If you're looking for gluten-free dessert recipes for Christmas, look no further! With a selection of the best 22 gluten-free Christmas cookie recipes + an easy and delicious gluten-free drop sugar cookie recipe, these cookies are what holiday dreams are made of. Perfect for holiday cookie platters, cookie exchanges, Santa, and the holiday season!
This post was originally published on August 22, 2022. It was updated with new recipe information on December 23, 2023.
22 Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies
Before I share the recipe for my favorite gluten-free Christmas cookie recipe, here are some delicious gluten-free recipes for Christmas!
Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies
These gluten-free thumbprint cookies are like buttery shortbread cookies with jammy cranberry sauce centers! This recipe is also dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan.
Sugar Cookies
A classic choice for any occasion, these gluten-free sugar cookies are perfect! They're soft baked but have a crisp bottom, and they're delicious on their own or decorated using my easy recipe for cookie frosting.
Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
If you love marshmallows, you have to try these chocolate marshmallow cookies! Fudgy gluten-free chocolate cookies are stuffed with marshmallows. A delicious must-have in your cookie box!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can't have a holiday cookie platter without these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! These are truly the best, with crisp edges and soft, chewy centers!
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies
These gluten-free oatmeal cookies are the perfect balance between hearty and indulgent. They're soft, chewy, and perfect whether you add raisins or chocolate chips!
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you can't find gluten-free flour blends in your store, make these almond flour chocolate chip cookies! They're crisp on the edges and bottoms but soft and chewy gooey in the centers. The almond flour adds a deliciously nutty flavor!
Chewy Ginger Cookies
These gluten-free ginger cookies are soft and chewy with a crunchy exterior. Drizzled with a simple maple glaze for an extra delicious finish!
Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies
Make these gluten-free double chocolate cookies for all of your chocoholic friends! With both cocoa powder and chocolate chips, they are rich, chocolatey, and indulgent.
Vegan Coconut Macaroons
Not only are these vegan coconut macaroons naturally gluten-free and vegan, but they only require 3 ingredients! They're tender, sweet, chewy, and nutty. No Christmas cookie tray is complete without them.
Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
Delight your friends and family with tender and buttery chocolate chip chickpea cookies so good that unsuspecting eaters will never guess they are made with chickpeas!
Gluten-Free Chai Cookies
A twist on spice cookies, these gluten-free chai cookies are simply perfect. With solid 5-star reviews, they are a no-fail and delicious pick every time!
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
These gingerbread cookies are so easy to make and are perfect for Christmas baking! They're topped with a simple and delicious royal icing that comes together in just 2 minutes.
Almond Crescent Cookies
These almond crescent cookies are a nostalgic holiday recipe made with a gluten-free and plant-based twist. These soft, crumbly cookies are made with almond flour and almond butter with a hint of fresh orange flavor.
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
These chocolate peppermint cookies are simple to prepare, fudgy, and full of minty goodness. Combining the classic combination of chocolate and peppermint, they are perfect for your festive baking!
Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies
These vegan double chocolate cookies are pure perfection! Chewy, chocolatey, tasty and also gluten-free, and easy to make.
No-Bake Date Cookies
Christmas date cookies have a pillowy texture and a strong, rich chocolate flavor, making them an easy, no-bake perfect little holiday treat.
Crispy Butter Cookies
These gluten-free Danish butter cookies make wonderful gifts. They taste like those Danish cookies you buy in the blue tin!
Candy Cane Cookies
Festive candy cane cookies are the perfect treat to add to your gluten-free Christmas cookie platter! Lightly flavored with peppermint and a slight crunch pairs perfectly with a warm mug of hot cocoa.
Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Meringue Kisses
If you are in the mood to make holiday meringue cookies, you can’t go wrong with these chocolate-dipped meringue kisses. You will love the flavor combination of meringue, chocolate, and candy cane.
Norwegian Almond Cookies
Dipped and drizzled with dark chocolate, these Norwegian almond cookies (kransekakestenger) are the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie line-up.
Hot Cocoa Cookies
These hot cocoa cookies are soft, rich, and extra fudgy. Plus, they're grain and gluten-free with easy adaptions to keep them dairy-free. Full of chocolate flavor and great for a cookie swap, holiday gift, or Christmas dessert!
Vegan Red Velvet Cookies
This vegan red velvet cookie recipe is full of classic red velvet flavor with dark chocolate and white chocolate chips!
How to Make Gluten-Free Christmas Sugar Cookies
Here is how to make the best gluten-free Christmas cookies! The flavor combination of vanilla and peppermint is so festive, the chewy texture is superb, and they don't require any cookie cutters or crazy ingredients.
Ingredients
- Gluten-free flour. Use a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend that includes xanthan gum. I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. If you are not gluten-free you can also make this recipe with all-purpose flour.
- Salt. This recipe uses fine salt.
- Baking soda & baking powder. You'll need a combination of the two leavening agents for this recipe to give it the perfect rise and crisp.
