These melt-in-the-mouth vegan lemon shortbread cookies have a brilliant lemon flavor and they need just six ingredients!
These vegan lemon shortbread cookies are to die for. They are so crumbly and melt-in-the-mouth delicious, with a sparkling, lemony flavor. If you are a cookie monster that loves devouring buttery cookies like vegan shortbread cookies or vegan sablé cookies, these vegan lemon shortbread cookies kick it up a notch!
Table of Contents
Why you will love these cookies
- Amazing buttery, lemony flavor. Lemon + butter = utter deliciousness. The lemon juice and lemon zest combine with the vegan butter to create mind-blowing yum that will have you dipping your hand into the cookie jar once too often!
- Easy recipe. What makes shortbread cookies special is that they are as easy to make as they are tasty. These vegan lemon shortbread cookies are no exception. They need just five ingredients: all purpose flour, rice flour, vegan butter, sugar, lemon and pure vanilla extract and the batter comes together in one bowl.
- Perfect for gifting and sharing. One batch makes 16 large cookies (or you can make more smaller-sized cookies), so these cookies are perfect for baking and sharing, especially over the holidays.
- Soy-free, nut-free recipe.
Ingredients
- Unbleached all-purpose flour. Shortbread cookies need a flour that's lower in gluten. Whole wheat flour or bread flour are not good substitutes.
- Rice flour. This helps cut the gluten a bit, giving the cookies a more crumbly texture. You can also use corn starch, tapioca starch or almond flour instead.
- Granulated sugar. Use any sugar of your choice. Darker hued sugars like coconut sugar and turbinado sugar will make darker hued cookies.
- Lemon juice and zest. These add all that amazing lemony flavor that sets these cookies apart.
- Pure vanilla extract. I love adding a little vanilla to lemon-flavored desserts because its sweetness complements the tangy flavor so beautifully.
How to make vegan lemon shortbread cookies
Use a hand mixer or whisk to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about a minute.
Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and pure vanilla extract to the bowl.
Beat together until well-incorporated.
Add the rice flour and all-purpose flour to the bowl and beat briefly with the electric beater.
Gather the cookie dough into a ball, wrap tightly in cling wrap, and refrigerate. After 30 minutes remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Dust a surface and a rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out the shortbread cookie dough to a thickness of ¼th of an inch.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out square or round shapes or any shape you desire. I used a 2-inch square cookie cutter. Gather up any scraps, form into a disc, roll and cut out more cookies. Place the cookies an inch apart on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven for 20 minutes or until they are just beginning to color very lightly at the edges. Smaller cookies will need less time. Place the cookies on a wire rack so they can cool down and firm up further. After 15 minutes, use a thin spatula to transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack where they can continue cooling.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to a week, and refrigerated for up to four weeks.
- Freeze: The vegan lemon shortbread cookies can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer-safe bags for up to four months.
Top tip
Refrigerating the cookie dough is very important because it gives the butter particles time to solidify and makes the dough easier to roll out. When you place the cold cookies in the hot oven, the heat melts those pockets of butter, creating that perfect flaky, crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
More vegan cookie recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below. Or tag us on Instagram #HolyCowVegan.
Recipe card
Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the vegan lemon shortbread
- ¼ cup sugar
- 10 tablespoons vegan butter (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of one large lemon (about 1 tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- ¼ cup rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Use a hand mixer or whisk to cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about a minute.
- Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and pure vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat together until well-incorporated.
- Add the rice flour and all-purpose flour to the bowl and beat briefly with the electric beater.
- Gather the cookie dough into a ball, wrap tightly in cling wrap, and refrigerate. After 30 minutes remove the cookie dough from the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.
- Dust a surface and a rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out the refrigerated shortbread cookie dough to a thickness of ¼th of an inch.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out square or round shapes or any shape you desire. I used a 2-inch square cookie cutter. Gather up any scraps, pat into a disc, roll, and cut out more cookies.
- Place the cookies an inch apart on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to color very lightly at the edges. Smaller cookies will need less time.
- Place the cookies on a wire rack so they can cool down and firm up further. After 15 minutes, use a thin spatula to transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack where they can continue cooling.
Nutrition Information
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Gigi says
My toddler and I made these today, we had fun and they are delicious!
Karen says
Hi Vaishali, I've made these twice now, they are so so good. Everyone loved them and I made a double batch the second time. They disappear so fast.
Mary Lou says
Should the pan be greased?
