These 3-ingredient vegan almond flour cookies are nutty, rich, crisp around the edges, and chewy in the middle. They're shockingly easy to make and so delicious! No egg, dairy, flour, gluten, oil, or refined-sugar, think of them like a healthier take on shortbread.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Everyone loves an easy cookie recipe, right? And friends, these 3-ingredient almond flour cookies are as easy as it gets! Prepare to fall in love. Seriously! Just check out the reviews.
They're buttery-tasting, crisp-yet-chewy, and lightly-sweetened with maple syrup. Plus, they're:
- vegan and made without oil, gluten, grains, soy, coconut, or refined sugar
- customizable with additions like extracts, citrus zest, chocolate chips, flaked coconut, etc.
- ready in 20 minutes
- and absolutely delicious!
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More almond flour cookie recipes:
- PB2 Almond Flour Cookies
- Almond Flour Oat Cookies
- Vegan Pecan Sandies
- Easy Black Cocoa Cookies
- Healthy Thumbprints
- Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies
Craving even more super easy cookie recipes? Bake up a batch of my Pecan Cookies or Corn Flour Cookies next!
The 3 Main Ingredients
- Almond Flour - I'm currently using this blanched almond flour by Nature's Eats. I haven't tested the recipe yet with almond meal.
- Maple Syrup - this is important for the overall texture and sweetness of the cookies. Agave nectar is a good substitute.
- Vanilla - pure vanilla extract balances the nutty flavor of the almond flour and adds lovely aroma. Some readers have also reported that almond extract tastes great.
- Salt - I do think these taste even better with a pinch of salt, but it's also fine to omit it.
Find the amounts and full step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below.
How to Make Almond Flour Cookies
As promised, these are absurdly simple. The hardest part of this recipe is just scooping up twelve individual balls of dough and flattening them with a glass, which isn't hard at all. In fact, it's actually pretty fun!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175°C), and combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir and mix thoroughly until the mixture looks uniform and sandy.
- Scoop up one barely rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie. Place on the cookie sheet about 2 ½ inches apart.
- Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies, with a small piece of parchment paper in between to prevent sticking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges and bottoms are light golden brown.
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Look at that texture! The edges are just the right amount of crispy and the centers are pleasantly chewy, reminiscent of a really good peanut butter cookie.
The cookies maintain their awesome texture overnight, too. And they're sturdy and hold together well. No crumbly, fragile cookies here!
Additions
The simple, most basic form of these cookies is probably my favorite, but if you're feelin' fancy and want to try other flavors, here are a few variations I tested:
- Pumpkin spice - whisk 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice with the almond flour before adding the wet ingredients.
- Citrus - add a full teaspoon of fresh orange, lemon, or lime zest to the mixing bowl.
- Chocolate chips - after flattening the cookies, press chocolate chips into the tops.
- Sliced almonds - pressed into the tops of the cookies, this fancies up their appearance and adds great texture.
Equipment
One of the great things about this recipe is how simple it is. No need for any special equipment!
All you need are a bowl large enough to stir the cookie dough together, a standard-size baking sheet, and some parchment paper or a baking mat. A small cookie scoop comes in handy, but a regular tablespoon works, too.
How to Store and Freeze
Once the cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
The cookies also freeze well. Remove from the freezer a few hours before serving. After storing they will soften a bit. Just pop them in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes to bring back the crispy edges.
I hope you love these quick and easy almond flour cookies. If you try the recipe be sure to comment below and let us know!
Recipe
Almond Flour Cookies (Vegan, 3 Ingredients)
Equipment
- silicone baking mat - or parchment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups fine almond flour (170 g) - see Notes
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt - optional
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C), and line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat. Tip: during testing, my Silpat mat produced better texture, a more crisp cookie, as compared to parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the almond flour and salt, if using. Add the maple syrup and vanilla, and stir until fully combined. The dough should look moist but still slightly crumbly and ragged.
- Scoop up one barely rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie (see photos in post for reference). Place on the cookie sheet about 2 ½ inches apart.
