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These classic vegan gingerbread cookies are everything you’re looking for in a holiday treat. Soft, chewy centers, perfectly crisp edges, and a warm, cozy flavor packed with festive gingerbread spices. Best of all, this recipe uses straightforward, pantry-friendly ingredients. No flax eggs required!
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: Sweet with warm cinnamon, spicy ginger, and rich molasses.
- Texture: Soft and chewy centers with crisp edges.
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Time: A little over an hour with chilling time.
Why We Love These Gingerbread Cutout Cookies: I mean… how could you not love a classic recipe like gingerbread cookies?! This super easy recipe is one I keep coming back to every holiday season and I’m surprised it took me so long to finally create a blog post for them. Full of flavor, soft centers and perfectly crisp edges. Delicious.
Why This Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Works
Getting vegan gingerbread cookies to be soft, chewy, and perfect for cut-out shapes took some trial and error, but the final recipe delivers all the cozy holiday flavor you’d expect, minus the spreading.
Vegan Butter
After testing a variety of vegan butter brands, I’ve learned the key is to use one with an oil content of around 79% or higher. This closely mimics the fat content of dairy butter (around 80%) and gives the dough the texture it needs. Brands like Violife Plant Butter and Earth Balance sticks are my go-to because their lower water content keeps the cookies from spreading or puffing too much in the oven. Try to avoid using vegan butter from a tub, as it typically has a higher water content and may lead to spreading.
Leavening Agents
The leavening agents, baking soda and baking powder, each play an important role in creating the perfect texture. Baking soda, an alkaline ingredient, reacts with the acidity in the brown sugar and molasses to help expand and enlarge air bubbles in the dough, giving the cookies just enough spread while keeping them chewy.
Baking powder, on the other hand, is a combination of baking soda and an acid. It provides an additional lift during baking, contributing to a softer texture without making the cookies overly puffy. Measure both carefully! Using both in the right amounts makes sure the cookies hold their shape but still bake up light and tender.
The Techniques
And don’t skip the chilling step. Chilled dough is easier to work with, holds its shape during baking, and creates the best texture. It’s one of those simple steps that makes all the difference.
Okay enough of the baking tips, let’s get into what you’ll need to make these easy vegan gingerbread cookies!
Ingredients:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Salted Vegan Butter: Like I mentioned above, I prefer Violife Plant Butter and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks. I opted for salted vegan butter here since it’s easier to find in the grocery store than unsalted.
Molasses: I’m using regular unsulphured molasses in this recipe (Grandma’s brand). Not blackstrap molasses.
All Purpose Flour: I used unbleached all purpose flour by King Arthur’s Baking which is around 11% protein content. I recommend measuring with a digital scale or spooning the flour into the measuring cup from the bag and leveling off the top with a butter knife.
Gingerbread Spices: This recipe uses a combination of winter spices like ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.
Light Brown Sugar: This helps create a chewy cookie and adds more molasses flavor!
Helpful Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Rolling Pin
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Cooling Rack
- Plastic Baggies or Reusable Piping Bag
Step-by-Step Instructions
*Ingredient Quantities are in the Recipe Card Below!*
STEP 1: Cream the softened vegan butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
STEP 2: Add the molasses and mix to combine.
STEP 3: In a separate medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until a cohesive dough forms.
STEP 4: Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a ball, wrap the dough in the plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
STEP 5: Roll out to about ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, then cut into any shape your heart desires. You can create gingerbread people, Christmas tress, stars etc. Transfer to a parchment lined baking or cookie sheet.
STEP 6: Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, just until the centers are set. For smaller cookies (under 2 inches wide or tall), bake for 8-9 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorating Ideas
Decorating these vegan gingerbread cookies is such a fun way to enjoy them! You can use the icing to outline the cookies for a clean, simple look, or dip the tops into the icing for a quicker, rustic design.
For colored cookies, add a few drops of gel food coloring to the icing. Classic white, red, green, or gold all work beautifully.
The icing hardens at room temperature after about 15 to 25 minutes, so the cookies can be stacked or stored once they’ve set.
