Delicious, buttery shortbread biscuits that are so easy to make. Too easy, in fact. Ice them, add flavourings or just enjoy them exactly as they are!
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”.
How to make the perfect Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Use a good-tasting vegan butter – I recommend Naturli or Earth Balance Buttery, if you want that classic buttery flavour.
- Cream the fat and sugar well – The first step of the recipe is to cream the vegan spread with the sugar and it’s an important one.
The longer you can mix them together for, the better.
I usually aim for about 5 minutes but you can increase that for up to 10 minutes if you have a stand mixer. - Chill the dough – This part is important for a couple of reasons.
First, so that the dough becomes workable and doesn’t lose its shape.
Second, so the fat firms up and doesn’t melt too quickly in the oven. This part really affects the overall texture and shape.
Extra Tip: You can try chilling the dough twice, for the perfect outcome. Once before you cut out your shapes and then again after the shapes are cut. - Bake at a lower temperature – As mentioned above, we don’t want the vegan butter to melt too quickly in the oven, resulting in misshapen and tough cookies.
I recommend 160 C (320 F) or 140 C Fan. However, you may need to increase the temperature, depending on your oven.
Decoration
I like to just cut into circle shapes and dust with some icing sugar but you can cut these into any shapes, just making sure they are not too thick or thin.
For the classic shortbread look, you can also poke holes into the top, with a fork. This actually helps the cookies bake more evenly too!
And if you want to go the full hog and decorate these with icing, I recommend my vegan royal icing which is easy to pipe and has the perfect finish.
Flavourings
Chocolate shortbread – Add 20g of cocoa and reduce the flour to 270g (thank you to Katy for sharing this tip)
Lemon – Add 2 tablespoons finely-grated lemon zest to the dough.
Lavender – Add 1 ½ teaspoons dried lavender to the dough.
Chocolate Chip – See my recipe here.
Pair this shortbread with…
Vegan Strawberry Shortbread Ice Cream
📖 Recipe
Vegan Shortbread
The perfect buttery vegan shortbread cookies, great for Christmas or to give as gifts. Really easy to whip up and can be shaped or decorated to your choosing.
Ingredients
- 200 g / 7 oz dairy-free butter, I used Vitalite
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 100 g / 3.5 oz caster sugar
- 300 g / 10.5 oz 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) / 320F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is chilled, roll out to approximately ½ 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.
Notes
For decorating, try my vegan royal icing recipe.
Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1 CookieAmount Per Serving Calories 146Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 22mgSodium 65mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 0gSugar 5gProtein 2g
jackie says
really great recipe.
Thanks cant wait to try more of your recipes.
Katy says
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!
Aimee says
So glad to hear that! Thank you, Katy
improkitchen says
I will bake those tomorrow :) Thanks for sharing
Aimee says
Enjoy! :-)
Stephanie Owens says
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?
Aimee says
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.
Lisa says
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.
Aimee says
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.
Heather says
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!