Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies

Name: Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Ingredients: 1 cup + 2 tbsp gluten-free flour; 1 1/4 cup maple crystals ("VEGAN10" for $10 off); 1 tbsp cornstarch; 2 tsp baking soda; 2 tbsp ground flaxseed; 1/4 tsp sea salt; 1/3 cup raw pistachios (plus extra to top - "VEGAN10" for $10 off); 1/4 tsp flakey sea salt; 2/3 cup pistachio butter ("VEGAN10" FOR $10 OFF); 1/4 cup coconut butter (make sure it is smooth and silky); 2 tsp vanilla extract; 6 tbsp water

These Vegan Pistachio Cookies are the ultimate treat. They're soft and chewy and made with simple and clean ingredients- yet they're so good nobody would even know they're healthy! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and essentially oil-free!

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These Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies are the perfect vegan cookie recipe. They're soft and chewy with the perfect buttery taste. These cookies are perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike!

the vegan pistachio cookies stacked on top of each other with the wilderness poets products in the background

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Saint Patrick's Day is right around the corner, so it's time to queue for the green desserts for the holiday season!

After seeing how much of a success my peanut butter marshmallow cookies were, I knew that I need to create more vegan cookies using all different types of nut butter. These Vegan Pistachio Cookies feature raw pistachios and pistachio butter to create the ultimate buttery cookies!

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Vegan Pistachio Cookies Ingredients List:
How To Make These Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies:
Substitutions:
Vegan Pistachio Cookie Variations
What You'll Need To Make These Vegan Pistachio Cookies:
How To Store These Vegan Pistachio Cookies:
Top Tip
Frequently Asked Questions:
Related Vegan Cookie Recipes:
Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies
Food Safety
More Vegan Pistachio Desserts:

Vegan Pistachio Cookies Ingredients List:

These vegan pistachio cookies are the perfect plant-based cookie because they're made with wholesome and clean vegan ingredients, yet they're so delicious nobody would even know they're healthy!

close up of the perfectly round pistachio cookies

Dry Ingredients:

Gluten-Free Flour - The gluten-free flour you use can affect how the recipe turns out. I've linked my go-to gluten-free flour blend. It's higher in protein and fiber than other gluten-free flour mixes.
Maple Crystals - My all-time favorite plant-based sweetener for vegan cookies is maple crystals. Maple crystals are essentially just maple syrup that has had the water removed. However, it is not a refined sugar. It's full of vitamins, and minerals, and is high in antioxidants. It also has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar and is sweeter, therefore a little goes a long way. As always you can use my code: "VEGAN10" for $10 off your Wilderness Poets order (essentially a free bag of maple crystals!).
Baking Soda - This will help the vegan pistachio cookies to spread and bake evenly.
Cornstarch - This is my secret ingredient to making the best soft and chewy cookies. It gives them the perfect texture.
Sea Salt - A little bit of sea salt helps to tie all the flavors together.
Ground Flaxseed - This will be turned into the flax egg. Flax eggs are great for vegan baking, because they work just like regular eggs, yet are full of fiber and healthy omegas.
Raw Pistachios - You will need whole pistachios and chopped pistachios to the top for this recipe. I get mine in bulk from Wilderness Poets because they are organic, de-shelled, and raw! Again, the code: "VEGAN10" gets you $10 off!
Flakey Sea Salt (optional) - although this ingredient is optional, I strongly recommend it. When I served these cookies, everyone said the sea salt on top really enhanced the cookies.

a close up of the vegan pistachio cookies with a bite taken out of the top one to show the soft and chewy texture

Wet Ingredients:

Pistachio Butter - I love making vegan cookie recipes with nut butter, because it spreads the flavor throughout the cookie, and it's great for oil-free baking. In my opinion, the pistachio butter is the best part of these cookies. It gives them the perfect green color and classic pistachio flavor. I have never been able to find pistachio butter in stores, but thankfully Wilderness Poets makes the best raw cold ground pistachio butter (and other vegan products). Again, my code: "VEGAN10" will get you $10 off your purchase!
Coconut Butter - I try not to use vegan butter in my cookie recipes because it contains a high amount of fat and no fiber. Therefore I use ingredients like raw coconut butter instead to achieve the perfect oil-free vegan cookies. It's important to make sure you are using liquid coconut butter, and not dry coconut butter. If it has become dry, add about a tablespoon of raw cold pressed coconut oil to the mixture and mix until smooth.
Water - You will only need a couple of tablespoons of water to create the flax egg.
Vanilla Extract - I always recommended using Mexican vanilla rather than traditional store-bought vanilla. It has a deeper flavor and instantly enhances any dessert recipe.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How To Make These Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies:

These vegan pistachio cookies are great for bakers of all levels, because they're incredibly easy to make, yet they taste like they're straight from a bakery.

mixing the nut butters and vanilla extracts together in a large bowl

Begin by making the flax egg by combining the water and ground flaxseed together in a small bowl. Mix and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Next, add the coconut butter (make sure it's the right consistency), pistachio butter, and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl.

adding the flax egg to the nut butter mixture

Whisk in the flax egg with a handheld mixer, stand mixer, or spoon.

sifting the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients

Sift the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. Mix until a soft dough forms.

