Naturally flavored with lots of lime zest, these chewy lime cookies use simple ingredients and no food coloring.
They're like the lime version of my vegan lemon sugar cookies!
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Note: I've made some minor tweaks to my original recipe based on your feedback. They now use a tad more flour, making them easier to shape and a little extra baking time for a chewier cookie! The original measurements are included in the recipe card.
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need for these vegan key lime sugar cookies:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Fresh Limes: You'll need the zest of 3 regular limes (Tahitian or Persian limes) or 6 Key limes which are smaller and more yellow-tinged. These cookies also use fresh lime juice, but you can reserve the leftover juice for recipes like Key lime pie or lime curd.
- Granulated Sugar: If you live in the US, you'll want to reach for organic sugar to ensure it is vegan.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: You'll need both varieties of leavener to get the proper chewy cookie texture.
🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images to give you a visual guide on how to make these chewy lime sugar cookies. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, rub the lime zest into the sugar using your fingertips until fragrant. Separate 50g (¼ cup) of the lime sugar mixture into a small bowl for coating the cookie dough balls later.
Step 2: Cream the softened butter and remaining lime sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until light and airy.
Step 3: Add the rest of the wet ingredients (vegan yogurt, fresh lime juice, and vanilla extract) and whisk again until combined.
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt) into the dough using a spatula. Cover the bowl of cookie dough and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Scoop dough with a cookie scoop and roll them into balls. Coat each cookie in the reserved lime sugar and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper, freeze for 15-20 minutes while you preheat your oven. leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.
Step 6: Place them on lined cookie sheets leaving at least 4 inches between each cookie (they will spread), and bake in 2-3 batches for 12-13 minutes. Remove them from the oven and round off the edges using a large cookie cutter. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes before serving or transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
💭 Recipe Tips
Don't skip the chill time. Resting allows the dough to hydrate fully, allows the flavors to infuse and intensify, and prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Freeze the cookies before baking. While you preheat the oven, pop them in the freezer briefly to help them give the best shape during baking.
Freeze cookie dough balls for future "cookies on demand." Once frozen store them in a freezer bag, and then bake them straight from frozen when needed. You'll need to add 1-2 minutes to the baking time since they'll be quite cold.
Use a cookie scoop for even portioning. If you want your lime cookies to bake to the same level of doneness at the same time, they must be all the same size.
Scoot the cookies while they are hot. Use a large cookie cutter or glass to round off the edges. If you skip this step, your cookies will end up looking large and flat.
🍋🟩 Optional Variations
As much as I love this key lime cookies recipe just as it's written, there are some fun ways to customize them to your liking. Here are a few ideas:
- Key Lime Pie Cookies: Decorate the cooled cookies with a swirl of my Swiss Meringue Buttercream or vegan lime frosting and sprinkle with crushed vegan graham cracker crumbs for a delicious interpretation of the classic pie.
- Coconut Lime Cookies: Add shredded coconut to the cookie dough for a tropical twist.
- Make Ice Cream Sandwiches: Add a scoop of vanilla, strawberry, passionfruit, or mango vegan ice cream between two cooled cookies for a frosty summertime treat.
- Lemon Lime Cookies: Swap half of the lime for lemon juice and zest.
💬 FAQs
Regular limes (also known as Persian or Tahitian limes) are larger and more oval-shaped with a bright green hue when ripe, while key limes are smaller and rounder with a yellow-green shade when ripe.
In terms of flavor, regular limes are a bit more tangy and acidic, whereas key limes have a milder more floral flavor. Key limes can be more difficult to find and may only be offered seasonally depending on where you live. Feel free to use either in this recipe for lime cookies!
Store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 5-6 days.
For thin and crispy cookies, bake for 13-14 minutes. If you prefer a soft and chewy texture, bake them for 12 minutes.
