Let’s make Gluten-Free Sprinkle Sugar Cookies! These soft gluten-free sugar cookies with sprinkles are adorable and perfect for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions.
These gluten-free sprinkle sugar cookies are as tasty as they are cheerful. Their colorful appearance, tender texture, and classic flavor make them a joy to bake and share.
They look fancy but are incredibly simple to make—seriously easy.
Here’s what you’ll need to make these soft gluten-free sugar cookies with sprinkles…
Gather Your Ingredients
These cookies start with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients. You’ll need:
- Softened butter. The base of the dough that gives a tender crumb.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar creamed with butter creates a light, fluffy base.
- Eggs. Bind the dough and help create slightly chewy edges with soft centers.
- Vanilla extract. The main flavor—use a good-quality vanilla for best results.
- Almond extract (optional). A little adds a classic sugar-cookie note if you enjoy it.
- Baking powder. Provides gentle lift.
- Salt. Balances and enhances the sweetness.
- Gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. Use a cup-for-cup blend that contains xanthan gum (King Arthur Measure for Measure is recommended). Do not substitute almond, coconut, or oat flour.
- Sprinkles. Use jimmies or quins (non-bleeding shapes) for the best color and texture after baking.
Key Step: Measure Properly!
For consistent cookies, weigh the flour with a digital scale when possible. If not, use the scoop-and-level method—spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping with the cup. This prevents packing too much flour and keeps the dough soft and able to spread correctly.
How To Make Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies With Sprinkles, Step By Step
The full recipe with exact amounts and the printable card is included in the recipe card below.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar with a paddle attachment or hand mixer for 2–3 minutes until smooth and cohesive.
- Mix in wet ingredients. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Stir in vanilla and almond extract.
- Add dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl and add baking powder, salt, and the gluten-free flour. Mix until mostly combined.
- Mix in sprinkles. Fold or beat in the sprinkles on low. The dough will be thick and sticky—finish with a spatula if needed.
- Chill the dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat & prep. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop & roll. Scoop or roll dough into 1.5″ balls (a medium cookie scoop works well). If you like, roll the tops in extra sprinkles before placing on the sheet.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until edges are set and centers are just shy of done. Let cookies cool 2 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Serve & store. Enjoy once cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days or freeze up to 2 months.
Make Them For Any Holiday or Celebration
- Birthdays: Use multicolor jimmies or the birthday person’s favorite colors.
- Valentine’s Day: Try heart-shaped quins or red, pink, and white jimmies.
- St. Patrick’s Day: Green jimmies or shamrock quins are festive choices.
- Mardi Gras: Use yellow, purple, and green sprinkles to echo king cake colors.
- Easter: Pastel sprinkles work beautifully.
- 4th of July: Red, white, and blue jimmies or star-shaped quins add a patriotic touch.
- Halloween: Choose orange, black, and purple, or themed quins like pumpkins and ghosts.
- Hanukkah: Blue and white sprinkles make a fitting palette.
- Christmas: Classic red and green jimmies or red and white combinations look festive.
Gluten-free tip: Make sure the sprinkles you choose are labeled gluten-free if you need to avoid gluten.
FAQ + Tips For The Best Gluten-Free Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
What sprinkles work best? Use jimmies or quins. They retain shape and color and won’t bleed into the dough like nonpareils.
Should I add sprinkles before or after baking? Add sprinkles directly into the dough and optionally press extra sprinkles onto the tops of dough balls before baking. If you prefer, you can also add sprinkles on top of frosting after the cookies have cooled.
Can you freeze the dough? Yes. After chilling, scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time if needed.
3 Tricks To Make Perfectly Round Cookies
- Chill the dough. Chilled dough spreads less and yields better texture and flavor.
- Use a cookie scoop. A medium scoop helps produce even, uniformly sized cookies.
- Shape while warm. If a cookie bakes into an imperfect shape, gently coax it into a circle with a round cutter while still warm on the baking sheet.
More Fun Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes To Try
Gluten-Free Sprinkle Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars
Gluten-Free Fruit Pizza Cookies
Gluten-Free Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
🌟 Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating when you try this Gluten-Free Sprinkle Sugar Cookies recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks, 170 grams)
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300 grams)
- 2 eggs (ideally room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour* (300 grams)
- 1/3-1/2 cup sprinkles (jimmies or quins, plus more for topping if desired)
Instructions
-
Cream Butter & Sugar. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat with a paddle attachment or hand mixer 2–3 minutes until smooth and cohesive.
-
Mix In Wet Ingredients. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between additions. Add vanilla and almond extract and mix until incorporated.
-
Add Dry Ingredients. Scrape the bowl and add baking powder, salt, and flour. Mix until the flour is mostly combined.
-
Mix In Sprinkles. Fold or beat sprinkles into the dough on low. The dough will be thick—use a spatula if needed.
-
Chill Dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
-
Preheat & Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Scoop & Roll Dough. Scoop or roll into 1.5” balls (medium cookie scoop). Roll tops in extra sprinkles if desired and place on the baking sheet.
-
Bake Cookies. Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until edges are set and centers are just underdone. Cool 2 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
-
Serve & Store. Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days or freeze up to 2 months.
Notes
- Use the right sprinkles. Jimmies or quins hold shape and color; nonpareils may melt and bleed.
- Gluten-free flour. A cup-for-cup blend with xanthan gum is recommended. Other single-ingredient flours (oat, almond, coconut) will not work here.
- Measure carefully. Weigh flour when possible or use the scoop-and-level method to avoid packing extra flour into the recipe.
Video
Find the recipe:
sweetsandthankyou.com/gluten-free-sprinkle-cookies/
Originally published October 2021. Updated with extra notes, more photos, and video and republished May 2025.