Sugar cookie bars are perfect when you don’t want to roll and frost individual cookies. These gluten-free, vegan sugar cookie bars are made in one bowl and come out twice as thick as rolled cookies — soft, tender, and topped with a dairy-free vanilla buttercream. They’re free from gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts and tree nuts, making them top-8-friendly and ideal for celebrations.
My love affair with sugar cookie bars began years ago, long before we dealt with dietary restrictions. I first tried a recipe from Six Sisters Stuff and was instantly hooked. After perfecting my gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip cookie bars, I started experimenting until I had a sugar cookie bar version that matched the flavor and texture I remembered.
Sugar cookies are a timeless favorite. With a simple change of frosting color and a sprinkling of seasonal decorations, these bars become festive for any occasion. I especially love tinting the frosting green for spring holidays — it evokes fresh grass and longer days, which always puts me in a good mood.
Spring means more time outdoors after a long winter. I live in Utah and always look forward to warmer weather when the kids can run and play outside. The temperatures are still comfortable enough to bake, so it’s the perfect season for making treats that we can enjoy at a picnic or a backyard snack time.
My son recently hosted a little “cookie party” with his neighbor — they paused play long enough to enjoy these thick, delicious bars. It’s so fun to test recipes on enthusiastic little tasters!
I hope you and any guests you share them with enjoy these Gluten-Free Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars this season. They’re easy to make, allergy-friendly, and customizable for any celebration.
If you prefer a visual guide, I demonstrated how to make these bars on Fox13’s The Place and shared allergy-friendly baking tips. A video clip is shown below; you can also find the full segment on my Facebook page.
These bars are wonderful year-round. For Christmas, keep the frosting white and top with red, green and white sprinkles for a classic holiday look.
Quick overhead video: I also made a short one-minute overhead video to show how simple this one-bowl, no-roll recipe is — quick, fail-safe, and perfect when you want sugar cookie flavor without the fuss.
Gluten-free Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars
12
10 minutes
20 minutes
20 minutes
50 minutes
Easy one-bowl sugar cookie bars that are soft, thick, and finished with a dairy-free vanilla buttercream. Top-8-free and great for holidays or everyday treats.
Ingredients
- COOKIE INGREDIENTS:
- 3/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp vanilla rice milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
- 1 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
- One batch: The BEST Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat shortening until softened. Add sugar and cream for two minutes. Add vanilla and all the rice milk, mixing until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients, starting with salt and finishing with the gluten-free flour, mixing until blended.
- Pour batter into a greased 9×9-inch pan, pressing to flatten and fill the pan. Bake 18–20 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Cool in the pan.
- To make the frosting, cream shortening and coconut oil in a mixer. Add vanilla, salt, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar, then alternate small amounts of rice milk with 1/2 cup powdered sugar until all are incorporated and frosting is smooth. Add food coloring if desired. Frost the cooled bars and cut into squares.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 286
Total Fat: 18g
Saturated Fat: 7g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 229mg
Carbohydrates: 29g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 20g
Protein: 1g
These Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars were adapted from my chocolate chip cookie bars to deliver classic sugar cookie flavor in an easier, one-bowl bar format. Enjoy them as-is or decorate for holidays by changing the frosting color and sprinkles to match the season.