Coconut flour shortbread cookies are easy 3-ingredient vegan coconut flour cookies with no eggs, no gluten, and no dairy. They are keto-friendly using sugar-free Monk Fruit Syrup.
There is no season to enjoy a delicious crunchy shortbread cookie, right? And what’s better than healthy coconut flour shortbread cookies 100% vegan to snack with a cup of coffee?
What’s coconut flour?
Coconut flour is made from dried coconut meat. It is a very healthy gluten-free flour, low in carbs, high in fiber, and keto-friendly. Also, it can be very difficult to bake with coconut flour at first. It is indeed a highly liquid absorbent flour due to the high fiber content.
That is why I recommend using fresh flour with no lumps. And also make sure to weigh the flour if you can for full precision. Don’t use cups!
Vegan coconut cookies – an easy 3-ingredient recipe
This is the easiest vegan coconut flour cookies you will ever make. All you need are 3 simple wholesome ingredients.
- Coconut flour – make sure your coconut flour is fresh, with no lumps. And if you can, measure the flour in grams or oz for precision.
- Liquid sweetener – any liquid sweetener works really well in this recipe. I love to use either maple syrup or sugar-free monk fruit sweetener to make them keto-friendly and sugar-free.
- Unrefined coconut oil – melted. If you don’t like coconut flour in your baking, use refined coconut flour, it has no flavor.
How to make coconut flour shortbread cookies with no eggs?
It can be tricky to bake with coconut flour at first because it contains a lot of fiber. Fiber has a tendency to dry the cookie dough very quickly.
My tip to success is to :
- Weigh the flour for precision – this prevents the dough from being too wet or too dry.
- Adjust the dough if needed – if you can’t weigh the flour and use measuring cups, you may have some issue achieving the right texture at first. That is ok. If too dry, add a splash more liquid sweetener, 1 teaspoon at a time until it comes together. If it is too moist, add more coconut flour, 1 teaspoon at a time. You want to get a soft buttery cookie dough ball.
- Always roll the dough between pieces of parchment paper – this prevents the dough from sticking to your roller pin.
- Dip the cookie cutter in warm water – this is a little trick to avoid having the cookie-cutter sticking to the dough.
How to decorate your coconut flour cookies?
This is optional but decorating shortbread cookies is always fun. I recommend melting vegan dark chocolate chips and dip half of the shortbread into the melted chocolate.
I hope you enjoyed this simple vegan coconut flour cookie recipe. If so don’t forget to share it on Pinterest for later!
More vegan gluten-free cookies recipe
If you love easy vegan cookies recipe you may want to try my others recipes:
More vegan coconut flour recipes
If you like recipes with coconut flour, have a look at these:
Your friend, Carine.
Coconut flour shortbread cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Carefully measure the flour and liquids in a small container. I recommend using grams/oz and fl.oz or ml for precision. Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than regular wheat flour. If you are not precise the dough can be too dry or too moist.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add all the ingredients, the order doesn't matter: coconut flour, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup.
- Combine with a spoon at first. The dough will be very wet and it dry as you go. It should take about 2 minutes to form a cookie dough ball. After 1 minute, knead the dough with your hands to gather the dough together and form a dough ball. If too dry, add a splash more liquid sweetener, 1 teaspoon at a time until it comes together. If it is too moist, add more coconut flour, same 1 teaspoon at a time. You want to get a soft buttery cookie dough ball.
- Set aside at room temperature on the benchtop for 5 minutes to let the coconut flour fiber absorb the liquid.
- Place the cookie dough ball onto a piece of parchment paper. Press another piece of parchment paper on top. Use pieces of about 20 cm long (8 inches).
- Roll the dough until it reaches about 4 mm (0.15 inches) of thickness. Don't roll too flat or the cookies become fragile.
- Cut out the cookies using a cookie cutter shape of your choice. You can dip the cookie cutter into warm water before cutting the dough to avoid it to stick to the dough. If so, make sure you dry the cookie-cutter slightly as you don't want to add plenty of water onto your dough.
- Use a spatula to lift out the shaped cookie from the parchment paper and transfer to the cookie sheet. The shortbread cookies won't expand during baking so you can leave only half thumb space between each.
