Gluten Free Strawberry Matcha Sugar Cookies
Dec 18, 2020 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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A delicious swirl of strawberry, matcha, and vanilla sugar cookie all in one! These vegan and gluten free sugar cookies are easy to make, beautiful, and so delicious!
What Makes This Recipe Great
I could not be more excited to share this fun gluten free cookie recipe—Strawberry Matcha Sugar Cookies! They are both stunning and delicious, with a combination of vanilla, matcha, and strawberry flavours all in one. I took inspiration from this gorgeous black sesame and matcha cookie by food writer Jun and put my own little pink and green twist to it.
This cookie is both vegan and gluten-free and coloured with natural ingredients. We’ll be using freeze-dried strawberries and high-quality matcha powder. You can also add natural plant-based food colouring for more vibrancy.
These gluten-free strawberry cookies are soft and chewy with crisp edges, truly reminiscent of a sugar cookie but 100% vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free!
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter: I recommend using vegan butter, not a vegan spread, as those have a different consistency when softened. I personally like to use Earth Balance because it has given me the best result. It’s really important that the butter is at room temperature and not melted.
- Organic cane sugar: I recommend using white sugar instead of an alternative, like coconut sugar, as the color of the cookies will change. You can use organic granulated sugar or whatever you have on hand and like to use.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: I’ll either use a food processor or a mortar and pestle to break down the strawberry pieces into a fine powder and then add that along with a little bit of Plant-based food coloring to achieve the pink color. The food coloring is optional, but I do recommend it if you’re looking for that pink and green effect because the freeze-dried strawberries do not give up too much color.
- Matcha powder: I color 1/3 of the dough with Matcha powder, making sure to sift and break up any clumps, which makes it easier to incorporate into the dough smoothly.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Gluten-free flour blend: I recommend choosing a 1:1 measure for measure flour blend that contains xanthan gum, which helps with gluten-free baking. Brands like King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill make these blends, and they work really well for gluten free sugar cookies. I don’t recommend swapping for almond flour, as I have not tested with this and can’t guarantee the results.
- Vanilla bean paste: You can also use vanilla extract if that’s what you have on hand.
- Plant-based milk
Step-by-Step instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Whip vegan butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste, and plant milk until smooth.
- Sift in gluten-free flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix with a spatula until a smooth dough forms.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal parts in 3 bowls. Leave one bowl of dough as is, add matcha powder to another, and strawberry powder (and food dye, if using) to the third. Mix well until matcha and strawberry powder are incorporated.
- When ready to bake, take a heaping tablespoon each of plain, matcha, and strawberry dough. Roll them together between your hands to form a smooth ball, then gently press down on your baking sheet. Flatten slightly, but not too much.
- Repeat with remaining dough and make sure there are at least 2 inches between each cookie as they will spread in the oven.
- To assemble, take 1 tablespoon of dough from each bowl and roll it into a ball. Gently press down the cookie dough ball onto the baking mat. The cookies won’t spread too much, so do press them down into more of a cookie shape.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges are golden brown, keeping in mind the cookies will firm up as they cool.
Secrets to Success
- Sugar: I highly recommend sticking to the recipe and using organic cane sugar for the best colour results. If you prefer a refined sugar-free alternative, coconut sugar will work, but it will result in a darker cookie, and the colours will not show through.
- Pink Colour: Because the pink colour is derived from strawberries, the colour is more on the faint side. I experimented with 3 batches of strawberry cookies, and in the last batch, pictured here, I added a touch of natural plant-based dye. I recommend this natural plant-based food dye brand if you want to achieve true pink! If you choose to add colour, be sure not to skip the freeze-dried strawberries, as they give the pink dough so much strawberry flavour.
- Cool Surface: Make sure that the surface you’re working on isn’t hot or warm. When I made this cookie over my counter while the dishwasher was heating up and drying the dishes, the cookie batter was negatively affected.
