10 Amazing Vegan Shortbread Recipes! (2024)

Celebrate National Shortbread Day by baking up these amazing vegan shortbread recipes! Traditional shortbread is made with one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour, and it is a super easy treat to veganize. Just replace dairy butter with vegan butter or a plant-based oil and there you have it. These vegan shortbread recipes vary from yummy cookies to tarts to fully raw shortbread creations. Try baking one of these recipes from the Food Monster App!

1. Coconut Sesame Shortbread Nankhatai

Source: Coconut Sesame Shortbread Nankhatai

Nankhatai is an Indian shortbread cookie. It gets a sandy delicate texture from the use of semolina and is traditionally made without eggs. It has loads of ghee or clarified butter. This recipe for vegan Nankhatai by Rinku Bhattacharya uses coconut oil instead of ghee, which also gives the cookies a delicate coconut flavor. It is a delicate and rich-tasting cookie that everyone will love! The best part is that it is ridiculously easy to make and quite healthy. You have to try this vegan Nankhatai recipe!

2. Almond & Date Shortbread

Source:

This by Judy Moosmueller is so simple and so delicious! It only calls for four ingredients and does not require a lot of work to make.

Get the Blissful Cookbook!

Blissful: Vegan Desserts and Treats to Feel Good and Live Deliciously contains magical, plant-based recipes that will show you how simple and satiating vegan desserts can be! Inside you’ll find a collection of 100 scrumptious desserts for every skill level and taste. This vegan dessert cookbook features rich chocolatey desserts like Cake Batter Freezer Fudge and Chocolate Layer Cake With Espresso Buttercream and Rich Ganache, to light and healthy recipes like Lemon Coconut Squares and PB&J Nice Cream Bowls. There is something for everybody in this book and is guaranteed to satisfy vegans and non-vegans alike.

3. Coconut Berry Shortbread Tart

Source: Coconut Berry Shortbread Tart

This Coconut Berry Shortbread Tart by Taavi Moore is a lot healthier than you might think. It is only sweetened with maple syrup and the crust is 100% gluten-free.

4. Chocolate Caramel Shortbread

Source: Chocolate Caramel Shortbread

Here you have a Chocolate Caramel Shortbread by Vicky Coates made from only 8 easily sourced natural ingredients meaning they are gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free! They are really simple to make and taste unbelievably good!

5. Maple Cinnamon Shortbread

Source: Maple Cinnamon Shortbread

These little Maple Cinnamon Shortbread cookies by Maryke Wylde are very simple to make and very hard to get wrong. These keep well and make lovely Christmas gifts. They smell so good while baking. You could make these gluten-free with a simple substitute of flour. They will be just as tasty. The best thing about these is that you will not miss the butter. They are crispy and delicious little vegan bites!

6. Matcha-Cream Shortbread Cookies

Source: Matcha-Cream Shortbread Cookies

Matcha-Cream Shortbread Cookies by Marie Reginato are gluten-free, vegan, and made with delicious ingredients. If you’re still thinking about what to make for a fun holiday party bite, maybe consider these. With a creamy center, that is festively tinted with matcha powder for the holidays and sandwiched between classic shortbread cookies, this is a sweet treat.

7. Orange Shortbread Cookies

Source: Orange Shortbread Cookies

These vegan Orange Shortbread Cookies by Maryke Wylde are so delicious – a crunchy little shortbread-style cookie, great for morning or afternoon tea. Your guests will never guess that butter was not involved in making these so tasty. Try them out, they are very simple to make!

8. Almond Shortbread Butterscotch Cookies

Source: Almond Shortbread Butterscotch Cookies

Almond Shortbread Butterscotch Cookies by Karen Kitto are crispy on the outside with a delicious chewy center filled with thick and rich butterscotch frosting. Best of all, they’re all vegan and gluten-free! These are what some would call freezer cookies. The simple mix is made up then either refrigerated or frozen, you can then slice it into little disc-shaped cookies and bake them to perfection.

9. Avocado Coconut Lime Tartlets in Shortbread Crust

Source: Avocado Coconut Lime Tartlets in Shortbread Crust

A rich, buttery, soft, filling in an equally buttery sweet crust. These vibrant tartlets are perfect to bring to brunch, picnic, or even to eat on the couch! Try these Avocado Coconut Lime Tartlets by Joni Marie Newman.

10. Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies

Source: Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies

Grab a hot beverage and curl up on the couch with these beautiful, buttery, and flavorful holiday cookies that are so easy to make! Once done, these Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies by Rachel Hanawalt are scrumptious wafers of buttery cherry and almond. They’re sure to be a hit at your next holiday cookie exchange, Valentine’s Day party, or just in the comfort of your cozy kitchen with a steamy cup of coffee or tea.

Loving these vegan shortbread recipes? Cookies are our great vegan treat, so check out these 30 Awesome Cookie Recipes to Fill Your Cookie Jar and 20 Homemade Vegan Cookies That Will Make Your Kitchen Smell Amazing!

