These Cardamom Cookies are tender, buttery, crisp, and melt in your mouth. An easy slice-and-bake shortbread cookie recipe made with just 4 ingredients and infused with plenty of ground cardamom—No eggs!
Best Cardamom Cookies Recipe
5 Star Reviews
One reader Sally writes, "Yum! I made these after seeing someone on the Holiday Baking Championship make cardamom shortbread. Your recipe seemed the most straightforward. These were delicious. Great recipe! Thanks" ★★★★★
Another reader Christine writes, "Thank you so much for putting a respectable amount of cardamom in this recipe. It's perfect. I find so many recipes that ask for a quarter of this and they end up not tasting like cardamom at all. These are wonderful with just the right amount of spice. Yum!" ★★★★★
These cardamom cookies recipe have been my go-to eggless biscuit for years—and for good reason! They're perfectly crisp, lightly sweet, and truly melt in your mouth. Once you try them, they'll earn a permanent spot on your holiday baking list year after year.
The cookie itself is a simple, classic eggless shortbread—similar to my brown sugar shortbread, but even more tender and crumbly. And if you love the warm flavor and aroma of cardamom, like in my almond flour pistachio snowball cookies, these are definitely for you!
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♡ What you’ll love about this recipe:
✔️ Irresistible Texture – Crisp, tender, and they melt in your mouth with every bite.
✔️ Completely Egg-Free – A perfect eggless cookie for those avoiding eggs without compromising on flavor or texture.
✔️ Bold Cardamom Flavor – We don’t hold back! Made with a full tablespoon of freshly ground green cardamom pods, these elaichi biscuits are deeply aromatic.
✔️ Holiday-Perfect – The biscuit dough can be frozen for up to 2 months, making it an easy, make-ahead Christmas cookie. Just slice and bake the day before!
✔️ Only 4 Ingredients – A fuss-free, slice-and-bake butter cookie recipe that’s simple yet impressive.
Cardamom Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together all purpose flour, cardamom powder and salt in a small bowl.
- Add the butter and powdered sugar to a medium bowl and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined.
- Shape the dough into a 7 to 8-inch log, wrap it in parchment paper, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days, until firm.👉 If you're making the cookies in warm weather or your kitchen is particularly hot, the dough may be too soft to shape right away. In that case, chill the bowl of dough in the refrigerator for 20 to 40 minutes to firm it up slightly before rolling it into a log.
- Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough log from the refrigerator and slice it into ¼-inch thick rounds. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake the cookies on the middle rack for 18–24 minutes, or until the edges are a deep golden brown, turning the pan halfway through for even baking.👉 For the best crisp texture, wait until the edges are nicely golden—removing them too early will give you a softer, more delicate bite.
- Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Watch how to make it
💡 My Tips for making the perfect cardamom cookies
The secret to good shortbread cookies is a crisp snap when you break them, yet they melt tenderly in your mouth. Here’s how to nail that perfect texture and flavor:
Use high-quality butter – With just a few ingredients, butter is key to both texture and taste in these eggless cardamom cookies.
Use powdered sugar — Also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar, it blends smoothly into the dough, thanks to its fine texture and added cornstarch, which also helps prevent them from spreading too much as they bake.
Grind cardamom finely – Make sure to grind elaichi very fine and sift out any bits of the green outer pod. Large pieces can affect the texture and mouthfeel. (refer to our blog post on how to make caradmom powder at home)
Don’t overmix the dough – Overmixing activates gluten, which can lead to tough cardamom cookies. Mix just until the dough comes together for a delicate, crumbly texture.
Chill the dough overnight – Refrigerating the biscuit dough for several hours (or overnight) ensures they hold the shape while baking.
Slice evenly – Use a sharp knife to cut uniform slices so all shortbreads bake evenly and finish at the same time.
Cool completely before storing – Let them cool fully on a wire rack before transferring to a container. This keeps them crisp and prevents moisture from building up.
