Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Pecan Shortbread (Butter-Free)

These are one of my new favs!
They are incredibly easy and delicious!!! My family loves them! Thanks so much for this recipe!

I made these and they’re delicious! I couldn’t really taste the banana (I didn’t measure 1/3 C, just used a small/medium banana but next time, I’ll properly measure) as the coconut flavour masked it I think but it was still super yummy! The texture was perfect! I baked half of it two nights ago and kept the other half in the freezer and baked them just now after letting it thaw a tiny bit. Turned out great! Next time I’m going to try a lemon-y version!

I made these and added walnuts almonds and cherries, they’re delish and went down brilliantly at my fundraising bake off! The next batch is getting made tomorrow, and I can’t wait to eat them all :) Thank you for sharing another great recipe!

Hi Dana,

The recipe looks fab!
I am planning to make these next week, but as a friend has nut allergy I was thinking of using some sort of seeds. I am torn between pumpkin and sunflower. What would your professional advise be? I am open to other non-nutty suggestions :)

Thanks for the deliciousness

Can you use rice flour instead of all purpose flour?

Your brain is phenomenal! I follow you on Pinterest and always get excited when I select a recipe and see your web address, as your recipes are always spot-on! Cants wait to try your shortbread, yum. Blessings as you continue to create great recipes

I tried the recipe as suggested, and the dough would just not stick together. I used regular flour. Any troubleshooting suggestions? They look amazing, and I’d like to try again.

Mine came out flat as paper, What the heck happened!?!?

I made these cookies,with half butter & half coconut oil. They are so good! I don’t really miss bread anymore, being gluten free, but I do miss cookies. Thank you for the recipe!

Hey! So I made these at Christmas and they were absolutely amazing! And I finally got around to making some more this evening, but with sprouted spelt flour, and they totally melted and flattened and im really sad because I really want it to work with spelt! Do you have any suggestions? Like maybe use less coconut oil?

Can I substitute pecan for almonds instead?

hi! me and my family love your idea and this cookies! i have already made this recipe 100times(gf flour too) since i found it.
i have a question,is it okay if i use maple syrup instead of regular sugar?
thanks.

Hi Dana and happy new year!
I don’t have gluten free flour as I don’t have a gluten intolerance but I would soooooooooo love to make these. Can I sub whole wheat pastry or spelt flour you think with similar results?
Looking forward to more recipes from your fantastic blog. Thanks as always!

Wow! I never leave reviews, but I HAD to! These are so incredible. They mixed up perfectly, sliced easily and tasted heavenly. I made them for a party and the leftovers (there weren’t many!) were great with coffee. This recipe is a keeper.Five stars!

Hey there,

Really delicious article! ;) I really love your photos. Is it iPhone only or are you using a specific camera?

I also made a chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, let me know what you think about it.

Cheers!
Matt

Wow! Delicious! What a great recipe! I can’t wait to serve these to my mother. I just baked off a couple of them now and I’ve cut and frozen the rest to bake fresh next week. Super yummy! Admittedly, I didn’t go GF and just used regular flour, but I’m sure that would be good too.

These cookies are so good, I mean SO good. Like go to bed dreaming of them and wake up make yourself a cuppa coffee dunk yourself a two or three or (more??) of them good cookies. I made these with regular flour and added just a smidgen of almond extract (to increase the probability of them tasting exactly like the cookies grandma used to make) they are SPOT on. Like another reviewer said, whaaaaat there’s no butter in these???!?! Dana this recipe is flawless, simple, easy and so delicious! From one (hungry, lazy, very pregnant) minimalist baker to another…thank you!!! I can’t wait to try it with the gluten free flour to surprise some friends of mine.

Ohhh wow, a HUGE thank you, I have a friend who has so many food allergies that he is pretty outdone when it comes to treats, and he has always loved shortbread, and with this recipe, it is a miracle everything in it, he can have, I am going to make him a batch for Christmas and surprise the heck out of him! :-)

These are amazing! I made them for a gourmet cookie party. Used a slight pinch of cardamon too. They are my new favorite holiday cookie to bring to events.

Hiya

I wanted to say that your creativity is cooking and baking is superb. Thank you for uploading your recipes in grams for us in Europe-especially. Love your website!!!

Hi Dana

Can I use whole wheat flour instead? Would the consistency change?

Thanks
S

I made these this morning, but I added cashew instead. I only got compliments :)

“What do you mean there is no butter in this? It tastes like it has butter”

Eat them slightly warm or with a coffee…

Great flavor!!! I substituted Almond Flour and also honey for the sugar. I was so excited for the loaf and after 12 minutes I went to check on them in the oven and all the little cookies merged to become one big cookie. Not sure what caused this to happen but still delicious!

