This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
Healthy 3-ingredient almond flour shortbread, ready to eat in under 30 minutes! They are also vegan, Paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, and keto (with one ingredient swap).
Super Easy Almond Flour Shortbread
It is 100 degrees outside, but I cannot help myself: I am ready for fall baking to begin!
School starts next Monday, so I am planning ahead, filling the freezer with quick and easy options I can add to lunches.
Confession: it’s mostly cookies. I’ll get around to savory options soon enough, but I need to be true to my cookie monster self :).
My 3 ingredient almond flour cookies continue to be a hit, so I decided it was time for more of a good thing. Specifically, 3-Ingredient Almond Flour Shortbread!
These cookies are tender, teatime-perfect shortbread heaven. They are also:
- Vegan
- Grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Paleo
- Keto (with one easy ingredient swap)
Fast , Easy & Foolproof Grain-Free Shortbread
They are ridiculously easy, and almost foolproof, too. Simply mix together 1 cup of blanched almond flour (not almond meal), 2 and 1/2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or a keto substitute), and 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt. 
No Electric Mixer and No Chilling Required
You read correctly: this shortbread cookie dough is made with MELTED coconut oil. No electric mixer required. A bowl, a spoon, and about 30 seconds of stirring are all that you need for the preparation.
Moreover, the dough does not need to chill before baking.
Roll & Bake the Cookies
Simply roll the dough into balls, place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and flatten halfway down (so that they are about 1 cm thick). I chose a fork for my flattening, but a cookie stamp, the flat bottom of a measuring cup, or fingertips will also do the trick.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the centers no longer look wet. The cookies will still seem somewhat soft, but that is due to the high amount of fat (almond flour + coconut oil). They will become firm once completely cooled.
Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
That’s it! With minimal time and effort, a dozen delectable shortbread cookies are yours for the eating.
You can double or triple the recipe according to the needs of your household, or the occasion.
Like my other minimalist cookie recipes, the opportunities for flavor personalization are boundless. Some quick ideas to jumpstart your creativity include the following:
(1) Extracts: replace 1/2 teaspoon of the water with vanilla extract, or 1/4 teaspoon of the water with almond, orange or lemon extract;
2) Citrus: replace the water with an equal amount of freshly squeezed lemon, lime or orange juice and add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon, lime, or orange zest
(3) Spices: add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite spice (you can taste the dough to determine how much; begin with a little add more as needed). For example, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg.
(4) Chocolate: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons miniature chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (sugar-free, keto-friendly options for keto cookies). Cacao nibs are also an excellent choice (they have no sugar and are naturally keto).
Happy baking, and stay cool!
More Grain-Free & Vegan Almond Flour Cookies to Try:
- 3-Ingredient Almond Flour Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Banana Almond Flour Cookies
- 4-Ingredient Chocolate Almond Flour Cookies
- Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies
- Pumpkin Almond Flour Cookies
- Sweet Potato Almond Flour Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Fresh Apple Almond Flour Cookies
3-Ingredient Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Tender and decadent-tasting almond flour shortbread, made with 3 ingredients. The cookies are extremely simple to make, as well as vegan, Paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, and keto (with one ingredient swap).
Ingredients
- 1 cup (112 g) blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- 2 and 1/2 tablespoons (30 g) coconut sugar (see notes for keto)
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional/ adjustable)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients, stirring to combine (be sure to break up any lumps in the flour and/or sugar).
- Shape dough into twelve 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls (I use my small cookie scoop). Space balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Flatten to about 1 cm thickness (e.g., with a fork, I chose a fork, cookie stamp, the flat bottom of a measuring cup, or fingertips).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden (the cookies will seem somewhat soft while hot; they will firm up as they cool).
- Remove from oven and cool on sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
Storage: Because of their high fat content, the cookies are best stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks (or the freezer for up to 6 months).
Keto Variation: Replace the coconut sugar with an equal amount of keto-friendly brown sugar replacement (e.g., Sukrin Gold, Swerve). Keto Version Macros per Cookie: Calories: 75; Total Carbs: 2 g; Net Carb: 1 g; Sugars: 0.3 g.
Other Sugars: An equal amount of brown sugar or granulated sugar of your choice can be used in place of the coconut sugar.
