Fill your home with the aroma of vegan gluten free gingerbread cookies. These are soft and chewy with the perfect amount of spice. They are made with simple ingredients and are ready in just over 30 minutes
Gluten-free vegan baking can be a lot of fun when the results are right and these gingerbread cookies are just that.
The aroma of baking these vegan gluten-free gingerbread cookies makes me so happy.
Sneaking in a cookie or two fresh from the oven makes me even happier, and playing around with vegan royal icing to decorate the gingerbread men makes me feel like a kid again.
The taste of these cookies has the right amount of ginger pepperiness (for me!) and sweetness.
The texture is spot on for a gluten-free cookie, it's chewy and soft. Just the way I like them with a nice cup of herbal tea, check out this list of fresh herbs for tea.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only one bowl is needed and minimal ingredients
- You can adjust the amount of spices used to suit your taste
- Not only are these gingerbread cookies gluten free and vegan, they are also nut free, corn free and soy free
- Very easy to make, ready in just over 30 minutes (unless decorating)
Ingredients You’ll Need
The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
Gluten-free plain flour is needed. It’s easiest to use an already prepared blend. I have baked with a few varieties, but the difference is only slight.
Use your preferred brand, I like to use Orgran or Bob Mills these both have binders (either xanthum gum or guar gum) included in the blends.
When measuring your gluten-free plain flour, I highly recommend weighing using a kitchen scale. This will yield best results every time. Otherwise, use the scoop, tap and level action.
Ginger powder is the key flavor that can easily be found online or at your local supermarket in the spice section. You can also use ginger powder in these vegan ginger cookies without molasses.
Cinnamon and allspice powder complement ginger well.
Coconut oil should be melted into liquid, it is easiest to work with it this way for this recipe. Coconut oil adds moisture to these gluten-free vegan gingerbread cookies.
Treacle has a great thick and sticky consistency to assist with moisture in this cookie, adding sweetness. Treacle is also known as blackstrap molasses.
Aquafaba is bean brine found in canned chickpeas for example. This is thicker than water and acts as a binding ingredient. Here are more recipes using aquafaba.
How To Make Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Sift the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl sift gluten-free plain flour, ginger, and spices and combine well, ensure all spices are mixed throughout the flour.
Add the wet ingredients. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add coconut oil, treacle (blackstrap molasses) and aquafaba. Use a wooden/silicone spoon to fold all the ingredients together until you need to use your hands to form the dough. The dough will be fudge-like.
Create the cookies. Divide dough into four evenly portioned balls. Use the palm of your hands to flatten the dough into approximately 7½mm (⅓”) thick onto a silicone baking mat. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out the desired shapes. Peel away the unused dough. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
It's time to bake. Carefully transfer the cutout cookies to a lined baking sheet tray and bake in a preheated 170C (340F) fan-forced oven for 9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool down on a cooling rack, cookies will harden further as they cool. Enjoy as-is, or decorate with vegan royal icing.
Pro Tips
Yield may vary depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
There is no need to chill this dough prior to using it. Work fast with the dough as the coconut oil will warm up from the heat of your hands. If required, place it in the fridge for 15 minutes (covered). I didn’t find I needed to do this.
Using a silicone baking mat (affiliate link) to press out the dough is easy to work with and will ensure the dough doesn’t stick to the surface. You can also bake on the mat, which makes transferring easier (if you have a couple of silicone baking mats to work with)
If you don’t have a silicone mat, sandwich the dough between two pieces of baking paper and press down to flatten. Also, bake on baking paper or a silicone mat.
Avoid rolling out the dough, as it is a gluten-free dough, it doesn’t behave per a wheat dough and will crack if rolled.
Be careful when cutting out the shapes as it is easy to nick the edges of the cookies (I always seem to manage this)
These cookies don’t spread when baked (not recommended for rolling into a ball and then baking)
When decorating the cookies, it is best to flip them after baked and cooled (use the bottom side up), as that will be the smoothest surface. (I have forgotten to do this at times and they are still fine)
Variations
Ground cloves and nutmeg can be added if desired
Treacle (blackstrap molasses) can be replaced with date molasses.
Decorating can be done with vegan royal icing. Just remember to allow the icing to dry.
FAQ
These gluten-free gingerbread cookies are best consumed the same day if you want that crunch. However they are still delicious when stored, they become soft and chewy, still very pleasant. Place the cooled down cookies in an air tight container in the fridge or pantry for up to a week.
Related Recipes
Try something Aussie like these gf vegan ANZAC biscuits.
Another delicious Christmas treat is this vegan eggnog bread.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Gluten Free Vegan Gingerbread Cookies (Easy)
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups Gluten free plain flour
- 1 tablespoon Ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ⅛ cup + 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
- ¼ cup Blackstrap molasses treacle
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Aquafaba
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl sift gluten free plain flour, ginger, spices and combine well, ensure all spices are mixed throughout the flour.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and add coconut oil, treacle (blackstrap molasses) and aquafaba. Use a wooden/silicone spoon to fold all the ingredients together until you need to use your hands to form the dough. Dough will be fudge like.
- Divide dough into four evenly portioned balls. Use the palm of your hands to flatten the dough into approximately 7½mm (⅓”) thick onto a silicone baking mat. See notes. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the desired shapes. Peel away the unused dough. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
- Carefully transfer the cut out cookies to a lined baking sheet tray and bake in a preheated 170C (340F) fan forced oven for 9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool down on a cooling rack, cookies will harden further as they cool. Enjoy as is, or decorate with vegan royal icing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
If you enjoyed this recipe, consider supporting my work for the cost of a cup of coffee.
Gen
nice recipe! easy to make and smelt amazing and oh-so-christmas-y as i cooked them. the aquafaba is a great vegan substitute - it creates a good texture. only thing i would caution is the amount of ginger - i like spice but they were a little too hot, even for me!
Janelle
Thank you for your feedback. Good thing the amount of ginger can be adjusted to suit.
And I completely am in love with the smell when baking these gluten-free gingerbread cookies too, it's amazing.
Merry Xmas!
Megan
Wow!! Your gingerbread’s texture looks amazing! I don’t usually bake gluten free so I’m always super impressed when you can get results like this. What a cute cookie! My kiddos are going to love these!!