Cassava Flour Shortbread Cookies (Vegan, Grain-Free)

Learn how to make grain-free cassava flour shortbread cookies that taste just like traditional shortbread! Make them plain, flavor with spices or citrus zest, or embellish with chocolate. The cookies are also vegan (egg-free, dairy-free), gluten-free, and Paleo friendly.

Grain-Free Cassava Flour Cookies

These nontraditional shortbread cookies are remarkable for a primary reason: they taste like proper shortbread. That might not sound like a big deal, until you know that they also happen to be grain-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free.

In place of the usual wheat flour is cassava flour, along with some almond flour, for an ideal texture. Instead of dairy butter, it is plant butter (vegan butter) that creates the tender crumb you would expect from traditional shortbread cookies.

Purists will not taste difference.

Adding to the quiet joy of this shortbread cookie recipe: it is easy. Specifically, there is no need for a mixers to cream the butter and mix the dough (less cleanup!). Instead, melt the butter and stir directly into the dry ingredients.

Recipe Benefits

• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Grain-Free (e.g., no oat flour, no gluten-free flour, no wheat flour)
• Gluten-free
• Paleo
• Nut-free (with one ingredient swap)
• Easy to make in one bowl
• No mixer required (stand mixer or handheld mixer)
• Minimal ingredients
• Customizable (e.g., with different embellishments or flavorings)

Ingredients for the Cassava Flour Cookie Recipe

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.

• Cassava Flour: For accuracy, I strongly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the flour (toggle to Metric in the recipe card for grams measurement)
• Almond Flour: Use finely ground almond flour. These days, you can find finely ground almond with or without the skins. Use either, but avoid using more roughly ground almond meal. I have nut-free alternative listed in the recipe notes.
• Vegan Butter / Plant Butter: Be sure to use solid sticks, not tub style / spreadable vegan butter. The latter variety contains a high percentage of water, which changes the composition of the cookie dough.
• Maple Syrup: See the options listed in the recipe notes for sweetener alternatives to maple syrup.
• Vanilla Extract: Look to the recipe notes for lots of easy ideas for flavoring and embellishing the shortbread cookies inn different ways.

I like to add a pinch of sea salt, to enhance the sweetness of the cookies. It is optional. If the vegan butter you select has salt, you may not wish to add additional salt to the recipe (I still do, because I love salty-sweet).

If you choose to use coconut oil for the fat in the recipe, a smidge of salt adds a lot of flavor (coconut oil is unsalted).

Step by Step Directions

Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.

Step One: Whisk the Dry Ingredients

Measure the flours. For the greatest accuracy, weigh the flours with a digital kitchen scale. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cassava flour, almond flour, and optional salt.

Step Two: Add the Wet Ingredients

Add the melted vegan butter, maple syrup, and vanilla to the bowl. Stir and blend to combine (it will seem dry, at first).

Continue mixing, or follow my lead and use your hands, to finish combining the ingredients into a cohesive dough.

Step Three: Shape the Cookie Dough & Chill

Transfer the dough to a large square of plastic wrap, wax paper, or parchment paper (it is ok if the dough is slightly crumbly.) Roughly shape the dough into a log, then use the plastic wrap to smooth and compress the dough into a compacted, even log (about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter).

Place the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, or the freezer for about 20 minutes, until firm.

Step Four: Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet / baking tray / cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Step Five: Slice the Cookies

Unwrap the chilled dough on a cutting board. Slice crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.

Step Six: Bake

Bake the cookies for 8 to 11 minutes until golden brown at the edges (they will still be fairly pale overall).

Step Seven: Cool the Cookies

Remove the cookies from oven and cool, on the baking sheet, for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack on the kitchen counter to cool completely (they will firm up as they cool).

Taste & Texture of the Cassava Flour Shortbread

The cookie texture is firm, yielding to melt in the mouth tenderloin when you take a bite. The sweetness is mild, with hints of both maple and vanilla. Enjoy the cookies for dessert, as sweet treats to accompany afternoon tea.

Cooking Tips for Success

• Weigh Ingredients: For consistent results every time, use a digital kitchen scale to weigh the flours, in particular.
• Use Light-Colored Baking Sheets: Dark baking sheets and cookies do not play well together. The former overly darken or burn the bottoms of cookies. For best results, use heavy, light colored metal baking sheets.
• Line Baking Sheets with Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is a miracle product for baking. It promotes even baking, prevents sticking, makes it easy to remove items like cookies, and turns cleaning up into an extra-easy task. Look for boxes or rolls of precut sheets (you can find them online, in bulk, at great prices).
• Check Cookies at the Minimum Baking Time: Begin checking the cookies for doneness at the earliest suggested baking time. The cookies are done when they are just barely set. Bake for a minute at a time longer, as needed, if they are not done at the first check.

Flavor Variations

Consider adding the following to the gluten-free shortbread cookies:

• Dried spices (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon/tsp), such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, pumpkin pie spice, or nutmeg
• Extracts: Replace the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon of almond extract, orange extract, lemon extract, peppermint extract, rum extract or brandy extract.
• Freshly grated citrus zest: Add 2 teaspoons of freshly grated orange zest, lemon zest, or lime zest.
• Chocolate: Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup miniature dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, or 3 to 4 tablespoons of chopped cacao nibs to the dough. Alternatively, drizzle melted chocolate on top of the cookies, or dip the cookies in melted dark chocolate.

Storage

Store the cooled cassava flour shortbread cookies in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 5 days, the refrigerator for 2 weeks, or the freezer for up to 6 months. 

FAQ

• Can I use tapioca starch / tapioca flour in place of cassava flour? No. Although made from the same plant (yucca), cassava flour and tapioca starch are not interchangeable.
• Can I omit the almond flour and use 100% cassava flour in the recipe? No, that will not work.
• What is a good substitute for maple syrup? Agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or date syrup are good substitutes for maple syrup. If you do not follow a vegan diet, you can also use an equal amount of honey.
• What can I use in place of the almond flour to make the recipe nut-free? You can make the recipe nut-free by swapping the almond flour for an equal amount of sunflower seed flour or pumpkin seed flour /pepita flour.
• What can I use in place of the plant butter/ vegan butter? An equal amount of coconut oil, melted, can replace the vegan butter. If you eat dairy, an equal amount of melted dairy butter or ghee can also be used.

Happy baking! I hope you love these minimal ingredients cookies! If you try the recipe, I would love to see it. Tag #powerhungrycamilla on instagram or @camillacooks on Pinterest.

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