Thanks!

I made these for my boyfriend who has a dairy allergy and does not eat gluten, they are now his favourite! Thank you!

I made these last night as a gift for my boss. PHENOMENAL!!! I couldn’t really taste the banana; but, I would be lying if I said that bothered me. The flavor was just delicious and the texture … *swoon*

I didn’t freeze the dough because I was doing a million other things in the kitchen. Instead, I just scooped out the dough, placed parchment over the top of the balls, and flattened each cookie with the back of a cup. I think freezing and slicing would probably be easier – at the very least, you’ll get less coconut oil on your hands. LoL

I had extra cookies after packaging the gift and let my friends – who don’t care about vegan, gluten-free, etc. – try them and they all loved them!

This recipe is definitely a keeper and I can’t recommend it enough! <3

I made these last night after watching The Great British Baking Show and getting an irresistible urge to bake cookies. I only made a little less than half the recipe (didn’t measure anything too precisely) because I’m really trying to limit my sugar intake as much as possible and don’t need 30 cookies around the house.

I used coconut sugar for the sugar, and almonds instead of pecans because that’s all I had. My dough was probably a bit wetter/more oily than it’s supposed to be, but it firmed up in the freezer in just a few minutes. I thought they would flatten out when I baked them because the dough was so moist, but I figured I wouldn’t mind that one bit–after all, I just wanted a quick cookie fix, not a perfectly beautiful confection. But they didn’t flatten at all, kept their shape perfectly, and are positively scrumptious. I smeared a bit of natural no-sugar-no-salt peanut butter on top when finally eating one, which took it to a whole new level.

And for those wondering, they are still crispy today! Thanks for another great success, Minimalist Baker!

One of my kids doesn’t have banana so I put an egg in it. I might try two next time. It totally fell apart. I was a bit sceptical with the amount of coconut oil but wow! Those are perfect-shortbread-tasting-crumbs!

Can you omit the pecans? My boyfriend has a nut allergy so I tend not to eat them myself!

Hello Diana,

Greetings from Singapore. I’m Izan and new to your blog.

You’ve amazing recipes! And, I can’t wait to try out your recipe for Vegan & Gluten-free Peanut & Banana Shortbread.

Because I’m crazy over nuts, I’m hoping to substitute the 2-1/2 cups of gluten-free flour or at least half portion of the flour portion with almond grounds? Do you think this will work?

Hope to hear from you.

Thank you

Wow!! Just baked these cookies – followed recipe except used half coconut oil and half Earth Balance. These are ahhhmazing and I will be making them again soon!!! Thanks so much for a wonderful cookie recipe!!! :)

Made these on the weekend, and used coconut sugar (didn’t have any other kind!). They turned out beautifully, a bit darker than yours, but delicious just the same. Thanks for another great recipe.

I was so excited to try these. But it didn’t work out so well. My mixture just would not stick. Eventually I wrapped it into a roll with glad wrap thinking maybe once they had been in the freezer it would bind. But no- as soon as I started cutting, all just kept crumbling. Baked what I could mold with my hands and decided that I can use it as a crumb over cooked apples maybe?

If it’s not binding- should we try add more banana or oil?

Thank you.

Just made these with my girls, 6 and 8. We replaced the sugar with coconut sugar, used vegan butter and 2c regular all purpose and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry because that’s what we had in the pantry. They gobbled them up and I had to stop myself! So good! (5 star)

Cookies in the oven right now! I don’t know if I didn’t add enough flour, didn’t let them harden enough in the freezer, or if I used Earth Balance for the butter portion – but they flattened out more than I expected. I bet they are still going to taste really really good!

I just made these (replacing the pecans with walnuts) and they are insanely good! Thank you so much for sharing. I think I just found my new favorite cookie. Now I will attempt to not eat them all in one sitting.

These are amazing and so easy to make! I can’t even count how many times I’ve made them, and they’re always a hit. I’ve made them for church, a tea party, my dad, and anytime I need a fabulousimpressive vegan dessert! I always use coconut sugar for these mmm…. every one of your recipes I’ve used turns out amazing. I don’t know how you come up with these recipes but please keep it up!! Keeps me busy baking (and eating ha!). And I direct folks here when they want to find delicious vegan recipes.

Although I’m just one of those many people who already commented to tell you these cookies are delicious, I just had to tell you myself that I love these shortbreads like I loved those English shortbreads when I was a child – or more! I never could imagine it was possible for me to make such delicious cookies – thanks to your recipe! Thank you so much!

These cookies were my first MB recipe – and they’re just as good every time I make ’em. I use regular AP flour and closer to 1/2 cup of banana (medium size banana) because that’s what I keep around the kitchen. YUM.

