10 Amazing Vegan Shortbread Recipes!

Celebrate National Shortbread Day by baking up these amazing vegan shortbread recipes! Traditional shortbread is made with one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour, and it is a super easy treat to veganize. Just replace dairy butter with vegan butter or a plant-based oil and there you have it. These vegan shortbread recipes vary from yummy cookies to tarts to fully raw shortbread creations. Try baking one of these recipes from the Food Monster App!

1. Coconut Sesame Shortbread Nankhatai

Source: Coconut Sesame Shortbread Nankhatai

Nankhatai is an Indian shortbread cookie. It gets a sandy delicate texture from the use of semolina and is traditionally made without eggs. It has loads of ghee or clarified butter. This recipe for vegan Nankhatai by Rinku Bhattacharya uses coconut oil instead of ghee, which also gives the cookies a delicate coconut flavor. It is a delicate and rich-tasting cookie that everyone will love! The best part is that it is ridiculously easy to make and quite healthy. You have to try this vegan Nankhatai recipe!

2. Almond & Date Shortbread

Source: Almond & Date Shortbread

This Almond & Date Shortbread by Judy Moosmueller is so simple and so delicious! It only calls for four ingredients and does not require a lot of work to make.

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3. Coconut Berry Shortbread Tart

Source: Coconut Berry Shortbread Tart

This Coconut Berry Shortbread Tart by Taavi Moore is a lot healthier than you might think. It is only sweetened with maple syrup and the crust is 100% gluten-free.

4. Chocolate Caramel Shortbread

Source: Chocolate Caramel Shortbread

Here you have a Chocolate Caramel Shortbread by Vicky Coates made from only 8 easily sourced natural ingredients meaning they are gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free! They are really simple to make and taste unbelievably good!

5. Maple Cinnamon Shortbread

Source: Maple Cinnamon Shortbread

These little Maple Cinnamon Shortbread cookies by Maryke Wylde are very simple to make and very hard to get wrong. These keep well and make lovely Christmas gifts. They smell so good while baking. You could make these gluten-free with a simple substitute of flour. They will be just as tasty. The best thing about these is that you will not miss the butter. They are crispy and delicious little vegan bites!

6. Matcha-Cream Shortbread Cookies

Source: Matcha-Cream Shortbread Cookies

Matcha-Cream Shortbread Cookies by Marie Reginato are gluten-free, vegan, and made with delicious ingredients. If you’re still thinking about what to make for a fun holiday party bite, maybe consider these. With a creamy center, that is festively tinted with matcha powder for the holidays and sandwiched between classic shortbread cookies, this is a sweet treat.

7. Orange Shortbread Cookies

Source: Orange Shortbread Cookies

These vegan Orange Shortbread Cookies by Maryke Wylde are so delicious – a crunchy little shortbread-style cookie, great for morning or afternoon tea. Your guests will never guess that butter was not involved in making these so tasty. Try them out, they are very simple to make!

8. Almond Shortbread Butterscotch Cookies

Source: Almond Shortbread Butterscotch Cookies

Almond Shortbread Butterscotch Cookies by Karen Kitto are crispy on the outside with a delicious chewy center filled with thick and rich butterscotch frosting. Best of all, they’re all vegan and gluten-free! These are what some would call freezer cookies. The simple mix is made up then either refrigerated or frozen, you can then slice it into little disc-shaped cookies and bake them to perfection.

9. Avocado Coconut Lime Tartlets in Shortbread Crust

Source: Avocado Coconut Lime Tartlets in Shortbread Crust

A rich, buttery, soft, filling in an equally buttery sweet crust. These vibrant tartlets are perfect to bring to brunch, picnic, or even to eat on the couch! Try these Avocado Coconut Lime Tartlets by Joni Marie Newman.

10. Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies

Source: Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies

Grab a hot beverage and curl up on the couch with these beautiful, buttery, and flavorful holiday cookies that are so easy to make! Once done, these Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies by Rachel Hanawalt are scrumptious wafers of buttery cherry and almond. They’re sure to be a hit at your next holiday cookie exchange, Valentine’s Day party, or just in the comfort of your cozy kitchen with a steamy cup of coffee or tea.

Loving these vegan shortbread recipes? Cookies are our great vegan treat, so check out these 30 Awesome Cookie Recipes to Fill Your Cookie Jar and 20 Homemade Vegan Cookies That Will Make Your Kitchen Smell Amazing!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects. 

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
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• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!