Vegan Shortbread Cookies are buttery, crisp and delicious with a cup of tea! Made with only 4 ingredients, they are perfect for the holiday season or any time of year.
Shortbread cookies are a classic and simple cookie made with very few ingredients. I swapped the dairy butter for vegan butter, and used powdered sugar instead of granulated for a smoother texture.
Then all you need is flour and a little vanilla extract. So easy!
These Vegan Shortbread Cookies make a great base for other cookies that call for shortbread as well, and I have many ideas for the future! My favorite thing to do is mix some colorful sprinkles into the dough (my kids love it, too!).
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How to make Vegan Shortbread Cookies
*The exact amounts and instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, this is a visual overview.
First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and powdered sugar.
Now add the softened vegan butter and vanilla to the bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until crumbly and soft.
The dough will look crumbly like this, but if you grab it in your hands and squeeze it, it should hold its shape and be able to be formed into a ball of dough.
Form it into a ball of dough with your hands, and place it on a piece of parchment paper on your countertop. You can also sprinkle the paper with a tiny dusting of flour to prevent sticking. I didn’t the first time, and it stuck a little bit, so the second time I did and it worked well.
Using another piece of parchment paper, roll the dough about 1/3-1/2 inch thick.
Cut into desired shapes. I used a very small round cutter, but you can use anything you desire. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, and continue to re-roll the dough until it is all used.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bottoms are just slightly golden. The tops will look almost not done, but they continue cooking after you remove them, so don’t over bake them. The time will also depend on how large your cookies are.
Special Tips & Substitutions
- Gluten free: I haven’t tested them with gluten free flour, but if you try it let me know!
- What brand of vegan butter? I used Earth Balance sticks, as they make for easier measuring and I can find them at my local store. Melt or Miyoko’s brand would likely work as well.
- Is powdered sugar vegan? If you use organic powdered sugar, it should be vegan. If you are very concerned, you can always make your own from organic sugar by blending it in a high powered blender with some cornstarch ( 2 cups sugar + 2 tablespoons cornstarch).
- Additions: Try adding some colorful sprinkles to the dough before baking, or mini-chocolate chips. You could also frost them with the same icing as my Vegan Sugar Cookies.
Want more Christmas cookies to try this season?
- The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Snowball Cookies
- Iced Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Ginger Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Vegan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/4 cups vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir the flour and powdered sugar together. Now add the softened butter and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer on low-medium speed until blended well. The dough will look crumbly and soft but should smush together when squeezed in your hands.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on your countertop and sprinkle with a little flour, then form the dough into a ball and place in the middle of the parchment paper.
- Use another piece of parchment paper for the top, sprinkling a little flour on top of the dough to prevent sticking, and roll the dough to about 1/3-1/2 of an inch thick. Cut into desired shapes (I used a small rounded cookie cutter) and place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Continue re-rolling the dough until it is all used. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the bottom is just slightly golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for 5-6 days.
Notes
- I used a very small cookie cutter and got about 42 cookies. If you use a large cookie cutter, you will get less cookies.
- I used Earth Balance brand of vegan butter. I'm sure it would work with another brand as well, but I haven't tested it.
- For fun, consider adding sprinkles to the dough. Mini-chocolate chips would be fun, too. Or consider frosting them with the same icing as my Vegan Sugar Cookies!
Can I make this dough in advance and refrigerate it? I am excited to make these cookies with my daughter for Valentine’s Day for my husband!
Yes, that’s fine to do. You just may need to let it sit at room temperature before rolling, cutting and baking, or it will be too crumbly and hard to work with. Hope that helps and everyone enjoys the cookies!
I have tried for years to make a good shortbread cookie. This one is wonderful and so easy to make!
Thanks Susan!
Simply amazing! Made a second batch already. Put sprinkles (vegan of course) on top. Perfection!
Glad you love them, Tamar! Thank you!
These were tasty! However, I did use your metric measurements with my kitchen scale, and I felt the cookies came out a bit dry. Were the metric measurements converted purely by weight or by volume? I usually use a website that converts each ingredients weight by the volume used, based off of the type of specific ingredient (bread flour being heavier than pastry flour for example) (side note: I used AP for this!)
I will definitely be coming back to this recipe!
The metric conversion is an automatic calculation within my recipe card. I personally don’t bake with metric units, but with cups. I’m not 100% sure if it’s based on weight or volume, but I have double checked it and it’s usually quite accurate (if I weight the flour at home, after measuring my cup). If the dough seems dry, add just a touch of non-dairy milk, but not too much. They shouldn’t be dry, but have a nice buttery crunch once baked and cooled. Hope that helps a bit.
I just made these and waiting for my second batch to cool. They’re so delicious!
I added some Cadbury cocoa (vegan) to half a batch and my gosh they’re delicious!
Thank you for the great recipe.
Oh and my home smells amazing!
Hi Lisa. I’m glad your cookies turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing your comments!
I think this recipe depends a lot on the form of shortening (fat) used. Living near Paris, I went to a vegan grocery and got ‘Vegan Gold’ butter replacer. It was quite expensive but did not give a butter taste at all. The cookies tasted a bit dry and not reminiscent of my mother’s butter shortbread at all.
This is not a strike against your recipe, just commenting that one needs to get a good butter replacement to make decent ‘butter shortbread’.
Yes, I’m sure it does. I’m not sure what is available near Paris, but here in the States we have several options that all work very well. Sorry that one didn’t work for you! The recipe does rely on a quality vegan butter.
I swear I had an electric mixer but I guess my mom has it so I had to hand mix and it wasn’t too difficult and turned out good! I used my hand mostly and that worked best. I also didn’t have cookie cutters so i used a small jar to make them perfectly round and it worked perfectly! I love shortbread before going vegan and these we’re perfectly for satisfying my craving! My non vegan boyfriend, his family and my brother also really enjoyed them. Great recipe 🙂
Hi Catherine. I’m glad the cookies worked out and that they satisfied your shortbread craving! Thank you for sharing!
