Sweet, sunshiny, and bursting with berry goodness, these delectable lemon blueberry vegan cookies are lovely to turn to all year round — but they’re especially welcome on a dreary day.
Each blueberry lemon cookie is loaded with bright, citrusy zing and juicy pops of fresh berries, making them the gastronomic equivalent of a ray of sunshine.
If you prefer a chewy cookie then try my vegan lemon cookies and lime cookies!
Jump to:
📖 Recipe Overview
- Flavorsome: Perfectly balanced with sweet berry and tart lemon flavors, plus a hint of nuttiness from the almond extract. YUM!
- Made With Simple Ingredients: They’re egg-free, dairy-free, and easy to make nut-free and either soy-free or coconut-free, depending on your audience.
- Delightfully Textured: These blueberry-studded lemon cookies boast a lovely ratio of golden, caramelized edges and soft, toothsome interiors, making them ideal for members of either Team Crispy Cookie or Team Chewy Cookie.
- Quick & Easy: This is a simple cookie recipe that even novice bakers can recreate at home. Better yet, there’s no rest time needed for the cookie dough, meaning you can have a batch ready in just 30 minutes!
Looking for more berry-filled vegan cookie inspiration? Check out my raspberry jam-filled linzer cookies, chunky white chocolate raspberry cookies, or chocolate raspberry wagon wheels next!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
As promised, these vegan lemon cookies with blueberries are made from simple, easy-to-find ingredients. Here’s everything you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes
While all 12 ingredients and their measurements are listed in the recipe card below, these are a few notes you should keep in mind:
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder - You will need both types of leavener for this recipe, and they are decidedly NOT interchangeable.
- Vegan Block Butter - Don’t try to use the butter that comes in a tub or is labeled “spread,” as it won’t work for this recipe.
- Fresh Lemon - You’ll need both the zest and the juice, so make sure you grab a few fresh citrus.
- Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract - I love adding a touch of nutty almond flavor because it plays so nicely with both the lemon and blueberry. Feel free to replace it with extra vanilla if you prefer. Also, note that equal amounts of vanilla paste or vanilla powder, or half as much ground vanilla bean can be used in place of the extract.
- Vegan Greek-Style Yogurt or Skyr - Opt for plain, unsweetened yogurt. You can also use regular unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt.
- Fresh Blueberries - I don’t recommend using frozen blueberries here because they’ll leave streaks of blue juice throughout the batter. You can also use dried blueberries if you prefer chewier bits over juicy ones.
🥣 How To Make Lemon Blueberry Cookies
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Prepare: Preheat your oven & line 2 sheet pans with parchment. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
Step 1: Make Lemon Sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers.
Step 2: Cream the butter and lemon sugar mixture until light and airy.
Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients to the butter mix, then whisk again until combined.
Step 4: Add the Dry Ingredients to the bowl and use a spatula to bring the mixture together until about half-mixed.
Step 5: Add the Blueberries to the half-mixed cookie dough.
Step 6: Finish Dough. Continue to mix the ingredients until there are no visible clumps of flour.
Step 7: Shape the Dough into approx 60g balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Step 8: Bake & Reshape. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and round off the edges using a large cookie cutter. Place them back in the oven to continue baking for another 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden.
Step 9: Cool the cookies on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before carefully sliding the parchment with the cookies onto a cooling rack. Cool for another 15-20 minutes (until they reach room temperature) before serving.
Storage: While these cookies are great at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container, they will last up to a week in the fridge as they contain fresh blueberries.
🔪 Optional Variations
As much as I love these lemony blueberry cookies as written, there are several ways you can edit the recipe to make it fit within your dietary preferences. Here are a few variations to consider:
- Omit the Berries - This recipe is based on my vegan lemon cookies (coming soon!), which are exquisite even without the addition of fresh fruit.
- Nut-Free - Opt for soy-based butter and yogurt, and omit the almond extract.
- Make Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches - Layer a scoop of vanilla or pistachio ice cream between two blueberry lemon cookies, then place back in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to set up.
