Vegan biscotti with almonds and cranberries - this vegan version of biscotti is just as delicious as the original and so easy to make! They are wonderful with a cup of coffee and keep for ages so make great Christmas gifts!
Biscotti, also known as Cantuccini, are a crunchy, twice-baked Italian biscuit/cookie that are best eaten with a glass of sweet wine or a cup of coffee for dunking.
They are quite hard on their own, but dunking them softens them a bit, preventing you from breaking your teeth and creating a delicious flavour combination.
While they are good all year round I particularly like to bake them at Christmas. They keep for yonks so they make great gifts sealed up in an airtight jar; provided you can bring yourself to give any away that is!
Traditionally biscotti are made with three core ingredients - flour, eggs and sugar. I initially thought that they would be tricky to veganise seeing as they rely so heavily on the eggs which can be difficult to substitute.
Happily however, these eggless biscotti turned out just as good as the original and the eggs weren't as difficult to substitute as I originally thought. Soy milk replaces the moisture and protein, and melted refined coconut oil replaces the fat from the egg yolks.
I adapted this recipe, making the changes above to veganise them and tweaking the recipe to suit my tastes.
These vegan biscotti are crunchy, full of flavour and easy to make. I added almonds and dried cranberries to mine but you can vary the nuts and dried fruit as you prefer.
How To Make Vegan Biscotti:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
In a large bowl, whisk together caster sugar, soy milk, melted refined coconut oil, lemon or orange zest and vanilla extract until well combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together plain flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until it forms a rough dough then add almonds and dried cranberries and mix until they are well distributed. Use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
Divide the dough into two even pieces and shape each one into a log about 5cm wide. Place them well spaced apart on a baking parchment lined baking sheet and use your hands to slightly flatten them and square off the edges for perfectly shaped biscotti.
Bake the logs for 30-35 minutes until they are firm and lightly browned.
Remove the logs from the oven and set them aside to cool for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1.
Once the logs have cooled, use a sharp serrated knife to cut them into diagonal slices about 1 to 1 ½ cm wide. Don't try slicing the logs before the 15 minutes cooling time is up otherwise they will be hard to slice and crumbly. (I like to eat the end bits for uh, taste testing purposes...)
Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 8 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Once the biscotti are cool store them in an airtight container. They will keep for several months if stored correctly.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
This recipe will work with any non-dairy milk (except probably coconut), but unsweetened soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content and therefore most closely mimics the egg.
You can swap the melted refined coconut oil for another type of mild flavoured oil if you prefer.
Make sure that the milk is room temperature, or even lukewarm, otherwise you risk the coconut oil re-solidifying.
Don't try slicing the logs before the 15 minutes cooling time is up otherwise they will be hard to slice and crumbly.
If you want softer biscuits you can reduce the second bake time a little; and if you want really super crunchy ones you can increase it a bit.
You can swap the almonds and cranberries for other nuts and dried fruits if you prefer.
The biscotti will keep for several months provided they are stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes:
Vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
Autumn leaf maple cookie wreath
Vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
*All images and content on Domestic Gothess are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post the recipe or content in full.*
Vegan Biscotti With Almonds And Cranberries
Ingredients
- 180 g (¾ cup + 2 Tbsp) caster (superfine) sugar
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) unsweetened soy milk (other non-dairy milks will work but soy really is best) room temperature
- 2 tablespoon melted refined coconut oil (or another neutral oil)
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 275 g (2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 75 g (2 ¾ oz) whole almonds (blanched or with skin)
- 65 g (2 ¼ oz) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, soy milk, melted coconut oil, zest and vanilla extract until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until it forms a rough dough then add the almonds and cranberries and mix until they are well distributed. Use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
- Divide the dough into two even pieces and shape each one into a log about 5cm wide. Place them well spaced apart on the baking sheet and use your hands to slightly flatten them and square off the edges for perfectly shaped biscotti.
- Bake the logs for 30-35 minutes until they are firm and lightly browned.
- Remove the logs from the oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1.
- Once the logs have cooled, use a very sharp serrated knife to cut them into diagonal slices about 1 to 1 ½ cm wide. Don't put too much pressure on the knife, try and gently saw through.
- Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 8 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Once cool store in an airtight container.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- This recipe will work with any non-dairy milk (except probably coconut), but unsweetened soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content and therefore most closely mimics the egg.
- You can swap the melted refined coconut oil for another type of mild flavoured oil if you prefer.
- Make sure that the milk is room temperature, or even lukewarm, otherwise you risk the coconut oil re-solidifying.
- Don't try slicing the logs before the 15 minutes cooling time is up otherwise they will be hard to slice and crumbly.
- Biscotti are tricky to slice neatly, vegan or otherwise, and you will get some crumbles no matter what you do. You need to make sure that you use an incredibly sharp serrated knife, preferably with a narrow blade, and don’t put too much pressure on the biscotti – try and gently ‘saw’ through the crust. If you are struggling to slice them you can try spraying the crust with a bit of water and leaving it for a minute before slicing them, this should help to soften the crust a little so it is easier to cut through.
