Rice Flour Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe

Last Updated on April 6, 2022 by Anne-Marie

Looking for a gluten free rice flour snickerdoodles cookies recipe? Try this easy to make rice flour cookies recipe!

Stacks of Rice Flour Snickerdoodles Cookies on a wire rack and striped napkin with glasses of milk.

Why this recipe works

I originally came up with the recipe for these rice flour cookies during a food blogger recipe challenge to remake C Mom Cook’s awesome Easy Rice-Flour Snickerdoodles cookies recipe.

Shelley baked her rice flour snickerdoodles recipe for a new friend as a thank you. But little did she know that she now has made those rice flour cookies as a thank you for me!

No more wasted money since I can be thrifty and make this rice flour recipe for cookies at home.

The kids and I thought that her snickerdoodles cookies rice flour recipe was fantastic and just as good as the ones that I find at the store.

I’m sure you’ll love them, too!

Stacks of rice flour snickerdoodles cookies on a striped napkin with a glass of milk.

So what’s a snickerdoodle anyway?

I bet you don’t know the difference between sugar cookies and snickerdoodles cookies. Both are types of sugar cookies are made with flour, sugar, butter or oil, and sometimes eggs. However, sugar cookies are rolled in sugar.

Snickerdoodles are rolled in a combination of sugar and cinnamon. Yep, that’s the difference – cinnamon!

(Though according to several people in my comments section, cream of tartar is a must in gluten free snickerdoodle cookies, too.)

According to Wikipedia, The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin. They speculate that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudel, which is a type of pastry.

There’s also a possibility that snickerdoodle is just a nonsense word originating from a New England tradition of wacky sugar cookies names.

How to make these awesome rice flour cookies

1. Preheat the oven.

2. Line the baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking sheet. Sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar evenly on the baking sheets.

3. Cream together the buttery spread and sugar. Beat in the egg.

4. Stir in the white rice flour and baking soda. Stir until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

5. Scoop the cookie dough with a cookie scoop. Roll into balls approximately one-inch in size. If the rice flour cookie dough is too sticky to handle, add a little more rice flour by the spoonful.

6. Roll each cookie dough ball in cinnamon sugar. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand to form into a cookie, and place it on the prepared baking sheet.

7. Bake cookies for 12 minutes until golden.

8. Remove the baking sheets from the oven. When the baking sheets are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the rice flour cookies and place them on a wire rack.

9. Store cookies in airtight container.Overhead shot of rice flour snickerdoodles cookies on a striped napkin and wire rack with glasses of milk.

FAQs

Making gluten free rice flour snickerdoodles cookies

This gluten free rice flour snickerdoodles cookies recipe is super easy to bake up.

You probably don’t need to buy any special ingredients, since most of us gluten free folks have white rice flour in the pantry.

Of course, if you’re a baker, brown sugar is a staple, and most of us always have butter, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and eggs on hand.

So maybe all you’ll need to do is buy some white rice flour to make these simple rice flour cookies!

Only use white rice flour

Another note of caution! You MUST use ONLY white rice flour in this gluten free snickerdoodles cookies recipe.

Shelley didn’t specify in her Easy Rice-Flour Snickerdoodles cookies recipe, so I experimented and did a two-thirds gluten free white rice flour and one-thirds brown rice flour.

Unfortunately, the snickerdoodle sugar cookies ended up too dry when I used this rice flour mixture to make the cookie dough. So I baked up a second batch using 100% white rice flour. It’s the only way to go.

(Learn how to measure flour correctly for the best results in your everyday baking.)

Making dairy-free snickerdoodles 

The biggest change I made was making the snickerdoodles dairy-free by using a buttery spread.

If you're not dairy-free, you can use real butter when making these snickerdoodle sugar cookies.

However, make sure to use salt-free butter! Salted butter will cook up differently.

Gluten free snickerdoodles cookies on a wire rack on a striped napkin with glasses of milk.

Best snickerdoodle cookie recipe without cream of tartar

I didn’t add any cream of tartar and the cookies turned out just fine.

However, several of my readers shared that they added 1/2 teaspoon to the recipe to their cookie dough.

Why? Many bakers feel that cream of tartar makes gluten free snickerdoodle cookies chewy and gives them a bit of a tang.

That way the rice flour sugar cookies aren’t just a buttery sugar cookie with a bunch of cinnamon sugar on top.

It can’t hurt to add the cream of tartar to the cookie dough. But don’t worry if you don’t add it. They’ll still turn out great.

Stacks of snickerdoodles cookies on a striped napkin with glasses of milk.

Looking for more gluten free cookie recipes?

Add these to your Best Candy & Gifts for Gluten-Free Easter Baskets.

● Check out The 60 Best Gluten Free Christmas Cookies Recipes for your holiday cookie exchange.

M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe - you'll love this combination of chocolate chips and your favorite color of M&Ms

Easy Coconut Macaroons recipe - flourless and dairy free since it doesn't use condensed milk

Meringue Cookies - another flourless cookie

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies - add your favorite "mix-ins" of chocolate chips and dried fruits

Peppermint Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies - perfect for the holidays

Fruit Filled Cookie Cups - filled with fruit jam

Yield: 24 COOKIES

Rice Flour Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe

Stacks of rice flour snickerdoodles cookies on a striped napkin with a glass of milk.

