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Nothing beats homemade Gluten Free Shortbread Biscuits. These rich and buttery gluten free shortbread cookies only need 4 ingredients and are perfect, melt-in-the-mouth cookies. A classic British biscuit recipe.
The Best Gluten Free Shortbread Biscuits Ever!
- Why choose this recipe? Gluten free shortbread is a classic recipe you’ll LOVE. So easy to make, only 4 ingredients, and mouthwateringly buttery. Nobody will ever guess they are gluten free and coeliac-safe!
- Top Tip: Take these shortbread the extra mile by half-dipping them in melted chocolate. This always reminds me of the shortbread from Christmas tins!
- Flour of choice: I always use the FREEE Plain Gluten Free Flour for this but any plain gluten free flour blend will work, such as Asda or M&S flour.
- Anything else? If you love these, try my gluten free chocolate chip shortbread or my gluten free millionaire’s shortbread next. And why not use these shortbread biscuits in my easy chocolate tiffin recipe or gluten free rocky road recipe?
Table of Contents
- The Best Gluten Free Shortbread Biscuits Ever!
- Don’t just take my word for it…
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to Make Gluten Free Shortbread
- Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Gluten Free Biscuit Recipes
- Gluten Free Shortbread Biscuits Recipe Recipe
- More gluten free cookie recipes
- More gluten free shortbread recipes
Don’t just take my word for it…
Jane left ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and said: “These were very easy and very yummy.” Maria also left a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and commented: “Well worth the (minimal) effort.”
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card below for this gluten free shortbread recipe with the full quantities. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any swaps.
- Caster Sugar: In the US you’ll want to look for Baker’s Sugar for this recipe.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. I haven’t tried this with a dairy free version but imagine it would work – you’d need to just ensure you chill it really well before baking.
- Plain Gluten Free Flour: I always use the FREEE Gluten Free Plain Flour as it’s available in most UK supermarkets. Any plain gluten free flour blend should work – in the US you’ll want an All Purpose gluten free flour.
Xanthan Gum: A little goes a long way! This helps to replicate the texture of the gluten. Omit it if you cannot tolerate it (or if your flour mix already contains it) but you may find the shortbread is a little more crumbly in texture if there is none in your flour mix.
How to Make Gluten Free Shortbread
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free shortbread cookies are to make.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: These gluten free shortbread biscuits should be cooled completely and then kept in an airtight container for up to a week.
TO FREEZE: You can either freeze the uncooked dough (I recommend cutting the cookies out first) or freeze once baked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this easy shortbread recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
I can’t stress enough how important it is to adequately chill the gluten free shortbread dough before baking. You can even do this overnight if you like. If the dough isn’t chilled enough it will just spread in the oven.
To make a gluten free vegan shortbread, simply use a dairy free butter replacement like Stork baking block or a hard vegan margarine. This shortbread recipe does not contain egg so with one simple switch it becomes a vegan and dairy free gluten free shortbread recipe.
More Gluten Free Biscuit Recipes
If you like this gluten free shortbread recipe then make sure you check out these other gluten free biscuit recipes too…
- Gluten Free Viennese Whirls
- Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies
- Gingerbread and White Chocolate Cookies
- Gluten Free Biscotti
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Gluten Free Shortbread Biscuits Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 50 g caster sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened
- 175 g plain gluten free flour
- 0.25 tsp xanthan gum
Instructions
- Line a large baking tray with baking paper and set to one side. Add the sugar and softened butter to a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon (or electric mixer) until combined.
- Stir the gluten free flour and xanthan gum together then add to the butter and sugar mix. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until it starts to clump together. Once the mixture starts to form more of a dough, use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
- Roll the mixture to around 1cm thick (you may find it easier to roll between two sheets of cling film or baking paper) and cut out round shapes using a 5cm (2.5-inch) cutter. Lay the shapes on the lined baking tray, allowing around a couple of cm between them. They shouldn't spread much.
- Keep re-rolling the dough until you have cut out all of your shapes – this usually makes around 16 cookies this size.
- Once you have cut out all your shapes, place the baking sheet in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes. This step is VERY important to stop the shortbread biscuits spreading in the oven.
- When the dough has been chilling for 30 minutes, heat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4. Pop the trays in the oven, straight from the fridge, and bake for 15 minutes until the shortbread starts to go lightly golden – you don't want them to go too dark as they are quite a pale bake.
- Remove the trays from the oven and place on a cooling rack for at least 15-20 minutes BEFORE removing the shortbread from the trays. They need to firm up before you try to move them, otherwise they will break.
Notes
- Chocolate Dipped: To make chocolate-dipped shortbread, allow the biscuits to cool then dip them in melted chocolate. Leave to set on a cooling rack.
- Storing and Freezing: Leave the shortbread to cool, then they will store in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week. You can also freeze them.
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to show how to make this shortbread recipe if you prefer a visual guide.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* review and a little comment telling people how much you enjoyed this Gluten Free Shortbread recipe! It is a huge support to my website, so thank you xx
Nutrition
More gluten free cookie recipes
More gluten free shortbread recipes
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I have never made shortbread without cornflour and have been baking for 50 years, 25 of them gluten-free. However every recipe of yours I’ve tried has been successful yet still unsure to try it. Did you use cornflour when you were trialing this, if so why did you choose to leave it out? Please don’t take my comments as criticism, just a genuine query.
These were very easy and very yummy
Well worth the (minimal) effort
This is the recipe I now use for my cheesecake base. It’s delicious and so simple. I put it straight into the base of my tin, press it down firmly and cook it as a whole. I allow it to completely cool before adding my cheesecake on the top and then it goes in the fridge overnight. I can’t eat gf oats and so many shop biscuits have them in which is why I tried this recipe. I like a decent thickness to my base and when using my large tin I double the recipe. Thank you for a fantastic recipe that tastes amazing and is so versatile!