- Cut a small, cookie-sized square of parchment paper, and find a flat-bottomed glass. Use the glass to flatten the cookies, with the parchment square in between to prevent sticking. Press down firmly. The cookies should be about ¼-inch thick and 2 ½ inches in diameter. It's okay for the outer edges of the cookies to look jagged. This gives the cookies a lacy (yet rustic) look and those frilly parts get nice and crisp.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges and bottoms are golden. If you suspect your oven runs hot, you may want to check on them sooner than 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.
Notes
- Pumpkin spice - whisk 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend into the almond flour before adding the wet ingredients.
- Citrus - add a full teaspoon of fresh orange, lemon, or lime zest to the mixing bowl.
- Chocolate chip - after flattening the cookies, press chocolate chips into the tops.
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Jodi says
I am slackjawed at how easy these are to make -- and, um, to EAT. Wow! Yesterday I made a different three-ingredient recipe for almond cookies that used vegan Greek yogurt and rice syrup (I used corn, since it's what I had on hand), and while they were certainly good, these are even better! Like with those, I coated half of the top of each cookie with melted chocolate and added a skosh of slivered almonds. I used half and half of almond and vanilla extracts and a tiny pinch of salt.
Something about flattening the cookies with a parchment and the bottom of a glass was fun. This recipe is a definite keeper. Thank you!
Jane says
I have difficulty with almond flour cookies freezing well. Do these? The others I have made come out of the freezer with an entirely different texture. Thanks!
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Jane, they do freeze well, but pretty much all foods take on moisture during freezing and thawing. It's hard to avoid. Since almond flour doesn't absorb liquid the same way wheat flour does, maybe that's why you've noticed a difference. You can pop them in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes to bring back the crispiness.
John-Mark says
These were quite good. My only deviation from the original recipe was to use Lakanto sugar-free maple syrup alternative (to lower carbs). The dough made exactly 12 cookies (20g each), and baked in 14 minutes. The only downside was that, after sitting in a sealed container on the counter overnight, the leftover cookies became quite soft. Thank you for the simple recipe.
Rose says
Hello there could you please tell me how these hold their shape wthout anything to bind it together? Thanks.
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Rose, Since almond flour is made with blanched almonds, the fiber of the almond skins isn't there to prevent it from sticking together. The maple syrup is also sticky, and then the moisture evaporates in the oven which causes the cookies to hold together and get crispy.
Purvi says
Hi can I avoid vanilla extract? Do I need to replace to more maple syrup or simply just avoid it?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi - It will be fine to omit the vanilla.
Tobi says
Can you use almond extract? I did half and half.
Jacque Entzminger says
Just the right amount to sweet and salt. I cut the recipe in half and it made eight for me. Such an easy and quick cookie and great to make in our RV. It’s a hit with our foodie traveling friends, too. I topped mine with some melted dark chocolate …yummm!
Cynthia P. Carr says
Oh my good Deliciousness 😁👏🏾👏🏾😋! Thank you for sharing your recipe! They are scrumptious. Will make these with my great-grandchildren! The flavor tastes like praline or peanut brittle! No Maple Syrup so I used cane sugar and added 2 TBS of vanilla extract. Off to the store to get maple syrup so I can make more! I love creating from almond flour the nutty taste is awesome!
T. says
Super easy and perfect when you need a little sweet treat.
Ann-Marie says
My husband and I love these easy to make cookies. Today is my 2nd time baking them. Instead of 2 teaspoons of vanilla, I used one teaspoon of almond extract and one teaspoon of vanilla extract plus some chocolate chips. We enjoyed the extra almondy flavor.
Kat says
Ok, so easy and yum!
I added 1/4 c flax, some poppy seeds, lemon zest and a1/2 tsp almond. Yum! Took about 14 minutes at 350.
Love that they are so simple! Can make these all the time with different add ins!
Thanks !😸
Maria says
Wow, so easy and so delicious! I added lemon zest to one batch, orange zest to another. Thank you!!