Vaishali says
There is enough butter in the batter that the cookies shouldn't stick, but if you want some extra insurance, sure, grease the pan.
Anonymous says
Very good! I shared this with my family over the holidays (but was out of pecans so substituted walnuts) and my omnivore cousin said, "This tastes good enough to be non-vegan!"
Gauri Radha गौरी राधा says
This looks very very good!!
Mansi says
hey Vaishali! this lemon shortbread looks perfect for SHF event! If you can update the post I can include it in the roundup:)
Vimala says
I lost my dog last year.She and I shared 11 beautiful years of togetherness.I notice that people who read your blog post on Freddie commented that she was lucky to have you.I personally think that you are immeasurably lucky to have such devotion and unconditional love come your way.I envy your good fortune.Blind or not,she is a treasure.Wishing your little menagerie the very best,always.
Pavithra Kodical says
Freddie is very cute 🙂
Love these shortbread.Looks yum..I am yet thinking of a Mexican recipe to send for the event, I know i am late.I am preoccupied this month.
mainehopie says
I just want you to know that I am new to it, but I LOVE your blog! Thank you so much for the great food and wonderful posts (i.e. this one about Freddie and the one about the Indian girl who is starving) - both wonderful!
Superchef says
i just love that candied pecan topping!!
Kiersten says
Freddie sounds sweet. He's your little sidekick 🙂
Poornima Nair says
Freddie is soo cute, really adorable. The shortbread sounds delicious, love the lemon flavor.
Dibs says
Thats such a touching tale. Freddie looks happy. My boxer lived to be 12, and during is last few months his cataract played up . He was old and weak so we didn't want to subject him to a surgery. He would follow me around too - and keep me company especially when I used to wake unerathly hours to study for my exams.
Those caramelized pecans looks yummy. I am off cookies cakes etc for a few days!!
Gita's Kitchen says
Freddie looks so adorable! Lemon bread looks simply delicious...with candied pecans! things couldnt get any better 🙂
PurpleStick. says
Your Freddie story is cute. As much as you love you pets, it's heartbreaking to see them show their age. One of my cats is 15, partially deaf, and has lost a lot of muscle mass, pretty much leaving him to look like a rack of bones. Its sad, but theres not a lot you can do about it..
On a less depressing note, your shortbread looks amazing. Funny how I was just thinking about veganizing lemon shortbred too(though in cookie form)And how did you know I'm a sucker for candied pecans? =P
Madhumathi says
Lemon shortbread looks very tempting with pecan on top..i also like your blackeyed fritters 🙂
Red Chillies says
Freddie reminds me so much of my little one. He does pretty much the same things and yet he loves to be carried around.
That said I have so many emotions reading this, the helplessness of Freddie, but the gratitude that you are around to take care of him,your bonding, the plight of other not-so-lucky beings etc.
Very well put and is making me think.
kahliyalogue says
What a wonderful story about your dog,I was deeply moved.He is lucky to have you and the love is evident and touching!As for the shortbread,it definitely looks delicious!I also love that added crunch given by the pecans!
Cham says
The post shows how much u love Freedie, he is adorable! U are a great Seeing eye mom.
I like the nutty top!
Indhu says
freddie looks sooo cute... just want to hug him 🙂
and the shortbread looks delicious... tempting 🙂
Sharmila says
My pom would do the same Vaishali .. follow everywhere .. even am when shuffling between two rooms to keep away stuff .. and when asked to sit in one place, would choose the place right between the rooms. :-)Studying thru long winter nights felt good with her snoring lightly at my feet. She lived till 12. Freddie is lucky to have you looking out for him. 🙂
Laavanya says
Freddie looks adorable.. and i think you make a great 'seeing-eye mom' 🙂
The lemon shortbread sounds delicious and the pecan topping is fabulous touch.
Asha says
Freddie looks like a large size AJ, our Bichon. Aj is 10yrs old but acts like a teenager! I guess he learnt it from his mom! Hahaha!
Love short bread, enjoy them and the weekend! 🙂
DJ Karma says
Awww, Freddie! What a good baby 🙂 He's lucky to have his "seeing eye mom" - lemon bars look divine!
Mahimaa's kitchen says
wow.. lovely bars. i love both pecan and lemon in shortbread.
can u send some parcel?
A_and_N says
Wow, that is a first for me!
And Freddie looks adorable 🙂
Happy cook says
Freddie is so sweet, atlest he has you as a patner when he goes for his walks.
Love the shortbread and just love and adore thos pecan toppings.