- Gather the leftover of dough from the outside of the cut cookies to reform a cookie dough ball. Roll again using the same pieces of parchment paper and repeat until no more dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the sides are golden brown.
- Cool down on a cookie rack.
- If you want to decorate the cookies with melted dark chocolate, wait for the cookies to be at room temperature. You can freeze the dipped cookies for 2-5 minutes to set the chocolate shell quickly.
Storage
- Store in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 1 month or freeze in a zip bag. Defrost the day before.
Perfect little shortbread ! Followed the recipe in oz as you recommended and come out great. Thanks for the easy recipe.
I’m sorry for the question – I can ever remember this – do you weigh the oil before or after you melt it?
This is what I do, I measure the solid coconut oil, melt it and then measure the liquid oil before adding in the recipe to be precise. So yes, you must measure the oil liquid! If I melt too much, return into the coconut jar it will solidify again and you can use it again later. Enjoy the cookies. Can’t wait to hear your feedback on those, XOXO Carine.
If you follow the recipe to the T it turns out amazing. I used left over vegan chocolate icing and they tasted really good with that as well. I will be making these cookies a lot.
Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 I am so glad you love them too. XOXO Carine
Would I be able to add cranberries to the dough or do you think it wouldn’t be able to hold them? Can’t wait to try these!
I am not sure it will hold well unfortnately
Can I make this recipe with liquid stevia?
No sorry it won’t work. The cookie hold together because of the liquid sweetener. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
Hi, can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
I guess yes, it may dry the batter as honey is less liquid and you may need more to achieve the same result. As it is a vegan blog I don’t use honey and I am not sure about how it will work out in my recipes. XOXO Carine.
sorry, for me this recipe sucked. measured according to your recipe and they came out horrible.
I am sorry it didn’t work out well for you. What happend? Give me more precise details that I can help. Which sweetener did you use? Happy to help, XOXO Carine
I did, it works perfect, I just liquefied the honey warming it up in Bain-Marie and that was it.
This looks so good! Can you freeze the dough for later?
I didn’t try to freeze the dough so I am unsure. I usually don’t like to freeze dough made of coconut flour because it is highly water absorbent and freezer add some moisture to the dough. Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine.
Thanks for sharing! Do they cookies keep long?
You can keep those for about 3 weeks in a cookie jar at room temperature. Enjoy, XOXO Carine.
These cookies were so dry! When eating it was a struggle to swallow them, it was like my body was rejecting them. I would not reccomend these to anyone!
I am sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the coconut four cookies. Cocontu flour contains 4 times more fiber than others flours an it is highly liquid absorbent. That is why most coconut flour is dryer but that is also what you expect from a shortbread cookie to be crunchy and dry it is not a moist cookie. I hope you enjoy others recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
these are a very good and healthy take on cookie bars! i would definitely recommend, i also used vanilla coconut milk to add a little flavor, thanks!
The dough was impossible to work with, I couldn’t make a ball with it, so I thought it was to dry. I added some liquid, spoon by spoon, they became to moist. Added coconut flour and back and forth. Once cooked it was so dry.
I would not recommend that recipe.
I am sorry it didn’t work out for you and hope you get better luck next time with another of my recipes. XOXO Carine
Same here…couldn’t work with the dough:(
What brand of coconut flour do you use when making this recipe (if you remember).
I live in New Zealand and I am using different brands, all worked well for me. The store brand called Pams or Avalanche.
It was impossible to flatten them out, I wont use this recipe again….sorry
I am sorry to hear that. Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than regular flour and the fiber absorb liquid extremely fast. That is why precision is the key, if you had slightly too much coconut flour in any recipe it gets hard or crumbly. That is why grams is better than cups for this recipe and natural maple syrup. I hope you get better result with another of my recipe next time, XOXO Carine.
Delicious cookies! Can’t wait to try them dipped in chocolate next time. Thank you for such simple yet tasty recipe!
I agree, chocolate on top makes them even better! Enjoy the easy vegan cookies recipes around here. XOXO Carine.
Can you use the Keto granulated sugar?
It won’t hold together you definetly need liquid sweetener like maple syrup or brown rice syrup (if you are looking for less sugar and carbs) or the cookies won’t get together. Enoy, XOXO Carine.