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Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

  • Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
  • Plant-Based Health Resources
  • The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
  • Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
  • Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
  • High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
  • Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

  • Eat Less Meat:DownloadFood Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of ourfavorite vegan cookbooks.
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10 Amazing Vegan Shortbread Recipes! (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making good shortbread? ›

Tips To Make the Best Shortbread Cookies
  • Choose High Quality Butter. No matter what brand of butter you buy, if it's real butter, you can rest assured that it's the best. ...
  • Keep Ingredients Simple. ...
  • Add Flavor. ...
  • Don't Overwork. ...
  • Shape Dough. ...
  • Chill Before Baking. ...
  • Bake Until Golden. ...
  • Add Finishing Touches.

What is the mistake in making shortbread? ›

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour.

What is the world's famous shortbread? ›

Walker's Shortbread is honoured to carry a Royal Warrant, granted by Her Majesty the Queen, for the supply of Shortbread and Oatcakes. Walker's Shortbread is a gift fit for a king, and a treat befitting any special occasion.

What's the difference between Scottish shortbread and regular shortbread? ›

Traditional Scottish shortbread is a simple recipe made with sugar, butter, flour, and salt. Other shortbread styles will include leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, which makes them crisp instead of crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.

What not to do when making shortbread? ›

The key with shortbread is not to overhandle it. Make the dough exactly as instructed, but don't mess around making shapes or over rolling the dough - you will end up with delicious but tough biscuits. Stretching and pulling the dough activates the gluten in the flour, making chewy cookies and not crisp ones.

Should you chill shortbread dough before rolling? ›

Use your hands to form the dough into a flat disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it is ⅛-¼” thick.

Why is shortbread unhealthy? ›

Why is shortbread considered to be bad for you? Shortbread is considered unhealthy because of the high butter content. How long do gingerbread houses last before eating them could make you sick?

Should the butter be cold when making shortbread? ›

If it's too warm, the butter and sugar cannot properly cream and the cookies will taste dense. Many shortbread recipes call for cold butter worked into the dry ingredients and that gives you a wonderfully flaky cookie but if not mixed properly, the results can be inconsistent.

What happens if you don't poke holes in shortbread? ›

Piercing the shortbread with a fork is not only for decoration, but it's meant for more even baking. Poking holes in the shortbread allows the heat to penetrate the cookie, hence more even baking. Notice I'm using powdered sugar here. You'll see lots of shortbread recipes using granulated sugar.

What is the world's finest shortbread? ›

It's not without reason that Walkers is known as The World's Finest Shortbread. Our traditional pure butter shortbread fingers are baked to perfection, and the sweet, delicious buttery taste is unlike any other.

What is shortbread called in America? ›

Americans are the outlier on how we use "biscuit"

To most of the rest of the English-speaking world, a biscuit is what Americans would refer to as either a cookie or a cracker. Biscuits can be sweet (shortbread) or savory. They're baked in the oven, and they're crisp, not chewy.

Why is it called billionaire shortbread? ›

The name "millionaire's shortbread" appears to have originated in Scotland. The "millionaire" prefix to millionaire's shortbread or millionaires slice implies a level of decadence and wealth to the sweet treat, that it is an upgrade from regular shortbread.

What is shortbread called in Scotland? ›

Triangular wedges of shortbread became known as "petticoat tails", and this form of shortbread has become particularly associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. It has been suggested that a French term for the wedges of shortbread was petit* gâteaux or petites gatelles – little cakes, and this became "petticoat tails".

Which is the best shortbread brand? ›

Indulge in delicious shortbread treats with our top picks - find out what people love about them and where to get your hands on them.
  • Fox's. ...
  • Tesco Finest. ...
  • Kent & Fraser. ...
  • M&S. ...
  • Waitrose Ltd. ...
  • The BAKERY at ASDA. 20 Mini Shortbread Bites. ...
  • M&S. All Butter Choc Chunk Shortbread Rounds. ...
  • Waitrose Ltd. No.1 Chocolate Dipped Shortbread.

Should shortbread be crunchy or soft? ›

Shortbread should always have a tender, melting texture, but be slightly crisp when you bite into it. It should not generally be damp or wet underneath. A classic shortbread recipe will also only have flour, butter and sugar as the ingredients (in a 3:2:1 ratio) and not egg, which could lead to excess moisture.

Should butter be cold for shortbread? ›

If it's too warm, the butter and sugar cannot properly cream and the cookies will taste dense. Many shortbread recipes call for cold butter worked into the dry ingredients and that gives you a wonderfully flaky cookie but if not mixed properly, the results can be inconsistent.

What does adding cornstarch to shortbread do? ›

A cornstarch shortbread cookie is a shortbread cookie that contains cornstarch along with all-purpose flour in the cookie dough. The cornstarch is used to give these buttery treats a crispy, melt-in-the-mouth texture. It also helps prevent the cookies from becoming too crumbly and breaking apart.

How do you keep shortbread crust from sticking? ›

Shortbread Crust: Lightly butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, an 8 or 9 inch (20-23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.

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