These easy vegan shortbread cookies are flaky, buttery, and delicious. With just 3 simple ingredients, these cut-out cookies are perfect for any holiday or event! You can frost them like a sugar cookie or just sprinkle them with a little colored sugar for an elegant shortbread that will make your mouth water!
This recipe came from an old family friend who used to have a catering business. She always made these cookies at Christmas time. I was about 10 years old when if first had one, and I had never had a cutout cookie that tasted so good! We always made sugar cookies to frost and decorate, but they were kind of bland and didn't have the delicious texture that the shortbread cookies did. From that day on these are the only cut-out cookie that I ever made. They're a little more brittle than traditional vegan sugar cookies, but the difference in taste is worth it!
You'll love these cookies because they're...
- easy to make with only 3 ingredients and no need to wait and chill the dough before rolling.
- perfect for any holiday like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, or Halloween since you can cut them into any shape you wish.
- vegan and can easily be made gluten-free.
- not too sweet with just a hint of sugar.
- great for sprinkling with a little sugar or frosting with buttercream or royal icing.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour -regular white flour works best, but you can use my homemade gluten-free flour mix to make them gluten-free.
- Vegan Butter - you can use any type of vegan butter. My homemade vegan butter (stick version) works great.
- Sugar - to sweeten the cookie. Any white or light-colored granulated sugar will work.
Tools Needed
- Pastry Cutter - or just a large fork to mix up the dough.
- Rolling Pin - to roll out the cookies.
- Cookie Cutters - to make your cookies in any shape that you wish.
- Cookie Sheet - to bake your cookies on. A heavy cookie sheet or an AirBake cookie sheet will help your cookies bake evenly and not burn.
How to make vegan shortbread cookies
- Mix the flour, softened vegan butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl. (You can use a pastry mixer, a large fork, or your hands).
- Mix until it forms a firm dough that can be rolled out. (Splash 1 tsp of cold water on the dough and mix it in to help soften the dough if needed).
- Spread a layer of flour on a flat surface and your rolling pin.
- Roll the dough out, dusting the top and rolling pin with flour when needed.
- Make sure the dough is flat, even, and about 1/4 inch thick, then cut out with cookie cutters.
- Use a flat metal spatula to carefully pick the cookies off the countertop and put them on a cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired before baking.
- Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 10 minutes.
- Allow cooling for about 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a flat countertop to continue cooling further.
How to make vegan colored sugar
Did you know that most of the colored sugar is not vegan? Most sprinkles and colored sugars have confectioner's glaze in them. Confectioner's glaze is food-grade shellac that is made from the resin of beetles. Because of this, I make my own colored sugar with sugar in the raw and food coloring. Simply mix 1/4 cup of vegan sugar (the type with large crystals work best) with about 2 drops of vegan food coloring and stir. It takes a few minutes of stirring and mixing the color in with the sugar before the lumps get out and it turns into perfectly colored sugar ready for decorating.
Pro Tips
- Make sure to use vegan butter that has been allowed to warm up to room temperature before making the dough.
- Add just enough water to make the dough easy to roll out. The less water you use the better the taste and texture of the cookies.
- Try not to overwork the dough. The cookies will have a lighter and flakier texture the less you mix and roll it.
- Don't use cookie cutters with skinny details. These cookies will break easily, so little details may break off.
- Use a heavy cookie sheet or an AirBake cookie sheet to allow the cookies to bake evenly.
- Decorate with colored sugar before baking.
- To frost the cookies: bake plain and then frost with vegan buttercream frosting or vegan royal icing.
How to make gluten-free shortbread cookies...
If you need these to be gluten-free, use my gluten-free flour mix. For this, you will need 1 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup of tapioca starch, and 2 tsp of xanthan gum. (For most recipes I say you can make your own oat flour, by grinding and sifting it, but for these cookies, I recommend using the store-bought oat flour since it is much finer and smoother.
More vegan holiday treats
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Homemade Vegan Chocolates
- Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Sandbakkels - Vegan Cherry Tarts
- Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
These desserts all taste great with a mug of my homemade vegan eggnog!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram or on Pinterest for daily vegan inspiration and recipe ideas! Tag me at #thehiddenveggies! I love to see what you made too!
A classic shortbread cookie made vegan.
- 2 cups flour (plus a little extra for rolling out the dough)
- 1 cup vegan butter or any vegan margarine (stick versions work best).
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon water if needed to work the dough
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Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
-
Mix the flour, softened vegan butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl. (You can use a pastry mixer, a large fork, or your hands).
-
Mix until it forms a firm dough that can be rolled out. (Splash 1 tsp of cold water on the dough and mix it in to help soften the dough if needed).
-
Spread a layer of flour on a flat surface and your rolling pin.
-
Roll the dough out, dusting the top and rolling pin with flour when needed.
-
Make sure the dough is flat, even, and about 1/4 inch thick, then cut out with cookie cutters.
-
Use a flat metal spatula to carefully pick the cookies off the countertop and put them on a cookie sheet.
-
Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired before baking.
-
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes.
-
Allow cooling for about 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a flat countertop to continue cooling further.
Tips for making perfect shortbread cookies.
- Make sure to use vegan butter that has been allowed to warm up to room temperature before making the dough.
- Add just enough water to make the dough easy to roll out. The less water you use the better the taste and texture of the cookies.
- Try not to overwork the dough. The cookies will have a lighter and flakier texture the less you mix and roll it.
- Don't use cookie cutters with fine details. These cookies will break easily, so small details may break off.
- Use a heavy cookie sheet or an AirBake cookie sheet to allow the cookies to bake evenly.
- Decorate with colored sugar before baking.
- To frost the cookies: bake plain and then frost with vegan buttercream frosting or vegan royal icing.
To make gluten-free shortbread cookies:
Use 1 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup of tapioca starch, and 2 tsp of xanthan gum instead of the 2 cups of white flour.