Add the pistachios and mix until evenly distributed. Place the dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Prepare the baking tray with either parchment paper, or sprayed oil. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookie dough balls that should be about the size of your hand. Place on the prepared baking tray. I like to press my gluten-free/vegan cookies down just a tad to help them spread perfectly. Place the cookies in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes.

the final step of the recipe showing the cookies cooling

Once the cookies are flat with soft centers and slightly crisp edges, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. I honestly recommend enjoying these pistachio cookies chilled. To chill them simply place them in the fridge for 1 hour. Enjoy!

@theallnaturalvegan
NEW! 🌟Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies 🌟 Happy Thursday friends! I’ve got the perfect healthy Saint Patrick’s day dessert recipe for you guys today! These cookies are double the pistachio thanks to @wildernesspoets pistachio nut butter and raw pistachios! I love getting my nut butters, nuts, and maple crystals from Wilderness Poets because I can get them in bulk, they’re organic, and the quality is amazing! As always my code: “VEGAN10” gets you $10 off your purchase! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and essentially oil-free (the pistachio butter contains a little cold pressed olive oil). You can find the full recipe on my website: theallnaturalvegan.com, or search vegan pistachio cookies the all natural vegan on google and they should pop up! Enjoy 💕 #veganrecipes #saintpatricksday #cookies #vegancookies #veganbaking #healthybaking #healthydessert #healthyfood #dessert #cookiesofinstagram #cookieoftheday #pistachiocookies #pistachios #healthyvegan
♬ I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) - Four Tops

Hint: Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to the cooling rack. This helps prevent the cookies from falling apart during the transferring process.

Substitutions:

Although this pistachio cookie recipe is already healthy, vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and essentially oil-free, there are plenty of easy substitutions that can be made.

Flour - If you are not gluten-free, you can use all-purpose flour instead, or whole wheat for a healthier option. You can also use a grain-free flour blend of almond meal, coconut flour, and cassava flour. These can all be used 1:1.
Flax Egg - Instead of making a flax egg, you can use chia seeds to make a chia egg. I find that the flavor of chia seeds is too overpowering, hence why I always use flax. However, if you can't use flax for whatever reason, chia seed will work.
Sugar - If you can't use maple crystals, other sugars will work. However, I believe this greatly affects the flavor of the cookies, and therefore do not recommend using anything except maple crystals. If needed you can substitute coconut sugar, white sugar, or brown sugar.

the vegan pistachio cookies stacked on top of each other with the wilderness poets products in the back

There are a couple of fun variations that you can try out with these vegan pistachio cookies to mix it up and play around with the recipe.

Chocolate - Add dark chocolate, white chocolate, and/or vegan chocolate chips for a delicious chocolate pistachio cookie recipe.
Lemon - add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of lemon zest for a lemon pistachio cookie variation.

What You'll Need To Make These Vegan Pistachio Cookies:

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. This Vegan Pistachio Cookie recipe only requires a few simple pieces of equipment that you probably already have on hand.

Mixer - A handheld mixer, or stand mixer both work perfectly for this recipe. If you don't own either, you can use any mixing tool such as a sturdy whisk, spatula, or heck even a wooden spoon!
Bowls - You will need one small bowl to make the flax egg, and one large bowl or medium bowl to make the cookie dough.
Baking Tray - I recommend using a light baking tray. This will help the cookies to bake evenly and prevent them from burning on the bottom.
Wire Rack - To cool the cookies on.

a close up of the vegan pistachio cookies with a bite taken out of it to show the creamy texture

How To Store These Vegan Pistachio Cookies:

These Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies are some of my favorite cookies to make because they store incredibly well. As I previously mentioned, I recommend keeping them chilled rather than at room temperature.

They keep best in an airtight container, however, they'll be just fine in a ziplock bag, or covered with plastic wrap.

These pistachio cookies can also be frozen. If you plan on freezing them, I strongly recommend using airtight containers if you plan to freeze them. If stored properly, they will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Top Tip

To achieve perfectly round cookies, use the metal ring from a mason jar and swirl the cookies around in it when they're right out of the oven. Your cookies will form the perfect circle.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Kind Of Pistachios For Baking?

Many pistachio-flavored desserts are actually artificially flavored desserts. Artificial flavors are a big no-no around here. Especially when pistachio butter exists. I love using it in baking, because it's smooth and creamy, and is full of flavor.

Why Are Pistachios So Expensive In The US?

Pistachio farming requires lots of water (as does any nut), and the harvesting process is very hands-on. Pistachios are also grown in the US and therefore labor costs are more. For these reasons I always buy pistachios in bulk, because they are much more affordable.

Looking for other recipes like this vegan pistachio cookie recipe? Try these:

If you try this Gluten-Frree Vegan Pistachio Cookie recipe, I’d really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!

5 from 31 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Chill Time 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings cookies

Equipment

1 Mixer
2 Mixing bowls
1 Baking tray
1 wire rack