Halloween is right around the corner, and I’m absolutely thrilled to share these Spooky Vegan Halloween Cookies that have become a total hit in my house! Last year, Isabella, Emma, and Noah were obsessed with decorating cookies for their Halloween party, and I wanted to create something fun, colorful, and totally plant-based. These tri-colored beauties with their googly eyes and stitched-up smiles remind me of friendly monsters (not the scary kind, I promise!).
What I love most about this recipe is how it brings everyone together. Henry helped me roll the dough balls while the kids fought over who got to add the most googly eyes. The best part? These cookies are naturally vegan, super easy to make, and they look like they came straight from a bakery. If you’re looking for fun Halloween treats that don’t require fancy skills, you’re in the right place. Plus, if you love creative holiday baking, you’ll want to check out my healthy pumpkin cookies for another festive option!
Trust me, once you see how simple these vegan Halloween cookies are to make, you’ll be adding them to your annual baking list.
Why You’ll Love These Spooky Halloween Cookies
These Spooky Vegan Halloween Cookies check all the boxes for a perfect Halloween treat:
- Incredibly fun to make the tri-color dough creates a marbled effect that looks impressive without any special techniques
- Kid-friendly decorating sabella, Emma, and Noah had a blast placing the googly eyes at wonky angles (which honestly makes them look even better!)
- Ready in about an hour including prep and baking time, you can have fresh cookies cooling on your counter before you know it
- Vegan and adaptable made with plant-based ingredients, and you can easily make them gluten-free too
- Soft and chewy texture these aren’t your typical crunchy cookies; they’re perfectly soft with slightly crisp edges
- Great for freezing make the dough ahead and bake fresh cookies whenever you need them
What You’ll Need For These Vegan Halloween Cookies
The ingredient list might look long, but I promise it’s mostly pantry staples you probably already have. The special touch comes from the natural food colorings (ube powder, matcha, and cocoa) that create those spooky colors.
For the cookie dough, you’ll need vegan butter (I always use the block variety rather than margarine for better results), granulated sugar, soft silken tofu (or unsweetened applesauce if you prefer), and vanilla extract for flavor.
The dry ingredients include all-purpose flour (or a gluten-free blend), cream of tartar and baking soda for that perfect texture, and a bit of sea salt to balance the sweetness.
Now here’s where it gets fun – the colors! Ube powder creates a gorgeous purple hue (though blueberry powder works too), ceremonial grade matcha gives you that bright green, and Dutch process cocoa powder makes a deep, rich brown. These natural colorings not only look amazing but add subtle flavors that make each bite interesting.
For decorating, grab some vegan edible googly eyes (check the label to make sure they’re plant-based), powdered sugar, and a splash of plant milk for the icing.
How To Make Spooky Vegan Halloween Cookies Step By Step
Let me walk you through this process, and don’t worry – it’s way easier than it looks!
Start by creaming together the vegan butter, sugar, tofu, and vanilla in your stand mixer (or use a hand mixer and a big bowl). Beat this on high speed for 2-3 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. This step is important because it adds air to your cookies, making them soft and tender.
While that’s mixing, sift your flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Sifting might seem fussy, but it really does make a difference in the final texture (I learned this the hard way when I skipped it once and ended up with lumpy dough).
Add your dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on medium speed just until combined. Don’t overmix here, or your cookies will turn out tough. The dough will look a bit loose, and that’s perfectly normal.
Now for the fun part! Remove the dough from your mixer and divide it into three equal portions. I actually weigh mine to be precise, but eyeballing works fine too. Place each portion in a separate bowl.
Mix the ube powder into one portion, the matcha into another, and the cocoa powder into the third. Stir each one until the color is evenly distributed. Don’t they look amazing already?