The kids and I made these last night! WOW – this may be the best cookie dough ever – I had to force myself to get them onto the sheet and in the oven. I used earth balance and the GF flour blend you have on your site. Fantastic cookie!

These look so delicious and perfect for my mom who is allergic to so many things! Can you make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it until using? Or refrigerate it and then freeze for the few minutes before using? Thanks!

Can one use Oat Flour as a flour substitute?

dana, you’ve done it again! i only use quality ingredients and love to experiment in the kitchen, which can be pretty spendy if i experiment with the wrong recipes! every single recipe i’ve tried of yours has turned out great and these are no exception. these cookies are incredible and the flavor is perfect, and they melt in your mouth. i’m not sure how they seem so “buttery” flavored (maybe the pecans?) but they are reminiscent of childhood christmas shortbread happiness. i melted my coconut oil completely which made for a bit of quick handling to get it into a tube shape on the parchment, but it was doable, and they are more of an oval than a circle, but who cares. :-) i froze them for 45 min and then sliced them with a very sharp knife. also, i only had about a cup left of trader joe’s gf all-purp, so used bob’s red mill gf all-purpose for the rest with no problem. i’ve read that brown rice flour was actually traditionally used by the Scots for shortbread cookies, so i’ll try that next. maybe tomorrow in fact. :-) you can bet i will be one of the first to buy your cookbook when it comes out in print! love the minimalist esthetic, the healthy lean, and the yum factor all rolled into one simple package. great work, friends!

These turned out great! Using Coconut oil instead of vegan butter made them especially good. When I’ve made cookies with too much vegan butter there can be an off aftertaste.

I ended up using almonds instead of pecans and they were as tasty as ever.

Thanks!

My husband loves his grandmothers shortbread recipe with real butter and wheat flour and it makes him so sick now. I try this one and he loved it. Better the next day!!
Do other fruits work?
I was thinking a bit more cinnamon with apple sauce and walnuts would taste like apple pie or maybe with pumpkin.

Also, I don’t have any organic cane sugar but I do have coconut sugar – would i be able to use this? :~)

Hi there!! Really hoping to make these for my sisters birthday next Tuesday, they look absolutely fantastic!! Just wondering, do you think I could sub in whole wheat plain flour or will I need to go out and buy some unbleached all purpose flour? Sorry, I’m new to baking!! Thanks so much for the lovely recipe :D

super easy to make and they are SO good!!

Just made these, they haven’t had time to cool completely but they seem to be absolutely delicious. I did half earth balance and half coconut oil because I don’t like the taste of coconut and they flavor is spot on. I also dipped half the cookie in chocolate and it’s awesome.

Can we use coconut sugar in place of granulated sugar ?
Are you using a blender for this recipe or is this done by hand?
Your recipe doesn’t explain in detail.
I also read someone’s post about their cookies not turning out, they said it was a disaster….
I will attempt making these but thanks for explaining that we are NOT supposed to melt the coconut oil.

I do have a suggestion though for your website.
I would love to see a video on how to make your recipes, like a tutorial:)

Now that would be awesome!!
Thanks

These look so good! I’m going to try adding the contents of a chai teabag to make them more Christmassy.

What is the best way to store these so they keep their crispiness and don’t get soft within the next day as most vegan cookies do?

Hi,
My name is Alex, I love your writing style about pecans

Just made these today for my son’s preschool event. Extremely easy and delicious! The cookies were gone in minutes!

it was easy to make and bake with kids! I had really fun time with my cousins! thank you so much for this recipe

I am really happy with the way these cookies turned out. They puffed up just a little bit, are moist but slightly crunchy. Delicious.

I just made these and they turned out perfectly! I used gluten-free brown rice flour and baked for 20 minutes. Sooooo delicious :) I was just curious if they should be kept in the fridge or at room temp? Are they freezer-friendly?

Thanks for such a delicious recipe!

I just tried this recipe and it was a disaster. I followed every measure and the batter came out like a pancake batter there was no rolling it to a log step because it wasn’t possible.

I made these yesterday – my first attempt at making shortbread cookies. They came out perfect!!! I brought them to work and everyone who tasted absolutely loved them. I didn’t have pecans so I substituted for macadamia which complemented the flavor profile beautifully.
Thank you for sharing your fantastic recipes, love your website!!

There is now a vegan colleague in my life, although she is not gluten-free. Can I use regular flour to do this, or will it mess with the banana shortbread juju?

Can you make these with coconut or almond flour instead of regular flour? Not worried about GF, just doing a paleo challenge, and these look outstanding!!!

These look sooooooo good. I wanted to make them for someone who is GF, dairy free, and cane sugar free. I was wondering if you substitute the cane or granulated sugar with anything else? I look forward to your ideas. :->

These are AMAZINGLY delicious and unbelievably EASY!!!
I used Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix.
I will definitely be making these again….. soon :-)

Thank you for sharing this great recipe!

