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:
- Vegan mince pies
- Vegan Christmas cake
- Vegan Christmas pudding
- Vegan mincemeat cake
- Vegan biscotti
- Vegan mulled wine brownies
- Vegan steamed chocolate pudding
- Vegan Stollen
- Starry mince pie tart
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Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Vegan Gingerbread Cookies:
- 150 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) vegan block butter (I use Naturli Vegan Block)
- 120 g (⅔ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 100 g (5 Tablespoons) golden syrup (or molasses)
- 50 g (2 ½ Tablespoons)) black treacle (or molasses)
- 1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk
- 3 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 3 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 380 g (3 cups + 2 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour (plus extra for dusting)
Vegan Royal Icing:
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (plus extra as needed)
- 2 Tablespoons aquafaba (or use extra lemon juice or water instead)
Instructions
- Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup, treacle and milk in a medium saucepan over a low heat and stir until just melted. Remove from the heat.150 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) vegan block butter (I use Naturli Vegan Block), 120 g (⅔ cup) light brown soft sugar, 100 g (5 Tablespoons) golden syrup (or molasses), 50 g (2 ½ Tablespoons)) black treacle (or molasses), 1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk
- Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and bicarbonate of soda and whisk until smooth. The mixture will foam up a bit.3 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, 3 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- Add the 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 and refrigerate for a couple of hours until it is firm enough to roll out.380 g (3 cups + 2 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour (plus extra for dusting)
- Roll the dough out either on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of baking parchment to about 4-8mm thick, depending on how thick you want your cookies. If the dough has become too firm to roll, let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes first.
- 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 firm. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Bake the cookies for 8-15 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 the sifted icing sugar in a bowl and stir in the 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.300 g (2 ½ cups) icing (powdered) sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (plus extra as needed), 2 Tablespoons aquafaba (or use extra lemon juice or water instead)
- 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 in an airtight container.
Notes
- 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, or part butter part coconut oil but the dough may feel a bit greasy. (The cookies will be fine once baked).
- 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).
- 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.
Lindy
Just discovered your beautiful website through Pinterest. Can't wait to try all your lovely recipes.
Clara
Hey made these early they taste delicious just wondering if you know how many calories in each gingerbread
hannahhossack
Hi Clara, I'm afraid that since that the size of each gingerbread is going to be different depending on what cutters you use that would be impossible for me to calculate.
Tara
Hi, could I leave out the molasses in the recipe? Thanks
Hannah
Hi Tara, you can't leave it out as that will make the dough too dry, but you can swap it for more golden syrup. Bear in mind that the cookies will be lighter in colour and have less depth of flavour.
Michelle
Hello, you could pop all the ingredients into my fitness pal to find this out. Use "create a recipe" and remember to weigh your whole batch before you eat any.
Jayne
Hello, what is the temperature for a fan oven please ?
hannahhossack
Hi Jayne, it would be 160C for a fan oven.
Lily
Tried this recipe for the first time and I love it! New favourite recipe. Super simple and tastes incredible!
Angela
Hello! I’m having a hard time finding golden syrup, is there any other alternative?
hannahhossack
Hi Angela, I covered a couple of alternatives in the blog post but there isn't really a true substitute for golden syrup, it is very unique. I recommend making your own if you are unable to get hold of it, it is easy to do and only uses a few basic ingredients. Here is a recipe: https://www.internationaldessertsblog.com/make-golden-syrup/
Melanie
Cookies turned out tasting great, but the dough following the recipe was pretty dry and crumbly. I added some soy milk and some more butter and it fixed the consistency. I can't tell the difference between these and non-vegan gingerbread - thanks for sharing!