Wrap each bowl of colored dough in plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This chilling step is crucial (I promise I’m not just making you wait for no reason!). It makes the dough easier to handle and prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once chilled, here’s where the magic happens. Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cocoa dough – I get 10 equal scoops total (5 per sheet). Then do the same with the ube/blueberry dough, placing each scoop right next to the cocoa ones. Repeat with the matcha dough. You should now have 10 lumps of tri-colored dough. Pop these back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Pour your extra granulated sugar into a small bowl. Take each chilled dough clump and gently roll it into a ball (the colors will marble together beautifully!), then roll it in the sugar. Place back on the baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes. While they’re baking, get your googly eyes ready in a bowl because you’ll need to work fast when the cookies come out.
As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, quickly press 7-8 edible eyes onto each cookie. Push them in at different angles for a more authentic monster look. The cookies are still soft, so the eyes will stick perfectly.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. While they cool, make your icing by whisking together powdered sugar and plant milk until smooth. Pour this into a piping bag (or a plastic bag with a tiny corner snipped off).
Once cooled, pipe stitch marks across the seams where the different dough colors meet. This gives them that adorable Frankenstein-monster vibe that makes everyone smile.
Storing Your Spooky Vegan Halloween Cookies
These cookies are best enjoyed fresh, but I get it – sometimes you need to make things ahead. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Honestly though, they rarely last that long in my house!
If you want to prep ahead, here’s my favorite trick: freeze the dough balls before baking. After rolling them in sugar, place the baking sheets in the freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe ziplock bag. They’ll keep for 3-4 months in the freezer.
When you’re ready to bake, just defrost the dough balls on lined baking sheets for 30 minutes at room temperature, then bake and decorate as directed. Fresh cookies any time? Yes please!
The decorated cookies don’t freeze as well (the eyes can get a bit wonky), so I recommend freezing the dough and decorating fresh.
Fun Ways To Customize These Halloween Cookies
While these tri-colored monsters are adorable as-is, here are some variations I’ve tried:
Switch up the colors try using beetroot powder for pink, turmeric for yellow, or spirulina for a different shade of green. The possibilities are endless!
Make them gluten-free simply swap the all-purpose flour for your favorite gluten-free flour blend. I’ve tested this with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 and it works perfectly.
Try different decorations f you can’t find vegan googly eyes, use dark chocolate chips arranged in eye shapes, or pipe on eyes with colored icing.
Add flavor variations mix in ½ teaspoon of almond extract, peppermint extract, or orange zest to the dough before dividing it.
Make mini cookies use a smaller cookie scoop for bite-sized monsters that are perfect for party platters.
Create different patterns instead of scooping the three colors separately, try layering them or twisting them together for different marbled effects.
Your Questions About These Vegan Halloween Cookies Answered
Can I make these cookies gluten-free?
Yes! Simply substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend for a delicious gluten-free version. I recommend using a 1-to-1 baking blend that includes xanthan gum for the best texture. The cookies will be just as soft and chewy as the original version.
How long can I store these cookies?
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, though they’re best enjoyed fresh on the day of baking. The texture stays soft for the first two days, then they gradually become slightly firmer (still delicious, just not quite as pillowy).
Can I freeze the dough for later use?
Yes, freeze the dough for up to 3-4 months! After rolling the dough into balls and coating them in sugar, freeze them on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Thaw for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking. This is my go-to trick for having fresh cookies ready whenever we need them.
What’s the best way to decorate the cookies?
Apply edible googly eyes while the cookies are still warm from the oven – they’ll stick perfectly to the soft dough. Then pipe on stitch marks with icing once they’ve completely cooled for a spooky, stitched-together monster look. The wonkier the eyes, the better they look (trust me on this!).
Ready To Make Some Monster Magic?
These Spooky Vegan Halloween Cookies are honestly one of my favorite things to bake during October. There’s something so joyful about creating these little monsters with my kids – the kitchen gets messy, everyone’s laughing, and we end up with adorable cookies that taste amazing.