These cookies are perfect on a chilly winter day with a glass of almond milk or a warm latte on the side. Decorating gingerbread cookies is one of my favorite family traditions, with everyone gathered around the table creating their own unique designs. I hope this recipe helps bring the same joy and helps you create lasting memories with your loved ones this holiday season!
Storage
- Room Temperature: To keep your vegan gingerbread cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature with parchment paper between the layers to prevent sticking. They’ll stay soft and delicious for 2–3 days this way.
- Freezer: These cookies are also amazing when frozen! Place them in a plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thawing: When you’re ready to enjoy them, let the cookies come to room temperature, or reheat them in the microwave for 15-second intervals. Just be careful not to microwave them too long, as the icing might melt. Freezing a batch means you can have festive cookies ready to enjoy whenever the craving strikes!
Helpful Tips for Amazing Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Choose the Right Vegan Butter: Use vegan butter with at least 79% oil content for the best structure. Let it soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes before mixing. This helps create a smooth, workable dough.
- Chill the Dough: Don’t skip this step! Chilling the dough prevents spreading during baking and makes it easier to roll out and cut into shapes.
- Roll to Your Desired Thickness: For a classic texture, roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick. If you prefer softer, chewier cookies, roll it slightly thicker, between ¼ and ½ inch.
- Bake by Cookie Size: Adjust the bake time based on the size of your cookies. Larger cookies will take about 11–13 minutes, while smaller cookies will need just 8–10 minutes. Be sure to watch closely to avoid over baking!
More Vegan Christmas Cookies:
- Simple Air Fryer Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies
- Cherry Bonbon Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cookies
- Cranberry Almond Shortbread
More Vegan Holiday Recipes:
- Homemade Gingerbread Simple Syrup
- Vegan Gingerbread Cake with Apples
- Banana Gingerbread Loaf Bread
- Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai Latte
- Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread
Classic Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup salted vegan butter, 114g like Violife Plant Butter (softened at room temp. for 30 minutes)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar, 120g
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses, 110g like Grandma’s (not blackstrap)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240g, spooned into the measuring cup and leveled with a knife (+ 2-3 tbsp for rolling out the dough)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp fine salt
Super Simple Vegan Royal Icing (makes enough for light decorations like the photos)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, 120g, also called confectioner's sugar
- 1-2 ½ tbsp aquafaba, the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to cream the softened vegan butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then mix in the molasses until well-combined.½ cup salted vegan butter, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp fine salt
- Combine: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing with the hand mixer just until a cohesive dough forms. If dough feels very sticky, add 1-2 more tablespoons of flour.
- Chill: Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- Prep: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll and Cut: Remove the dough from the fridge, and let it rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, then cut into desired shapes. Re-roll the scraps and repeat. TIP: The thicker the dough is rolled out, the softer the cookies will be once baked! If you prefer soft & chewy cookies, roll the dough out to between ¼-½" thick.
- Bake: Spread out the cookies on the parchment lined baking sheet, about 2" apart. For large cookies, bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, just until the centers are set and the edges are lightly golden. For cookies smaller than 2", bake for 8-9 minutes.
- The cookies may look slightly puffy when first removed from the oven, but will deflate as they cool. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Royal Icing
- Note: this icing recipe makes enough to lightly decorate the cookies like the photos. To cover the entire cookie with icing, I recommend tripling the icing ingredients to make sure you have enough!
- Add the powdered sugar to a medium mixing bowl.1 cup powdered sugar
- Open the can of chickpeas and drain the liquid into a small bowl (this liquid is called aquafaba). Add 1 tablespoon of aquafaba at a time to the powdered sugar, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Stop once a thick, pipe-able icing forms. For a thinner consistency (like for flooding), add more aquafaba, up to 2 ½ tablespoons total.1-2 ½ tbsp aquafaba
- Stir in the vanilla extract, if using, and mix until fully combined. You can also add food coloring at this point.¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- Spoon the icing into a plastic sandwich bag or piping bag. Snip a small corner off the bag for piping.
- Pipe the icing onto completely cooled cookies. Adjust the size of the cut on the bag as needed for detailed designs.
- Allow the decorated cookies to sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes, or until the icing hardens.
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Categories:
Baked Goods, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Recipes, Seasonal, Tried & True Vegan Classics, Winter,
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