Vegan Almond Shortbread
Vegan Almond Shortbread / Gluten-Free
This Vegan Almond Shortbread is rich and buttery with an irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture. Made with almond flour, it’s gluten-free with a subtle nutty flavor. Enjoy at tea time or anytime!
What was the first cookie you ever baked all by yourself? I’m guessing the ingredient list was short, the recipe uncomplicated, and the results utterly satisfying. That describes my first solo attempt at shortbread. The original recipe I baked came from our trusty, dog eared copy, of The Joy of Cooking which I still have to this day. Many years and many batches later, I still crave this tender cookie with its fine, sandy crumb and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Just like traditional Scottish shortbread, this Vegan Almond Shortbread has minimal ingredients, is simple to mix into a dough, and makes a rich buttery cookie that is impossible to resist.
How do I make almond shortbread vegan and gluten-free?
Shortbread, pause of appreciation here, is very easy to make vegan and gluten-free. Because it is a “short” bread, meaning it has a high percentage of fat, you don’t have to worry about rising. This is a big plus in gluten-free baking. You can also work the dough to your hearts delight without worrying about that pesky gluten creating tough cookies.
The first easy swap is gluten-free flour for all purpose four. I use a combination of 1 to 1 gluten-free flour and blanched almond flour in this recipe. Why almond flour? With its fluffy texture and nutty taste, almond flour balances the slightly metallic taste of all-purpose gluten-free baking flour. It also compliments the almond extract in our Vegan Almond Shortbread.
For trouble-free shortbread, and baking in general, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for accurate measuring.
The next easy swap is vegan butter for dairy-based butter. Vegan butter has come such a long way in the past 5 years that you really can’t taste the difference in baking. I purchase vegan buttery sticks at our local natural grocer, but you can always make your own at home if you’re enthusiastic. There is a lot of butter in this recipe and the flavor will shine through, so use a good quality vegan butter instead of margarine.
Vegan butter is softer than dairy-based butter. It should make a slight dent when you press it with your fingers but still feel cold when you cream it.
(Scroll down to the ingredient list for links to recommended products.)
What pan should I bake my almond shortbread in?
There are 2 ways to bake your shortbread. One is in a standard 9 x 9” baking pan (or size equivalent). The other is to use a mold. Either way, you’ll need to lightly grease the pan before baking.
If you are using a standard pan, simply coat it lightly with oil and press your dough into the bottom, patting it flat with your fingers. Have fun pricking the top all over with a fork (this is called docking) and pop it into a medium-low oven for 30 minutes (325 F / 165 C). Once baked, let it cool for 10 minutes, and cut the shortbread into 9 squares.
If you are using a mold, spray it lightly with cooking spray, and use your fingers to work the oil into all the cracks and crevices of the pan. You’ll thank yourself later when you unmold it. Then press the dough, in sections, into the bottom of the pan to see that all the details of the mold are filled. Keep patting the dough until it is flat on the top and you are sure there are no air pockets. Then prick the surface all over and bake it in a medium-low oven for 30 minutes (325 F / 165 C).
To unmold your shortbread, let it cool for 10 minutes so it can release from the sides of the pan, and flip the pan over onto a cutting board. This action should be enough to unmold it. You can tap stubborn shortbread on the cutting board to set it free. Cut it into 9 squares while it’s still warm.
I used a heavyweight cast aluminum pan in these photos which you can view here.
Can I make this almond shortbread oil-free?
The short story, yes. Here’s the long story: I recipe tested with this store-bought coconut butter (or manna) in place of vegan butter which felt more like a middle school science project than baking shortbread. The dense consistency of the coconut butter created a stubbornly crumbly dough. After warming it in the microwave, I was able to get the dough to stick together enough to pat it into the pan and bake it. The result? Tasty but overly dense and crumbly. I did, however, enjoy the subtle coconut flavor balanced with the almond. I feel if coconut butter is melted to a spreadable consistency and then creamed with sugar, it will work as a substitute for vegan butter. If you’ve had success baking with coconut butter, I’d love to hear all about it!
Why you’ll want to make this Vegan Almond Shortbread again and again, it’s:
Simple to make
Rich and buttery
Great for gift giving
Perfect for tea with a friend
Gluten-free
Addictively delicious!
Take a look in your pantry, you might have all the ingredients you need to make a batch right now! That bakery shop aroma filling your kitchen is just the icing on the shortbread!
Keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions and photos!
Ingredients for Vegan Almond Shortbread
1¾ cups (259g) of 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
¾ cup (84g) of superfine almond flour, blanched
¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt
1 cup (8 oz.) of vegan butter, dent-able but still cold to the touch (see post for oil-free suggestions)
¾ cup (75g) of powdered sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon of almond extract
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Makes 9 shortbread squares
How to make Vegan Almond Shortbread
Steps 1-2
1. Preheat your oven to 325 F / 165 C / gas mark 3. Use cooking spray to lightly coat the inside of a 9” x 9” baking pan or shortbread baking mold. If you are using a mold, use your fingers to make sure all the cracks and crevices in the design are greased.
2. Wisk the gluten-free flour, almond flour, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 3
3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), cream the butter until light and fluffy. Then add the extracts, mix, and gradually add in the sugar. Start at low speed and work your way up to medium-high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. This will take about 2 minutes
Step 4
4. Gradually add the flour, using the low-speed setting at first, to keep it from flying out of the bowl. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Increase to medium speed and mix until it forms a dough.
Steps 5-6
5. Scoop the dough into the prepared baking pan and press it down firmly, taking care that all the cracks and crevices in the mold are filled. Pat the top nice and flat with your fingers.
6. Use a fork to prick the top all over with a fork. This helps prevent air bubbles.
Step 7
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes so that it will release from the sides of the pan.
Step 8
8. To remove the shortbread from the mold, flip it over onto a large cutting board and, if necessary, tap the pan on the cutting board to release it.
Step 9
9. Cut into 9 squares while still warm. Serve straight away or let cool and store in an airtight container.
This recipe is based on an Almond Shortbread Cookies recipe I received in Kate McDermott’s newsletter which you can find on Substack. I highly recommend subscribing!
And while you’re in cookie mode, try these delectable recipes!
Classic Vegan and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Vegan Almond Shortbread / Gluten-Free
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F / 165 C / gas mark 3. Use cooking spray to lightly coat the inside of a 9” x 9” baking pan or shortbread baking mold. If you are using a mold, use your fingers to make sure all the cracks and crevices in the design are greased.
- Wisk the gluten-free flour, almond flour, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), cream the butter until light and fluffy. Then add the extracts, mix, and gradually add in the sugar. Start at low speed and work your way up to medium-high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. This will take about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add the flour, using the low-speed setting at first, to keep it from flying out of the bowl. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Increase to medium speed and mix until it forms a dough.
- Scoop the dough into the prepared baking pan and press it down firmly, taking care that all the cracks and crevices in the mold are filled. Pat the top nice and flat with your fingers.
- Use a fork to prick the top all over with a fork. This helps prevent air bubbles.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes so that it will release from the sides of the pan.
- To remove the shortbread from the mold, flip it over onto a large cutting board and, if necessary, tap the pan on the cutting board to release it.
- Cut into 9 squares while still warm. Serve straight away or let cool and store in an airtight container.
Notes
For step-by-step instructions, baking tips, and photos, see blog post!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
351.5Fat (grams)
25.87Sat. Fat (grams)
13.29Carbs (grams)
28.96Fiber (grams)
3.37Net carbs
25.59Sugar (grams)
10.98Protein (grams)
4.57Sodium (milligrams)
227.02Cholesterol (grams)
54.23Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.