These delicious, chewy Vegan Amaretti Cookies are both gluten-free and oil-free! Enjoy your vegan cookies with a cup of coffee for a simple sweet treat.

Is there anything better than cuddling up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee (or hot cocoa/tea) and a soft, chewy cookie? Especially in the company of a good book, or a good friend…
These vegan cookies, with their beautiful soft almond flavor, are just the thing for an afternoon pick-me-up. And there’s no need to feel guilty for indulging in more than one…
Perfectly crisp on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside, they’re going to work their way into your regular baking rotation in no time.
Vegan amaretti biscuits also make a fabulous gift when popped into a pretty box, and last well if you’re preparing them in advance.

What are Amaretti Cookies?
Amaretti cookies are delicious, light almond-flour cookies. They originated in Italy and are similar to macarons, with a beautiful almond flavor throughout.
These vegan amaretti cookies skip the typical egg whites in the ingredient list and remain oil-free, thanks to the addition of aquafaba.
And as a bonus, these vegan almond flour cookies are also naturally gluten-free. So if you’re sensitive to gluten, you can indulge to your heart’s content!

What is aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the juice in a can of beans. Technically, it is from any beans but when cooking or baking, the juice from chickpeas is best. It can be used as a direct replacement for egg whites in many recipes. It works as a binder, leavening agent and basically anything that an egg white would do in a recipe.
Aquafaba is essentially your secret ticket to turning many baked goods vegan. Aquafaba cookies are typically those that would normally call for eggs, and/or egg whites – such as these amaretti cookies, or these delicious macaroons.
And don’t worry – aquafaba is practically tasteless, so it won’t add a strange chickpea taste to your cookies!

How to use Aquafaba
To use aquafaba in place of egg whites, you’re normally required to beat it first. To do this, you simply beat it until it forms stiff peaks. This will take a little longer than it would take with egg whites.
Why You’ll Love These Gluten-Free Amaretti Cookies
- Only 20 minutes of active cooking
- An easy gluten-free and vegan treat
- A tasty way to use up aquafaba from your can of chickpeas
- No oil!
- Perfect companion to coffee
- Make a great gift

Ingredients
- Blanched almond flour
- Powdered sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Aquafaba
- Salt
- Lemon Zest
- Amaretto Liqueur
- Powdered sugar

How To Make This Amaretti Cookie Recipe
Combine the almond flour, granulated sugar and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Sift or use a whisk to break up any clumps and make sure it’s evenly distributed.

In a large metal or glass bowl beat the aquafaba with salt using electric beaters or a stand mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. This will usually take about 5 minutes.

Gently stir in the lemon zest.
Fold in almond flour mixture until completely combined.



Stir in the amaretto liqueur. The dough will be sticky and soft, but formed enough to roll into a ball.
Cover the dough and chill in your fridge for at least 30 minutes, longer if it is a warm day.
Preheat oven to 325°F/160 C.
Line your baking sheets (you’ll need two) with parchment paper or silicon baking sheets.
Once the dough is chilled, place the remaining powdered sugar in a small bowl.
Using a teaspoon, scoop a heaping amount of the dough (about 2 tsp balls). Roll it between your hands until a ball forms.

Roll the dough ball in powdered sugar until completely coated.
Then place the balls at least 2”/5cm apart on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Place the baking sheet on a rack in the up 1/3 of the oven – the bottoms are prone to over cooking.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown under the sugar.


Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Tips for the Best Vegan Amaretti Biscuits
- Ensure sufficient time to chill and rest the dough – especially in warm weather
- If you are baking 2 sheets at once, keep them in the upper portion of the oven as much as possible. Switch positions of the baking sheets at about 12 minutes of baking. Baking multiple sheets at once may cause baking to take longer.
- When you remove the cookies from the oven, they’ll still be quite soft. But they harden up as they cool down.
- We’ve used Amaretto liqueur, but you can also use almond extract in your vegan amaretti cookies. Almond extract is stronger, so you’ll only need around a 1/2 tsp.

Flavour Variations
Try mixing up your amaretti cookie recipe with one of these fun variations:
- Add 3 tbsp of dark cocoa powder for chocolate flavored cookies.
- Add 1 tbsp matcha powder for matcha amaretti cookies.
- Add 3 tbsp freeze dried fruit powder for fruity and colorful amaretti cookies!
Serving Suggestions
Chewy gluten-free amaretti cookies are traditionally served with coffee. They can also be sandwiched with jam or ganache for an extra treat.
If you have any leftover cookies, be sure to store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Other Vegan Desserts:
- Decadent Raw Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan No Bake Cheesecake
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Vegan Macaroons
- Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cake
- Apple oatmeal cookies

Vegan Amaretti Cookies
This Italian treat is naturally gluten and oil-free. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and with a beautiful almond flavor, these Vegan Amaretti Cookies will become a firm favorite.
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups blanched almond flour (240g)
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar (45g)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (130g)
- 1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid drained from about 1 can of chickpeas - 120ml)
- 1/4 tsp salt (1g)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (2g)
- 1 tbsp amaretto liqueur (15ml)
- Powdered sugar to coat cookies (about 1 cup / 115g)
Instructions
- Combine almond flour, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Sift or whisk to break up any clumps and evenly distribute.
- In a large metal or glass bowl beat aquafaba with salt using electric beaters or a stand mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Gently stir in lemon zest. Fold in almond flour mixture until completely combined.
- Stir in amaretto. The dough will be sticky and soft, but possible to form into a ball.
- Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes, longer if it is a warm day.
- Preheat oven to 325°F/160 C. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicon baking sheets.
- Once dough is chilled. Place powdered sugar for coating in a small bowl.
- Using a teaspoon, scoop heaping amount of the dough (about 2 tsp balls). Roll between your hands until a ball forms.
- Douse dough ball in powdered sugar until completely coated. Place at least 2”/5cm apart on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Place baking sheet on a rack in the up 1/3 of the oven – the bottoms are prone to over cooking. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown under the sugar.*
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
If you are baking 2 sheets at once, keep them in the upper portion of the oven as much as possible. Switch positions of the baking sheets at about 12 minutes of baking. Baking multiple sheets at once may cause baking to take longer.
Amaretto liqueur can be subbed out for 1/2 tsp almond extract.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 35 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 86Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information should be considered as an estimation only.
Yalo
Sunday 16th of April 2023
Way too sweet. And oddly bitter in places.
Rosie
Monday 21st of November 2022
Can they be frozen?
EMF
Thursday 23rd of June 2022
The cookies are really good. Nice lemon punch and the texture is melt-in-your-mouth with a nice crinkly top from the powdered sugar.
The measurement for the granulated sugar should be 74 grams, not 45 grams as listed. The dough was quite soft even well-chilled. I used a dough portioner, which worked great. I wasn't able to roll the cookies into balls by hand.
hortensia
Thursday 5th of May 2022
las galletas cuando se hornean dejan de ser bolitas ? por que a mi se quedaron bolitas . no se ven como la imagen que paso ?
Nancy
Wednesday 2nd of March 2022
What are the nutritional values to this recipe?
Nadine
Monday 18th of April 2022
I've added them now. Thanks for asking!