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How to make cardamom cookies?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Recipe tips
- Use powdered sugar – It creates a melt-in-your-mouth texture and helps prevent spreading, thanks to the cornstarch content.
- Use unsalted butter – Make sure it’s softened to room temperature for easy mixing.
- Grind fresh cardamom – Also known as elaichi in India, freshly ground cardamom has a stronger, more aromatic flavor than store-bought powder.
- Chill if needed – If the cardamom biscuit dough is too soft to roll, refrigerate for 20–40 minutes before shaping into a log.
More Sweet recipes using cardamom
Wondering how to use cardamom beyond these cardamom cookies? From Indian sweets to cozy baking recipe ideas, these easy cardamom recipes are full of warm flavor and guaranteed to impress.
- Cashew snowball cookies are eggless, buttery, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Packed with cashew nuts and flavored with ground cardamom, they are perfect for Christmas or anytime.
- Almond halwa with almond flour is a quick and easy take on classic Badam Halwa. Made with ground cardamom and saffron, this indulgent Indian dessert comes together in minutes.
- Chai mug cake is like enjoying a hot cup of chai with a spoon! A soft and fluffy cake infused with chai and complimented with ground cardamom and ginger, it tastes exactly like Indian chai.
- Rasmalai Tres Leches cake is the ultimate dessert mashup of Indian Rasmalai and Mexican Tres Leches cake!
- Eggless Kulfi ice cream cake consists of a soft pistachio cake layered with creamy kulfi and cardamom whipped cream.
- Kulfi recipe is made using only 5 ingredients, it is super easy to make without no ice cream maker.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Kitchen at Hoskins on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Carolyn
These look tasty and easy to make! I'm more in awe with your photos though! How did you make those somewhat simple, one color cookie pop in the photo!!! Awesome!
Maria Doss
Thanks for the kind words Carolyn:)
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
These look so tasty! I wouldn't have thought to put Cardamom in cookies. Can't wait to try these cookies.
Maria Doss
Thank You Elaine! Cardamom adds a floral note and aroma while baking is intoxicating:)
Maija
Do you grind the entire cardamom pod?! We Finns grind the seeds. I'm going to make these for sure!
Thank you for sharing.
Maija
Maria Doss
Hi Maija, I grind the whole cardamom pods, hope it helps:)
Kim @ The Baking ChocolaTess
These look amazing Maria! 🙂
Maria Doss
Thank you Kim:)
Paulo
Do you use the whole cardamom or do you grindr only its seeds? thx!
Maria Doss
The whole cardamom. Let me how it goes, thanks.
Nicole
What if while cardimom is not available, only cardomom powder? Would you use the same amount? We live in a fairly rural area.
Maria Doss
Grinding fresh cardamoms contributes the best aroma and flavor, but store-bought cardamom powder can sure be substituted if not available. On a side note, whole cardamoms can also be found at Asian grocery stores (usually for much lesser price). Hope it helps Nicole:) Happy baking!
Rachel
Is there an egg in the recipe? This seems like it will fall apart? I've got a batch in process and just realized!!
Maria Doss
No egg. Form into a tight log, chill until firm and proceed. Do let me know how it goes, thanks.
Maria Doss
Hi Rachel, since the softness of room temperature butter varies between cold and hot months, the dough might be sticky during summer and difficult to roll into a log. In that case, I suggest to place the combined dough(along with the bowl) in the refrigerator for few minutes (to firm up) and then roll into a log with a parchment paper or plastic wrap. Thanks
Bee
I made these cookies last night. Left them overnight in the refrigerator I'm not sure what I did but to cut them was not easy they crumbled.,when I put them in the oven after 15 minutes in the oven, they burnt. I saved some of them they tasted OK... but overall I don't think it wasn't successful. They did not look as beautiful as the pictures... I followed the recipe exactly as indicated.
Maria Doss
I'm so sorry that it didn't quite work out for you. My guess would be that the flour was a touch more for the butter to bind. So, sorry again:)
Kathy Corcoran
You said 1 stick of butter but then 1 cup, which is 2 sticks of butter. Could you clarify?
