These Vegan Vanilla Wafers are perfectly crisp and buttery with just the right amount of vanilla. Made with basic pantry staples so they are simple and budget friendly!
Vanilla wafers are such a simple cookie, but so yummy and great for so many uses. But, the common yellow box ones are not vegan so I came up with this homemade version. Perfecting this recipe took a few tries to get right, but I am so happy with the final result. These cookies are crisp, buttery and full of vanilla flavor.
And of course, they work perfectly to make banana pudding. My version of the southern dessert is made with an easy homemade banana flavored pudding!
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Ingredients
These cookies are made with simple ingredients commonly found in many grocery stores. You may even already have what you need on hand.
- non dairy butter
- sugar
- vanilla
- non dairy milk
- salt
- baking powder
- all purpose flour
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Flour - instead of all purpose flour you can use a 1:1 gluten free flour
- Vanilla - you can use vanilla extract, vanilla paste or imitation vanilla
How to make vegan vanilla wafers
The recipe for these cookies start like many with the creaming method. Using a mixer combine softened non dairy butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Then incorporate the remaining ingredients.
Combine non dairy butter and sugar in the bowl of mixer. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and non dairy milk and incorporate.
Add salt, baking powder and half of flour. Combine to incorporate then add remaining flour. Combine just to form dough. Don't over mix. Chill dough to 1 hour.
Roll dough into small balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Flatten cookies balls and bake at 325 degrees for 22-24 minutes. Cool on the pan briefly before moving to a wire rack.
Top Tip
Normally, real vanilla is the way to go, but for these cookies I recommend imitation vanilla for the closest flavor to Nilla wafers.
Equipment
You will need a stand mixer or a hand mixer to make these cookies as well as basic kitchen tools. You will also need access to an oven.
Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
You can make the dough and freeze shaped cookies on a baking sheet until solid. Then transfer the frozen dough to a freezer safe container or storage bag for up to one month. When ready to use place dough on a baking sheet and bake according to recipe instructions.
Common Questions
Make a crust for cream pies or cheesecake, make sandwich cookies with a smear of frosting between two cookies, crush cookies over ice cream, make tiny ice cream sandwiches or use them in trifles.
A food processor works really well to crush vanilla wafers. You can also places cookies in a gallon size zip top bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these vanilla wafers:
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think! Leave a review and rating in the comments below. This helps me continue to provide great recipes for you.
Recipe
Vegan Vanilla Wafers
Ingredients
- ½ cup non dairy butter
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 2 tsp imitation vanilla see note below
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp non dairy milk
Instructions
- Add non dairy butter and sugar in the bowl of stand mixer or use a large bowl with a hand mixer. Cream together until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and non dairy milk. Mix again to incorporate.
- Add salt, baking powder and half of flour. Combine to incorporate. Add remaining flour and combine just to form dough. Don't over mix. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll chilled dough into small balls, about 1 teaspoon of dough. Place on prepared baking sheets leaving space between each.
- Flatten the balls. Lay a small piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top and use the bottom of a cup to press down evenly.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes. The cookies will be a little soft, but will crisp more as they cool.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!