C'mon...I'm English...It was only a matteer of time before I came up with a recipe for vegan digestive biscuits! With their distinctive crunchy, crumbly texture & not too sweet almost nutty flavour, these British favourites make the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea......I'm totally conforming to the typical English stereotype here, aren't I?
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It's time to go bake some Vegan Digestive Biscuits, put the kettle on, make some tea and relax! Who's with me?
Cookies or Biscuits?
I thought long and hard about what to call this recipe. Should I stick to my roots and call them 'Digestive Biscuits' or, as I now live in Canada and most of you are from the USA and Canada, should I call them 'Digestive Cookies'?
Generally in England cookies are known as biscuits, whereas in Canada and the USA, biscuits are what we in England would call savoury scones. There are so many other foods and general cooking terms that are totally different too. I get so confused! A few I can think of off the top of my head are pancakes/flapjacks, chips/fries, aubergine/eggplant, cornflour/cornstarch, grilling/broiling and double boiler. What's that all about? I had to google it when I first moved here as I didn't have a clue what it was. In England we call it a bain-marie!
It's no wonder I'm confused!
I really struggle when writing my recipes as I never know what to call these things. I often spend ages deliberating but usually end up choosing the Canadian/American versions as I know that is where the majority of you, my lovely readers are. This time though the English name seems like the right choice. After all, they are English biscuits and 'digestive cookie' just doesn't sound right to me!
What are Digestive Biscuits?
Digestive biscuits are pretty similar in taste and texture to the iconic American graham cracker. They were originally created by two doctors in 1839 as a digestive aid. The bicarbonate of soda (or baking soda as my Canadian and American friends know it as) was added to them to act as an antacid. This doesn't make them sound too appealing, but honestly, they are extremely delicious so please stick with me!
Digestive biscuits are one of the most popular biscuits sold in the UK. According to Wikipedia more than 80 million packs are sold annually. That's a whole lot of biscuits and just goes to show how great they are. They aren't however vegan and they contain refined sugar and palm oil which are ingredients I try to avoid.
If you find yourself wanting to bake a cheesecake, crushed Digestive Biscuits make the perfect base. You can see them in action in my Vegan New York Cheesecake.
Digestives made vegan
My Vegan Digestive Biscuits are dairy, refined sugar and refined flour-free and they contain a relatively low quantity of oil and sugar. The wholegrain spelt flour gives them a delicious nuttiness and the oatmeal adds to the slightly nubbly texture. My recipe does not include the traditional bicarbonate of soda/baking soda so I am afraid they won't act as an antacid! I tried them with and without and to be honest it didn't make any difference to their appearance or taste so why bother?
Digestives are not a really sweet biscuit and so my biscuits do have sugar in them but not a lot. Just enough to give them a slightly sweet edge. Because they aren't too sweet they can also be eaten like crackers with savoury foods. Try them with some good quality vegan cheese, or spread with my Easy Vegan Butter.
Personally though, I love them just as they are with a cup of tea. That is where the inspiration for this recipe came from.
Hungry for more vegan cookies?
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Recipe
Vegan Digestive Biscuits
Author:Ingredients
- 1½ cups (220 grams) spelt flour , or wholewheat flour (plus more for rolling)
- ½ cup (60 grams) rolled oats or quick oats
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- heaping ¼ cup (60 grams) light brown sugar , or turbinado/demarara
- packed 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (80 grams) hard refined coconut oil , or vegan butter
- 5 - 8 tablespoons non-dairy milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 380°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Add the oats to a food processor and process until they have a course flour like consistency.
- Add the spelt flour, salt, baking powder and sugar and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the coconut oil/vegan butter and process until well combined.
- Gradually add the milk one tablespoon at a time until a smooth dough forms. It will start balling up and if you touch it, it will feel slightly tacky. I used 7 tablespoons but this will vary depending on the flour you use and the time of year.
- Dust a clean, dry work surface with some flour then transfer the dough to the floured surface and lightly sprinkle it with a bit more flour.
- Roll out the dough to about 3mm thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut into rounds. If you don't have cookie cutters then the top of a mason jar does a great job.
- Place on the baking tray. They don't spread much so you don't need to leave a lot of room around each one.
- Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown on the edges and bottom. They will still feel very slightly soft in the middle if you push with a finger but that is fine. As they cool they will firm up and go crisp.
- Place on a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before eating. They aren't at their best when warm.
- Store in an airtight container once completely cool.
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Kathy says
Hi Mel,
Can this recipe be made without a food processor? I have a stand mixer or a blender but sadly no food processor. I’d like to make these biscuits for my soon to be 3 yrs old grandbaby that doesn’t really get to eat sweets, I think these would be perfect.
Thanks so much.