- Spreading: These strawberry cookies will spread in the oven, so you want to make sure to give them ample space to spread, I like to flatten them down just a little bit with my hands, but they should find out quite nicely once in the oven.
- Overbaking: Be careful not to overbake them, as that will negatively affect the color payoff.
- Equipment: To make your life easier, you can absolutely use a stand mixer to make these gluten free sugar cookies. You can customize the patterns however you’d like, but I always like to grab a half small cookie scoop amount of goal of each color, grab all three balls, and roll them together.
- Frosting: Often, sugar cookies have royal icing or buttercream frosting and sprinkles, but I opted for no icing. They have a ton of flavor on their own, and I think the frosting would take away from that!
Storage Tips
- To store, let the strawberry cookies cool completely on a cooling rack, then put them in an airtight container. Store them in a cool dark place.
- Matcha powder will oxidize, and the color will turn darker brown over time, especially when exposed to the sun.
Try These Cookie Recipes!
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If you try these gluten free sugar cookies out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below. And if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked.
Gluten Free Strawberry Matcha Sugar Cookies
A delicious swirl of strawberry, matcha, and vanilla sugar cookie all in one! These vegan and gluten free sugar cookies are easy to make, beautiful, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened
- 3/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup plant milk room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup gluten free flour I use Bob's Red Mill 1-1
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1-2 tsp ceremonial grade matcha powder
- 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries processed into a fine powder
- natural plant based food dye (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Whip vegan butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste and plant milk until smooth.
- Sift in gluten free flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix with a spatula until a smooth dough forms.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal parts in 3 bowls. Leave one bowl of dough as is, add matcha powder to another and strawberry powder (and food dye, if using) to the third. Mix well, until matcha and strawberry powder are incorporated.
- When ready to bake, take a heaping tablespoon each of plain, matcha and strawberry dough. Roll them together between your hands to form a smooth ball, then gently press down on your baking sheet. Flatten slightly, but not too much.
- Repeat with remaining dough and make sure there is at least 2 inches between each cookie as they will spread in the oven.
- To assemble, take about 1 tablespoon of dough from each bowl and roll together into a ball. Gently press down onto the baking mat. The cookies won't spread too much, so do press them down into more of a cookie shape.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges are golden brown, keeping in mind the cookies will firm up as they cool.
Notes
Secrets to Success
- Sugar: I highly recommend sticking to the recipe and using organic cane sugar for the best colour results. If you prefer a refined sugar-free alternative, coconut sugar will work, but it will result in a darker cookie, and the colours will not show through.
- Pink Colour: Because the pink colour is derived from strawberries, the colour is more on the faint side. I experimented with 3 batches of these strawberry cookies, and in the last batch, pictured here, I added a touch of natural plant-based dye. I recommend this natural plant-based food dye brand if you want to achieve true pink! If you choose to add colour, be sure not to skip the freeze-dried strawberries, as they give the pink dough so much strawberry flavour.
- Cool Surface: Make sure that the surface you’re working on isn’t hot or warm. When I made this cookie over my counter while the dishwasher was heating up and drying the dishes, the cookie batter was negatively affected.
- Spreading: These strawberry cookies will spread in the oven, so you want to make sure to give them ample space to spread, I like to flatten them down just a little bit with my hands, but they should find out quite nicely once in the oven.
- Overbaking: Be careful not to overbake them, as that will negatively affect the color payoff.
- Equipment: To make your life easier, you can absolutely use a stand mixer to make these gluten free sugar cookies, and you can customize the patterns however you’d like, but I always like to grab a half small cookie scoop amount of goal of each color, grab all three balls, and roll them together.
- Frosting: Often, sugar cookies have royal icing or buttercream frosting and sprinkles, but I opted for no icing. They have a ton of flavor on their own, and I think the frosting would take away from that!
- To store, let the strawberry cookies cool completely on a cooling rack, then put them in an airtight container. Store them in a cool dark place. Matcha powder will oxidize, and the color will turn darker brown over time, especially when exposed to oxygen and the sun.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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