These Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cookies are soft, chewy, fluffy, tangy and citrusy! They're covered in a rich, creamy orange buttercream frosting too! They're easy to make, the cookie dough doesn't require chilling and are refined sugar free too. The perfect sweet treat for Christmas!
The Lemon Cookies recipe I recently posted was so popular that I was inspired to make some Orange Cookies too! Just like my Lemon Cookies, these Orange Cookies are a bit like Sugar Cookies: they're soft, slightly fluffy and a little chewy. A creamy orange buttercream frosting adds extra orange flavour and richness.
How to make the cookies
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together the ingredients for the cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: If the dough looks too wet: place it in the fridge for an hour to help it firm up. If it looks too dry: add a splash of any type of plant-based milk.
- Use your hands to shape the cookie dough into patties - you should be able to make 7 large cookies.
Tip: To make super fluffy cookies, I like to make sure the centre part of the cookie is slightly thicker than the rest, like in a dome shape. And don't worry, unlike traditional cookies, these ones won't spread as they bake.
- Transfer the cookies onto a rectangular baking tray.
Tip: Line the baking tray with greased baking paper to make sure the cookies don't stick.
- Bake in oven for around 10-12 minutes, until very lightly browned - be careful not to over-bake!
- They will be slightly soft when you remove them from the oven - leave to cool completely to let them harden before applying the frosting.
- Don't worry about the cracks on top - I found it was impossible to make these vegan and gluten-free orange cookies without the cracks forming on top. The cracks don't affect the taste or the texture at all, and the yummy frosting will completely cover them up!
How to make the frosting
- Place the ingredients for the frosting in a food processor or blender.
- Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
- Taste and add extra orange juice and/or maple syrup if necessary.
- Use a knife to spread a bit of frosting over each of the cookies.
How long do these Orange Cookies keep for?
These Orange Cookies do taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Substitutions you can make
- You can replace the coconut oil with coconut butter.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can replace the gluten-free flour with rice flour.
- If you don't need the cookies to be gluten-free, you can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour.
- You can replace the orange zest with 1 teaspoon orange extract.
- The ground almonds can be replaced with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds and omit the frosting or make a different frosting!
Tips for baking with oranges
- For optimum orange flavour, I would recommend using fresh oranges (not ones that you've had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and organic ones if possible.
- You can use orange juice from a carton too, but I'd recommend using a juice made from fresh oranges rather than from concentrate.
- You have to be careful when baking with orange juice as the acidity and orange flavour can really vary depending on the oranges you use.
- For the frosting, I would recommend tasting it as you're making it and adding extra orange juice (or even some orange zest or orange extract) if necessary.
- For the orange zest, make sure you use unwaxed oranges.
- If you can't get hold of unwaxed oranges, you can use orange extract instead.
More gluten-free vegan cookie recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Lemon Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Chocolate Cookies
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Millionaire Shortbread
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
- Homemade Oreos
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this
Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cookies
These Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cookies are soft and chewy, slightly fluffy and perfectly citrusy! They're covered in a rich, creamy orange buttercream frosting too! The perfect sweet treat for Christmas!
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Servings: 7 large cookies
Calories: 400kcal
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 30 g (⅛ cup) coconut oil (or sub coconut butter)
- 9 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
- 10 tablespoons orange juice (around 1 medium-sized orange)
- 2 tablespoons orange zest (make sure oranges are unwaxed - or sub 1 teaspoon orange extract)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub rice flour, or plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
For the frosting:
- 75 g (½ cup) cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 4 tablespoons orange juice (around ½ medium-sized orange)
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
- Add the maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla, and mix well.
- Measure out the dry ingredients (ground almonds, gluten-free flour and baking powder) and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well until you get a soft dough but one that's firm enough to mould.
- If the dough looks too wet, placing it in the fridge for an hour will help it firm up. If it looks too dry, add a splash of any type of plant-based milk.
- Use your hands to shape the cookie dough into patties - you should be able to make 7 large cookies. To make super fluffy cookies, I like to make sure the centre part of the cookie is slightly thicker than the rest. And don't worry, unlike traditional cookies, these ones won't spread as they bake .
- Transfer the cookies onto a baking tray/baking sheet lined with greased baking paper.
- Bake in oven for around 10-12 minutes, until very lightly browned - be careful not to over-bake!
- They will be slightly soft when you remove them from the oven - leave to cool completely to let them harden before applying the frosting.
For the frosting:
- Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and orange juice.
- Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
- Taste and add extra orange juice and/or maple syrup if necessary.
- Use a knife to spread a bit of frosting over each of the cookies.
- Taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
*You can alternatively use almond flour.
Don’t worry about the cracks on top – I found it was impossible to make these vegan and gluten-free orange cookies without cracks forming on top. The cracks don’t affect the taste or the texture at all, and the yummy frosting will completely cover them up!
- For optimum orange flavour, I would recommend using fresh oranges (not ones that you've had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and organic ones if possible.
- You can use orange juice from a carton too, but I'd recommend using a juice made from fresh oranges rather than from concentrate.
- You have to be careful when baking with orange juice as the acidity and orange flavour can really vary depending on the oranges you use.
- For the frosting, I would recommend tasting it as you're making it and adding extra orange juice (or even some orange zest or orange extract) if necessary.
- For the orange zest, make sure you use unwaxed oranges.
- If you can't get hold of unwaxed oranges, you can use orange extract instead.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 400
Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Sodium 6mg0%
Potassium 280mg8%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 27g30%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 75IU2%
Vitamin C 19mg23%
Calcium 132mg13%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Angela Carrega
Made these with my granddaughters. Had an issue with wet dough but placed in fridge and they turned out great.
Ourr first attempt at gluten free baking.
Thank you
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, glad they turned out well!
Patricia
This is the first recipe I tried that the cookies did not come up all flat. I replaced orange with lemon and it worked perfectly.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
Donnalee
Do you think coconut flour could be used instead of almond meal? Thanks!
Rhian Williams
Yes - but only use a fifth of the amount as coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture!
Arianne
I have made these cookies a few times and they don't last very long at my place! Lol. I use a different frosting recipe- a vegan orange buttercream and makes these cookies taste like I'm eating heaven! Looking forward to making these cookies again for Christmas!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
TONIA KAUFMAN
Quite possibly the most divinely heavenly cookies I have ever baked ! Absolutely delicious, thank you so much !!!! I used only whole rice flour, no almond meal, And used a part of a mushed up orange, not just its juice. No vanilla.. And I subbed fresh medjool dates for the maple syrup. I can’t believe how soft, fluffy and chewy they were. Delighted !
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
carolyn gazdick
Can I omit the almond flour and just use all gluten free flour? Im allergic to almonds and try not to use a lot of the almond flour. I can use about 1/2 cup but thats it.
Thanks so much. These look devine and would love to try them.
Carolyn
Rhian Williams
Hi Carolyn, no sorry unfortunately that won't be the right texture. You can sub the almond flour for ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds though! Hope that helps.