Cashew Butter Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Name: Cashew Butter Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted cashew butter; ⅓ cup coconut sugar (Sub other granulated sweetener, if desired.); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ cup chopped raw cashews, optional; ⅓ cup 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill. Sub oat or wheat flour, if desired.); ½ teaspoon baking powder; 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk; pinch of flaked sea salt, optional

Cashew butter cookies are crisp around the edges, soft in the middle, salty, lightly sweet, and totally irresistible! Even better, they're ready in just 20 minutes! Perfect when you want just a few bites of something rich and nutty. These cashew cookies are vegan, gluten-free, and made without oil or refined sugar.

A stack of 6 small cashew butter cookies.

We vegans appreciate the creaminess and neutral flavor of cashews, right? But usually we're blending them into vegan ice cream, dairy-free mac and cheese, dairy-free queso, or other creamy sauces and dressings.

So when I spotted a jar of cashew butter on the "last chance" shelf at the grocery store last week, I figured why not turn it into the star of a recipe!

Though I always have raw cashews on hand, for some reason I never make cashew butter. In baked goods I usually go for peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, or sunbutter to add richness and replace butter and oil.

But cashew butter has its own beautifully unique flavor, and these quick and easy cashew butter cookies highlight it perfectly.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love Cashew Butter Cookies
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
How to Make Cashew Butter Cookies
Variation
FAQ
More Cookie Recipes With Nut Butter:
Recipe
💬 Comments

Why You'll Love Cashew Butter Cookies

Quick & Easy: When you're craving just a few bites of something rich and sweet but aren't in the mood to bake a complicated dessert, cashew cookies to the rescue! Only 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes bake time.
Delicious: In a way, these cashew butter cookies remind me of Pecan Sandies. They're super nutty, and almost shortbread-like!
Perfect 2-Bite Dessert: These are essentially a lightly sweetened bite of cashew butter in cookie form. In other words, they're very satisfying. A little goes a long way, and sometimes that's exactly what you want!
No Special Equipment: To make these cookies all you need are one bowl, a cookie sheet, and measuring cups and spoons.

Small salted cashew cookies cooling on a rack.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Flour - I tested these with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend because I wanted to share a cookie specifically for the gluten-free folks out there. If you prefer to use oat flour or another whole-grain flour, I suspect they'll turn out just fine. I find most healthy cookie recipes to be fairly forgiving in that way.
Sweetener - If you don't have coconut sugar feel free to substitute another granulated sweetener like organic cane sugar or light brown sugar.
Cashews - While the chopped cashews aren't necessary, I do think the added texture is really nice. If you don't have whole raw cashews on hand, feel free to substitute another nut or seed.

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See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.

balls of cookie dough lined up on a baking sheet.

How to Make Cashew Butter Cookies

Making these cookies couldn't be easier! Here's a quick overview of the process:

First, preheat the oven to 325° F, and line a baking sheet with parchment.
In a mixing bowl cream together the wet ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Scoop up approximately 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place on the baking sheet and use a fork to flatten them into shape, creating a criss-cross pattern on top of each cookie.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, keeping a close eye on the bottoms of the cookies during the last couple of minutes so they don't burn.

The cookies will be soft straight from the oven. Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing.

A criss cross pattern created with a fork on top of unbaked cashew cookie dough.

Variation

If you enjoy dried fruit, try these cookies with raisins, currants, dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries or apricots folded into the dough.

The burst of tart dried fruit tastes amazing with the richness of cashew butter!

FAQ

Is cashew butter good for baking?

Yes, cashew butter works well in a variety of desserts and baked goods, from cookies and breads, to creamy vegan cheesecakes and puddings. The neutral, lightly sweet flavor and high fat content of cashew butter makes it an easy swap for peanut butter and other nut butters.

Should I use raw or roasted cashew butter?

For this cookie recipe you can use either raw or roasted cashew butter.

How should I store the cookies?

Store cashew butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to one week. They also freeze well.

I hope you enjoy these quick and easy cashew butter cookies! If you try the recipe let us know in the comments below.

Recipe

Side view of a tall stack of small cashew cookies

Cashew Butter Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

These 7-ingredient cashew butter cookies are rich with the unique and nutty flavor of cashews. They're dense, soft, decadent, free from added oils and refined sugar, and so easy to make!

5 from 25 votes

Servings: cookies

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Cool: 10

Total Time: 30

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Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted cashew butter
⅓ cup coconut sugar - Sub other granulated sweetener, if desired.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup chopped raw cashews, optional
⅓ cup 1:1 gluten-free flour blend - I used Bob's Red Mill. Sub oat or wheat flour, if desired.
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
pinch of flaked sea salt, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (162°C), and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the cashew butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cashews until combined.
½ cup unsalted cashew butter, ⅓ cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¼ cup chopped raw cashews, optional
Add the flour and baking powder, and mix well until no visible flour remains. The dough will be very dry and thick. Add the milk, and mix again until it has been fully absorbed.
⅓ cup 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
Using a tablespoon or a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop up dough and place on baking sheet. Use a fork to create a criss-cross pattern on the top of each cookie, gently pressing down to flatten into shape.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cookies near the end. Cashew butter tends to burn quickly, so slightly under-done is better in this case. The cookies will be soft straight from the oven. Immediately sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if using. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
pinch of flaked sea salt, optional

Notes

Yield: Makes 11 cookies. Nutrition facts are estimates and based on a serving size of one cookie.

Store: Once cool, store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or refrigerated for up to 6 days. Cashew cookies can also be frozen. Place in freezer bags or another freezer-safe container to protect from freezer-burn.