- If you want softer biscuits you can reduce the second bake time a little; and if you want really super crunchy ones you can increase it a bit.
- You can swap the almonds and cranberries for other nuts and dried fruits if you prefer.
- For extra almond flavour you can add ½ teaspoon of almond extract.
- The biscotti will keep for several months provided they are stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Katrina
Hi there! I've made these 2x now and both times I can't seem to get them to brown at all. They stay light no matter how long I bake them for or if I change to a higher temp/convection bake. I also had to double the baking time on the first bake and again on the second bake to get them to firm up. Anything I could be doing wrong? Both times I followed the directions and everything "looks" right, used gram measurements, etc. Thank you! 🙂 They are super tasty!
Hannah
Hi Katrina, to be honest I think that the issue may just be your oven. I would recommend investing in an oven thermometer to check what temperature it truly runs at as many ovens are not accurate. I am glad that you enjoyed them!
Elisabeth
Hi! Can't wait to try this recipe! I just wanted to say that a pizza stone can help a lot with regulating the temperature in an oven and it can be left in the oven all the time -- no need to remove it ever. Just make sure not to let any food drip onto it. I've been using one for several months in mine and it has made a huge difference in my baking times. Worth a try!
Kristen Larson
Many vegan baked goods don’t brown like typical baked goods that contain dairy solids & egg protein. It’s just kinda how they are, so if you’re looking at your biscotti and waiting for it to get that golden brown “done” look - u probably won’t ever get it. By the time it does start to brown it’s usually overdone. Sending happy thoughts.
Atorina
These biscotti turned out delicious! As the other reviewer mentioned, mine also looked fairly light in color so I baked them longer and when they cooled they ended up a little too crunchy! But, the flavor and texture at your baking time is perfect! I guess I just have to focus less on their color because other than that, they’re are amazing!!
Akshita Pillai
Can the dough be frozen and baked later?
Hannah
No I wouldn't recommend that.
Sarah
These worked perfectly. Thank you for an amazing vegan alternative. Now I'm going to look on your blog for a vegan amaretti using aquafaba!
Audrey
This is my first time trying to make biscotti and it went fabulously!! All of the tips in this recipe helped me succeed. I used soy at room temp and used a scale for measurements. I’m so thrilled!! I zested three oranges and added almond extract. They are divine!! Thank you for the time you took developing this recipe!
Benny Jones
Crikey, these turned out perfectly. I said an audible 'WOW' to myself when I first tried one. The orange works so well with the almond and cranberries. Thanks again
Anna Brewer
This was my first time making biscotti but it came out amazingly! It was super simple to make and has a great flavour and texture, and I can't wait to make another batch to give as gifts. The nutty almonds really work in this bake and contrast with the sweetness of the biscuit and the slightly tart berries. I would highly recommend this recipe!
Annd
I’ve made other vegan biscotti and always have problems with them crumbling terrible when I slice them. These stayed together perfectly. These were done for me at about 28 minutes and were quite crunchy after the first bake so I reduced the second bake time. Absolutely delicious!
Robyn
First time making biscotti…easy and yummy!
Celia
I tried these for the first time but as soon as I put the flour in it turned quite runny almost a runny version of cookie dough.
I didn't add any almond or cranberries just orange zest and also used almond milk.
What could be the reason for this?
Hannah
Hi Celia, did you weigh your ingredients or use cups?
Krystel
Same thing happened to me, maybe I used a tiny bit too much coconut oil. But this was easily solved by continuing to add flour bit by bit until the dough had enough structure as pictured.
Awesome recipe, made 3 batches. I would just decrease the sugar a bit as personal preference, to something like ≈120g. Thank you for a great recipe 🙂
Esme
Best recipe! I made these as a Christmas gift about two years ago and now make it almost every other weekend for my family and friends.
Like all biscotti, it was a little fiddly to wrap my head around at first but now I can make it without even looking at the instructions and have no issue with it crumbling or not working.
Also recommend trying pistachio and choc chips with sea salt in place of cranberries and almonds - we often make two batches, one of each.
Connie From Pittsburgh
I have a small bakery and I make biscotti all the time. I'd never made a vegan version but was sure I could when it was ordered. My only minor "modifications" were Almond Milk (had no soy on hand) and pistachios. I also used Pistachio emulsion in place of the vanilla.
Your directions were flawless and honestly, the shaping stage was identical to any other I've made, a pleasant surprise!
Thank you so much for generously sharing you skill and making me look good! PS I've never left a recipe review before but couldn't help it!
Susan
I made two versions. One orange and almond the other lemon and pistachio. Bothe came out amazing. Thanks you so much for the recipe.
Lize
Fantastic recipe. As with all the other DG recipes I’ve tried (Sticky Toffee pud divine!) First time I tried to bake biscotti and they are better than the ones I bought at the artisan bakery. Yummy and thank you!