Butter and other Fats: If not following a vegan diet, you can use melted butter or ghee in place of the coconut oil. Because butter has a higher water content than coconut oil, I suggest increasing the butter to 2 and 1/2 tablespoons and only adding 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of water.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 cookieAmount Per Serving Calories 85Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 2.5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 24.2mgCarbohydrates 4.6gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 2g
Amanda
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
I've made this a couple times with my own adjustments and finally getting it right. I'm not on any special diet other than that I try to avoid gluten where possible and was looking for an easy recipe to be made from almond flour and in the air fryer.
I did try it with coconut oil but I much prefer it with butter. I also added vanilla, reduced the sugar, used mascabado sugar, and used 1T raw agave syrup instead of water. I did a half batch and this left me with 4 medium sized cookies - perfect just for me.
I cooked them in the air fryer (Ninja foodi) at 350° and they were done after about 6 ish minutes. I sprinkled some of the mascabado sugar on the top for texture while they were still hot.
They are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Delicious with a chai or spiced black tea.
I will definitely be making these again!
Amanda
Saturday 2nd of September 2023
Update: Have made these multiple times in the air fryer - it took a couple tries to get it down but now it is my go-to recipe for a quick treat. I just use butter, sugar, and almond flour ????????♀️ tonight I steeped earl grey tea in the water before adding to the dough, was good but could have been a bit stronger! Another variation I want to try is adding fresh orange juice + zest to the cookie then dipping in chocolate ???? these cookies are chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside - quick and easy to throw together, and healthy (depending how you make them ????) Came back to comment on my original review because I've made them many times since and I'll make them many more times! Easy, versatile, and delicious!!
Camilla
Wednesday 16th of August 2023
Amanda, I am so pleased to read how you have made adjustments to the recipe to make the cookies exactly to your liking! And thank you for sharing your method, too, especially for baking in the Ninja (I know more and more people are using smaller baking appliances). ????
Heather
Tuesday 4th of July 2023
Hi - Is it possible to substitute another vegan oil for the coconut oil?
Camilla
Tuesday 4th of July 2023
Hi Heather! a mild olive oil, or avocado oil, should work :) You may need to chill them after baking (coconut oil becomes solid at room temp, except when it is hot weather, which helps hold the cookies together at room temp).
Paul
Sunday 28th of May 2023
Hi, just out of the kitchen after trying the recipe. I am a hard-core keto follower so I made some adjustments; 90g Almond flour + 40g milled Flaxseed (sieved) 30g melted coconut oil and 30g Maple Syrup (the Skinny Co. - zero Cal) 1 tbsp of water + 1 more when I found the dough too stiff 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg + large pinch of sea salt Shaped 10 cookies and cooked for 15mins + 5 more when cookies did not brown. After 20mins set to cool - cookies soft and chewy (hummmm!) Yields approx: 0.9g net carbs per large cookie (thank you Cronometer - food nutrition website) Will be making again (soon), just have to discover how to harden the cookies some more for my daughter's taste.......or not!!! :-)
ps Great simple recipe - I am not a cook by any stretch of the imagination (boiled eggs is about my limit, but now I can have cookies with them).
Camilla
Tuesday 30th of May 2023
Paul, thank you SO much for sharing your adaptations! I know many people will appreciate your guidelines :)
For making the cookies harder--you could try rolling them out, or simply flattening the rounds almost flat. That should make them crisper and harder, per your daughter's preferences.
Cheers, Paul!
K
Sunday 26th of March 2023
Do you think this recipe would work with brown rice flour, or rice flour? I have a nut allergy.
Camilla
Wednesday 29th of March 2023
Hi K, These will not work with rice flours, but can you eat seeds? You can use an equal weight of sunflower seed flour (here is my DIY version . You can finely grind pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) into a fine flour, too.
Kaja
Monday 20th of February 2023
Yum yum yum! These cookies were so good! and they were easy to make. I only had one problem, I didn’t have almond flour so I had to bled my own so it was a little chunky, but this brought out the almond flavor which made it delicous! I’m defintely making this agian, also I only used 2 Tbsp of coconut sugar, because I prefer a little less sweetness. I added a bit of cinnamon, too. Thank you for this recipe!
Camilla
Thursday 2nd of March 2023
How clever are you, Kaja! Way to make it work! And now you have me thinking about chunky almond cookies... :)