Eggless Air Fryer Sugar Cookies - Crispy edges with a soft centre and flat surface making it perfect to be iced on using royal icing or buttercream frosting.
Are you guilty of using your air fryer just to reheat or to make french fries? Well then let me introduce you to baking cookies in air fryer.
💥 Perfect for two
💥 A perfect small-batch sugar cookie recipe
💥 Instructions for using ready-made sugar cookie dough as well as making air fryer sugar cookies from scratch included
Can you Air Fry sugar cookies?
Yes! You can make sugar cookies in air fryer. It is easy, convenient, and gets done in half the time. So a great way to save some time and energy!!
You can use your own dough or store bought cookie dough. If you use store-bought dough, follow the package instructions for how much of each ingredient to add.
All the details on how long to air fry sugar cookies, and what temp you should air fry your cookies are included in the post.
I prefer making these cookies from scratch simply because they are economical and can be customized in terms of flavor as per the season.
These are adapted from my eggless sugar cookies recipe.
Flat Top Sugar Cookies - Tips
- Avoid leavening agents that cause baked goodies to puff and rise. This recipe is exactly that - easy air fryer sugar cookies without baking powder or baking soda so that the cookies do not puff up whilst baking.
- Do not beat butter and sugar for long, as it will create too much volume in your cookies – this can cause them to spread in your air fryer. Refer to our cookie troubleshooting video for more.
- Even after following the instructions if your cookie puffs after baking then use the back of a silicon mould (similar to the ones we used for making our customised chocolate bars) to press it down gently. This trick will work only when the cookies are freshly baked and still warm. So follow it immediately once the cookies are out of the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter (56 gms) (softened) I always prefer unsalted butter for baking. Make sure you are not using melted butter or very cold butter.
- 1/4 cup Caster Sugar - Do not use granulated white sugar as it won't combine with butter easily. Using brown sugar or jaggery would change the colour and texture of this otherwise perfect cookie recipe.
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste - Vanilla extract or vanilla essence or any other essence can also be used.
- 1 cup Maida / All Purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 25 gms Water if needed.
Just simple ingredients are all that you need to make this air fryer cookie recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
- Using a spatula combine together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until combined. Do not mix for too long. You do not want to incorporate any air.
- Add in the vanilla bean paste and little water (about 1 tsp at a time) and combine again.
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour and salt) a little at a time until it comes together as a dough.
- Add water only if you feel that it is too dry. Do not add too much water.
- Then using your hands press it to form a dough. Do not knead.
Place it on a cling wrap or plastic wrap, and flatten it to form a circle. Cling wrap and chill for 15-30 mins.
How Thick Do I Roll Sugar Cookies?
Once chilled roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and using a cookie cutter cut out the shapes that you want.
This keeps them thicker in the centre so it remains soft and chewy in the centre and turns crisp on the outside.
Cooking Time and Temperature
Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to chill again for 15 mins.
Then place 5 of them in the wire basket of your air fryer (that has been pre-lined with parchment paper). Keep the rest in the fridge only until ready to bake.
Air fry for 7 to 9 mins at 160 degrees celsius until the sides turn slightly golden brown. No need to preheat the air fryer.
Let it cool completely in the wire basket itself (you don't need a separate wire rack) at room temperature and then store it in an air-tight container or ice them.
Who could have thought that this little handy dandy air fryer can pump out such delicious sugar cookies?
Storage Instructions
Always store cookies in an airtight container.
The cookies stay good for up to a week.
Sugar Cookie Dough is great for freezing too. You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 2-3 months.
After the cling-wrapping step, you can straight away chuck it into the freezer and freeze it.
Best Tips
- Do not beat the butter and sugar for too long. You do not want to incorporate air into the batter which causes the cookies to puff while baking.
- Add water a little at a time. If your dough becomes too wet it would not roll and cut into shapes properly.
- If your butter is too soft you might not need water at all.
- Do not skip chilling. It prevents the cookies from spreading while baking.
- Never overcrowd the air fryer. You can bake about 4 to 5 in one batch. This gives the cookies some space to spread and bake evenly.
- Use the back of a flat silicon mould to press the puffed-up cookie. This will work only when you have made fresh cookies that are still warm. So do it immediately after they are out of the air fryer.
- To make cleanup easier, line your air fryer basket with parchment paper before filling it with cookies. Then just remove the parchment paper when you're done!
- Always cool the cookies completely before storing or else they won't remain crisp.
- You can use the same recipe and try out different flavours like almond extract, peppermint, etc in place of vanilla, try some add-ons like chocolate chips, tutti fruity, chopped nuts etc for some variation. Or try and use different shapes of cookie cutters depending upon the theme of choice and then decorate it with some royal icing.
