These delicious, buttery shortbread biscuits are so easy to make. Too easy, in fact.
It’s always too tempting to quickly whip up a batch of these to have “just a few” to nibble on and inevitably eat the entire lot to yourself… because it’s impossible to have “just a few”.
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Shortbread always makes me think of Christmas, especially when sprinkled with snowy icing sugar. Is it just me?
That buttery, comforting taste of home baked biscuits and perhaps a British obsession with eating a ridiculous amount of biscuits at that time of year.
Yikes, I’m starting to get into the Christmas spirit already… I suppose I should just stay focused on summer, for now!
Vegan Shortbread
Simple, buttery vegan shortbread cookies, perfect for Christmas or to give as gifts!
Ingredients
- 200 g dairy-free butter, I used Vitalite
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 100 g caster sugar
- 300 g plain flour, sifted
Instructions
- Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar together. Stir in the flour and mix into a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160c / 140c (fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is chilled, roll out to approximately 1/2 cm thickness and cut into shapes. Place on the baking sheet, sprinkle with a little extra sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown at the edges, turning half way through to ensure even baking.
- Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving or decorating.
More Vegan Shortbread
Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Comforting and moreish chocolate chip shortbread cookies that will melt in your mouth!
Rose, Pistachio & Olive Oil Shortbread (Vegan)
Delicate, crumbly shortbread with rose & pistachio. Uses oilve oil in place of butter!
Vegan Strawberry Shortbread Ice Cream
The ultimate summer indulgence - this strawberry shortbread ice cream is vegan, dairy free and can be made gluten-free by using a gluten-free shortbread!
I’ve made two batches of these since discovering the recipe – I added 20g of cocoa and reduced the flour to 270g. Works perfectly. My nephews and niece were very delighted! Fab recipe -easy to make and very tasty!
So glad to hear that! Thank you, Katy
I will bake those tomorrow :) Thanks for sharing
Enjoy! :-)
Hi, I love this recipe and use it for my vegan treatboxes. Would the dough be suitable for freezing once it has been made please?
Hi Stephanie. Glad you like the recipe! Yes, you can freeze the dough. Once you’ve prepared the dough, cut into shapes, arrange on a plate or tray and freeze for a couple of hours, until solid. Then you can place the cut out shapes into a freezer bag or container, for up to 3 months. You can cook from frozen, allowing a few minutes extra baking time.
Judging by the rest of the comments I must have done something wrong or my even really is as c*”p as I thought it was because 20 minutes later I’m Still waiting for them to cook.
haha oh no! I hope they finally baked. By the way, it’s normal for them to be a bit soft when hot – the shortbread will firm up as it cools.
Same! I ended up turning the over up a bit after they’d been in for about 13 minutes and looked not even close to being done. They ended up coming out great though! I hope yours eventually did also!
Could I add some cocoa powder to make choc flavoured shortbread?
Hi Katrina. Yes, you can do that (although, please bear in mind I haven’t tested this myself yet.) But try using 250g flour instead and then adding 25g or 4 tbsp cocoa powder. If the dough is a bit dry, add in some more vegan butter or if too wet, more flour. Good luck and let me know how it turns out. I Will test this myself sometime soon.
Thanks Aimee I’ll give it a go this weekend…
So I just tried this variation. It worked ok but the dough was a little too soft. I’d recommend more flour than the 250g. I made both versions and the original recipe had a better texture. Really good thanks! Good tip about them still being soft whrn they come out of the oven…
Hi, First time with this recipe and the dough is very sticky and a loose consistency (if that makes sense) Not sure if its to do with the vegan butter I used…. Have put it back in the fridge and will give it longer to chill to see if that helps. Any ideas as to what may have gone wrong? Thanks
Hey I want to make these tomorrow but is vanilla extract okay? And if so how much do I need
Thanks xx
Hi Maisy, sorry for the late reply. Yes, a teaspsoon of vanilla extract is fine!
You need 2 tea spoons of vanilla extract.
I thought it was 1 teaspoon
It’s 1 tsp of vanilla paste. PASTE.
Or…
2 tsp of vanilla extract. EXTRACT.
Different consistency and different concentration.
Hi,
How long will these keep? Can I make them ahead?
Thanks
Hi. How can I substitute vegan butter for coconut oil or other as I can not access vegan butter
No not really, coconut oil is very moist and it would work differently with the flour is would be very crumbly .
can i eat them
Hi, thanks for this recipe
How many does it make? Thank you
Please can I freeze the dough as I have made too much. If I can how long can I freeze it for as I won’t need it till just before Christmas.
I have a dairy free customer who always has these with her cakes now.
I should also like to know if you can freeze the dough.
Hi absolutely love these cookies I made them for my vegan niece for our Xmas spread and she loved them so much she keeps asking me make time and time
Hi
Absolutely love your recipes, I will try and make the biscuits, but will love to add sprinkles like the heart shaped ones you have, how and when do you add them so they will stick?
Do you mean sprinkles in the batter or on top as decoration? For the batter, simply add them into the mix (make sure they’re bake-proof) and for decoration, add some royal icing and add the sprinkles on top immediately before it sets.