Chloe
Fantastic! Finally a vegan gingerbread that doesn’t want me to add ‘flax egg’ or turn out rock hard. I’ll be making these all Christmas. Missed out the ground cloves and added a little ground cardamom since I don’t like clove unless it’s in a curry
Nakita
I am planning on making these for this holiday season but I am on a strict budget, is golden syrup just a maple syrup or a special type?
hannahhossack
Hi Nakita, golden syrup is completely different to maple syrup. It is thicker and lighter in colour, it is very similar in appearance to honey but is vegan and has a light caramel flavour. There isn't really a good substitute for it. I don't know where you are but here in the UK it is very cheap and available in all supermarkets. You can get it online and you can also make your own with just sugar, water and lemon: https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-golden-syrup/
Loena B
Isn't golden syrup a brand name for corn syrup?
hannahhossack
It might be but we don't have corn syrup in the UK so I don't know. Golden syrup is it's own thing and is different to corn syrup. The most well known brand is Lyle's golden syrup.
Chelsea
Hi! Please tell us where to find the TINY star cutters 🙂
Hannah
Hi Chelsea, I just have a set of star cutters in a range of sizes but I have no idea where they are from, I've had them for yonks. They should be easy to find online however.
Emma
This is my second year making these for Christmas. I made these initially because I had some ninja shaped cookie cutters and I wanted to make ninjabread men for my nephew. I'm the only vegan in the family but everyone loves ginger and they all went mad for them. I'm not much of a baker and I'm usually put off by recipes that require chill time and rolling dough, but this recipe is so fun, the whole process was very therapeutic and the results are delicious! This is my new Christmas tradition, thank you for posting.
Lee
Made these as a Christmas present for all of my workmates. They all raved about them and asked for the recipe saying it's the best gingerbread they've ever tasted! Yay vegan!
Ant
Fantastic recipe, the gingerbread turned out lovely, and the kids were very pleased helping me make them.
We're going to decorate them tomorrow (Christmas Eve) - just in time for Santa 🙂
Thanks for posting!
maja
this is my new favorite recipe!! love it, so tasty, so yummy 🙂 baked them 5 times already :))
Jenny
Would dark brown sugar work equally well as light brown?
Thanks!
hannahhossack
Hi Jenny, yes absolutely. The cookies will just be a bit darker in colour and have a slightly more intense molasses flavour.
Lucia
The receipe is very delicious! My problem with the dough was when I put the flour. It starts to get cooked and was very difficult to take out the dry pieces of flour. After that the dough got weird and not with a soft texture like your cookies. How can I fix that problem ? Thanks!
Hannah
Hi Lucia, did you use the gram measurements? It sounds like either there was an imbalance between the wet and the dry ingredients, or maybe your mixture got too hot; it should be heated just until it is melted, not boiling. If you have the same problem again you can add a drop of milk to the dough.
Ceri
Hi, would this dough be strong enough to make a gingerbread house ? Thanks
Hannah
Hi Ceri, yes it would.
Robin
Hi, I was wondering if the cookies would be okay if the butter, brown sugar, and syrups were creamed together instead of cooking it in a pot.
Hannah
Hi Robin, I haven't tried making them that way so I'm not sure how it would affect the texture.
Mariel Clayton
Hi - do you think this could be made gluten-free by alternating with something like Bobs Red Mill 1:1?
I'm not sure how much it would affect the texture, since gingerbread is a pretty dense cookie anyway.
Has anyone tried it?
Hannah
Hi Mariel, I'm afraid that I haven't tried making these gluten-free.
Roxy
These were fab and the icing was so easy to work with, it will be my go to royal icing recipe. turned out crunchier than I would like but that's probably because I rolled them too thin.
E
Best gingerbread ever! Friends and I made a load of these, getting the kids involved too. And we are all in agreement that this is the most delicious recipe for gingerbread, and one we’ll gratefully use from now on. This is definitely my favourite recipe site now too! Thank you so much
Jesse-Gabriel
Denkst du ich kann die Lebkuchen auch ohne Zucker backen wenn ich einfach mehr Sirup oder Melasse dazugebe? Ich würde sie mit Vollkorn Dinkelmehl backen!
Viele Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Emma
This is my second year making these for Christmas. I made these initially because I had some ninja shaped cookie cutters and I wanted to make ninjabread men for my nephew. I'm the only vegan in the family but everyone loves ginger and they all went mad for them. I'm not much of a baker and I'm usually put off by recipes that require chill time and rolling dough, but this recipe is so fun, the whole process was very therapeutic and the results are delicious! This is my new Christmas tradition, thank you for posting.