Looking for a gluten free rice flour snickerdoodles cookies recipe? Try this easy to make rice flour cookies recipe!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup buttery spread (or salt-free butter), softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed or Swerve Sweetener, Brown
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cup white rice flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup granulated sugar or Swerve Sweetener, plus 1 tablespoon cinnamon)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking sheet. Sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar evenly on baking sheets.
  3. Cream together the buttery spread and sugar. Beat in the egg. Stir in the white rice flour and baking soda. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
  4. Scoop cookie dough and roll into balls approximately one-inch in size. If the cookie dough is too sticky to handle, add a little more rice flour by the spoonful.
  5. Roll each cookie dough ball in cinnamon sugar.
  6. Place snickerdoodle dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls the with the palm of your hand to form into cookies.
  7. Bake rice flour snickerdoodles cookies for 12 minutes until golden.
  8. Remove baking sheets from the oven. When sheets are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the rice flour cookies and place them on a cooling rack.
  9. Store cookies in airtight container.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1 cookie

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 81Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 61mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated per the ingredients list. Serving size may not be accurate. Please double-check with your preferred nutritional app for the most accurate information.

Originally published on September 8, 2014 and March 15, 2016. Updated with new pictures and information.

39 thoughts on “Rice Flour Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe

  1. Patricia

    These came out so crumbly. I couldn’t eat it as a cookie. I followed the recipe (margarine was my butter spread). Any ideas what I did wrong? Also open to suggestions on what to do with snickerdoodle cookie dust

    Reply
  2. Haya

    I accidentally rolled them in salt instead of sugar, which ruined but that’s all me.
    Otherwise it was a pretty solid recipe and I would’ve loved it, tho I’m gonna try again tomorrow

    Reply
  3. Deb f

    These were very easy to make, and my family loved them. I’ll definitely double the recipe next time this first batch was gone by next day. Thank you so much for this delicious gluten free cookie. I will be trying your other cookie recipes for sure.

    Reply
  4. Emily

    This looks like a great recipe! My husband has just recently started a gluten free diet. I have never made snickerdoodles before. Do you add the cinnamon sugar to the batter or is it just for rolling the cookies in?

    Reply
    1. Anne-Marie Nichols Post author

      Emily, you only add the cinnamon to the sugar for rolling the cookies in, not the snickerdoodle batter. Hope your husband enjoys the cookies. Check out the other gluten free recipes, too!

      Reply
  5. Maurita Makela

    Had to substitute a sugar free element for ALL sugar, and also used an oil we know my brother can tolerate. They are baking now, will have to let you know how they come out….

    Reply
    1. Anne-Marie Nichols Post author

      No, you can’t. The flours are not interchangable in baking and have opposite qualities. White rice flour makes cookies light and crunchy. Sweet rice flour is made from short grain glutinous (or sticky) rice and is good for making mochi.

      Reply
  6. BakedgoodsaregoodbutImnotgoodatbaking

    Hi, this recipe seems viable as I live in Africa where many ‘speciality products’ are unavailable, or if, expensive. Is it possible to double or triple this recipe in one go to fill a bigger order or will adjustments need to be made to make sure the cookies won’t be dry, crumbly or clumpy?

    Reply
  7. Aaron

    Excellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 stars
    I substituted with coconut oil and honey as a sweetener. I ended up having to use 2cups of homemade rice flour. Very crumbly but moist at the same time. I’m gonna have to play around with this a little cause I think the honey adds a different dynamic to the mixing process. Still good, and my kid liked it, so I’m happy!

    Reply
    1. Anne-Marie Nichols Post author

      Brown rice flour is too dry for these rice flour cookies. So you will have to add more moisture to the cookie batter. You’ll have to experiment and see what works. Good luck!

      Reply
    1. Katie Siuda

      Excellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 stars
      Cream of tartar is a MUST in a good snickerdoodle, IMHO, and I plan to add it to my batch this afternoon too! Looks like a great recipe!

      Reply
  8. Marianna

    I replaced butter spread with the same amount of coconut oil and added 1/2 teaspoon of creme of tartar – they were fantastic!!! Airy, perfect crumb. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  9. DuffysMom

    Excellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 stars
    Snicker doodles ALWAYS need cream of tartar. It’s what gives them the tangy flavor that separates them from other cookies. It also serves as a leavening agent to aid in a lighter texture.

    Reply
    1. Janet

      Excellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 stars
      Yes. That’s the difference between a lazy person’s sugar cookie and a proper snickerdoodle. It makes that texture that only snickerdoodles have too.

      Reply
  10. Jorge acosta

    So I found my self using 3 times as much of my homemade rice flour and also using 3 teaspoons of baking POWDER and it worked out just fine if any body would like to try this recipe. The cookies rose and spread. Hope this helps!

    Reply
  11. colleen @ Secrets from the Cookie Princess

    Snickerdoodles are one of my favorites–now I have a gluten free option when I need it. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  12. Heather @ Join Us, Pull up a Chair

    Excellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 starsExcellent - 5 stars
    One of my favorite cookies. I’ll have to share them with my sister as she’s currently GF in the process of being tested for Celiacs. I know your blog will be a great resource for her.

    Reply
  13. Shelley C

    Oh, yay! I am so glad that you liked these, and that they passed the test of true gluten-free-snickerdoodle fans! And very good to know about the white rice flour – I have very little gluten-free experience, but that happened to be what I had, so it’s good to know that it makes a difference. Thanks for the lovely post!

    Reply
    1. Anne-Marie Nichols Post author

      Shelley, I was lucky to get 2 rice flour snickerdoodle cookies. My kids made the rest vanish into thin air! Thanks for the terrific recipe.

      Reply

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