Vegetarian

Vegan Almond Flour Cookies (naturally sweetened)

June 5, 2023

If you want to have your vegan cookie and eat it too, try these healthy and utterly easy vegan Almond Flour Cookies. They are gluten-free and they are naturally sweetened with dates. They are also divinely chewy, scented with cardamom and vanilla, and they go from start to finish in under 20 minutes.

Vegan almond flour shortbread cookies stacked on a blue and white plate.

These yummy almond flour cookies are very likely the easiest cookies you can make but you know that already if you’ve been one of the many Holy Cow Vegan readers who have baked them, and loved them, over the years. I’ve updated the recipe with new photos and text, including step-by-step photos and instructions.

The flavor and texture of these grain-free cookies is very different from other almond-flour-based cookies, like vegan amaretti cookies or these crispy and buttery almond cookies. But they are just as delicious. You won’t be able to keep your hand out of the cookie jar!

You need just five ingredients to make these vegan cookies, and two of them — the cardamom and the vanilla — can be optional. There is no leavening agent needed, like baking soda or baking powder. The dough comes together in a food processor and best of all, the cookies are naturally but perfectly sweetened with dates.

This is a great lunchbox treat or after-school treat for your kids. But it’s also the kind of cookie that you can reach out for again and again because there’s nothing here that’s not great for you. Now that’s called having your cookie and eating it too!

Table of Contents

Why you’ll love this vegan almond flour cookies recipe

Healthy. It’s not often that you can call a sweet treat healthy, but these cookies definitely are healthy, and more. The almond flour and dates bring with them lots of nutrients, including healthy protein and fiber. I’ve had readers tell me they have eaten the entire batch by themselves with no guilty side-effect afterwards!
Absolutely delicious. There are no compromises with these vegan almond flour cookies. They taste exquisite and they are so chewy and satisfying.
Easy recipe. This is a beginner-level easy recipe, and it is very hard to mess up. There is no need to separately mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients — the dough comes together in a food processor in minutes. And shaping these cookies can’t be easier.
Soy-free and gluten-free. And they are dairy-free with no eggs, of course.

Ingredients and substitutions

Ingredients for vegan almond flour cookies, including almond flour, vanilla, oil, dates and cardamom.

Finely ground almond flour. I use the one labeled “superfine almond flour”. Coarse almond meal won’t hold together as well, so if you are milling your own flour make sure you mill it to a very fine texture.
Dates. I used deglet noor dates. If using medjool dates, which are sweeter, you can used fewer. If you don’t want to use dates, use 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. You can also use an equal quantity of coconut sugar, brown sugar or turbinado sugar, but make sure you process the sugar first to break it down before adding the other ingredients.
Extra virgin olive oil. You can also use virgin coconut oil. The flavor of coconut oil pairs really well with cardamom in desserts.
Ground cardamom. This is an optional ingredient, but you can add it for a wallop of exquisite yum. Just ¼th of a teaspoon — what you’d get from about four green cardamom pods — is enough.
Pure vanilla extract. This is also optional, but it adds more great flavor to these divine cookies.

How to make vegan almond flour cookies

Soak dates in warm water for at least 30 minutes.

Process in a food processor until the dates have broken down into small pieces. You don’t need to puree the dates, but there should be no large pieces.

Ingredients for vegan almond flour cookies in food processor bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor–almond flour, olive oil, salt and the optional vanilla and ground cardamom.

Dough for vegan almond flour cookies in cookie bowl.

Process until the dough comes together.

Balls of vegan almond cookie dough on baking sheet.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Place on a cookie sheet at least an inch apart.

Pressing on cookie dough balls with tines of fork.

Create a decorative pattern by pressing down on the cookie with the tines of a fork.

Vegan almond flour cookies on baking sheet before baking.

Turn the fork at a right angle and press down again to create a cross-hatch pattern. This will also flatten the cookies a bit.

Baked almond flour cookies on baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let the cookies cool for five minutes then, using a spatula, transfer them to a wire rack. Let them cool thoroughly before eating.

Vegan almond flour cookies on blue and white plate.

Helpful tips

If you don’t have a food processor, puree the dates coarsely in a blender and then mix with the other ingredients in a bowl using a spatula.
If you want to reduce the number of dates in the recipe for cookies that are less sweet, you might want to add a little bit of water to make sure the dough holds together. Process to make the dough and then add water only if necessary.
You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat it with oil. Otherwise the cookies will sometimes need a nudge with a spatula to get them off the cookie sheet.
For cookies that have more of a shortbread cookie texture with crispier edges, bake 14 minutes. The cookies will become chewier as they stand, however.
The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to leave them in for too long as you could end up with dry cookies.
You can try a few flavor variations with these cookies. For instance, to make thumbprint cookies with this recipe, flatten the cookie dough ball a bit with your fingers, then press into the dough with your thumb instead of a fork. Fill the center with chocolate chips, peanut butter or your favorite fruit jam and bake.

Storage instructions

Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight jar for up to a week. You can also refrigerate them for up to two weeks.
Store the cookies in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw before eating.

Love these vegan almond flour cookies? Check out more vegan gluten-free desserts on Holy Cow Vegan!