- Consider checking my eggless sugar cookie recipe post to see my failed attempts at making classic sugar cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course, you can!! In fact, this recipe is adapted from my eggless sugar cookie recipe that is baked in the oven. You can bake them in a preheated oven of 180°C for 10-12 mins until the base of the cookies turns light golden brown but the top remains pale in colour.
Yes, I highly recommend it. If not the pre-cut liners you can also simply cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the wire basket. Regular parchment paper that we use to line cake tins would work too. This is because when you place the cookie dough inside to bake, the wires from the basket cut through the dough and it sticks to the cookies while baking which becomes troublesome to remove the cookies once they are baked and cooled. So highly recommend it.
Yes, definitely you can bake Pillsbury sugar cookies in air fryer or any other ready-made dough for that matter. In fact, I would say this would be such a time saver especially when you are making another holiday treat as well. Simply cut the dough into the desired shape and bake it in the air fryer at 180°C for 8 mins. Let the cookies cool completely before lifting and storing them.
Are cookies better in air fryer?
Honestly, in terms of texture and taste, I found both the air fryer sugar cookie recipe as well as the one made in the oven to be just the same. The only advantage or the only thing in which air fryer is better is that it bakes in small batches perfect for two so gets done quickly and also won't heat up your kitchen which is advantageous during the summer season.
How do you know when air fryer cookies are done?
Apart from getting the scented aroma, another striking feature is getting a light golden brown colouration on the sides and bottom of the cookies. Once you see that you can say that the cookies are done baking. The centre might sometimes seem raw but it gets cooked while cooling.
Can I use a stand mixer to make these cookies?
Yes definitely, a stand mixer with paddle attachment works perfectly fine to make these homemade cookies. Refer to our classic recipe for eggless sugar cookies recipe post for a detailed step-by-step tutorial.
Yes, these cookies are sturdy enough to be frosted with buttercream or even royal icing. 
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Eggless Air Fryer Sugar Cookies from Scratch
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (56 gms) Butter softened
- 1/4 cup Caster Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 25 gms Water, if needed
- 1 cup (120 gms) Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and little water (just 1 tsp to begin with) and mix again.
- Fold the dry ingredients (flour + salt) into it in 3 intervals.
- Then using your hands combine it into a dough. Do not knead just press together. If you find that the dough is crumbly and not coming together only then add water otherwise simply skip it.
- Take the dough and flatten it. Cling wrap and refrigerate it for 15 to 30 mins.
- Sprinkle the worktop with some flour and roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using the cookie cutter of choice cut the rolled out dough.
- Place the cut out cookie dough in a baking tray lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for second time again for 15 to 30 mins.
- Line the base of the air fryer wire basket with a parchment paper. Transfer the chilled cut out dough into it a batch of 4 to 5 cookies and bake at 160°C for 7 to 9 mins until the sides are golden brown and the centre is pale. No need to preheat the air fryer.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.
Video
Notes
- Do not beat the butter and sugar for too long. You do not want to incorporate air into the batter which causes the cookies to puff while baking.
- Add water a little at a time. If your dough becomes too wet it would not roll and cut into shapes properly.
- If your butter is too soft you might not need water at all.
- Do not skip chilling. It prevents the cookies from spreading while baking.
- Never overcrowd the air fryer. You can bake about 4 to 5 in one batch. This gives the cookies some space to spread and bake evenly.
- Use the back of a flat silicon mold or a fondant smoother to press the puffed-up cookie. This will work only when you have made fresh cookies that are still warm. So do it immediately after they are out of the air fryer.
- To make cleanup easier, line your air fryer basket with parchment paper before filling it with cookies. Then just remove the parchment paper when you're done!
- Always cool the cookies completely before storing or else they won't remain crisp.
- You can use the same recipe and try out different flavours like almond extract, peppermint, etc in place of vanilla, try some add-ons like chocolate chips, tutti fruity, chopped nuts etc for some variation. Or try and use different shapes of cookie cutters depending upon the theme of choice and then decorate it with some royal icing.
- Consider checking my eggless sugar cookie recipe post to see my failed attempts at making classic sugar cookies.
Kamali says
Absolutely wonderful!! I'm 13 years old and believing that I made this myself, it's spectacular. I will recommend this recipe to everyone, from people who want to make cookies in a hurry to people who want to have fun experimenting different toppings. Chocolate and strawberry syrup is a go to when snaking on these. Thank you so much for sharing this wonder-licious recipe!
sushma iyer says
Hi Kamali.. Wow! I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed making these cookies and found them absolutely wonderful! It's fantastic that you're already exploring and experimenting in the kitchen at such a young age. Keep up the fantastic work! Your enthusiasm and creativity will take you far. Keep on baking and sharing your delicious creations with others. You're on the right track to becoming a master chef!
Maria Raj says
Can I replace wheat flour with gluten free flour?
sushma iyer says
Hi Maria.. have never tried gluten free version of the recipe. sorry