Made two batches last night – both using spelt flour but only one with pecans (not all my family likes them). They TOTALLY did not turn out like shortbread! They spread out and are very soft. :/ But they are still totally yummy. Besides the minimal changes above, I followed the recipe. Ideas? I LOVE shortbread so would love to try these again. Thanks!

I made these yesterday and they are awesome! Easy to make, scrumptious taste, and excellent crispy shortbread texture! Thanks for a great recipe!

Here are some tweaks I did (for healthiness) if you’re interested: I reduced the fat to 3/4 cup, reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup (coconut sugar), and added an extra 1/3 cup mashed banana to make up for the missing fat and sugar. It worked great! I had to cook them a bit longer with the extra banana (25 or 26 min), but the texture and level of sweetness was perfect for me. For flour, I used a mixture of oat flour, white rice, and tapioca (1.5 c oat, 0.5 c rice and 0.5 tapioca), [no binding agent] and they were definitely very sturdy.

I think these are my new favorite cookie – I will be making another batch very soon!!

Super Duper awesome. So quick and easy to make and taste is incredible. Thank you so much!

I love classic shortbread. Simple and humble, but so satisfying. Your banana/coconut take is so intriguing! Perfect for summer. Pinned.

This cookie owns me. Right now, I am trying to come up with an excuse to leave work early so I can make these right now!

Hi, I love your recipes! You are my go too for healthy recipes. How would you substitute the sugar with? Is it possible or would it change the consistancy too much? Dates, agave?

PS Didn’t know you lived in KC, I use to live there. I love the city and all the local businesses.

What would happen if you made these without the banana?

These are in the oven! Sooooo easy to make! I LOVE your simple receipts! This current batch will be lovingly shared with my friend who is going through a rough time,but my hubby also gets some….me too of course!

Made these yesterday, and rest of the family loves them! My Father (ever the sceptic about anything vegetarian/vegan) proclaimed these to be delicious and “like eating banana bread except in cookie form.” Can’t wait to make these again!

These little guys are in the oven as we speak!!!!! Dana your recipes are the best.

I see you replied earlier about the xanthan gum question, but your link to TJs doesn’t actually have an ingredient list that I see.

Is there a binder (gums or whatnot) in Tj’s GF APF mix? Any idea if we can use a homemade all-purpose GF mix that doesn’t have a binder in it?

Thanks!

I made these yesterday and I had to stop myself from eating more! They’re soooooo goooooood! My mom even brought some to work! XD Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

These are magical!

Wow. Didn’t know short bread could be vegan until this moment. Impressive, friends, very impressive.

Waooo, this is soy yummy!

Just made this today and absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Its a fool proof recipe as I always have bad luck with cookies. Thank you for this recipe :)

In the first picture, there is a little pecan in the top left cookie that looks like a heart. :) I love banana everything so this is right up my alley.

I tried to make gluten free shortbread once…like, 5ish years ago…and it was a DISASTER. These look absolutely spot on texture-wise and I bet they taste amazing with the banana-coconut oil-pecan trifecta.

Love how you used coconut oil for this rather than vegan butter! Also, I’m a sucker for anything banana pecan – yum!

i love love the look of these shortbreads. so perfectly crumbly and pretty1

Put banana and shortbread together….and you’ve got me hooked! Going to make this asap!

reading my mind! I was just about to look if you have something like that on your blog :))) can’t wait to make them!

Such a great flavor profile for cookies!! Also loving the bright and cheery photos!

Banana pecan shortbread is a combination I’ve never heard of before and I wonder why because these look and sound amazing!! I use a mortar and pestle to “chop” my nuts, too. So much easier than pulling out the food processor or doing it by hand.

Gorgeous! These are just screaming to be dunked in my tea. ;)

I absolutely love shortbread. I’m curious/excited to try it with the coconut and banana. They look delicious!

I’ve never heard of or would have ever thought of banana shortbread in a million years! love that it’s subtly coconut-y, too! Pinned!

These look great :D. Does the AP GF mix need to have xantham/binding? My guess is yes since you have no other binding ingredient really, but wanted to check.

I cannot wait to make these. Banana + shortbread two of my favourite things!!

These look amazing, I’ve been experimenting with vegan baking recently but I’d written off shortbread, foolishly thinking that they were all about the butter. Coconut oil is a great substitute, I can’t wait to try it, unfortunately my OH hates banana, so I’ll have to keep them for my friends or maybe I’ll try apple sauce.

Thanks!
Stephanie

This looks fabulous!

They look amazingt! And kind of Summery, no?
xx,
E.