Vegan Speculaas
Makes: about 25 biscuits
Prep time: 15 minutes (+ chilling 1–2 hours)
Bake time: 12–15 minutes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100 g light brown sugar or coconut sugar for deeper caramel flavour
- pinch salt
Speculaas spice (1 raised tbsp)
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper optional but authentic
Wet ingredients:
- 100 g vegan butter or margarine cold but pliable
- 2 tbsp plant milk almond, oat, or soy
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt.
- Add fat: Rub or cut in the vegan butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Bind: Stir in the plant milk, syrup, and vanilla until a smooth, firm dough forms.
- If it feels dry, add 1–2 tsp more milk.
- Don’t overmix — you want to preserve the crisp texture.
- Chill: Wrap the dough and refrigerate at least 1 hour (overnight is best — the spices deepen beautifully).
- Shape:
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 4–5 mm thick.
- Cut into rectangles or use traditional wooden speculaas moulds.
- Re-roll scraps once.
- Bake:
- Preheat oven to 175 °C (fan 160 °C).
- Place biscuits on a parchment-lined tray and bake 12–15 minutes, until firm and lightly browned at edges.
- Cool: Leave on the tray 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. They crisp fully as they cool.
Notes
Variations
Almond-topped speculaas: Press blanched almond slices onto the tops before baking.
Filled speculaas: Sandwich two thin layers with almond paste (made from ground almonds + sugar + lemon zest + plant milk), bake 5 minutes longer.
Belgian-style speculoos: Replace half the brown sugar with white, omit cloves, and add a pinch more cinnamon for a lighter caramel note.
Storage
Keeps for 2–3 weeks in an airtight tin. Flavour actually improves after a couple of days.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!