Homemade Vegan Vanilla Wafers are the perfect vegan swap for Nilla wafers! Enjoy these crisp and buttery cookies on their own, or layer them in our Homemade Vegan Banana Pudding for a classic vegan dessert the whole family will love.
Table of Contents
When it comes to our vegan dessert recipes, we work hard to make our recipes as accessible to as many people as possible. So when we decided to develop our own Classic Vegan Banana Pudding recipe, we knew we needed to make a Vegan Vanilla Wafer recipe to go along with it! After all, the widely available Nilla Wafers are sadly made with eggs and dairy and are not vegan-friendly.
These homemade cookies are not only free of all animal products, but they’re also made with just 6 simple ingredients and can be stashed in the freezer whenever a banana pudding or cookie craving hits! Even the most beginner of home chefs can make these homemade wafers.
If you’re looking for more homemade vegan basics to try, our Vegan Ladyfingers, Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk, and Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting are must-make recipes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegan butter: Adds richness and moisture that keeps these cookies soft and buttery. Our favorite vegan butter is Country Crock, but many also like Earth Balance Buttery Sticks. For best results, we recommend using buttery sticks over buttery spreads – they are more stable.
- Sugar: These cookies are sweetened with granulated sugar. If you swap this sugar with coconut sugar or brown sugar, the cookies will be much darker in color. To ensure they are vegan, opt for organic sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Adds the essential vanilla flavor! We recommend pure vanilla extract over imitation vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Flour: Simple all-purpose flour keeps these cookies light and fluffy on the inside, crisp on the edges. We have not tested alternate flours and can’t confirm they’ll work.
- Baking powder: This ingredient acts as the leavening agent in this baking recipe and helps the cookies rise just slightly.
- Salt: Balances the sweeter flavors and enhances the vanilla flavor.
- Non-dairy milk: You’ll need a couple tablespoons of any non-dairy milk of choice to help make the cookie dough smooth and moist. We recommend a plain milk.
The complete ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Equipment Needed
How to Make Vegan Vanilla Wafers
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the softened vegan butter and sugar to a large bowl. Beat together with an electric hand mixer until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla. Add vanilla extract to the bowl with the vegan butter and sugar. Beat again until smooth and well incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together on low until roughly combined. The mixture should be crumbly.
- Add non-dairy milk. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk and beat on low until a smooth dough forms.
- Scoop into 2-teaspoon-sized balls. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough into uniform cookie dough balls about 2 teaspoons in size. As you work, place the cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Lightly flatten. Using damp hands, lightly flatten each cookie dough ball into a thick disc.
- Bake. Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. You’ll likely need to bake in multiple batches.
- Cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy! Serve the cookies as desired, or use to make our vegan pudding. Note: If using for vegan banana pudding, store in an airtight container and use the next day.
Recipe FAQs
We have only tested this recipe using all-purpose flour and are unsure if they will work well with gluten-free flour. If you’d like to experiment on your own, we’d recommend starting with a quality 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. You are more likely to have success working with a gluten-free flour blend than swapping in a single gluten-free flour, such as almond flour or coconut flour.
Our Homemade Vegan Banana Pudding requires two batches of our homemade vanilla wafers. Simply double this recipe and make a double batch of the dough at once, then scoop and bake the cookies in batches.
We have not tested this, but based on our experience, we would not recommend swapping the vegan butter with softened coconut oil. Vegan butter is formulated to mimic dairy butter, whereas coconut oil is not as stable or spreadable. Coconut oil is likely to make much more crispy vanilla wafers.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
These wafer-style cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer. Before storing, let the cookies cool completely.
If frozen, allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature until soft again.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes You May Enjoy:
If you make this recipe, make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan. We love to see your photos!
Print
Homemade Vegan Vanilla Wafers Recipe
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Total Time: 30 minutes -
Yield: ~40 cookies -
Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Homemade Vegan Vanilla Wafers are the perfect vegan swap for Nilla wafers! Enjoy these crisp and buttery cookies on their own, or layer them in our Homemade Vegan Banana Pudding for a classic vegan dessert the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) vegan butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the softened vegan butter and sugar to a large bowl. Beat together with an electric hand mixer until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla. Add vanilla extract to the bowl with the vegan butter and sugar. Beat again until smooth and well incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together on low until roughly combined. The mixture should be crumbly.
- Add non-dairy milk. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk and beat on low until a smooth dough forms.
- Scoop into 2-teaspoon-sized balls. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough into uniform cookie dough balls about 2 teaspoons in size. As you work, place the cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Lightly flatten. Using damp hands, lightly flatten each cookie dough ball into a thick disc.
- Bake. Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. You’ll likely need to bake in multiple batches.
- Cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy! Serve the cookies as desired, or use to make our vegan pudding. Note: If using for vegan banana pudding, store in an airtight container and use the next day.
Notes
- Storage: Keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Before storing, let the cookies cool completely.
- Freezing: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Before storing, let the cookies cool completely. If frozen, allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature until soft again.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Oven
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