Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These vegan lemon cookies are a soft, buttery, lemon shortbread with a tangy lemon glaze. They are easy to make and all you need are 5 simple ingredients!

I make some form of shortbread cookies every year - but not just around the holidays and Christmas! My strawberry shortbread cookies are a regular staple in the summer and lemon shortbread cookies are just as perfect for year-round baking!

These vegan lemon cookies are so soft, they melt in your mouth and have just the perfect amount of natural lemon flavor! You can make them 100% vegan, or if you don’t follow a vegan diet you can even make these using regular butter and milk.

Why You'll Love These Vegan Lemon Cookies

• These shortbread cookies can be made using fun cookie cutters depending on the occasion - Christmas, Easter, baby showers, bridal showers, or just when you're craving shortbread!
• These soft lemon cookies are ready in under 30 minutes, no chill time required
• You don't need a mixer to make these cookies, and they only call for 5 ingredients! Yes - 5 ingredients and that includes the glaze!
• If you don't have cookie cutters, you can use a cup to make round cookies, or slice the dough into rectangular shapes!
• These cookies are perfectly buttery and soft without the use of any dairy ingredients, but can also be made using dairy butter and dairy milk if you aren’t following a vegan diet.

Ingredient Notes

• Vegan Butter: softened vegan butter is a key ingredient in this shortbread! You can use regular butter if you are not vegan.
• Flour: this recipe uses all-purpose flour, and hasn’t been tested using other flour varieties.
• Lemon: You’ll need one large lemon for this recipe, and will be using the juice and the zest. You can add a little more zest if you’d like extra lemon flavor!
• Powdered sugar/icing sugar: be sure to use a vegan powdered sugar if following a vegan diet.
• Lemon Juice: lemon juice is used in the glaze for the cookies, and you can use the fresh juice from the lemon or even store-bought lemon juice.

Step By Step Instructions

Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

STEP ONE: Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon or a mixer on low to mix butter and powdered sugar together, then add vanilla extract and lemon zest.

STEP TWO: Add in flour and mix until combined. If it seems too crumbly or dry, add another tablespoon of butter, and if it seems too wet, add a tablespoon of flour. Roll the dough into a ball and transfer to a floured surface.

STEP THREE: Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness. Use your cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough, then transfer the cookies to the baking sheets. Refrigerate while the oven preheats to 350°F. 

STEP FOUR: Bake the cookies until the edges have just begun to get a small amount of color, but they are still pale (9-11 minutes). Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack while you make the lemon glaze. Whisk glaze ingredients together, then drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies sit until the glaze has set.

FAQs and Expert Tips

Expert Tips

• Properly measure your flour: Too much flour will make the shortbread dough crumbly and dry instead of soft and buttery. I recommend weighing your flour with a kitchen scale or using the scoop and level method
• Don't have a cookie cutter? You can form the dough into a rectangular log and slice ¼ inch slices or use a cup to cut circles out of the dough! See video for reference!
• Depending on the size of your cookies, they may take more or less time to bake. Do not over-bake, or the cookies won't be soft!
• Wait for the cookies to cool completely before drizzling with lemon glaze, or else the glaze will just melt from the heat!
• Adjust the amount of butter and flour in the dough if needed: I recommend adding the flour in slowly. If it seems too dry or crumbly, add in a little more butter (about ½-1 tablespoon at a time).

Storage and Freezing Instructions

These lemon shortbread cookies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

You can freeze the shortbread dough for up to 2 months. Roll out the cookie dough, then cut out shapes and place them in a single layer in a parchment-lined container.

Add a piece of parchment in between each layer of cookies. The glaze takes less than 5 minutes to make, so I recommend just making it when you decide to bake the dough.

You can also freeze the baked cookies either glazed or not glazed (just wait for the glaze to set before freezing) in an airtight container, with parchment paper between the layers. I actually sometimes like to eat the cookies cold, straight out of the freezer!

More Vegan Cookies You'll Love

If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.