Hello. Can I make the dough and chill it for 24 hours?
Yes, it should keep well for a couple of days in the fridge!
Just made these and added juice and zest of one small orange and handful of chocolate chips- taste and baked delicious. Didn’t actually chill for full 30 mins and still worked perfectly! Cut the cookies into Christmas tree shapes. Will definitely be using this recipe again and altering it for new flavours! Thanks for this simple recipe
Oh those additions sound delicious! So glad you enjoyed them :)
Hi
Can I use gluten free flour
You can, it will affect the texture slightly but it’s still nice! Hope you enjoy.
Not sure what I did wrong here but it took about 45 minutes for mine to bake! I have a fan oven and so put it on 140c, I did turn it up after the first batch but even then these biscuits needed 15 minutes a side.
Oh wow, it definitely shouldn’t take that long! Did you cut the cookies very thick? I would turn the oven up to at least 160 fan too.
I’m having the same issue, they have been in half an hour and they still look anaemic haha, have whacked up the temp to 160. I’m sure they’ll taste great though!
Where do you get vanilla paste from? Will it make a difference if I use vanilla extract?
You can use vanilla extract too!
Hi,
I was wondering if I could substitute shortening for the vegan butter. I need a dairy free option and have shortening on hand.
Thank you!
Hi Missy, it’s really important to have a good tasting, buttery spread here so shortening won’t taste very nice. Maybe a sunflower or coconut based spread, like Vitalite or Flora dairy-free.
Thank you for your speedy response! I’ll try one of those
Hi – this recipe looks amazing. Can you convert it to not metric? thank you so much!
Audrey
Under the ingredient list, you will see “Metric – US” Click “US” to reveal the cups and oz measurements. For quick reference its:
1 tsp vanilla paste
0.5 cups caster sugar
2.4 cups plain flour sifted
Just made these with half caster/half demerera (as that’s all I had in the cupboard), plus a few raisins and they were spectacular! Thanks for such a simple, great recipe, already saved to my favourites!
So happy you enjoyed them, Matt! Thanks for the comment
Just felt that I should inform you that I discovered this recipe two years ago and I always come back to your website whenever I’m in need of some baking goodness. Thanks for being so fab!
That is so kind – thank you, Lacey! Your comment made my day :-)
Hello im wondering if this recipe can be made into a gingerbread house minus the ginger and if it works with gluten free flour please
Hi can you use oil instead of butter since they’re used for the same thing?
You can, but the result is very different. I used some olive oil (but you can use another vegetable oil) in this shortbread recipe: http://wallflowerkitchen.com/rose-pistachio-olive-oil-shortbread/ and the texture is more crumbly but not as buttery. For classic shortbread, I recommend the vegan butter but that doesn’t mean using the oil won’t result in a delicious cookie! Let me know how it goes.
The first time I made these bix they were brilliant but each subsequent time I tried they did not work out the same. I used exactly the same ingredients and made them in the same way. The first time they were nice and crumble and the dough was fairly soft to roll out but the next few batches were more like pastry and quite hard when baked. What have I been doing wrong?
Hey!
You may be overmixing/kneading the dough! Both of these things can make the dough tougher.
Hope this helps.
Hi, any chance you could make these into chocolate ahortbread with coco? would you just substitute some flour with coco?
I made this twice recently and it turned out too dry to be able to roll out for cookies even after being chilled? Does anyone have any advice? I followed the recipe so not sure what I did wrong? It did work out well in a square baking tin though.
Maybe leave the dough a little bit longer before you roll it out. You could also try playing around with it before you put it in the fridge. This worked for me.
I roll mine out straight away and cut into shapes then put on a baking tray and pop it in the fridge for 30 mins , works every time
how well do you think this recipe would do being used as a crust in say a 9×13 pan? i’ve got millionaire bars on the brain! thanks!
I am thinking exactly the same! did you do it and if so did it work out? I’m really hoping it did – mega drool!! xx
It works well like that
I have just made these and they have turned out great thank you.
Helpppp. I’ve made them twice now and the “dough” is a crumbley mess. Even after being in the fridge it just crumbles. Doesn’t resemble dough to roll out in any way. I ended up just making balls and cooking them that way but what am I doing wrong?? I’d love to use Christmas cutters.
Hi Courtney – you either need to add a bit more butter or add in a few drops of dairy-free milk (not too much though). Just keep adding small amounts of the butter and a few drops of the milk until the dough comes together. Be careful not to over-mix the dough though, otherwise it will become tough. Hope that helps – good luck!
This helps me too thank you. Also Did you have to kneed the mixture or just mix with a wooden spoon?
Mine is also a crumbling mess
Hi these look delicious- would it be possible to use gluten free flour to make them?
They’re really tasty very nice and quick to make
Thanks for the recipe
Pleased you enjoyed them, thank you Sarah!
I made these yesterday but doctored the recipe a tad. I used 50/50 refined coconut oil and vegan margarine, also 50/50 standard self raisong flour and gluten free plain flour (gluten free gives a crumbly texture). I added a pinch of pink salt to make the biscuits buttery. Also added some finely chopped crytalised ginger and the zest of two lemons. They’re very tasty indeed. Thank you xx
Thanks for recipe!
