These gluten-free lemon cookies are easy to make and have the perfect combination of tart and sweet. With real lemon juice and zest, the lemony flavor bursts through and creates a scrumptious cookie. Try my Gluten-Free Lemon Brownies or Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf for more delicious lemon desserts.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Lemon cookies are good anytime, and they go perfectly with baby showers, bridal showers, and tea parties.
- They’re soft and chewy inside with a sweet, crispy edge.
- The combination of tart and sweet make these cookies delightful.
- These cookies are easy to make and bake up beautifully.
Ingredients
My favorite gluten-free & dairy-free flour blends to use are Pamela’s Artisan Blend and Better Batter. I’ve been using them both with great results. They are both a 1-1 substitute. If you use another gluten-free flour blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum. If not, add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of flour.
Dairy-Free Butter: Country Crock Plant-Based Avocado Oil sticks, Smart Balance, or Earth Balance.
Tips for measuring flour
When baking with gluten-free flour, it’s really important how you measure the flour. Fluff first and then use the scoop and sweep method.
- Fluff: Before measuring your flour, use a spoon or whisk to fluff the flour in the container- mostly the top portion. Be sure to fluff any flour that you will be measuring. To fluff, stir around the flour, lifting it and letting it fall back loosely.
- Scoop and sweep: Use a large spoon to lightly scoop up the flour and place it into the measuring cup. Fill up the measuring cup and then use the handle of the spoon and scrape it across the top of the measuring cup to level off the excess flour. Let the excess fall back into the container. You can also use a knife to level off the flour.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the baking pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Whisk together the gluten-free flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Zest and juice one lemon. Set aside.
Cream the buttery spread and the sugar in a stand mixer. Then add the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Using a cookie scoop is an easy way to get uniform-sized cookies. A small-sized scoop that is 1 tablespoon makes a cookie about 2 1/2 inches in width. A medium-sized cookie scoop makes a cookie around 3 inches.
Scoop the dough out with a cookie scoop and then roll in powdered sugar.
Place cookie dough balls on the baking pan and bake for 11 minutes for a small cookie scoop or 13 minutes for a medium-sized cookie scoop.
Place the baking pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack to cool completely.
Storage
Store completely cooled cookies in a covered container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To freeze cookies: Place cooled cookies in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and put them into the freezer. After they are frozen, put the cookies into a freezer-safe plastic bag and remove as much air as possible. Be sure to label the containers with the name of the cookies and the date they were frozen. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More gluten-free cookies you’ll love
**This recipe has been updated to address concerns about the cookies spreading out too much.**
Gluten-Free Lemon Cookies (Dairy-Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Gluten-Free Lemon Cookies are easy to make and have the perfect combination of tart and sweet.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup dairy-free butter, room temperature**
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Coating:
- ½ cup powdered sugar or granulated sugar
Lemon: One lemon will be enough for the juice and zest.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cookie pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Zest and juice one lemon. Set aside.
- Mix the dairy-free butter and the sugar in a stand mixer until creamy. Then add the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. (If the dough is very soft or too sticky, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours.)
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough into a ball and then roll each in powdered sugar. (Another option could be to roll them in granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar.)
- Place cookie dough balls at least 2 ½ inches apart on the baking pan and bake for 11 minutes for a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon size) or 13 minutes for a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoon size).
- Place the baking pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Gluten-Free Flour: My favorite gluten-free & dairy-free flour blends to use are Better Batter and Pamela’s Artisan Blend. I’ve been using them both with great results and they are both a 1-1 substitute. If you use another gluten-free flour blend be sure that it contains xanthan gum. If not add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of flour.
**Dairy-Free Butter: Use Country Crock Plant-Based Avocado Oil sticks, Smart Balance, or Earth Balance. Simply sit it out on the countertop for 10 minutes to come to almost room temperature. It should still be slightly cool.
Lemon juice & Lemon zest: For best results use one fresh lemon and zest the lemon with a zester and then use a juicer to squeeze out the juice. You’ll need 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon zest.
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MissJosephine16
Make these bad boys with brown rice flour instead – turned out so soft and goood! Mine ended up with more powder sugar on them (not mad) and tasted wonderful. The lemon isn’t over powering at all. I love things very lemony – next time I think i’ll add a tad bit more lemon flavor.
Thanks for the great recipie!
MamaShire
So glad you enjoyed them!
Louellen
Cookie Monster would approve.
Ashley Alden
When you refer to sugar what exactly are you using for sugar?
MamaShire
I use regular sugar in this recipe.
Sarah
I was wanting to increase the recipe but the ‘scale’ button you press to increase the amount only changes the flour! How much butter? How much sugar? Help! I NEED these cookies!
MamaShire
Oh dear, I’ll have to let my recipe card people know. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.
Okay, here’s the amounts doubled.
3 cups gluten-free flour mix*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup buttery spread, softened**
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
Sarah
Thank you for your quick response!
MamaShire
You’re welcome!
Rhonda Devine
These look wonderful Robin. I think of you and the girls so often. Hope this finds you doing well! Love to all:}
MamaShire
Thank you, Rhonda! We are all doing well. Miss you. Love to your family too!
Leslie
I was confused by the directions that said ‘zest and juice one lemon, set aside’ but the ingredients call for 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 1/2 ?? zest. So is it the juice and zest of one lemon or 1 tbsp? What can I substitute ‘buttery spread’ with as I do not need these cookies to be DF, just GF. Can I use butter?