I made these at Christmas for my daughter who is vegan. I used almond extract instead of vanilla, otherwise made as written. An easy and delicious recipe. My daughter couldn’t stop eating them!
Hi Stacy. I’m glad your daughter enjoyed the cookies! Thank you!
I halved the recipe to try it out and these cookies are quite yummy! I used Country Crock plant butter. I definitely had to add a lot of flour to keep the dough from sticking while rolling out, thank you for putting that in the recipe. I accidentally rolled most of mine too thin but they were still great. Another excellent one Nora!
Hi Lexie. Thank you so much! I’m glad the cookies worked out and that you enjoyed them!
Delicious!! And I did use gluten free flour and it’s amazingly delicious, I’m NOT a vegan, but my daughter is and she’s also GF and I must say, you CAN’T taste a difference! I make them this way all the time!
Hi Maria. Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you and your daughter are enjoying the cookies!
Loved it..
I made it and turned out amazing ????
Hello! I’m so glad you enjoyed the shortbread cookies! Thank you for sharing!
If I don’t have powdered sugar but have splenda would that work for this recipe?
Oh no, I don’t think that would work at all, sorry!
These are delicious! When I was growing up it was our tradition to make Christmas butter cookies each year. Until now, I hadn’t tried to veganize them because I assumed they just would not be “the same.” This recipe nails it though. I’m so excited these cookies are back in my life, and in a way I feel good about!
That’s so great to hear!
These were excellent! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I have a quick question, did you use salted or unsalted butter? If I was to use unsalted butter should I add some salt? If so, how much?
I used salted, if using unsalted I would add a tiny pinch of salt.
So easy and tasty. Made great Christmas cookies with this recipe.
I haven’t made these yet, but I wanted to ask if they could be used in a cookie press?
I think that would work but I haven’t tried it yet. Thanks!
Excellent! Will be making these all season! Not super sweet, which I love! Also, I baked at 350 for 15. The first test batch just seemed a tad too soft. I assume texture is probably a matter of personal preference. I also beat the dough (with a hand mixer as per recipe) until it came together and was no longer crumbly. I topped them with seasonal themed sprinkles. Love this recipe for my vegan daughter, but for me and everyone who loves shortbread cookies! Thank you!!!!
You’re welcome!
I make these, and often! I can’t begin to tell you how hard it was to find a recipe where you need not chill the dough. This recipe is so EASY, with basic ingredients and yields super soft, rollable dough that can be maneuvered about time and time again. Even my last cookie to cut is of the same quality / density as the first one!
I use Becel Vegan (softened for an hour) and it works wonderfully. I add lemon or orange zest, and use vanilla bean paste instead of extract. I also found I like putting parchment on top of the dough and flattening with another baking sheet to get things flattening out in an even way.
A few drops of beet juice (blended into the butter at first) also make these a super cute light pink colour, and a dash of turmeric to the flour turn them orange (or just dusty yellow if turmeric alone is used).
Everyone I know adores these, and I’ll be sure to make them time and time again. My next batch will be with gingerbread style spices and I can’t wait! 🙂
Hi Nora, can I use coconut oil instead of butter?
If you need to, it might work, but I don’t know that they will hold their shape as well, they may spread. I don’t love using coconut oil in cookies generally, they tend to be greasier and the dough is more unstable (either too greasy or too crumbly). Thanks!
These are great! I used King Arthur gluten free 1 to 1, because my son is allergic to wheat. Then, we used Smart Balance vegan butter, because he’s allergic to soy, too. I had to work the dough a little bit but it rolled out easily. We sprinkled some red sprinkles and everyone enjoyed them!
That’s great to hear!
Can’t thank you enough for this recipe. Granddaughter has many allergies.
Long story short I used peppermint oil. Enjoy life mini chips & country crock “butter”. First time I have not had to fuss with a batter. THANK YOU FOREVER
You’re welcome!
Hi Nora, I tried making this last night. I’m not sure what, if anything, I did wrong by the “dough” was so crumbly I couldn’t successfully roll it out. I ended up adding water a little at a time to get it to a consistency that could be rolled. They don’t taste like other homemade shortbread recipes I’ve tried. However, these are my first attempt at vegan shortbread. Willing to give it a try again.
It sounds like either your vegan butter was too cold to start with, or you accidentally added a bit too much flour. You don’t want to add water or milk, it will very much change how they taste. Make sure you measure everything correctly, that your vegan butter is soft and if it seems crumbly, use your hands to mush it all together, because if your butter was too cold, your hands will help warm it up and come together. Hope that helps!
Hello!!
I’ve tried this recipe before and loved it!! Planning on making these for friends for the holidays, but
I was thinking of making these on two different days, could I make half on one day, cut out the cookies and freeze them, and bake them another day? Do you think that would workout?
Thank you!!.
I think that would probably work okay, yes. Thank you!
Hello Nora! Do these cookies freeze well?
Thanks for all your recipes!
Yes, they freeze perfectly. Thank you!
Amazing recipe use it all the time now thank you so much
You’re welcome!
I’m an experienced baker, but I’ve never baked with vegan butter before, so I followed the recipe and used Earth Balance brand. To me, the cookies are a little “off” — oily rather than buttery. Perhaps it’s just that I’m not accustomed to vegan butter, or at least not this one, which is made from canola and olive oil. If I make these shortbread cookies again, I think I would try masking lack of butter with almond flavor, either by substituting almond extract for vanilla extract or by using 1/4 c almond paste in place of 1/4 of the Earth Balance. Thank you.