Vegan Almond Biscotti
This vegan almond biscotti is sweet, crunchy, and perfect for dunking into hot chocolate, tea or coffee. Enjoy these classic Italian cookies without the eggs or dairy!
It’s day 3 of my 12 days of Christmas cookies series and today I’m sharing my vegan biscotti recipe.
If you don’t know what biscotti are, they’re a type of Italian cookie. I say ‘cookie’ but they are nothing like the soft and chewy cookies I usually share on this blog. If you’ve never had it before, it is super hard and crunchy. The texture is more similar to what we would call a biscuit in the UK.
Biscotti is baked twice to help dry it out fully in the middle, and it’s made for dunking into a drink. Traditionally, they are made to be dipped in Vin Santo which is an Italian dessert wine. But they also taste really nice dipped in hot chocolate, tea or coffee!
Is Biscotti vegan?
Usually, no. Biscotti is almost always made with eggs and/or dairy so it’s not suitable for a vegan diet. However, it’s really easy to make your own vegan almond biscotti!
I first made a batch of vegan almond biscotti a few years ago, when I got home from a trip to Venice. I was longing to find some while I was there but of course, they were all made the traditional way! This meant I couldn’t enjoy the authentic experience. So I decided to make my own.
I have to admit, my first ever batch of vegan biscotti was less than perfect. It tasted good but it was unevenly browned and was more like a wonky stick shape than the classic biscotti shape!
Luckily, my baking has improved a lot since then. I’ve been testing out different variations of eggless biscotti over the last few weeks and finally got one I’m totally happy with. It’s really easy to make and there are no complicated ingredients needed.
Ingredients you’ll need for vegan biscotti:
- Dairy-free block butter
- Caster sugar
- Almond extract
- Vanilla extract (optional)
- Soy milk
- Plain flour
- Baking powder
- Chopped almonds
How to make vegan almond biscotti
Step 1:
The first step to making vegan biscotti is to preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you’re using a fan or convection oven). Line a large tray with baking paper.
Step 2:
In a large bowl, mix together 90g of softened vegan butter and 110g of caster sugar. Once smooth, add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
I recommend using a block butter such as Stork baking block. If you use the margarine style, the dough will be too wet and will likely spread out too much while baking.
If you want a stronger almond flavour, you can switch the vanilla extract for an extra 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. Likewise, if the nuts throughout the vegan almond biscotti are enough for you, just use 1 teaspoon of vanilla and omit the almond extract.
Step 3:
Add 3 tablespoons of soy milk to the bowl and mix it in as best as you can. It’ll be quite tricky to mix it in but as long as it’s somewhat combined with the butter/sugar, it’ll be fine.
Unsweetened soy milk is best. I usually buy the organic kind as it has no extra ingredients that may interfere with the baking process.
Step 4:
Next, add 200g of plain flour to the bowl, along with 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Mix it into the wet mixture until it starts to stick together. Then use your hands to press it into a ball of dough.
Step 5:
Add 120g of chopped almonds to the bowl and use your hands to press them into the dough. I like to use blanched almonds but you can use slithered almonds or almonds with the skin on.
Step 6:
Divide the ball of almond biscotti dough into 2 equal sized pieces. Shape each piece into a log, as pictured. The logs should be around 1-inch thick and 2-inches wide for best results.
Step 7:
Bake the 2 logs for 30 minutes. When they come out of the oven, let them cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Do not try to cut the logs while they’re hot, as they’ll fall apart into a crumbly mess! You also don’t want to leave them to cool for too long otherwise they’ll be too hard to cut. 20 minutes of cooling time is usually just right.
Step 8:
When they’re semi-cool, cut the logs into straight slices that are around 1-inch thick. Return the biscotti slices to the oven for their second bake.
Bake them for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until they’ve dried out in the middle. The longer you bake them, the crunchier they will be.
Carefully transfer your vegan biscotti slices to a wire rack and let them cool completely before enjoying.
Top tips:
- Use dairy-free block butter, not margarine. The latter has more water and won’t work the same in this recipe.
- Don’t cut the biscotti while they’re still hot. Biscotti are naturally going to crumble when you cut into them but waiting until they cool slightly will help to minimise this. I’ve found that 20 minutes of cooling time is usually perfect.
- Use a bread knife to slice your vegan almond biscotti. Use a gentle sawing motion rather than pressing straight down when cutting.
- After they’ve baked and cooled, dip one half of the biscotti slices in dairy-free dark or white chocolate for an extra special treat!
FAQ:
Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. It’ll last for up to 10 days.
Yes. Pop them into an airtight container, with sheets of baking paper between layers if you’re stacking them. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, let them thaw at room temperature for an hour or two.
The dough can also be frozen but I have not tried baking it from frozen yet. For this reason, I recommend bringing the dough back to room temperature before baking.
This could be either because it was too hot when you cut it or because of your cutting technique. A sawing motion with a bread knife is best but it’s quite a fragile cookie so be gentle!
More Christmas vegan desserts:
I hope you enjoy this vegan almond biscotti! If you make it at home, please let me know what you think by leaving a rating or comment below. Happy baking! xo
Vegan Almond Biscotti (Eggless Recipe)
Crunchy Italian vegan biscotti cookies without eggs or dairy.
Ingredients
- 90 g Vegan block butter, softened (⅜ cup)
- 110 g Caster sugar (½ cup + 1 tablespoon)
- ½ Teaspoon Almond extract
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons Unsweetened soy milk
- 200 g Plain flour (~1+½ cups)
- 1 Teaspoon Baking powder
- 120 g Chopped almonds (~1 cup)
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you're using a fan or convection oven). Line a large tray with baking paper.
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In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar then stir in the almond extract and vanilla extract. Add the soy milk and mix it in as best as you can.
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Add all of the flour and the baking powder. Mix until it starts to stick to itself. Then use your hands to press it into a ball of dough.
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Next, add the chopped almonds and use your hands to press them into the dough.
-
Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a log that's around 1-inch thick and 2-inches wide.
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Bake the logs for 30 minutes, then leave them to cool for 20 minutes.
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When the 20 minutes are up, use a bread knife to cut the logs into 1-inch slices, using a sawing motion to minimise crumbling.
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Line the slices out on your baking tray and bake for a further 5-8 minutes on each side, until dry in the middle. The longer you bake them for, the crunchier they will be.
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Let the slices cool completely before enjoying.
Recipe Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
- Don’t attempt to cut the vegan biscotti logs while too hot or too cold as they will crumble. Around 20 minutes of cooling time is just right.