Hi! I bake it today. It was a real challenge. The Dough was too moist, i added more and more flour, until i get some good dough. I really believed that it wouldn’t work, but were delliciuos!
I am sorry to hear that this didn’t work out well t first time. . That is really strange, coconut flour contains 4 times more flour than regular flour so it usually work the oppoite, dough getting too dry. Are you sure your flour is 100 % coconut flour? Did you knead the dough long eough, at least 90 seconds to make sure the fiber absorb the liquid in the recipe. Thannks for trying my recipe and I hope it gets even better next time, XOXO Carine.
I just baked these cookies and they were easy and amazing. I put little sprinkles on them for the holidays. Thank you for posting.
I love the sprinkle idea! Please share a picture with me on instagram next time 🙂 Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
Hi,
Is possible to use another oil?
Thanks
Hi, I didn’t try something else I am pretty sure vegan butter will work tho. Enjoy the cookies, XOXO Carine
I’m not vegan but tried this recipe as I’m trying to reduce my wheat intake. I didn’t weigh because I don’t have a scale. I used 1/2 cup melted oil 1/2 cup maple syrup 1 1/3 cup coconut flour. Mixed, kneeded into a ball let rest at least five minutes. I pressed into a square with my hands. Didn’t use a top parchment as I ran out lol. Used my rolling pin at the end to smooth out a bit. Used a knife to cut into squares. Baked and cooled as per recipe. Quite good. Next time I’ll experiment with some added cocoa powder
Thanks for the lovely feedback! I am so glad it worked well with many adaptation, thanks again for sharing with us. XOXO Carine
Easy and fun to make and they look fantastic, however they are SO dry i actually thought i was going to choke on one because it just would!! Not!! Go!! Down!!!! They taste okay but I’m actually slightly scared to have another i used exactly the amounts in grams so maybe that’s how they’re meant to be?
Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than other fiber and consequently it soak up liquid in recipe. However they shouldn’t be that dry, and you may have added a bit too much coconut flour. Also, some people don’t appreciate the texture of coconut flour as it dry their mouth. I recommend to always drink well while eating such high fiber food. Thanks for trying my recipe and feedback. XOXO Carine.
I followed this recipe to a t, measured with a scale as instructed. I used liquid sweetener, it was so bitter I could not eat it had to throw it out, if the liquid sweetener makes it that bitter the recipe should be more specific for which type to use. I just spent a lot of money to throw it in the trash. It was inedible.
I am sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe. The recipe doesn’t change the flavor of the liquid sweetener you are using. The recipe tells you to use maple syrup or any unrefined liquid sweetener like agave syrup, brown rice syrup. None of those are bitter and the coconut flour doesn’t make the sweetener bitter. The cookie should end with a delicious coconut maple flavor but no bitterness at all. Which sweetener did you use?
Do you have youtube recipe??? I can’t see the video.
Great recipe!!!
If you cant see videos it might be because you are using an ad blocker that block videos. Otherwise, all my recipe video are on my Youtube channel here. Enjoy.
Can I use normal flour?
It won’t work with the same ratio I am sorry.
These were great! A little dry, but the chocolate helped. I would suggest smaller if you have a small cookie cutter. Just watch the timing as they’ll probably cook faster. Thanks for the recipe! #quarantinecookies
I used maple syrup, as suggested and it was CRAZY sweet. Must have a sweet tooth supreme to be able to eat these. Have you tried the maple syrup instead of your other liquid sweetener? Thank you anyway for posting this.
I am sorry to hear that, I don’t think maple syrup is very sweet in this recipe but we all have different sensitivity to sweetness. What you can do is use a liquid sweetener that has less sweeteness like brown rice syrup. It will work the same in the recipe and it is about 1/3 times less sweet for same amount. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Please clarify coconut flour amount – it says 7 oz, or 1 2/3 cup plus 1 tbs…that seems like more than 7 oz…do you mean 2/3 cup plus 1 tbs? It looks like a typo to me, help!
You can click on the metric button for tablespoons conversion.
Loved this! My dough didn’t want to form, was very crumbly but I’m no quitter! Haha. Made 8 hearts, had some with my keto lemon curd! (And whipped cream)
So delicious! Will dip a few in Sf chocolate for sure!
