Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Published: Dec 19, 2019 · Modified: Mar 22, 2021

Vegan gingerbread cookies - these perfect vegan gingerbread cookies are so easy to make and ideal for decorating at Christmas. They make lovely gifts or edible decorations and can be made soft or crunchy as you prefer. Use this recipe to make vegan Gingerbread men, edible tree decorations or any kind of cut outs you like.

The best part about Christmas is all of the baked goods. I don't think that there is a single traditional Christmas bake that I don't enjoy! Gingerbread has to be near the top of the list, whether that be in cookie or cake form.

These vegan gingerbread cookies are the ultimate recipe, they are incredibly easy to make, keep their shape well and are spicy and delicious. They will also make your house smell amazing while they are baking!

They keep well so would be great to give as gifts or to use as edible decorations. They are also just nice to have around to snack on throughout the festive season.

They are delicious without the icing, but it does make them look very pretty. Alternatively a spot of biscuit decorating is a great way to keep kids entertained for a couple of hours (the results might not be as attractive however!).

How To Make Vegan Gingerbread Cookies:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*

This recipe is a bit different in that the ingredients are melted in a pan rather than creamed together. Place vegan block butter, light brown softt sugar, golden syrup and black treacle (molasses) in a medium saucepan over a low heat and stir until everything is melted. Remove the pan from the heat.

(The image shows part block butter and part coconut oil as I ran out of butter, you can swap some or all of the butter for coconut oil but I think these cookies are best made with butter, the coconut oil can make the dough a bit greasy.)

Add ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and bicarbonate of soda and whisk until totally smooth. The mixture will foam up a bit.

I go quite heavy on the spices as I like my gingerbread quite fiery; you can reduce the amount if you want a milder flavoured gingerbread.

Add plain flour and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and no dry patches of flour remain. Wrap the dough in clingfilm or an environmentally friendly alternative (I use a silicone Stasher bag) and refrigerate it for a couple of hours until it is firm enough to roll out.

The dough can be stored in the fridge for up to a couple of days but you may need to let it come up to room temperature a bit before you roll it out as it gets quite firm.

Once firm, roll the dough out either on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of baking parchment to about 3-5mm thick, depending on how thick you want your cookies.

Cut out as many shapes as you can with your choice of cookie cutters. Bring the scraps together into a ball and re-roll to cut out more shapes.

Place them well spaced apart on a couple of baking sheets lined with baking parchment. (They will spread a little as they cook so make sure they have a bit of room).

Place the trays in the freezer for 15 minutes until the dough is firm, this helps to stop the cookies from spreading. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes depending on whether you want them soft or crunchy and how big they are. Little ones will cook more quickly than larger cutouts. The cookies will still be very soft but will firm up as they cool. I bake mine until they are beginning to brown around the edges.

Leave the cookies to cool on the trays for a couple of minutes then carefully transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cold make the royal icing. Place sifted icing sugar in a bowl and stir in lemon juice and aquafaba. The icing should be thick but pourable. If you drizzle some back into the bowl the pattern should disappear after 10 seconds or so. If it is too thick stir in a drop more lemon juice, and if it is too runny add some extra sifted icing sugar.

Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round writing nozzle and decorate the cookies as you like.

Leave the decorated cookies to dry flat for a couple of hours before storing them in an airtight container.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

The dough needs to chill for a couple of hours before you roll it out so make sure that you start making these gingerbread cookies early enough in the day. Alternatively, the dough can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days but you may need to let it come up to room temperature a bit before you roll it out as it gets quite firm.

You MUST use a block butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub as it has too high a water content for baking. I use Naturli Vegan Block. Stork or Vitalite block, Tormor or Earth Balance Buttery Sticks would all work.

You can use coconut oil instead of vegan butter but the dough may feel a bit greasy.

Make sure that you accurately weigh out the golden syrup and treacle otherwise your cookies may spread too much. Even a difference of a few grams can affect the texture of the dough.

If you are in the US and can't get hold of golden syrup then you can use light molasses instead (NOT blackstrap molasses).

I go quite heavy on the spices as I like my gingerbread quite fiery; you can reduce the amount if you want a milder flavoured gingerbread.

Freezing the cookies before you bake them helps them to keep their shape so don't skip this step.

The difference between soft gingerbread cookies and crunchy ones is simply the baking time. If you want soft cookies bake them for a shorter amount of time and for crunchy ones leave them in for longer.

As all ovens vary and the bake time will be different depending on the size of your cookie cutters and whether you want soft or crunchy cookies, I suggest baking a couple of test cookies first to figure out the perfect bake time for you.

If you don't want to use aquafaba in the icing you can just swap it for more lemon juice or water.

The icing can be coloured using gel food colours (not liquid ones). I believe that Sugarflair colours are vegan friendly.

What Is A Substitute For Golden Syrup?:

Golden syrup is a very common baking ingredient in the UK; it has a buttery caramel flavour and the texture of honey (Lyle's Golden Syrup is vegan friendly). It can be tricky to get hold of elsewhere, though apparently lots of stores in the US have it in the foreign foods section or you can get in online. You can also try making your own!

If you aren't able to get hold of any then you can swap it for light molasses or corn syrup instead.

How To Store Vegan Gingerbread Cookies:

The cookies will keep for 2-3 weeks stored in an airtight container. Separate them with layers of greaseproof paper and make sure that any decorations are completely dry first!

Can I Freeze The Dough?:

Yes, provided it is well wrapped the dough cn be frozen for up to a month. Let it defrost overnight in the fridge then bring it up to room temperature for a bit before rolling it out.

How Long Will The Dough Keep In The Fridge?:

Once you have prepared the dough, place it in a silicone bag or wrap in clingfilm and store it in the fridge for up to three days. You might need to let it come up to room temperature for a bit before rolling it out.

More Vegan Christmas Recipes:

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