These Vegan Heart-Shaped Strawberry Sugar Cookies are the perfect Valentine's Day treat! Why not gift them to your loved one? Get the recipe below.
These vegan heart-shaped strawberry sugar cookies are soft in the middle, lightly crisp on the outside, with a naturally pink hue thanks to real strawberries. Made with freeze-dried strawberry powder, they have an authentic strawberry flavour without artificial flavourings, eggs, or dairy.
They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, baby showers, bridal showers, or anytime you want a sweet plant-based treat that looks just as good as it tastes.
Unlike many vegan sugar cookie recipes, this dough is easy to work with, rolls smoothly, and holds its shape beautifully in the oven. That makes it ideal for cutting out heart shapes, where clean edges really matter. If you’ve ever struggled with vegan cookies spreading too much or losing definition, this recipe is designed to give you reliable, bakery-style results every time.
Using freeze-dried strawberry powder instead of fresh strawberries or extracts keeps the dough perfectly balanced while delivering concentrated strawberry flavour.
Whether you’re searching for vegan strawberry cookies or a standout plant-based Valentine’s Day treat, this recipe is a delicious, dependable choice you’ll come back to again and again.
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Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make my vegan heart-shaped strawberry flavoured sugar cookies:
- Vegan block butter or margarine
- Caster sugar
- Freeze dried strawberry powder
- Plain flour
- Unsweetened soy milk
Step-by-step instructions
For this recipe you're going to create two types of dough, one vanilla and one strawberry. You may feel like some of the steps give you de ja vu but that's just because you're having to do the same steps twice! Get the full break down below:
- Step 1: for the vanilla dough, cream together the butter, vanilla paste and the sugar
- Step 2: add the plain flour and soy milk and bring together into a shaggy dough
- Step 3: knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth
- Step 4: place the dough into a Ziploc bag or wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes
- Step 5: now make the strawberry dough again by creaming together the butter and the sugar
- Step 6: add the plain flour, strawberry powder and soy milk and bring together into a shaggy dough
- Step 7: again, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth
- Step 8: place the strawberry dough into a Ziploc bag or wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes
- Step 9: once the vanilla dough is chilled, roll it out until roughly 1cm thick
- Step 10: next roll out the strawberry dough and cut into heart shapes
- Step 11: place the strawberry hearts on top of the vanilla dough and roll over the top of them to embed them in the vanilla dough
- Step 12: cut out strawberry shaped cookies and place on to a baking tray
- Step 13: bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until just golden and crisp around the edges
- Step 14: leave to cool on a wire rack then enjoy!
Hint: Cold dough is essential. If the dough becomes soft while rolling, chill it again for 5–10 minutes to prevent spreading and maintain sharp edges.
Substitutions
If you need to, you can make some of the following swaps and still have delicious strawberry flavoured cookies:
- Sugar: you could use coconut sugar for a deeper flavour but do note that the cookies will be darker in colour.
- Soy milk: oat, almond, or hazelnut milk will all work but soy gives the best structure.
- Vanilla paste: almond extract also pairs beautifully with strawberry flavour.
- Freeze dried strawberry powder: swap real strawberries for strawberry essence and some pink food colouring (gel food colouring will retain its colour best).
Variations
Want to mix things up a little? Then why not try one of these variations:
- Vegan chocolate-dipped strawberry cookies: dip half in melted dairy-free chocolate.
- Strawberry and lemon sugar cookies: add lemon zest for some extra zing! It compliments the strawberry really well and isn't so sweet.
- Jam-filled heart cookies: take two cookies and sandwich them with strawberry jam after baking.
- Sparkly vegan cookies: make them extra special by sprinkling with vegan sanding sugar before baking. This will give them some sparkle!
Equipment
Ready to bake? You'll need to get the following equipment ready:
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rolling pin
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Baking trays
- Baking paper
- Cooling rack
Storage
You can store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
If you want to freeze the cookies you have two options:
- Freeze before baking: just extend the cooking time to 15 - 18 minutes when you're ready to bake. They will last in the freezer like this for up to 2 months.
- Freeze after baking: let the cookies cool completely before freezing for up to 2 months.
Top tip
I like to roll out my dough between sheets of lightly floured baking paper. This makes the clean up much easier.
Frequently asked questions
No. Fresh strawberries will add too much moisture to the dough.
You probably didn't chill the dough for long enough. Next time try putting them back in the fridge for 20 minutes before baking.
Freeze dried strawberry powder does have a habit of becoming dark when baked. They will have a subtle pink hue rather than bright pink.
The recipe
Vegan Heart-Shaped Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 electric mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 heart-shaped cookie cutter
- 2 Baking trays
- baking paper
- 2 cooling racks
Ingredients
For the vanilla cookie dough
- 150 g vegan block butter or margarine
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 275 g plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk
For the strawberry cookie dough
- 75 g vegan block butter or margarine
- 50 g caster sugar
- 115 g plain flour
- 20 g freeze dried strawberry powder
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk
Instructions
- Begin by creaming together the vegan butter, vanilla paste and caster sugar for the vanilla cookie dough.
- Next add in the plain flour, salt and soy milk and bring together into a shaggy dough.
- Knead the dough on a flowered surface until you have a smooth ball.
- Flatten the ball into a disc then wrap in clingfilm or place in a Ziploc bag and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the strawberry dough by again creaming together vegan butter and sugar.
- This time, add the flour, freeze dried strawberry powder and soy milk and mix well until you have a shaggy dough.
- Now knead the strawberry dough on a floured surface until you have a smooth ball.
- Flatten this ball into a disc and wrap it in clingfilm or place in a Ziploc ball and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantim, pre-heat your oven to 180C / 350 F / gas mark 4.
- Once both doughs are chilled, roll out the vanilla dough until 1 cm thick.
- Roll out the strawberry dough to the same thickness and cut out heart shapes.
- Place the hearts on top of the vanilla dough and roll out until the hearts are embedded in the vanilla dough (and roughly 0.5 cm thick).
- Cut out heart shapes from this combined dough.
- Place the unbaked heart cookies onto a baking tray and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until the edges are crisp and golden.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack then enjoy!
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