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Soft in the middle, crisp on the edges, and full of rich molasses and warm spices, these vegan gingerbread cookies are my favorite cutout cookie for the holidays. They hold their shape for gingerbread men, stars, and trees, and they always earn a spot on my tray of vegan Christmas cookies.
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Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What Makes These Vegan Gingerbread Cookies So Good
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients
- Optional Add-Ins
- How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Pro Recipe Tips
- How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
- Storage Instructions
- Serving Ideas
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookie FAQs
- More Vegan Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The holidays aren’t complete without lots of freshly baked cookies! Along with my vegan snowball cookies and vegan chocolate crinkle cookies, no holiday goes by without these Christmas gingerbread cookies. They use applesauce in place of eggs (more on that in my guide to vegan egg replacers for baking), and no one would guess they’re vegan unless you tell them.
I have a few gingerbread cookies on the blog, and each one is a little different. My gingerbread crinkle cookies are soft, chewy dough balls rolled in sugar that bake up with a crackly top, so there’s no rolling pin or cookie cutter needed. My gingerbread oatmeal cookies are thick, chewy drop cookies with oats right in the dough. This recipe is the classic rolled cutout version, made for decorating.
If you love ginger as much as I do, you might also enjoy my vegan gingerbread cake and triple ginger vegan cookies.
What Makes These Vegan Gingerbread Cookies So Good
These are the gingerbread cookies I make when I want to break out the cookie cutters and icing.
- Made for cookie cutters: The dough doesn’t puff up or spread much, so your gingerbread men keep their arms and legs.
- No eggs needed: Unsweetened applesauce does the job, and the cookies stay soft in the middle.
- Your choice of texture: Pull them out when the edges set for soft centers, or bake a little longer for crunchier cookies.
- Make-ahead friendly: The dough discs keep in the fridge or freezer, so you can bake when it suits you.
- Classic holiday spices: Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves give you that warm gingerbread flavor with spices you probably already have.
Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients
You only need pantry staples for this recipe. Refer to the recipe card for the full list of quantities.
- Vegan butter: Let it soften to room temperature so it creams with the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and helps keep the middles soft and chewy.
- Unsulphured blackstrap molasses: This is what I tested the recipe with. Blackstrap is thicker and more robust than regular molasses, and it gives these cookies their deep gingerbread flavor and color.
- Unsweetened applesauce: Takes the place of eggs and helps bind the dough.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the warm spices.
- All-purpose flour: Spoon it into your measuring cups and level it off so the cookies don’t turn out dry.
- Cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves: The classic gingerbread spice blend.
- Baking soda: Gives the cookies a little lift without making them spread.
- Decorating icing: Optional, and store-bought or homemade both work. See my decorating ideas below.
Optional Add-Ins
Want to switch up the flavor? I haven’t tested every one of these in this recipe, so if you try one, let me know how it goes in the comments!
- Orange zest: About 1 Tablespoon adds a fresh citrus note that pairs well with the spices.
- Black pepper: A little boosts the warmth of the ginger and cloves.
- Cardamom: Adds extra depth to the spice blend.
- Espresso powder: Deepens the molasses and spice flavors. Add a little more to turn these into gingerbread latte cookies.
- Candied ginger: Chop it finely for chewy little bites of ginger.
How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Before you start, set your vegan butter out so it softens to room temperature. The dough needs at least 3 hours in the fridge, so I like to make it the night before I plan to bake.
Step 1: Cream the vegan butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Then mix in the molasses, applesauce, and vanilla until fully combined.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix into a thick dough, being careful not to overmix.
Step 3: Form the dough into a ball and cut it in half. Shape each half into a disc about 1 inch thick, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Unwrap one disc, leave it sitting on the plastic wrap, and roll it to about ½ inch thick. If the edges crack, press them back together with your hands.
Step 5: Cut out shapes with your cookie cutters and peel away the extra dough. Use the plastic wrap to gently lift each cookie onto the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between them. Re-roll the scraps to cut more.
Step 6: Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 9 minutes, until the edges are set but the middles still look soft. While they bake, roll out the second disc. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack.
The flexibility of the plastic wrap makes it easier to move the cookies without damaging them. If you prefer, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and bake the cookies right on the paper.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour properly: Fluff it in the bag, spoon it into a measuring cup, then level it with a knife. This keeps the cookies from turning out dense and dry.