🍪 More Cookie Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Key Lime Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 g (1 ¼ cups) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lime zest freshly grated (approx 3 regular/6 key limes) *note 2
- 130 g (4.5 oz) vegan butter room temperature *note 3
- 40 g (2 tbsp) Greek-style yogurt or skyr or regular unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt
- 4 teaspoons lime juice freshly squeezed *note 2
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour (plain flour), sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder sifted
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda sifted
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Note: I've made some minor tweaks to my original recipe based on your feedback. I've included the original measurements in the recipe notes section below for those of you who loved it. *see note 1
- Flavor the sugar: Add the sugar and lime zest to a large mixing bowl and use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant. Separate 50g (¼ cup) of the lime sugar mixture into a small bowl and set aside for coating the cookies before baking.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add the butter to the remaining 200g lime sugar and whisk with a hand mixer or stand mix for 2-3 minutes until light and airy. Add the vegan yogurt, lime juice, and vanilla extract and whisk again until combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and fold it into the dough using a spatula.
- Chill: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
- Shape and freeze: Scoop out 12 portions with a cookie scoop and roll them into balls. Roll each cookie in the reserved lime sugar and place them on a tray or plate lined with parchment paper and freeze for 15-20 minutes while you preheat your oven.
- Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C/320°F or conventional 180°C/356°F.
- Place the cookies on baking trays or cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving at least 4 inches between each cookie. If you only have one sheet, bake them in 2-3 batches.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 12 minutes (soft and chewy) or up to 14 minutes (crispy). While hot, round off the edges using a large cookie cutter or glass. (This step is important if you want to get a nice round shape as pictured, otherwise the cookies will be large and flat).Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Original Recipe Quantities: 188g all-purpose flour, omit vanilla extract. The rest of the ingredients remain the same.
- Limes: Use organic if possible, and wash thoroughly before use. Zest the limes before you juice them.
- Vegan Butter: Use vegan block butter, not the spreadable kind from a tub.
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Made these today and it was delicious!! I used vegan peach coconut yogurt (because that’s what I had on hand) and baked for longer (15-16 minutes), everything came out absolutely delicious! And the method with the cookie cutter (game changer)! I know how to make my cookies rounded now !!! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Joann,
So glad to hear that, and peach coconut yogurt sounds like a delicious twist! Love that the cookie cutter trick helped too, total game changer, right? Thanks so much for baking and sharing!
Hi, I loooove trying out your recepies. Thanks for sharing ! My question: vegan butter, is that what we call margarine ? And can I replace the vegan butter by coconut oil?
Look forward to reading your reply !
Hi Anne,
Thank you so much for trying the recipes! You want vegan block-style butter, it should have around 80% fat content and appear solid when chilled, like regular butter. Spreadable margarine from a tub has a higher water content and won't work the same. I can't recommend coconut oil as it's not something I've used for cookies in place of butter. I do have an olive oil cc cookie recipe though, in case you're having trouble finding vegan butter 🙂
These were Amazing!!
I did use organic unsalted butter and organic grass fed Greek yogurt using same measurements and needed to cook them a bit longer. I also took a glass and pressed them lightly after I took them out of the oven. My adult son said these are dangerous cookies lol after eating two and eyeballing another. Will definitely be making these again! Wish I could add a picture of them they came out so nice. Awesome recipe, thank you!!!!
Well…I followed the grams listed in the recipe to a T and it’s clear that not enough flour and too much butter is given as the cookies completely spread out and became a mass of cookie goo. Even after using a spatula to make a shape resembling cookies and returning them to the oven.
Hi Anita,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I use grams myself whenever I'm making these so I can confirm that those measurements are correct. Can you share the brand of butter you used, and how long did you chill the dough for? I would love to get to the bottom of what went wrong for you.
Can I use anything to substitute the vegan yogurt? Perhaps coconut cream?
Hi Rowan,
I think coconut cream should work! Otherwise, soft silken tofu or vegan sour cream would give you a similar result.
Can I use anything to sub the yogurt?
This recipe is truly delish! And the cookies stayed fresh for more than a week!
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, Denise!
Can you make these without vegan butter? If so, what I use to replace it with?
Hi Lee,
I'm afraid it can't be substituted
Can these be made gluten free?
Hi Nancy,
I haven't made them with GF flour, if you are giving them a go though I would recommend trying a GF all purpose