Among consumers, pastry goods are a popular group of food products. On the market there is a variety of products obtained mainly from wheat flour and with an addition of cereal flakes or cereal bran, but there are no products obtained entirely from amaranth, pumpkin, barley or rye flour. The aim of this study was to compare the sensory characteristics, consumer acceptability and mechanical properties of shortbreads baked from commercial amaranth, barley, rye or pumpkin flour, with cakes obtained from wheat flour. The hardness of the shortbreads was measured by performing a three-point breaking test using texture analyser TA.XT2.plus. Sensory assessment of consumer acceptability by using the 9-point hedonic scale as well as the flavour profile using a graphical scale was done. Replacement of wheat flour with other flours contributed to a change of texture parameters as well as sensory quality of shortbreads. Replacement of wheat flour with amaranth or pumpkin flour resulted in a reduction of hardness and moisture content of products. Pastry made with barley or rye flour was characterised by a similar hardness on baking day and during the initial storage period. It is appropriate to introduce pumpkin, barley or rye flour as a substitute for wheat flour in the production of shortbreads.