
It’s that time of year again when there are entire displays filled with all sorts of gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses. I saw them the other day and thought, hmmmm….I bet it’s not hard to make vegan gingerbread cookies that are whole food plant based. Turns out its VERY easy!
These Easy Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are oil free, refined sugar free, whole grain, and super tasty!
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies Whole Food Plant Based
Instead of brown sugar, I used coconut sugar, which is unrefined and lower on the glycemic index. You can also use date sugar, although I didn’t personally test it, but you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of plant milk so it’s not too dry. Date sugar absorbs more liquid like flour.
To make the oil free, my favorite baking substitute is unsweetened applesauce. That’s pretty much my go-to for baked items. And since these are oil free, they are also low fat and a guilt free treat at less than 100 calories for 2 cookies!
I used whole wheat flour to make these whole grain, but you can also use oat flour to make them gluten free. Again, I didn’t personally test this, so if it’s drier, you might need to add some plant milk in this situation as well.
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Of course molasses is a major ingredient when making gingerbread cookies and molasses has a good source of vitamins & minerals. Be sure to look for unsulphured, like Grandma’s Molasses.
Best Spices for Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
And let’s not forget the perfect blend of spices for these vegan gingerbread cookies!
I used ground ginger, ground cinnamon, a little bit of Allspice, and a little bit of ground cloves for a wonderful balanced spice blend.

What Shapes to Make Gingerbread Cookies
I bought these holiday cookie cutters off of Amazon but you can make them whatever shapes you want. I liked the festive shapes of the gingerbread man, snowman, Christmas tree, star, and candy cane because I have kids and that’s fun for them.
You can also make small balls and mash them down with a fork to create small round cookies.
Depending on the size of your cookie cutters, your cookies might be larger. My cutters are on the small size so I usually end up with around 36 cookies.
Other WFPB Recipes You Might Like:
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Cashew Whipped Cream
- Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Pie Hummus
- 5 Minute Chocolate Hummus
Easy Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour oat flour for gluten free
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or date sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt optional
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients & mix to combine well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl, and stir until most all the flour is absorbed (will be crumbly). Then use your hands to form into a dough ball.
- Spread out a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle generously with flour. Flour your rolling pin and roll out to dough until 1/4 inch thickness. If it's too sticky, add more flour.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes and place on the baking sheet. Ball of the excess dough, roll it out again and cut out more cookies. Repeat until all dough has been used.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes and then let cool completely. They will harden up a bit more as they cool.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thanks for this recipe! Have you ever frozen these cookies once baked? How do they thaw out if so?
We haven’t froze them but I don’t think it would be a problem.
This is a fantastic recipe! I made them with my granddaughter. She enjoyed decorating them with raisins and dark chocolate chips before we baked them. They were delicious!
I’m happy that you and your granddaughter enjoyed it.