These vegan birthday cake cookies are the best dessert for a celebration! They are colorful, sweet, and reminiscent of funfetti cake batter. Each cookie has a crispy exterior, chewy interior, and delicious flavor. They’re loaded with yellow cake mix, rainbow sprinkles, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chips!

five vegan birthday cake cookies surrounded by chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, and white chocolate chips

Whether it’s a birthday celebration or just a regular afternoon, there’s no excuse not to make these bright and cheerful cookies! I’m convinced this celebratory dessert is the secret to brightening anyone’s day. The cookies are loaded with yellow cake flavor, funfetti-style rainbow sprinkles, and melty white + semisweet chocolate. What’s not to love?!

These birthday cake cookies are:

  • Vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and egg-free
  • Colorful, vibrant, and cheerful
  • Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside
  • Reminiscent of yellow cake batter
  • Perfect for any celebration!
five vegan funfetti birthday cookies surrounded by rainbow sprinkles

What ingredients are in vegan cake batter cookies?

  • Cake mix: Boxed cake mix is the secret ingredient for making perfect birthday cake cookies. You can choose white or yellow cake mix, but I always prefer the yellow variety.
  • Flour: In addition to cake mix, you’ll need plain all-purpose flour.
  • Sugar: A combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar creates a deliciously sweet flavor and chewy texture.
  • Vanilla: A small dash of vanilla enhances the ‘cake batter’ flavor.
  • Non-dairy milk: Any non-dairy milk can be included in this recipe. I always opt for unsweetened almond milk.
  • Chocolate chips: Use vegan semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
  • White chocolate chips: Be sure your white chocolate chips are vegan-friendly.
  • Rainbow sprinkles: Again, if you’re following a vegan diet, check to make sure your rainbow sprinkles are vegan-friendly and free of confectioner’s glaze.
rainbow sprinkles, light brown sugar, white sugar, butter, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, flour, and vanilla extract in small white bowls

How to make vegan birthday cake cookies

For the full ingredients list and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to view the recipe card below.

Here’s a sneak peek into creating this vegan birthday dessert:

First, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Then, add in the non-dairy milk and vanilla. Next, sift the flour and cake mix over the wet ingredients. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together.

Finally, toss in the rainbow sprinkles, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for one hour in the refrigerator. After, scoop the dough into 18 balls and bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Which box cake mixes are vegan?

Not all boxed cake mixes are dairy-free! Make sure you choose a white or yellow cake mix that does not contain dairy. I love using the vegan-friendly Duncan Hines brand because it provides an authentic cake batter flavor. Try the yellow cake mix or white cake mix for these birthday cake cookies!

vegan chocolate chip cookie dough with rainbow sprinkles

Vegan rainbow sprinkles

Surprisingly, sprinkles are not always vegan. What ingredient makes sprinkles not vegan-friendly? Look out for confectioner’s glaze. If you’re following a strict vegan diet, make sure your sprinkles do not contain this ingredient.

There are several places to buy vegan sprinkles online. A quick Google or Amazon search will provide you with several options!

three vegan birthday cake cookies on a wire cooling rack surrounded by rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips

Kaylie’s tips for perfecting these vegan funfetti cookies

Measure the flour correctly. Flour should never be scooped or packed into your measuring cup. Instead, gently spoon it into the cup and level off any excess. If you scoop or pack the flour, you will end up using way too much flour. This results in cookies that are too cakey and less flavorful.

Adjust the mix-ins to your own preference. I used rainbow sprinkles, half chocolate chips, and half white chocolate chips. However, you can omit the chocolate chips completely and stick with just rainbow sprinkles. Alternatively, use rainbow sprinkles and all white chocolate chips or all semisweet chocolate chips.

Don’t forget to chill the cookie dough. Before baking these vegan birthday cake cookies, do not forget to chill the dough. I know, I know… waiting around for dough to chill isn’t all that fun. But, it really makes all the difference! If you chill the dough, the cookies will have a better texture, flavor, and less spread. At the very least, chill it for 30 minutes.

Bake the cookies on the middle rack. I recommend using only the middle rack when it comes to baking cookies. From my experience, the upper and lower racks tend to produce strange results. Stick with that middle rack and bake the cookies one sheet at a time!

a hand holding a giant vegan birthday cake cookie with sprinkles, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chips

More vegan birthday cake recipes

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five vegan funfetti birthday cookies surrounded by rainbow sprinkles

Vegan Birthday Cake Cookies

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  • Author: Kaylie Grace
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 18 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These vegan birthday cake cookies are colorful, flavorful, and reminiscent of funfetti cake batter! It’s a delicious celebratory dessert made with boxed yellow cake mix, rainbow sprinkles, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chips.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, measured correctly* (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 cup yellow cake mix, (just the dry mix) (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup vegan rainbow sprinkles
  • 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup vegan white chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine vegan butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the ingredients together until soft and fluffy. Add the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Mix together.
  2. Sift the flour and boxed cake mix over the wet ingredients. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients. Add rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. Mix together.
  3. Cover the birthday cake cookie dough with cling wrap. Set in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour (or at least 30 minutes).
  4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  5. Scoop the chilled cookie dough into 18 balls and place half on the baking sheet. Bake cookies on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cookies continue to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes. Important note: The cookies should appear underdone when you remove them from the oven. They will continue to cook and firm up while cooling on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other 9 balls of cookie dough. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Measure the flour correctly. Flour should never be scooped or packed into the measuring cup. This will result in too much flour. Instead, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off using a flat object.
  • Be sure to bake the cookies on the middle rack in your oven.
  • Keep the cookies stored in an airtight container to maintain freshness.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 206
  • Sugar: 20g
  • Fat: 9g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Carbohydrates: 30g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 2g

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