Thanks!
MamaShire
Yes, you can use butter in place of the buttery spread. And you can measure out the tablespoon of juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons of zest that you need from the amount that was set aside.
Luc
Can I use Crisco if I don’t have another dairy free butter option at home?
MamaShire
I haven’t made it with that so I couldn’t say for sure. However, if that is what you normally use for baking cookies then you can try it.
Molly
In the middle of making these now…can’t wait to try! One comment: it would be good to provide the instructions to start preheating the oven about 1/2 way through the dough refrigerator time instead of at the beginning.
MamaShire
Good idea! Thanks!
Kelly
Making these now my batter is a real sticky mess, will it chill to be more like cookie dough , smells so good though
MamaShire
Yes, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. It really makes a difference.
April
These are ridiculously good! I took a double batch to work and they quickly disappeared. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
MamaShire
Oh, I’m so glad they were a hit! ❤️
Kim
Can you use almond flour instead for this recipe?
MamaShire
I haven’t made this recipe with almond flour so I can’t say exactly. If you do try almond flour in this recipe you may want to add an additional egg to help bind the flour.
Elle
Did you ever try it with almond flour? I am interested in trying this recipe with almond flour myself but I’m not a good enough baker to know how to adjust.
Barbara
I switched out the flour for almond flour and the sugar for coconut sugar. While the cookies still tasted good, the coconut sugar overpowered a lot of the lemon flavor and they spread out real thin, not holding shape. I think that the recipes mention of the flour needing xanthum gum is probably spot on.
Barbara Swihart Miller
I did use almond flour, and I did not like the grainy texture. Other than that, the cookie was delicious
Kathleen
can you use lemon extract instead of lemon juice? I want to make these today and I don’t have any lemon juice.
MamaShire
Yes, I think one teaspoon of lemon extract should work. If you don’t have lemon zest either then maybe use 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Elizabeth
These were a huge hit!! I brought them to a party along with other cookies so the GF/DF people could have something sweet and EVERYONE said the lemon cookies were their favorite from the platter!! They got rave reviews from even the skeptics!! It’s sooo important to refrigerate the dough before scooping. After scooping, I actually stuck them in the freezer for about an hour, then rolled and dunked in powdered sugar. The dough is more of a batter, but don’t be alarmed, just make sure you keep it very cold to avoid mess.
MamaShire
I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed them! And thanks for the tips with the dough!
Stephanie
Can’t believe these are gluten free! Everyone is loving them. I like the texture more the day after baking. Made them exactly as written though I didn’t measure out my zest. I doubled the batch and used 2 full lemon zests. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Will be saved and repeated regularly.
MamaShire
That’s wonderful! So glad that everyone loves them!
Carol
Was so yummy and could never tell they were gluten free! We loved them! I made the icing too to put on top!
Amanda
Do you think it would work to scoop and freeze the raw dough balls to cook at a later date?
These sound amazing and i like to keep cookie dough in freezer!
MamaShire
Yes, you could definitely freeze them. Roll in the powdered sugar before baking. Bake them for a couple of extra minutes and lower the temperature of the oven by 20 degrees.
Linda
do these freeze well?
MamaShire
Yes, you can freeze these cookies in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months.
Jenn
How big do you make each dough ball?
MamaShire
The dough is scooped up into walnut-sized balls. I use a medium cookie scoop that holds about 2 tablespoons.
Barbara
These definitely have potential! I switched out a couple of ingredients and I think that this made them not turn out as well as they could have. Instead of the gluten free flour, I used almond, but did not use xanthan gum. This made it so that they hold their shape. I also switched out the sugar for coconut sugar. This turned them dark (no big deal) but I believe the taste of the sugar overpowered the lemon.
MamaShire
The coconut sugar would definitely change the taste. I’m retesting this recipe this weekend.
Angela
Hi just wondering I’ve just made these and put in fridge but looking at them in oven they have just melted into one another. I did notice the dough was very soft, where did I go wrong. Thanks
MamaShire
I’m making several batches this weekend to see what might be happening. First thoughts are they may need to be refrigerated longer. I’ll give an update in the next few days.
MamaShire
I’ve updated the recipe. The dough should be easier to use and shouldn’t spread.
Barbara Swihart Miller
I used tapioca flour and xanthum gum in this recipe. The shape didn’t hold up, and the cookie spread out, but it was still delicious! It also didn’t roll into a ball well, so I plopped scoops on the cookie sheet and dusted them with the powdered sugar. Next time I will use much smaller scoops with plenty of room between each one.
Dana
Wondering if you could make these with an egg substitute?
MamaShire
I haven’t made it that way myself, but I think it would work. If you do, I’d love to hear how they turn out.
Molly S.
Thank you for the lovely recipe. I need to make a try of gluten free cookies for my mother-in-law’s funeral this weekend so they’ll have to stay chilled for 2 1/2 days and I may need to re-dust them with powdered sugar for ‘pretty’. I used dairy butter since it that wasn’t a health concern and they spread a bit more than yours (even with the dough chilled) but are still delicious and chewy.
Ellen G
I’m ready to go and forgot to buy the lemon extract. Can I skip it and add more lemon zest and/or juice?
MamaShire
I think that would work. Use what you have.