Low Sodium Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing Recipe
These low sodium sugar cookies with buttercream icing, are a fantastic low sodium baking recipe, and a real treat! They are soft and chewy, with a sweet and thick icing that is loaded with flavor. These cookies use some great low sodium swaps like unsalted butter, no added salt, and a reduced sodium baking powder!
Perfect for holiday baking (or baking any time of year) these cookies are simple to make, and great to give as gifts or to serve to company. Follow our easy step-by-step photos below to make these cookies perfectly today!
Want more low sodium dessert recipes? Try our low sodium carrot cake, low sodium chocolate chip cookies, and our favorite low sodium chocolate cupcakes.
Note: this recipe was updated November 2025 with new photography and step-by-step photos. I also added recipe FAQs and an addition and substitutions section.
If you love simple and delicious desserts, these low sodium cookies with a quick and easy frosting are a real treat! I recently had some amazing cookies at Crumbl, and wanted to make a lower sodium version at home. And these cookies taste just as good as the original… possibly even better!
These simple sugar cookies are made with basic fridge and pantry baking essentials, and can easily be mixed by hand, or with a stand mixer if you have one. Serve them with a cold glass of milk (or a super low sodium almond milk) for a great dessert you can make in an afternoon.
Notes from Our Kitchen
- These cookies are chewy and soft, with a slight crisp outside.
- The butter cream has just the right amount of flavor.
- You can use any color food coloring to make these for a special occasion.
- Or add extra decorations like sprinkles!
- Follow our step-by-step photos and directions below. Bakers of any skill level can successfully make these cookies.
Ingredients You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for a full list of instructions and ingredient amounts!
The base of these cookies is a simple sugar cookie dough made with all purpose flour, white sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, and reduced sodium baking powder. See our spotlight below to learn more about using baking powder.
What makes these cookies extra special is the use of both vanilla extract and almond extract! They both give the cookies and icing a great sweetness and really subtle flavor. These are no ordinary cookies.
The buttercream icing is made with unsalted butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, and a little milk to thin it out to your desired consistency.
Ingredient Spotlight!
Rumford Reduced Sodium Baking Powder
Regular baking powder & baking soda can be high in sodium, making it difficult to make homemade baked goods while on a low sodium diet.
This Rumford brand has 35mg sodium per 1/8th teaspoon serving, making it the lowest baking powder option I’ve seen. It’s the one I use in this recipe, and many others on this site. You can find it in grocery stores, and on Amazon here.
Additions and Substitutions
Any food coloring can be used in the frosting – it doesn’t have to be blue.
Add sprinkles if you desire!
The homemade buttercream is absolutely delicious… but if you are short on time you can use a store-bought frosting that fits in with your dietary needs. Be sure to check the sodium content before using.
How To Make These Low Sodium Christmas Sugar Cookies
Step 1: To a large mixing bowl, or to a stand mixer, add the unsalted butter (softened to room temperature) and the granulated sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until well mixed. I mixed it for ~3 minutes on medium-high speed in my mixer.
Step 2: Add in the eggs, the vanilla extract, and the almond extract. Mix for another 3 minutes until all ingredients are well mixed into the dough.
Step 3: Add in the sodium-free baking powder, and mix again.
Step 4: Now add in the flour – you will add 2 cups at a time, mixing in between adding the batches. Mix on medium speed until all the flour is well incorporated into the dough.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough per cookie.
Step 6: Flatten the cookie dough into rounds, and place them on the baking sheet, until all the dough has been used. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges begin to lightly brown. Once cookies are done, remove from oven and allow them to cool completely.
Step 7: While the cooking are cooling, make the icing. In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat together the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, milk, and food coloring until you have a thick frosting (2-3 minutes with an electric mixer).
Step 8: And add any icing or decorations you desire. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
It will depend on the ingredients in the cookie, but our low sodium sugar cookie recipe has 20 mg sodium per cookie as the recipe used low sodium ingredients like unsalted butter, reduced sodium baking powder, and no added salt.
After the cookies have been cooled and iced, you can store them in an airtight container (I usually use a freezer bag) and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Absolutely! We love a good frozen cookie (really, try them). After frosting the cookies, you can store them in freezer bags for up to 3 months in your freezer. Thaw for a few minutes before enjoying. You can also cut them in half before freezing, as they are large cookies.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the butter has been softened to room temperature for both the cookies and for the buttercream icing before using.
- I made both the cookies and icing in my stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer in a bowl, or even mix by hand if desired.
- The cookies do need to be completely cooled before frosting. If they are hot or warm the frosting will melt. If you are short on time, you can place the cookies in a freezer which will help them cool quicker.
More Low Sodium Cookie Recipes
- Low Sodium Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Low Sodium Kolacky Recipes
- Low Sodium White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Low Sodium Peanut Butter Cookies
- Low Sodium Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Let’s keep in touch – don’t forget to follow over on Instagram, Facebook, & my Youtube channel for more easy low sodium recipes.
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Low Sodium Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon reduced sodium baking powder
For the Buttercream Icing
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Few drops food coloring optional
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, or to a stand mixer, add the unsalted butter (softened to room temperature) and the granulated sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until well mixed. I mixed it for ~3 minutes on medium-high speed in my mixer.
- Add in the eggs, the vanilla extract, and the almond extract. Mix for another 3 minutes until all ingredients are well mixed into the dough.
- Add in the sodium-free baking powder, and mix again.
- Now add in the flour – you will add 2 cups at a time, mixing in between adding the batches. Mix on medium speed until all the flour is well incorporated into the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough per cookie.
- Flatten the cookie dough into rounds, and place them on the baking sheet, until all the dough has been used. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges begin to lightly brown. Once cookies are done, remove from oven and allow them to cool completely.
- While the cooking are cooling, make the icing. In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat together the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, milk, and food coloring until you have a thick frosting (2-3 minutes with an electric mixer).
- And add any icing or decorations you desire. Enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips
- Make sure the butter has been softened to room temperature for both the cookies and for the buttercream icing before using.
- I made both the cookies and icing in my stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer in a bowl, or even mix by hand if desired.
- The cookies do need to be completely cooled before frosting. If they are hot or warm the frosting will melt. If you are short on time, you can place the cookies in a freezer which will help them cool quicker.
Nutrition estimate (for 1 serving)
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used in our kitchen. It will vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify your nutrition content and sodium amounts.
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These are fun to make, even more tasty to eat
A great base to decorate
I loved developing these low sodium cookies for you! If you make them, let us know how they turned out 🙂