These Gluten free sugar cookies are a delicious treat at any time. This simple gluten free sugar cookie recipe makes delicious soft buttery cookies with crisp edges, just as a cookie should be!! These cookies start in your mixing bowl and into your mouth in about 20 minutes!

Drop sugar cookies are one of my favorites because they have all that famous sugar cookie taste with half the work. No cookie cutters are needed; you get yummy cookies. If you prefer to use cookie cutters, you will want to try my Gluten Free Cut-Out Cookies recipe!

These gluten free sugar cookies are so good you can even use them for ice cream sandwiches! I will keep nibbling on these delicious, soft gluten free sugar cookies until summer comes.

What makes these gluten free sugar cookies so good:

  1. Crispy edges. This gluten free sugar cookie recipe makes cookies with those perfect crisp edges. They hold together beautifully.
  2. You can freeze these delicious cookies to enjoy anytime.
  3. They are made drop style, so they are easy to make
  4. I include a dairy-free option, too!

They are easy to decorate with gluten free sprinkles to make them fancy! I believe this is the best gluten free sugar cookie recipe I’ve made.

I made some yesterday and didn’t tell my husband they were gf. Just told him they were sugar cookies. He’s still eating them.”

Sharon G., Facebook comment
The top view of a stack of sugar cookies.

Okay, I know we talked about the crispy edges…and the rich, buttery taste. Let’s talk about how to make this simple gluten free sugar cookie recipe. First, gather your ingredients.

Top Pick
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Flour, 22-ounce 4 pack

This is a great gluten-free flour blend for making cookies, muffins, and biscuits. For best results, be sure to let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes before baking. Do not use this blend for yeast recipes.

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Ingredient notes:

Photos of the gluten free sugar cookies ingredients.
  • Gluten free flour blend – II tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours.
  • If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, you must add it so your cookies hold together.
  • Vanilla – please make sure you use pure vanilla extract and not imitation.
  • Butter – use dairy-free butter if you want this recipe to be dairy-free too!

Step-by-step recipe directions:

You are going to love these cookies!! It is so easy to make these cookies from scratch!

Step one and step two photos.

Step 1: Pulse the flour mixture and butter in a food processor until it looks “grainy” and crumbly.

To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon method or leveling method. In a perfect world, people weigh their flour, but most do not own a kitchen scale. Every gluten-free flour blend has a different weight, making a scale even trickier.

Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.

You can also use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.

Step 2: In a small bowl, add your wet ingredients and whisk to blend.

Pictures of steps 3 and 4 process shots.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Your dough should form a stiff ball. So far, everything is going according to plan! Wrap the gluten free sugar cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Step 4: Take the dough from the refrigerator and then preheat the oven to 350º F. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Use a cookie scoop to drop cold dough balls onto a parchment-lined cookie baking sheet. Press down in the middle of each sugar cookie and add thick baker’s sugar to each middle.

Bake the cookies at 350º F for 8-10 minutes.

A picture of a rack of sugar cookies cooling on a wire rack.

Expert tips and recipe FAQ:

Do you need to refrigerate the cookie dough?

You don’t have to refrigerate the dough, but it definitely makes the cookies better if you do. I refrigerated these for 1-2 hours.

How long will these cookies keep fresh?

These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.

Can you make these cookies dairy-free?

To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.

Can you use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar?

I do not recommend using powdered sugar in this recipe. Your cookies will not turn out well.

You may also love these Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Cookies. They are perfect for using cookie cutters!

Fun variations:

  • Add frosting  and sprinkles
  • Colored icings are a pretty way to decorate these gluten free cookies.
  • Add sprinkles to the actual cookie dough for funfetti cookies
a stack of gluten free sugar cookies

The Best Gluten Free Sugar Cookie recipe

Sandi Gaertner
An easy gluten free sugar cookie that is crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle.
4.97 from 29 votes
gluten free allergy icon
nut free allergen icon
soy free allergy icon
vegetarian icon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 19 minutes
Course Gluten Free Cookies and Bar Recipes, Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 16 cookies
Calories 160 kcal

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Cookie sheet
  • Cookie scoop

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • dash of salt
  • cup sugar
  • 10 tablespoons butter * see note
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons course baking sugar optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350º F.
  • Add dry ingredients to a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
  • Pour flour mixture into a bowl and add eggs, vanilla and water and mix well.
  • Wrap the dough ball in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Use a cookie scoop to drop balls of dough onto the cookie sheet.
  • Press down in the middle of each. Add a little of the course sugar to each center.
  • Bake for 12 minutes until done.
  • Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

Video

Notes

  1. 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 others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
  2. If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
  3. To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
  4. These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
  5. Feel free to decorate these cookies with sprinkles. You can sprinkle the dough balls, or mix sprinkles into the cookie dough before mixing. Make sure to use gluten free sprinkles brands.

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, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 71mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 248IUCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
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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.

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Recipe Rating




24 Comments

  1. I would love to use this recipe as the base for a fruit pizza (12″ pan). Do you think that will work? Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    I doubled the recipe, used half vanilla, half almond flavor. I added 1/3 cup cocoa powder, and used 1/3 cup total water. They were lovely cookies and went wonderful with my tiramisu dip.

      1. Hi Debbie, Cassava flour behaves differently and is not really an all purpose flour in context. It is mostly starch, which would behave differently in this recipe. Cassava is considered paleo and sometimes it can be substituted for a gluten free flour blend, but it absorbs more liquid and isn’t a one to one substitution measure. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, I am sorry I can’t advise better on this.

  3. 5 stars
    My gf girlfriend said these were the best cookies I’ve made. Nice simple base and I used 1:1 gf baking flour with xantham gum and they came out perfectly soft and not too sweet. I’m going to try a slight variation with peppermint oil for a holiday spin. Thanks!

    1. I am so glad she liked them. You are a pretty awesome guy to make cookies for her. My husband just gave a thumbs up 🙂

  4. 5 stars
    Wow those look delicious! I’m making cookies for a kids thing this weekend and they all have to be gluten free so this is perfect timing!

  5. 5 stars
    Sugar cookies are such a great holiday dessert! My gluten free friends will be so happy to know there’s a great recipe out there that they can enjoy for these buttery, delicious cookies!

  6. 5 stars
    I am loving all the cookie recipes there are around at the moment and this looks like a great option for people that are gluten free.