- Don’t skip the chill: Chilled dough is easier to roll, and it helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
- Watch the bake time: For soft middles, take the cookies out as soon as the edges set. Baking them longer gives you crunchier cookies.
- Cool completely before decorating: Then give the icing time to set before you stack or store them.
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
Decorating is my favorite part! Here are my go-to toppings. A piping bag makes the little details so much easier.
- Royal icing: I use vegan royal icing, which is perfect for piping faces, buttons, and outlines.
- Simple glaze icing: Whisk powdered sugar with a little plant-based milk for glazed gingerbread cookies. It stays softer than royal icing.
- Vegan buttercream: My vanilla vegan buttercream frosting gives you a softer, creamier topping. I haven’t tested it on these cookies yet, so let me know if you try it!
- Melted vegan chocolate: Drizzle or dip the cookies in place of icing.
- Sanding sugar: Sprinkle it over wet icing so it looks like snow.
- Sprinkles or mini candies: Perfect for buttons on gingerbread men or ornaments on tree-shaped cookies.
- Edible vegan glitter, powdered sugar, or shredded coconut: For a quick finishing touch.
Storage Instructions
Store: Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Separate decorated cookies with layers of parchment paper or wax paper.
Freeze: Flash freeze undecorated cookies until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or Stasher bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature for 40 to 60 minutes.
If your cookies turn out on the crisp side, microwave one for 5 to 10 seconds for a slightly softer texture.
Serving Ideas
These cookies are wonderful with a mug of vegan hot chocolate on a chilly night. For a holiday cookie tray or cookie exchange, pair them with vegan peppermint bark and vegan lemon shortbread cookies for a mix of colors and flavors.
Vegan Gingerbread Cookie FAQs
I designed and tested this recipe with blackstrap molasses, which is thicker with a stronger, more bitter flavor, so I can’t promise the same results with regular molasses. If you try it, let me know how it goes in the comments!
Yes! Make the dough up to the point of chilling it as discs in plastic wrap, then keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the fridge overnight before rolling and cutting.
I’ve only tested these cookies with unsweetened applesauce, so I haven’t tested a flax egg or another egg replacer here. Applesauce keeps the recipe simple and the middles soft.
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour yet, so I can’t promise how the dough will roll or hold its shape. If you try a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour, please share how it turned out in the comments.
More Vegan Holiday Cookie Recipes
Vegan Desserts
Soft Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
Vegan Desserts
Vegan Snickerdoodles
Vegan Desserts
Vegan Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies
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Vegan Desserts
Easy Muddy Buddies [Puppy Chow]
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Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) vegan butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) unsulphured blackstrap molasses
- ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- decorating icing optional, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Place the vegan butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and cream them with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the molasses, applesauce, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix into a thick dough.
- Form the dough into a large ball and cut it in half.
- Lay a long piece of plastic wrap on the counter, place one dough half in the center, and flatten it into a disc about 1 inch thick.
- Wrap the disc well in the plastic wrap and repeat with the other dough half.
- Refrigerate the dough discs for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Keep the dough in the fridge while the oven heats.
- Unwrap one disc on the counter, leaving the dough sitting on the plastic wrap.
- Roll the dough on the plastic wrap to about ½ inch thick. If the edges crack, press them back together with your hands.
- Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and peel away the excess dough around them, setting the scraps aside.
- Use the plastic wrap to gently lift each cookie onto a prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between them.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 9 minutes, until the edges are just set and the middles still look soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Repeat with the second dough disc and the re-rolled scraps.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with icing, if you like.
Notes
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cups and level it off so the cookies don’t turn out dense or dry.
- Don’t skip the chill. Chilled dough is easier to roll and helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
- Rolling and cutting on plastic wrap or parchment paper keeps the edges neat. You can also roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and bake right on the paper.
- For soft middles, take the cookies out as soon as the edges set. Baking them longer gives you crunchier cookies.
- Let the cookies cool completely before decorating, then give the icing time to set.
- To make ahead, keep the wrapped dough discs in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the fridge overnight.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Freeze undecorated cookies for up to 3 months.
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So fun and delicious!