Keto Shortbread: Buttery Scottish-Style Biscuits
These keto shortbread biscuits are buttery, Scottish-style fingers made with ground almonds and a powdered monk fruit and erythritol sweetener, with no added sugar. Each finger has 0.9g net carbs. A batch of 16 takes about 1 hour 5 minutes, including 20 minutes chilling, plus cooling time.
If you've been searching for sugar free shortbread biscuits, or sugar free shortbread cookies as they're often called online, this keto shortbread recipe is a good place to start. It follows the much-loved almond flour method: cream butter with a powdered sweetener, mix in finely ground almonds, chill, then bake low and slow. Our twist is a spoonful of oat fibre, which does the job that rice flour or cornflour does in traditional Scottish shortbread and gives a crisper, sandier snap. For more on the ingredients, see is butter keto? and our guide to keto sugar substitutes.
What we used: Groovy Keto Powdered Monk Fruit and Erythritol Sweetener in the dough and for dusting, plus Groovy Keto Oat Fibre and Groovy Keto Xanthan Gum to help the almond dough hold together.
Oat Fibre
View product
Powdered Monk Fruit and Erythritol Sweetener
View product
Xanthan Gum
View productKeto Shortbread: Buttery Scottish-Style Biscuits
- Prep time15 minutes, plus 20 minutes chilling
- Cook time30 minutes
- Total time1 hour 5 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling
- Makes16 shortbread fingers
- Net carbs0.9g per finger
Ingredients
- 200g ground almonds (finely ground blanched almond flour)
- 15g Groovy Keto oat fibre
- 60g Groovy Keto powdered monk fruit and erythritol sweetener, plus 2 tsp (8g) for dusting
- ½ tsp (1.5g) Groovy Keto xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 110g unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
You will also need a 20cm square baking tin, baking paper and an electric whisk (or a wooden spoon and some elbow grease).
Method
- Line the tin. Line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper, leaving some paper hanging over two sides so you can lift the shortbread out later.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, oat fibre, xanthan gum and salt until there are no lumps.
- Cream the butter. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter, 60g powdered sweetener and vanilla with an electric whisk or a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Bring the dough together. Add the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed, or with a spatula, until the mixture clumps into a soft dough. Stop as soon as it comes together, as overworking makes the butter greasy.
- Press into the tin. Tip the dough into the tin and press it into an even layer about 1cm thick with your fingers, then smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Prick it all over in neat rows with a fork.
- Chill and heat the oven. Chill the tin in the fridge for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, gas mark 3).
- Bake. Bake on the middle shelf for 25–30 minutes, until pale golden at the edges and just firm in the middle. Almond flour colours quickly, so cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes if the edges are browning too fast.
- Cut and dust. While the shortbread is still hot, cut it in half, then cut each half into 8 fingers. Sift over the remaining 2 tsp (8g) powdered sweetener.
- Cool completely. Leave the shortbread in the tin for at least 30 minutes, until completely cool and firm. Lift it out with the paper and break along the cuts into 16 fingers.
Tips for the best keto shortbread
- Use cool, soft butter. It should dent when pressed but not look shiny or greasy. Melted or very warm butter makes the shortbread spread and turn oily.
- Stick with an erythritol-based powdered sweetener. Erythritol is what gives keto shortbread its crisp texture, and the powdered form keeps it smooth rather than gritty. Our guide to sugar substitutes for baking explains how the main sweeteners compare.
- Bake low and slow. A gentle oven dries the shortbread out without over-browning the almonds. Pale golden edges are what you're after.
- Cut while hot, then wait. Mark the fingers straight from the oven, then let them cool fully in the tin. They firm up a lot as they cool.
- Make it festive. Add the finely grated zest of 1 orange with the butter, or serve the fingers alongside our keto mince pies for a Christmas plate.
Storage
Keep the shortbread in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze, layer the fingers between sheets of baking paper in a sealed container for up to 1 month, then defrost at room temperature.
Nutrition
Per shortbread finger (one of 16):
| Nutrient | Per finger |
|---|---|
| Energy | 131 kcal |
| Fat | 12.6g |
| of which saturates | 4.1g |
| Carbohydrate | 5.2g |
| of which sugars | 0.6g |
| of which polyols | 4.3g |
| Net carbs | 0.9g |
| Fibre | 2.5g |
| Protein | 2.7g |
| Salt | 0.11g |
Net carbs are carbohydrate minus polyols. On UK labels, fibre is already listed separately from carbohydrate, so it isn't subtracted again. Figures are calculated from Groovy Keto pack labels and UK (McCance and Widdowson's CoFID) and USDA food composition data, so they are a guide and will vary with the brands you use. Excessive consumption of polyols, such as erythritol, may produce laxative effects.
Allergens: this recipe contains nuts (almonds) and milk (butter). The packs of our oat fibre, xanthan gum and powdered sweetener say they're packed in a facility where there may be traces of gluten, nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. Always check the current pack labels before baking for anyone with an allergy.
FAQ
Is shortbread keto?
Traditional shortbread is not keto, because it is made with plain flour and sugar. This keto shortbread swaps those for ground almonds, oat fibre and a powdered monk fruit and erythritol sweetener, so each finger has 0.9g net carbs.
How many carbs are in this keto shortbread?
Each finger has 0.9g net carbs, worked out as 5.2g carbohydrate minus 4.3g polyols from the sweetener. It also has 2.5g fibre and 131 kcal.
Is this shortbread sugar free?
It has no added sugar, but it is not completely sugar free. The almonds, butter and vanilla contain natural sugars, which come to 0.6g per finger. If you have been searching for sugar free shortbread biscuits, this is a low-sugar way to enjoy them.
Why is my keto shortbread crumbly?
Almond shortbread is soft and fragile while it is warm and only firms up as it cools, so leave it in the tin for at least 30 minutes before lifting it out. Cutting it while hot gives clean fingers, and the xanthan gum and oat fibre help hold the crumb together.
Can I use granulated sweetener instead of powdered in shortbread?
You can, but the shortbread may be slightly gritty, because granulated erythritol does not dissolve fully in butter. Powdered sweetener gives the smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture of classic shortbread. If you only have granulated, blitz it to a fine powder in a clean spice grinder first.
How long does keto shortbread keep?
It keeps in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the fingers for up to 1 month and defrost them at room temperature.
