C'mon...I'm English...It was only a matter 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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Alyssa says
Hello, the biscuits look great! Was wondering if I could use whole wheat flour in place of the spelt flour?
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! They do technically work with wholewheat flour but the flavour and texture is better with spelt.
razieh says
Thanks a lot.
Can I use other vegetable oils, such as sunflower seed oil, instead of coconut oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
I recommend using coconut oil. A solid fat makes for crunchier cookies than a liquid one and these should be crunchy.
Lesley says
Had a real yen for a digestive today so went in search of a recipe for vegan ones - any I can get as alternatives in the shops in Scotland are too sweet and rely on palm oil.. Made them substituting about one third plain wholemeal as I only had white spelt flour. They taste very similar to tge resl thing and when I gave my partner one without telling him what it was. he identified it as 'just like a digestive'. I will definitely keep this 'recipe and can see myself making it often. My one change will be to lessen the amount of salt a bit as we use very little, and as a result I pick up the taste strongly. Thank you for making me happy today! Now going to search through your other recipes!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed them Lesley. Such a simple biscuit, but the best with a cup of tea!
Rob C says
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve made these a number of times now and am currently experimenting with molasses sugar! Need to reduce the oven heat a little as this sugar can burn easily, but they come out with a lovely, deep and fruity sweetness! Thank you! X
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you are enjoying them Rob. I've never made them with molasses sugar. I bet it gives them a lovely flavor!
Rozina says
Hi. Simple recipe with very few ingredients. Can I make it without sugar and in fact make it savoury biscuits?
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never tried them without the sugar. I would imagine it would be ok although the texture might change a little because sugar makes biscuits/cookies crunchier. Let me know how it works out if you try it! Maybe the first time you could half the recipe just in case things don't go to plan. If you hover over the amount of servings a slider will appear. Change the number of servings and the ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
Even with the sugar though these are good with savory toppings. I eat them with vegan cheese as a treat sometimes. Hope that helps!
Jessica Ashley says
I omitted the sugar and salt, as I made these for my German Shepherds that have allergies. I divided up the dough and added a bit of pumpkin to one and some fish brine oil to the other. They absolutely LOVE them! I tested preference, I put down several options and told my service dog to "pick"! Fish, then pumpkin, then the molasses dog cookies, then millkbones... Thank you for the recipe!
Catanea says
No interest in coconut anything. Used walnut oil. Can't be bothered looking for vegan "milk". Used water. Used whole wheat flour. Came out spectacular. About to make some more. Outstanding. Avoid all those "special" ingredients. (We're in walnut groves all summer, the oil is just around.) Superbly well recieved by husband as we have to give up commercial digestives owing to their palm oil content.
LINDA WEIR says
Can I use wholemeal flour instead of spelt?
I've a vegan friend and thought she might like these instead of endless bourbons!
A Virtual Vegan says
I tested them with wholemeal flour when creating the recipe and it worked, but the flavour is much better with spelt.
Gaynor Urzi says
These digestive biscuits were absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing ! A firm family favourite from now on!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Gaynor. I'm so pleased you enjoyed them and thanks so much for coming back to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!
LEON JAMES says
Can these be made without coconut oil or oil free? also without the baking power or soda? as i usually use sparkling water to replace it .
A Virtual Vegan says
You could probably omit the baking powder without making too much of a difference. Don't replace it with sparkling water though. As for the coconut oil, it's pretty hard to make a good oil-free cookie. It's what makes them crisp. You could replace the coconut oil with vegan butter though, or to make them oil-free use another source of fat like nut butter or coconut butter but the quantity might need adjusting and it will really affect the flavour. They wouldn't end up tasting like digestives.
Emmy says
These are delicious! Not too sweet, and a really nice flavour. Will be making these again for sure :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them Emily!
Emmy says
Hey. I want to make this recipe, I was just wondering with the coconut oil, is that in the liquid form?
A Virtual Vegan says
It needs to be solid. Hope you enjoy them!
Sierra Fennell says
I wanted to come back here to make a post to tell you I just made these the other night and they were amazing!!!! Perhaps not as melt in your mouth as the digestives I am used to buying however I actually prefer these homemade ones much more! Thank you so much for the recipe, I will be making these weekly for they are simply sublime! Nutty, Crisp, Melt in your mouth, and so easy to make!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Sierra. I'm so glad you are enjoying them!
Perdie says
These biscuits are lovely and really hit the digestive button! Thank you for the recipe, from a UK fan!
Perdie says
Also, I used white rice flour and pats for the gluten free...
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Perdie. I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Andrea says
I made these biscuits for my vegan friends and they asked me for the recepie! (I've sent them the link :) I didn't have oat flour or possibility to grind them so I just used them whole, and they were still amazing. Thank you for the great recepie, will make them again for sure!
A Virtual Vegan says
What a good friend you are. I'm glad you all enjoyed them!
Judit says
I can’t believe how tasty they are! Unbelievable! So grateful for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome. I'm so glad you are enjoying the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave feedback. I appreciate it!