Maria Doss
Hi Kathy, as per the recipe it goes -
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
- hope it helps:)
pauline
@Maria Doss, If you increase the quantity of cookies to 48, the recipe conversion states 2 Sticks of Butter (1/2 cup). CORRECTION: When making 48 cookies it should read 2 Sticks of Butter (1 Cup)
Maria Doss
Hi Pauline, Thank you for bringing that to our attention, will make the necessary corrections, Maria
sharon sh66epard
great texture, not to sweet, but the flavor was too strong for our taste. next time ill add 2 teaspoons instead of 1 tablespoon or cardamon powder
Maria Doss
Hi Sharon, I'm so glad that you liked it. 2 teaspoons cardamom powder sounds like a perfect start:)
Dianne Duprez
I loved the idea of these cookies, and live in a place settled by Finns, who adore cardamom, but wanted a look a little more special for Christmas. I just rolled the dough out on a tray, topped by a sheet of plastic wrap and chilled them off. They cut so clean and beautifully with pretty cookie cutters and kept their shape so well when baked. Thanks for the new addition to my annual list of best cookies to bake for neighbors and clients!
Maria Doss
So glad that you liked them. Happy holidays Dianne:)
Lisa
I LOVE these cookies! I'm making them again.
Maria Doss
So glad you love them, happy new year Lisa:)
Chris T.
These are so good. I made them for my friend and he loved them so much he asked for the recipe. He then made them for someone else who loved them so much, she asked for the recipe 🙂
Super easy, but the butter really cannot get too soft. If it does, you'll need to put the dough in the fridge as suggested.
Priyanka B.
Can I give the recipe 10 stars? The cookies were amazing - melt in the mouth and crisp with a bright cardamom flavor. They reminded me of atta laddoos but they are so much better because of the texture. A real keeper which will become a family favorite for sure!
Thank you for the recipe with detailed instructions. I would not have thought to add a whole tbsp of cardamom but it worked very well. I did a little more flour (about 2 tbsps) since my dough was too soft - could be because we made it on a wet day.
Maria Doss
Hi Priyanka, So glad that you loved these cookies.
These cookies remind me of "Butter Biscuits" that we get in tea stalls in Chennai, so it is one of my all time favorites. I'm happy to hear that you liked them as well:)
Ash
Is it possible to reduce the amount of sugar in this without messing up the texture?
Maria Doss
Hi Ash, These cookies are MILDLY SWEET to begin with, so I will highly encourage not reducing the sugar:)
krsM
These are just awesome; perfect sweet and butter mix. First time baking cookies and im so glad this was my first recipe. I'm a new covid baker 🙂 cakes, scones and bread ive tried so this was definitely next. I want to bake these for my friends next
Maria Doss
Glad you loved these cookies:)
Suzie Mailman
I made these cookies today so that I could introduce my sister to cardamom. They are fantastic. I love the sweetness level. It was recommended that I could dust the with confectioner's sugar or add sanding sugar before baking The butter in them tastes as if it was browned. YUM! Thank you for this recipe. Very easy!
Emily Wilson
These are absolutely divine. My only disappointment was the batch size. It will be a doubled or tripled from here on out. Thanks so much for sharing!
Ranjana
They turned out yum have become my family’s favourite tea time cookies . Thanks for the recipe
Maria Doss
Glad you liked it Ranjana:)
pauline
Fabulous! Perfect amount of crisp. The cardamon flavour is perfectly balanced. I doubled the recipe. Take note if you use the quantity converter on the recipe. 2 Sticks of Butter equals 1 Cup.
I put a little icing on top and sprinkled crushed rose petals. So YUMMY.
Maria Doss
Love the rose petal finish!!!
Laura
Super easy to make! Flexible enough for those who love spices, and omnomnom!
Maria Doss
Glad you liked these cookies Laura, Maria