Whether you’re baking for a Halloween party, making treats for your kids’ school celebration, or just want to get into the spooky spirit, these cookies deliver on flavor, fun, and presentation. The vegan recipe means everyone can enjoy them, and the natural food colorings make them a slightly healthier option than artificially dyed treats.
So grab your mixing bowls, round up your little helpers, and let’s make some monster cookies! Don’t forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you can find it again next Halloween (or any time you need fun, colorful cookies).
More Halloween Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re in the mood for more festive fall treats, here are some of my family’s favorites:
- Healthy Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding Recipe a creamy breakfast that tastes like pumpkin pie
- Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Quinoa Feta perfect for a light lunch during Halloween week
- Protein Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl Recipe another way to get your pumpkin fix while staying healthy
Happy baking, and I can’t wait to see your spooky creations!
Spooky Vegan Halloween Cookies
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 10 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These spooky tri-colored vegan cookies are perfect for Halloween! Featuring purple, green, and brown swirls topped with googly eyes and stitched details, they’re as fun to make as they are to eat.
Ingredients
- 130g vegan butter (block variety works best, at room temperature)
- 150g granulated sugar
- 50g soft silken tofu or unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180g plain white flour (aka all-purpose flour, or substitute for a gluten-free flour blend)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (aka baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoon ube powder or substitute for blueberry powder
- 1 teaspoon ceremonial grade matcha
- 2 teaspoon Dutch process cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar for rolling the dough
- Edible googly eye decorations (make sure they’re vegan)
- 100g icing sugar (aka powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon plant milk (unflavored and unsweetened)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the vegan butter, granulated sugar, soft silken tofu, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy, around 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer.
- Meanwhile, sift together the plain white flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, and fine sea salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in the stand mixer and beat on medium speed until the ingredients are just combined into a loose dough.
- Remove the dough from the stand mixer and weigh it. Divide the dough into three equal portions and place them in three separate bowls. To one portion of dough, add the ube powder (or blueberry powder) and mix until evenly colored. To another portion, add the matcha and mix until evenly colored. Add the cocoa to the third portion and mix until evenly colored.
- Wrap each bowl of dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F, fan). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is chilled, use a cookie scoop to divide the cocoa dough into 10 equal scoops (5 on each baking sheet). Repeat the process with the ube/blueberry dough, placing each scoop right next to or touching the cocoa dough. Repeat again with the matcha dough. You should now have 10 rough lumps of tri-color cookie dough (5 on each cookie sheet). Return the cookie sheets to the fridge for 10 minutes to chill.
- Meanwhile, place the extra 3 tablespoon granulated sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Once chilled again, take one clump of dough and roll it gently in your hands to form a ball of tri-colored dough. Roll the ball in the granulated sugar and return it to the cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining balls of cookie dough.
- Once all the dough is rolled and coated in sugar, place the cookie sheets in the oven to bake for 12 minutes. Alternatively, at this point, you can place the cookie sheets in the freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer the frozen balls of dough to a freezer-safe ziplock bag or airtight container. Freeze the dough for up to 3-4 months. Defrost on lined baking sheets for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking and decorating.
- While the cookies bake, transfer your edible eye decorations to a bowl. You’ll need to apply them quickly after the cookies are baked. Remove the cookies from the oven and, working quickly before they set, apply 7-8 eye decorations to each cookie, pushing them in gently and avoiding the seams between cookie dough flavors. The cookies will look better if you push the eyes in at wonky angles, so don’t try to be too perfect here.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely to room temperature. While the cookies cool, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and plant milk until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and cut a very small hole at the tip.
- Once the cookies are cooled, pipe on the stitch marks across the seams. Leave to set fully before serving. If making in advance, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, though they’re better consumed on the day of baking.
Notes
The cookies will look better if you push the eyes in at wonky angles, so don’t try to be too perfect here. These cookies are best consumed on the day of baking but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 257
- Sugar: 29g
- Sodium: 256mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
