Snickerdoodles recipe too!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Cream of tartar adds a delicious flavor, but some people with food allergies can not tolerate it, so I wanted to create a gluten-free Snickerdoodle recipe made without cream of tartar.
These snickerdoodles will keep fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container or freeze.
You can definitely freeze these gluten free cookies! They taste deliciously frozen! They will keep up to 4 months in the freezer. Simply place your cooled cookies in a freezer bag and pop it into the freezer.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes:
- A cross between a cookie and a brownie, these yummy Gluten-Free Brookies can easily become your favorite.
- Sprinkles make these Gluten-Free Funfetti Cookies colorful for a party.
- This delicious Gluten-Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles recipe is a variation of my snickerdoodles recipe.
- These Gluten-Free Gingerdoodles are perfect for the holidays!
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies
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!
Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted, but not too hot!
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- sugar and cinnamon for rolling
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend, 3/4 cup cane sugar, 1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Use a wire whisk to blend.
- Add 1/2 cup unsalted butter (partially melted), 2 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract into a smaller bowl and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Note, you can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you prefer to use a mixer.
- If your cookie dough looks too soft, chill it. If that doesn't firm it up, add a little more flour. if your dough is too hard or dry, add more softened butter. Every flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, which affects moisture levels.
- Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to make cookie dough balls. Roll the dough into balls.
- In a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons sugar to 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix it up.
- Drop each cookie ball into the cinnamon sugar and roll it around. Place each cookie onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Use the bottom of a glass to press each cookie down a little.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- To make your snickerdoodles dairy-free, use vegan butter.
- I really like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure in this recipe. Other brands will most likely work too; Adjust the moisture level as needed.
- If your gluten free flour blend does not contain a binder like Xanthan Gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon to your flour mix.
- To flatten your cookie balls after rolling in the sugar-cinnamon blend, use the bottom of a glass.
- If you make your cookies large, they make great ice cream sandwiches with ice cream.
- These cookies will keep fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze them in a zipper bag, and they will keep 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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 cookies are the best!! I make them for my son who is GF but of course I had to save some for my boyfriend. He’s not GF and loves them!
Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
I am so glad your son loved these cookies. Snickerdoodles are my husband’s favorite as well.
I made these cookies for first time came out perfect. I love them.
Thank you for sharing recipe.
I am really glad you loved these cookies. My husband is a huge snickerdoodle fan. Thank you so much!
These came out perfect and delicious! The only thing I did differently is not flattening the dough, because we like our cookies a little thicker. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am so glad you loved them. These are my husband’s favorite :-).
what about the cream of tartar?
This specific gf snickerdoodle recipe is made without cream of tartar.
These are really good! Took a couple tries. Put batter in fridge between baking as mine was too thin. Thank you!
I am so glad you loved the recipe Kelly!! Thank you so much for coming back. If the batter is a bit thin, which can happen depending on how you measure your flour and the blend you use, just add 2-3 TBSP additional flour.
You show salt in the picture but it’s not in the recipe. I am getting ready to bake them and I’m not sure what to do.
Hi Karen, That is odd, I added it back. I used 1/8 teaspoon of salt, but you can use less, down to a small dash.
I have made this recipe a plethora of times over the past year for my friends and family. I eat gluten free and so whenever I bake for others that’s what they get and no one can ever tell the difference. I just wanted to thank you for the fabulous & simple GF cookie recipe that I can’t get enough of!!
You made my year…thank you so much for coming back to tell me you loved the recipe!
First time making gluten free cookies. I also substituted erythritol for the sugar. Not quite as sweet. These had a good texture, I will make a double batch next time.
I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe. I haven’t baked with erythritol and I am sure your comment will help others who do so thank you so much.
Is the butter unsalted or regular?
Hi, the butter is unsalted.
Hi I made these a few days ago, they turned out quite well but I had to add more flour as my mixture was very wet and sloppy still,I made 12 plain and 12 with choc chips, they well crumbly and not too sweet but they were huge. Which my hubby and sons liked, not sure if they tasted as they should as we dont have them in the UK but will definitely make them again maybe with raisins or fudge pieces. I’m not sure mine would have faired to well it I had tried to put ice cream in them, but my lot liked them and they are the third biscuit I have made that didnt end up as one giant biscuit lol. Thanks for posting I’m gonna check out some of your other gf recipes x
Thank you so much for your note…which gluten free flour blend did you use, and did it contain Xanthan gum? Every blend has a different flour/starch ratio, which can affect the moisture level greatly…and some don’t include Xanthan Gum (holds things together better).
Can i use almond flour instead as i don’t have the gluten free mix?thank you.
Hi Courtney, almond flour by itself will not hold together very well, it needs to be blended with other flours or some type of binder.
Did I miss the cream of tartar in the actual recipe. I saw it on “what you need” but it’s not on the recipe itself. Can you advise how much?
Hi Shonne, thank you for catching that. I ended up not having it so I didn’t use it in the recipe. I took it out to avoid confusion. Thank you again!