- Play With Different Flavors - As much as I love the classic combination of lemon and blueberries, feel free to experiment with other ingredients like using raspberries instead of blueberries, or adding culinary lavender (start with just a scant teaspoon) for a pop of flavor, or add texture using sliced almonds or white chocolate chips (no more than a half cup) in addition to the blueberries.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
These delectably sweet-tart cookies are ideal for serving with your afternoon tea — I find they are particularly welcome with a mug of bergamot-laced Earl Grey. I also love serving them anytime I’m in need of a little extra sunshine and sweetness (read: after a tough day or when it’s cold and dreary out.
Since they’re already individually portioned, these cookies are also perfect for bake sales, potlucks, parties, or classroom celebrations. In fact, you may want to make a double batch because they always go quickly whenever I set them out to share. 😉
📝 Recipe Tips
Use a cookie scoop or a kitchen scale for even portioning. Making sure your cookies are evenly sized as possible ensures that they’ll all bake within the same time.
Freeze cookie dough balls for future “cookies on demand.” If you’re anything like me, cookies are ALWAYS welcome. Once you’ve portioned out the cookie dough balls, freeze them until solid, then pop them into a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Whenever a cookie craving strikes (or an unexpected visitor stops by), grab a few balls from the freezer and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time as needed.
Be gentle with the berries as you fold them in. I try my best to not break any, which helps create a more professional-looking result.
💬 FAQs
YES! Make sure you add the berries to the dough while there are still visible streaks of flour, or you’ll risk overmixing it.
Why is overmixing a problem? Well, the more you mix a wheat-based dough, the more the gluten proteins develop into a strong web. (This is why bread bakers knead their dough!). If you overmix delicate baked goods like cookies or cakes, the gluten will overdevelop and create a tough, undesirably chewy result.
It all depends on the type of cookie you’re making. For these lemon blueberry drop cookies, you’re looking for a golden edge and bottom with a center that is set but still a bit pale.
Oooops! It sounds like you went a little wild while you were zesting the lemons. Make sure you only remove the bright yellow exterior of the rind, as the white pith is quite bitter. Also, make sure your lemons are fresh. When you slice them open to juice them, they should be uniform in color with no dark spots or lesions.
🍋🫐 More Lemon & Blueberry Desserts
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment as well, thanks!
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. And subscribe via email to get all our new recipes!
Description
Ingredients
- 188 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 130 g (½ cup + 1½ tsp) vegan butter (from a block), room temperature
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar, use organic if in the US
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, freshly grated
- 40 g (2 tbsp) Greek-style yogurt or skyr, or regular unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 110 g (¾ cup) fresh blueberries, washed and dried
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line 2 baking trays or cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a separate large mixing bowl and use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar.
- Add the butter to the sugar mixture and use an electric whisk or stand mixer to whisk for 2-3 minutes until light and airy. Add the vegan yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract and whisk again until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and use a spatula to bring the mixture together until about half-mixed. Halfway through mixing, while there are still visible lumps of flour, add in the blueberries. Continue to mix the ingredients until there are no visible clumps of flour.
- Separate the dough into approx 60g balls (this will make 11 cookies) and place them on the baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and round off the edges using a large cookie cutter. (This step is important if you want to get a nice round shape as pictured, otherwise the cookies will be large and flat). Place them back in the oven to continue baking for another 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Carefully slide the sheet of parchment paper with the cookies off of the tray and onto a cooling rack. Cool for another 15-20 minutes until they reach room temperature before serving.
- Storage: While these cookies are great at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container, they will last up to a week in the fridge as they contain fresh blueberries.
Notes
- Use a cookie scoop or a kitchen scale for even portioning.
- Freeze cookie dough balls for future “cookies on demand.” Once you’ve portioned out the cookie dough balls, freeze them until solid, then pop them into a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Bake from the freezer as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time as needed.
- Be gentle with the berries as you fold them in. I try my best to not break any, which helps create a more professional-looking result.
Nutrition
© addictedtodates.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. If you want to share this recipe, please do so using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or republish the recipe or content in full. instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.