Melanie McDonald says
You can yes. Put the oats in your blender and pulse them a few times to get a coarse flour consistency. Then mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and rub/cut the fat into it with the tips of your fingers or a pastry cutter before adding the liquid. Just like making pie crust. Once it's like coarse breadcrumbs add the milk. I hope your grandbaby enjoys them!
Kathy says
Thank you kindly Mel, Im so happy I get to make these! Also making your delicious blueberry muffins and apple cake…it’s going to be a Virtual Vegan recipe baking day! 😊
Wen says
Mel, I'm making your New York Cheesecake the third time now, and it'll be for a farewell party for a dear friend of ours. I'd like to make your digestive biscuits for the base too, just wondering could I just spread the biscuit dough directly onto the springform pan and bake it raw together with the cheesecake ingredients?
Or do I bake the cookie crust till it's done in the springform pan first; let it cool, then pour the cheesecake ingredients on top of it and bake the whole cake?
Thank you so much, your recipe is really genius (who'd have thought chickpeas could masquerade in a cheesecake so well!)
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you're enjoying the cheesecake!
If making these digestive cookies for the base you will need to make them as per the recipe, cool completely, then bash them up into crumbs and mix with the butter to make the base (as per the cheesecake recipe) before pouring in the filling and baking it.
One big giant cookie won't work. You won't get that lovely crumbly texture and buttery taste and it would be super hard to cut into portions. Hope that helps.
Wen says
Thank you so much for your prompt reply! I'm so glad I asked you, I was going to do the one big giant cookie approach - now I know it's a bad idea :)
Really grateful for all your awesome work. I can see your sincerity in all that you do here. Thank you, Mel!
Clare says
Hey Mel, just wondering if you think coconut sugar will sub well for the brown sugar in this? Thanks, Clare :-)
Melanie McDonald says
I've never tried it but I'm pretty sure it will be fine!
Clare says
Thanks Mel, love your recipes!
Sylvia W says
Yay! I just followed the link from today's emergency cheesecake bowl recipe, and woohoo! Way back in the summer of '74, between my junior and senior years of college, I spent 45 days riding around England and Scotland on a ten-speed bicycle, and eating every local food I could. Even then I was adventurous, and quickly developed a passion for haggis, fish & chips, black sausage and - yes - digestive biscuits!
I am still not vegan (yet, anyway), but I am more plant based than not. Recently my local grocery import section actually had digestives with the dark chocolate tops - my original favorites! Now I don't have to pay inflated prices - just make them at home - thank you!
Melanie McDonald says
Sounds like a fun adventure! These are so good dipped in melted dark chocolate. Enjoy!
Genevieve says
Yes. Extremely yes. Thank you! Eating my first one now fresh out of the oven. These cookies are the best ….great flavor and not too sweet. Will be my middle of the night snack as well as lunchbox treat.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you're enjoying them, Genevieve, and thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It's much appreciated!
Laura says
How long do these keep and do you store them in the fridge please?
Melanie McDonald says
Store in an airtight container at room temp. Don't put them in the fridge. They keep for months as long as the container is properly air tight.
Dee says
I suggest you stick with your roots and let everyone else look it up, as we do with recipes from other countries. Recipes can be a bit confusing when over explained. For clarification, I'm Scottish, living in Scotland
Judith says
Melanie,
Thank you for this recipe-I'm looking forward to trying this-they look delicious!
As a reply to Dee: I am not sure what is to be gained in making the kind of comment you posted here. If someone like Melanie takes the time and goes to the trouble to share a recipe, I consider it a generous gift. Your comment is less than gracious and just seems petty.
Maraika Mason says
Ditto to what you replied to Dee. What a sad response from her and why would you even bother to comment on a recipe you can make - FOR FREE. No need to buy a book or pay a fee. I read every tip that Melanie provides in her recipes so we too can have excellent results. Which I usually do. I appreciate the details also in the measurements. Mel, just ignore comments like Dee's as they are not constructive. I love your recipes and thanks for the effort you put in. Good job!!
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you, Dee and Maraika. I appreciate your support!
vanessa says
just made these.... really yum!!! I used tahini as the nut butter and stevia in place of the brown sugar. added a tbsp chia seed, flax meal and sessame seed to the dough mixture. really happy with the outcome. the only issue I really had was that the biscuits rose in the centre so not a flat biscuit as such. would there be a reason for this?
Melanie McDonald says
This recipe doesn't have nut butter in it. That will be why they didn't turn out quite as expected. Biscuits/cookies like this need a hard fat (vegan butter or coconut oil) to be successful. Glad you enjoyed them anyway though!
leona kadir says
I love these. Great base recipe for me to play with as I have my own mill. Made a batch today with wheat, rye, bran and toasted malted black barley. Not too sweet or salty.