I am SO glad you love them! Thanks for sharing here. XOXO Carine
There’s absolutely nothing I could’ve done to turn this into a dough. Tried everything. Weighed the ingredients specifically as mentioned. It seemed that there was WAAAAAAY too much coconut flour.
I ended up adding 4 eggs, and it still wouldn’t turn into a dough. I should’ve started with 50 g of flour instead of 200. Maybe then I would’ve had a chance.
I am sorry o hear that. It seems that some followers are having issue with the recipe while I, and many others have no problem with it. I am wondering if some coconut flour brand could be thinner and absorb liquid much more creating this issue you mentioned. I personally make this recipe almost every 10 days for my family and it come out great any time so I am sad to read your comment as I am not sure whats going on. I hope you will try other recipe form the blog and have more success with it. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Delicious!
Thank you
Would this recipe work with cranberries folded into it or do you think they’d crumble?
These were a nightmare start to finish for me. I did measure by weight and let it sit to absorb, but the batter ended up so dry it wouldn’t hold together yet so wet if I squeezed it the oil would express. It wouldn’t hold together well enough for cookie cutters so I wound up slicing it, and after baking it’s very much more like crackers than cookies.
I am sorry it didn’t work for you. I am not sure why your dough was so dry. I hope you will have better experience with others recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
I. Used half stork vegan butter and half coconut oil, agave syrup and a fine milled coconut flour.
Recipe works really well, obviously if you aren’t used to coconut flour (like me!) then they are a little dryer than normal short bread- otherwise wonderful!
Thank you
Thanks for your lovely feedback !
Made these to a T exactly as instructed and they fell apart instantly. Such a waste of expensive coconut flour & oil. Any ideas of what one can do with crumbled shortbread?
It takes time to learn how to bake with coconut flour. I contains 4 times more fiber than other flour so it is extremely liquid absorbent. That i why you must weight the flour and make sure it is fresh, with no lumps. You can always use the crumbled shortbread to make a crisp. Lay some blueberries or apple slices on a baking pan, sprinkle the shortbread on top and bake for 25 minutes. It will be delicious Enjoy, XOXO Carine.
Works well when you keep in mind that its 3 ingredients and will make a thin crisp cookie. The first time I made these, I followed to the letter and it worked well. I substituted 1/4 of my sweetener for honey and it worked well. I recommend completing covering them in dark chocolate with added freshly squeezed lime juice. Top it off with a bit of salt and you have a winner. 10 minutes is all it took to get these cooked properly.
Thank you for this recipe!
These were sooooo good! I ate half the batch while they cooled, oops!
This recipe looks super easy. I’d love to give it a go. Could you include all the ingredients as measurement in weight? It would make adding it a breeze, as well as clean up only one bowl! : )
Sure, click the metric button before the ingredient list, this will convert the recipe in grams/oz automatically. Enjoy the cookies ! XOXO Carine
Unfortunately it only gives the amounts in mL or fluid ounces – not grams and ounces….
Hi there
The biscuits tasted delicious.
I had a problem with binding the flour. I am not sure why ..
Hi! The cookies are to sweet for my personal taste! Do you have an ideea to make them less sweeter? I used agave sirup instead of maple syrup. Maybe agave sirup is sweeter than maple syrup. Anyway, it’s a bit challanging to make them but are the perfect cookies.
Agave syrup is definitely on the sweet side, maybe try brown rice syrup or apple syrup they contains less sugar. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Thank you for the hint! I’ll try that way and I’ll let you know.
I’m about to try these with my GF and DF son…would black molasses work instead of maple syrup??
No sorry black molasse won’t work, you need a light syrup like maple syrup or agave syrup
Made cookies to the T. Only commentary I have is that its a dry cookie. I would some type of a topping to it It was very hard to swallow
Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than any other flour and some people found it dry and hard to swallow. That’s why I like to dip mine in tea or coffee 🙂 Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Can I replace the natural maple syrup with a sugar free maple syrup, like Lakanto Maple Syrup, sweetened with monk fruit? It has a very liquidy texture like the natural maple syrup, it just doesn’t contain sugar. Will this still hold the texture of the dough?
It won’t work here, there is way too much fiber in lakanto syrup, they will crumble apart and be very dry.