- Butter. Make sure the butter's been softened at room temperature. Use unsalted butter if possible as well for the best flavor.
- Granulated sugar. Gives the cookies a clean sweetness. You can use organic cane sugar, or light brown to make these gluten free holiday cookies. Both will make a darker cookie and the light brown sugar gives the cookies a slight molasses flavor.
- Egg. Adds structure and provides a savory base to the cookies.
- Honey. Honey adds a depth of flavor as well as a nice chew to the cookies. You can use maple syrup or agave syrup instead.
- Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste for superior flavor.
- Peppermint flavor. Although optional, I recommend adding peppermint flavor to make it more festive! I used Simply Organic peppermint flavor. You can also swap it out for ¼ teaspoon of almond extract.
- Sprinkles. Again, optional, but they do add a festive touch to the cookies! I bought red, green, and white sprinkles separately and mixed them myself to make Christmas sprinkles.
Instructions
Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy, fluffy, and white.
Step 2: Beat in the egg, honey, and extracts. Scrape the bowl, add the egg, and beat it again until fully combined. Scrape the bowl again, add the honey, vanilla extract, and peppermint flavor, and beat again.
Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, add the gluten-free flour blend, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix together.
Step 4: Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat it at medium speed. Scrape the bowl to make sure all the flour has been incorporated, and mix again.
Step 5: Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Step 6: Preheat the oven and scoop the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop (mine holds 4 teaspoons of dough), scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper.
Step 7: Roll and dip the cookie dough balls. Roll each scoop of dough in between your hands to make a ball. Dip one side of the ball into the sprinkles, and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 8: Bake cookies. Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes.
Step 9: Cool the cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. When ingredients are cold, or at different temperatures, it doesn't combine or raise properly. You want all ingredients to be at room temperature so you can get a smooth cookie dough, which will lead you to delicious baked cookies.
- Cream the butter and sugar well. Creaming room-temperature butter and sugar aerates the cookie dough. Without creaming the butter properly, you'll end up with dense and heavy cookies.
- Chill the dough. Just like gluten-free cake batter, gluten-free cookie dough needs to rest so the flour can properly hydrate and avoid a gritty texture. Cookie dough also needs to be chilled so they don't overspread in the oven.
- Bake a test batch. Because all ovens are different, your oven may run hotter or cooler than mine. I highly recommend baking just one or two cookies to see if the cookies bake up perfectly before baking the rest of the batch, so you can see if you need to adjust the baking temperature or baking times. Alternatively, you can also bake the cookies with an oven thermometer installed to ensure the correct oven temperature.
- Let the cookies cool completely. Just like any gluten-free baked dessert, you want to let your cookies cool completely before eating them. They can be too soft and fall apart while they're still warm.
- Use a large round cookie cutter for perfectly circular cookies. Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven, take a large round cookie cutter and place it on the parchment paper so that the baked cookie fits inside the cookie cutter. Swirl the cookie cutter around until your soft-baked cookie is a perfect circle.
Storage Directions
You can store these gluten-free sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you're storing them for longer, I highly recommend you freeze the cookies.
Freezing Cookies: To freeze baked cookies, tightly wrap each cookie with plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can defrost them in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for an hour at room temperature.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Scoop out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and put it in the freezer. Once it's frozen, put them in a freezer bag, label the bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to bake, take out the balls of frozen cookie dough and space out on a parchment-lined baking sheet while you preheat the oven. Bake as directed, adding an extra minute or two, as needed.
For more mouth-watering dairy-free, gluten-free, and/or vegan dessert inspiration, make sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter — I promise not to spam you!
Gluten-Free Christmas Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter See Notes for dairy-free option
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint flavor (optional)
- 2½ cup gluten-free measure for measure flour
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup sprinkles, to garnish
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium high speed until fluffy and white in color. Add the egg and beat it again until fully combined. Add the honey, vanilla extract, and peppermint flavor, and beat again.
- In a separate bowl, add the gluten-free flour blend, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix together.
- Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat it at medium speed until all the flour has been incorporated. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop (mine holds 4 teaspoons of dough), scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper, placing them 2 inches (5cm) apart. Roll each scoop of dough in between your hands to make a ball. Dip one side of the ball into the sprinkles, and place it back on the parchment paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- When you're ready to bake, take out the balls of frozen cookie dough and space out on a parchment-lined baking sheet while you preheat the oven. Bake as directed, adding an extra minute or two, as needed.
Chelsea says
These are so delicious and easy to make! Love changing out the sprinkles for different colors and textures. Festive and fun!
Ai says
Thank you so much Chelsea!!
Luke says
Do you know if these would be good with almond flour? I also have regular gluten-free flour
Ai says
Hi Luke! I don't know how they would turn out with almond flour, as I haven't tried it. I highly recommend a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum and is meant to be used as a measure for measure substitute for traditional all-purpose flour, like the Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, Cup4Cup, or King Arthure Measure For Measure Flour.