These soft, nutty vegan walnut cookies are made with simple ingredients and naturally eggless; perfect if you want a slightly healthier cookie that’s still buttery, tender and full of warm walnut flavour. They come together with pantry staples, chill quickly and bake in just about 10 minutes.
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🍪 Why Bake These Walnut Cookies?
- Naturally eggless: Great for vegans or anyone avoiding eggs. And the best part is there are no special substitutes needed other than a simple cornstarch slurry.
- Easy to make vegan: Just use vegan butter and plant milk to keep the cookies fully dairy-free as well.
- Slightly healthier: Made with walnut meal, a bit of almond flour and less overall flour than most cookies, plus less sweet than your typical cookie.
- Soft, thick and melt-in-your-mouth: They bake into tender cookies with crisp edges and a lightly chewy centre.
- Customisable flavour: Add cinnamon or lemon zest for a warm or bright twist.
🥣 Ingredients and Substitutions
- Finely ground walnuts – These cookies get most of their structure and flavour from walnuts, so they need to be very finely ground, almost like almond meal. Stop processing before they turn oily, or the dough will become heavy and greasy. Store-bought walnut meal also works if you can find it.
- All-purpose flour – Adds lightness and helps the cookies hold their shape. If your dough feels too sticky, add an extra 1–2 tablespoons. Whole-wheat flour isn’t ideal because it absorbs more moisture and makes the cookies denser. A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend may work, but the cookies will be more delicate.
- Almond flour – Adds extra richness and keeps the cookies tender. Don’t skip it or use a substitute. Coconut flour does not work here as it’s extremely absorbent and will make the dough dry and crumbly, even with extra liquid.
- Light brown sugar – Light brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle caramel flavour. Coconut sugar can be used, but the cookies may be slightly drier and darker in colour.
- Vegan butter – Regular butter works if you’re not vegan and only want to make eggless cookies. Peanut butter or almond butter can be used, but it will change the flavour and make the cookies denser and softer, plus the walnut flavour won’t come through as much. Oil is not recommended as it doesn’t cream or bind well in this dough.
- Maple syrup – Adds sweetness and moisture. Agave syrup or honey (if not vegan) also work. Avoid using granulated sugar instead since the dough needs a liquid sweetener to stay soft.
- Plant milk – Any dairy-free milk works (such as soy, almond, oat) or swap with regular milk if you don’t need the cookies to be vegan. Avoid using water because the fat in milk helps with texture.
- Cornstarch + water – This acts as an egg alternative and helps the cookies hold their shape without becoming cakey. Arrowroot starch usually works the same way if you need a substitute. Don’t skip this! Without a binder, the cookies may spread too much or fall apart.
- Vanilla extract – Adds warmth and rounds out the nutty flavour. Almond extract (use only a few drops!) can be used for a stronger nut flavour.
📋 Step-by-Step Method
Step One: Prepare the base
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to form a smooth slurry. Process the walnuts until very fine (but not oily), then combine all dry ingredients in one bowl.
Step Two: Mix the dough
In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegan butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, plant milk and cornstarch slurry. Add the dry ingredients and stir until a soft dough forms. If it’s too sticky, add 1–2 tablespoons of flour. If it’s too dry, add 1 teaspoon of water or maple syrup.
Step Three: Chill and bake
Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes. This is essential for structure! Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough, roll gently into a ball and place on a baking sheet. Press the tops lightly to form thick discs. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Let cool completely before moving; they firm up as they cool.
🍫 Serving and Decorating Suggestions
These vegan walnut cookies pair beautifully with a cup of coffee or tea. You can enjoy them plain or add:
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- A drizzle of melted dark chocolate
- A sprinkle of chopped walnuts on top before baking
- A dip in melted chocolate + chopped nuts for a more indulgent version
💬 Walnut Cookies FAQs
Yes, as long as you use plant milk and vegan butter. The recipe is naturally eggless.
No. Coconut flour absorbs too much moisture and will make the dough dry and crumbly.
A gluten-free 1:1 baking blend may work, though the texture will be more delicate. Almond flour alone will not work.
Yes. Freeze scooped portions of dough, then bake from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes.
This recipe makes about 20 cookies when using roughly 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Slightly larger scoops will yield fewer cookies.
These cookies are ready when the edges look lightly golden and the tops appear set but still soft. They won’t look fully firm when you take them out since they finish setting as they cool.
That’s normal. This dough makes soft, tender cookies and they continue to firm up on the baking sheet. Let them cool completely before moving them.
The dough may have been too warm. Make sure to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, or longer if your kitchen is warm. Adding 1–2 tablespoons of extra flour can also help.
Pressing the tops gently before baking is key. If they still don’t spread, your dough may have been too dry.
↓ More Vegan Cookies to Check Out
Vegan Walnut Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Dry
- 1 cup (100 g) ground walnuts
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- ⅓ cup (75 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- Zest of ½ lemon (optional)
Wet
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup (60 g) vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ⅛ cup (30 ml) plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix the cornstarch with 1 ½ tablespoons water in a small bowl until smooth.
- Process the walnuts until very fine but not oily.
- In a large bowl, mix the ground walnuts, all-purpose flour, almond flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and optional cinnamon or lemon zest.
- In another bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the vegan butter, maple syrup, plant milk, vanilla extract and cornstarch slurry until smooth and creamy.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. If it's too sticky, add 1–2 tablespoons flour, and if it's too dry add 1 teaspoon water or maple syrup.
- The dough should be a bit sticky and not firm enough to form a ball. Leave it in the bowl, cover with foil and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This is very important for structure, so make sure you don’t skip this step.
- Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of chilled dough and roll lightly into balls. Place on a baking sheet and gently press the tops with your palm or the bottom of a glass to form discs about ½–¾ inch thick.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before moving — they will firm up beautifully as they cool.
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