So buttery yum,
To make even simpler, put dough in refrigerator in the shape of a 1 inch
Diameter cyclinder. After half hour slice up and put on tray
Thank you very much
Good idea, thanks Greg! Glad you enjoyed the recipe
Thanks for this. I’ve just found this blog and today I managed to make these biscuits with my cmpa and egg allergic toddler. It was so nice to be able to do safe baking with her and to have something tasty at the end.
This is the best vegan biscuit recipe I’ve found so far – and the simplest! I like flavoured biscuits more than plain so I’ve been adding different flavours each time. So far I’ve tried it with chocolate chips (medium good), ginger (very good) and orange and cardomon for Christmas (excellent), today I’ve just done a little mixed spices. Thank you for the recipe.
That makes me so happy to hear, thanks Matily! The ginger addition sounds amazing – I gotta try that next time.
Hello. Thank you for this recipe. It’s incredible! I topped with cinnamon sugar and it was very tasty.
Can you freeze these to keep them? (If i haven’t eaten them all…)
So glad you enjoyed them Danielle! I’m not 100% sure but I’d say they can be frozen just fine, just like any other cookie :-) Love the idea of topping with cinnamon sugar, by the way.
Hi there, I just wondered if you can chill the dough overnight?
Hi Kerry, yes you can :-) Just make sure to leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling.
I’m ready to make those but have no idea what vanilla paste is…I’ve never heard of it. Where do I find it and can I substitute with something else?
You can just use vanilla extract :-)
What is castor sugar? Can I substitute regular white sugar?
Hi Janet, caster sugar is regular sugar but more fine. It’s in between granulated and powdered. You can use regular sugar but make sure to use the same weight (not cup measurements). Hope that helps!
Made these and we can’t just eat one..so yummy!!! Can you please tell me how long they stay fresh for?
So glad you liked them! I would say up to 4 days in an air-tight container or tin. Enjoy!
I doubled the amounts and made an apple and cinnamon tray bake by squashing half into the bottom of a tin and spreading chopped apple, sultanas and cinnamon with a bit of brown sugar then piling the rest on top and pressing flat. It was awesome. Thank you for the recipe ‘
Wow, that sounds delicious! Such a creative idea. Glad my shortbread played a part :-)
Omg!!! Genius
i am a school student and this recipe saved my life in my food lesson so thank you because I couldn’t find any other meal that looked nice so very bit thank you xxx
So glad to hear that, Kylianne! Thanks for letting me know x
Hi i am in spain and cocnut olí is Hard to come by world this resipe work with sunflower oil ?
Hi Ksana, if you can’t find dairy-free butter, then you could try oil, although I haven’t tested this myself. The taste won’t be “buttery” though. Let me know if you try it!
Hi Aimee or anyone else who may know,
Is it possible to substitute a teaspoon vanilla paste with a teaspoon organic vanilla essence?
Hoping to make tomorrow for Chrissy. Thanks in advance.
Hi Emma, yes vanilla extract or essence is absolutely fine!
Thank you! :)
Enjoy the holidays and all the best for the new year. Em x
Wow, looks like an amazing recipe! How long will they stay fresh/edible for? Thanks!
I am making these as we speak for my vegan friend! I’m using them as the base for a vegan twix bar haha I have had to cook them for a lot longer than listed so if anyone is reading this, don’t stress if you need to keep them in for double the time. Could just be my oven but they are coming out so nicely regardless :)
These were really easy to make and tasted good. I think adding a pinch of salt would improve them!
Second time making these, currently in the over so fingers crossed! Added dark chocolate chips this time :o the first batch a few weeks ago was so gorgeous I couldn’t help myself! Thanks for the simple recipe :)
Lex xo
Thank you Lex! So glad you like the recipe. They’re so addictive aren’t they? I’m definitely going to make a chocolate chip version next… x
These look perfect Aimee! I have such a weakness for buttery shortbread. Love that this is vegan too!
I was looking for something like this the other day, love how short the ingredient list is!
That looks awesome! Love how simple it is too. It is always good to have basic recipes like this on hand :)
Absolutely! Thanks June :-)
The recipe sounds great and the shortbread looks so cute. They are perfect on a rainy summer day :)
Rainy summer days are all too familiar here, perfect excuse for shortbread!
Ugh I miss shortbread! These are simply beautiful, Aimee!
Sounds like you need to bake yourself some shortbread, Cady! :-)
I think you’re right.. Weekend project decided! ;)
Yum! Haven’t had shortbread in the longest time! Love simple recipes like this :) and they look so cute!!
Thank you Nadia!
LOVE this simple, vegan recipe!! I recently made vegan sugar cookies that these remind me of – Definitely pinning for future use! x
Thanks Christine! They’re very similar to sugar cookies, just got a more “buttery” taste :-) x
I have just made these and sprinkled them with mixed spice after cooking. Tasted very Christmassy. The kids loved them!