• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Rhian's Recipes

  • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Healthy Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Vegan Millionaire Shortbread (Gluten-Free)

    Last updated - July 28, 2021; Published - November 1, 2019 By Rhian Williams 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Three millionaire shortbread squares and goji berries on marble

    This Vegan Millionaire Shortbread (Caramel Slice) is the best sweet treat: a "buttery" shortbread base topped with gooey, fudgy caramel and silky-smooth chocolate. It's not too sweet, much healthier than the traditional version, and refined sugar free too. It's a make-ahead dessert that's super easy to make, perfect for sharing and makes a great edible gift!

    Three vegan millionaire shortbread squares and goji berries on marble

    Millionaire Shortbread (also known as Caramel Slice) used to be a big favourite of mine, so I was keen to recreate a vegan and gluten-free version! It did take quite a bit of testing, but I found the best result was to use a shortbread base inspired by my Shortbread Cookies recipe and a caramel layer loosely inspired by my Fudge recipe.

    The shortbread base

    The shortbread base is made using a combination of ground almonds (almond meal) and brown rice flour. The ground almonds create a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture, whilst the brown rice flour creates a crispy, crunchy texture.

    You need to use brown rice flour, not white rice flour, which creates a soft cookie (like my Sugar Cookies) rather than a crunchy one.

    Where can you buy brown rice flour?


    If you can't find brown rice flour in your local supermarket, you'll be able to find it in local health stores or online.

    The caramel layer

    The caramel layer is made using blended up cashew nuts for creaminess, coconut sugar for a toffee-like flavour, and cacao butter for a fudgy texture.

    You can get hold of both coconut sugar and cacao butter online, in local health stores or large supermarkets.

    The chocolate layer

    The chocolate layer is made using melted chocolate (check that it's vegan/gluten-free if necessary). Adding a tiny bit of coconut oil makes it much easier to slice afterwards (more tips on that below), makes it shinier and gives it a more melt-in-your-mouth texture.

    How to make this recipe

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Mix together the ingredients for the dough in a glass mixing bowl.
    Raw vegan millionaire shortbread cookie dough in a bowl
    • Transfer into a square baking tin.

    Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove after.

    • Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
    Raw vegan millionaire shortbread cookie dough in a square baking tin lined with baking paper
    • Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
    Baked vegan millionaire shortbread base in a square baking tin lined with baking paper
    • Leave to cool as you make the caramel, although it doesn't matter if it hasn’t cooled completely before putting on the caramel.
    • Place all the ingredients for the caramel into a food processor.

    Tip: If your food processor isn’t very powerful, it may have trouble with the cacao butter. In this case, melt the cacao butter first using a bain-marie before adding to the food processor.

    Cashew nuts, peanut butter and coconut sugar in a food processor
    • Whizz until completely smooth - you might need to mix it around a few times.
    Brown vegan caramel sauce in a food processor
    • Transfer the caramel onto the shortbread base, pushing it all the way to the edges.
    • Use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
    A layer of brown vegan caramel on top of vegan millionaire shortbread base in a square baking tin
    • Place in the fridge to firm up slightly while you melt the chocolate.
    • Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl with the coconut oil.
    Squares of dark chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl
    • Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until melted - make sure not to overheat it as the chocolate will ‘split’ if you heat it too much.
    • Carefully pour the melted chocolate mixture on top of the caramel layer.
    Melted chocolate being poured over a layer of vegan caramel
    • Tip the baking tray from side to side so that the surface is completely covered all the way to the edges.
    A layer of melted chocolate over vegan millionaire shortbread in a square baking tin
    • Place in the fridge for at least a few hours until completely firmed up.
    • Cut into squares once it’s completely firmed up.

    Tips for slicing

    • Adding the coconut oil to chocolate layer is essential for easy slicing.
    • Make sure to use a hot knife when first slicing, as otherwise the chocolate topping will shatter as you try to slice into it.
    • Pour boiling water over your knife then dry it.
    • Carefully cut through just the chocolate layer with this knife.
    • Don’t slice all the way through as otherwise the melted chocolate on your knife will be smeared all over the other two layers.
    • Wash the knife to get rid of the chocolate then slice all the way through with a clean knife.
    Vegan millionaire shortbread cut into squares in a baking tin

    How long does this keep for?

    This keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. It makes an excellent make-ahead dessert for entertaining and parties!

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can replace the coconut oil with coconut butter.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • The ground almonds (almond meal) can be replaced with ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds.
    • For a refined sugar free version, use a refined sugar free chocolate.

    Substitutions to be careful of

    The brown rice flour CANNOT be replaced with white rice flour or any other gluten-free flour - it is essential for the shortbread base to keep its shape and texture.

    A stack of three vegan millionaire shortbread squares

    More vegan dessert recipes

    • Chocolate Lava Cake
    • Apple Crumble Bars
    • Coconut Macaroons
    • Strawberry Trifle
    • Sugar Cookies
    • Lemon Bars
    • Strawberry Shortcake
    • Yule Log
    • Vegan Baked Cheesecake

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Three vegan millionaire shortbread squares and goji berries on marble

    Vegan Millionaire Shortbread (Gluten-Free)

    This Vegan Millionaire Shortbread (Caramel Slice) is the best sweet treat: a "buttery" shortbread base topped with fudgy caramel and silky-smooth chocolate. It's super easy to make and is a great edible gift!
    4.50 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Australian
    Keyword: vegan caramel, vegan dessert, vegan millionaire shortbread
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 16 squares
    Calories: 380.98kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the shortbread base:

    • 30 g (â…› cup) coconut oil  (or sub coconut butter)
    • 10 tablespoons maple syrup  (or sub any other similar sweetener)
    • 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
    • 150 g (1 cup) brown rice flour **
    • Generous pinch salt to taste

    For the caramel layer:

    • 300 g (2 cups) cashew nuts soaked overnight in cold water or in boiling water for 15 minutes
    • 150 g (1 cup) coconut sugar
    • 3 tablespoons smooth almond butter (or sub any other nut or seed butter)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch salt to taste
    • 60 g (2.1 oz) cacao butter *** (or sub coconut oil or coconut butter, though this will give it a coconut taste)

    For the chocolate layer:

    • 150 g (5.3 oz) dark chocolate (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary) ****
    • 1 teaspoon coconut oil

    Instructions

    For the shortbread base:

    • Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit).
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
    • Add the maple syrup, milk, ground almonds, brown rice flour and salt and mix well – add an extra splash of milk if it’s looking too dry to combine
.
    • Transfer the mixture into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin.
    • Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges.
    • Use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
    • Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
    • Leave to cool as you make the caramel, although it doesn't matter if it hasn’t cooled completely before putting on the caramel.

    For the caramel layer:

    • Drain the soaked cashew nuts.
    • Place into a food processor with all the other ingredients.
    • Whizz until completely smooth - you might need to mix it around a few times.
    • Transfer the caramel onto the shortbread base, pushing it all the way to the edges.
    • Use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
    • Place in the fridge to firm up slightly while you melt the chocolate.

    For the chocolate layer:

    • Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl with the coconut oil.
    • Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until melted - make sure not to overheat it as the chocolate will ‘split’ if you heat it too much.
    • Carefully pour the melted chocolate mixture on top of the caramel layer.
    • Tip the baking tray from side to side so that the surface is completely covered all the way to the edges.
    • Place in the fridge for at least a few hours until completely firmed up (may take slightly longer depending on the temperature of your fridge etc).
    • Cut into squares once it’s completely firmed up - you should be able to get 16 squares (see recipe notes for slicing tips!).
    • Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Notes

    *You can alternatively use almond flour.
    **You MUST use brown rice flour – white rice flour won’t create a crunchy shortbread-like texture.
    ***If your food processor isn’t very powerful, it may have trouble with the cacao butter. In this case, melt the cacao butter first using a bain-marie before adding to the food processor.
    ****For a refined sugar free version, use a refined sugar free chocolate.
    Tips for slicing 
    • Adding the coconut oil to chocolate layer is essential for easy slicing.
    • Make sure to use a hot knife when first slicing, as otherwise the chocolate topping will shatter as you try to slice into it.
    • Pour boiling water over your knife then dry it.
    • Carefully cut through just the chocolate layer with this knife.
    • Don’t slice all the way through as otherwise the melted chocolate on your knife will be smeared all over the other two layers.
    • Wash the knife to get rid of the chocolate then slice all the way through with a clean knife.
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Millionaire Shortbread (Gluten-Free)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 380.98 Calories from Fat 222
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 24.67g38%
    Saturated Fat 9.34g47%
    Cholesterol 0.28mg0%
    Sodium 25.83mg1%
    Potassium 268.44mg8%
    Carbohydrates 36.3g12%
    Fiber 3.37g13%
    Sugar 17.54g19%
    Protein 7.45g15%
    Vitamin A 3.66IU0%
    Vitamin C 0.09mg0%
    Calcium 59.66mg6%
    Iron 3.03mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

    • Three vegan blueberry muffins with a bite taken out of one with a bowl of fresh blueberries in the background
      Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)
    • Several gluten-free vegan churros on a plate with a pot of vegan chocolate sauce and one of them dipped in it
      Gluten-Free Vegan Churros (Baked!)
    • A collage of four vegan Thanksgiving dessert recipes photos
      35 Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes (Gluten-Free)
    • A slice of vegan baked pumpkin cheesecake topped with caramel sauce and salt with a fork taking a bite out of it
      Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Albert

      November 04, 2019 at 12:30 pm

      You're a genius!!!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 04, 2019 at 1:50 pm

        Thank you so much!

    2. Sylvia

      November 13, 2019 at 6:39 am

      This was delicious - thanks!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 13, 2019 at 11:41 am

        Thank you!

    3. Sylvia

      November 13, 2019 at 6:40 am

      5 stars
      This was delicious - thanks again!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 13, 2019 at 11:41 am

        Thank you so much!

    4. Jean

      March 01, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent , But I will need to,buy a food processor cashews killed my blender and I so need to make this again. Thank you

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        March 01, 2020 at 8:38 pm

        Thank you so much! Ah sorry to hear that!!

    Primary Sidebar

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

    Learn more.

    Popular Recipes

    Three vegan blueberry muffins with a bite taken out of one with a bowl of fresh blueberries in the background

    Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)

    A stack of oat flour pancakes topped with desiccated coconut and syrup on a blue plate

    Oat Flour Pancakes (Vegan + GF)

    A loaf of coconut flour bread topped with sunflower seeds and poppy seeds with two slices next to it

    Coconut Flour Bread (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of gluten-free rice bread topped with mixed seeds with two slices next to it against a sheet of brown baking paper

    Gluten-Free Rice Bread (Vegan)

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan oat bread topped with oats with two slices on the side

    Gluten-Free Vegan Oat Bread

    Five vegan coconut flour pancakes stacked in a pile decorated with fresh raspberries and coconut flakes on a green plate against a grey background

    Vegan Coconut Flour Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of oat flour bread with two slices

    Oat Flour Bread (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    A sliced vegan baked cheesecake topped with wild strawberries and strawberry flowers

    Vegan Baked Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

    Footer

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Copyright Notice

    Newsletter

    • Subscribe for free updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework ·