I put out a little “SOS” of sorts on Facebook last week asking you guys what type of baked treats you’d like to see on the blog before Christmas. Though I got a lot of replies the most common theme was gingerbread, and specifically to make it gluten-free and vegan. When you talk, I listen! I got to work that same day and perfected a recipe by morning. Friends, I present to you both gluten-free AND vegan gingerbread cookies!
This batter is seriously decadent looking, no? But it’s deceptive as it actually has plenty of wholesome gluten-free grains like buckwheat, brown rice, and oat flour. It also includes one flax egg and a healthy heaping of molasses, which we all know is good for the soul. A few other basic ingredients and we have 1-bowl magic on our hands. Next? Chill, roll, and stamp – my favorite part.
These little guys take a little tender care in the stamping process but once you get them on the tray you’re home free. And the good news is, if you’d rather not mess with cutting them into shapes, you can just roll them into little balls and bake them into some of the BEST, crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside ginger cookies I’ve ever had. No joke!
Look at that stack of gingerbread goodness. These guys are:
Crispy on the edges
Tender and slightly chewy in the center
Packed with ginger, cinnamon and molasses flavor
Seriously amazing
& Begging to be frosted.
I can fix that…
For my frosting I went with a simple mix of powdered sugar, melted vegan butter, and a dash of almond milk. This is the perfect and most simple frosting for these little dudes.
OK, I lied. Stamping them out is my SECOND favorite step. Icing them is my first.
I hope you enjoy these cookies! Make them for friends, for yourself, or with the little kiddos in your life. They will have a ball dotting on buttons and faces and tiny gingerbread man shoes. Maybe more fun than you (but I doubt it).
Once they’re all dressed, package them up and send them to far away friends or ones just across the street. These would also be adorable individually wrapped in cellophane and tied onto presents. Just sayin’. Your family would be seriously impressed.
And before I go, can I just say that making them into little rounds is my preferred way to go because although they aren’t as adorable, they taste like gingerbread MAGIC IN THE MOUTH. Get you some. Happy holidays, friends!
Vegan Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- 2 ½ Tbsp water (to make flax egg)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter (softened)
- 3 Tbsp molasses
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 ¼ – 1 ¾ cups gluten-free baking / pancake mix* (or 1:1 gluten-free flour blend)
ICING (optional)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (ensure vegan-friendly as needed)
- 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter
- 1-2 Tbsp almond milk (or other milk of choice)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, prepare flax egg by mixing flaxseed meal and water and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add softened butter, molasses, almond butter, brown sugar, salt, spices, baking soda and beat on low with a mixer, or vigorously whisk.
- Add gluten free baking mix (or flour) and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir until well combined. Your dough should hold its shape when pressed, but not feel dry. I found that 1.5 cups (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) was about the perfect amount, but this will depend on your blend.
- Cover and chill dough for at least one hour (preferably overnight).
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees (176 C). Carefully roll out dough to a little thicker than 1/8 inch between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment/wax paper, generously sprinkling the bottom layer and the top of the dough with white or brown rice flour before rolling. You don’t want it too thin or they’ll be too crisp.
- Remove top sheet and, working quickly, dip your cookie cutters in rice flour and cut out shapes. Next, lift the plastic wrap (with all of the dough) and place it on a baking sheet or large plate and freeze for 5 minutes to let them firm up. This will make them easier to transfer to your baking sheet for baking.
- Next, use a lightly floured spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to a baking sheet, working quickly. Leave 2 inches for spreading.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they appear only slightly browned on the edges. They’ll continue firming up as they sit on the pan. Let rest on the pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Once cooled, decorate with frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar. I think a perfect, simple frosting option is piping on a mix of 2 cups icing sugar, 1 Tbsp melted butter, and 1-2 Tbsp almond milk (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Just make sure it’s on the thicker side so it doesn’t run.
- Store covered at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer term storage. The batch should make between 25-35 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter / or if you decide not to cut them and roll them into balls.
Video
Notes
*If you don’t want to cut them out into shapes (as it is a bit onerous with the dough being so tender), after chilling, simply roll 1 Tbsp amounts of dough into balls, freeze for 5 minutes, then bake for 10-12 minutes.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 1 1/4 cups GF Pancake Mix, without frosting, and for a batch that makes 30 cookies.
Kate says
Love this recipe for various reasons! First, because each time I made them, they came out really quite tasty. Second, because they were not finicky. I am allergic or reactive to many things including too much high gleicemic sugar, so it was a joy to adapt these because they turned out yummy for me! I used 1 and 2/3 cups flour, using a 1/3 cup measure, I did 3 almond flour, 1 a mix of buckwheat flour and tapioca starch and 1 of coconut flour. I added 1 teaspoon Xanthum gum plus a generous pinch. (I don’t like too much or things get tougher -less tender) I used maple syrup mixed with brown sugar and heavy molasses to lower the gleicemic level (but needed the extra flour as a result) Violife plant butter is my favorite, so that was in. I needed just one gingerbread child for my granddaughter, so I rolled out a ball for the head, a short rope for arms under the head and a longer rope for a chevron for the legs, added a pat of dough for the belly and smushed the whole thing with my clean fingers. (Yes, so lazy!) Came out perfect. The rest I made into various shaped coins and rounds using my finger to press a ball flat. I will increase ginger and loved it with maple icing and also with cream cheese maple icing, which vaguely reminded me of carrot cake. The buckwheat makes these hearty, but helps me manage the gliecemic load. (These days I am a lazy baker, but these work well!)
We love that you played around with the recipe and enjoyed the result, Kate! Thank you for sharing! xo
Joanne says
Serious YUM. I was actually looking for a tender gingerbread cookie recipe. Do you think this would work with melted coconut oil or coconut butter?
:) Yes, we do think melted coconut oil would work, though it may contribute a slight coconut flavor unless using refined coconut oil.
Susan L says
Looks delicious and I will be making these. Question: I eat eggs. How many in place of your substitution egg? Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. Even though I am not vegan, I do love your recipes. I’ve made many with great success 🥰 🥘
Yay! We’re so glad you have success with our recipes, Susan! Thank you for your sweet words! 1 egg should work well in place of the flaxseed meal and water. Let us know how it goes with the egg! xo
Natalie says
Please suggest a nut free alternative instead of the almond butter? Do we need to substitute it or can I just not add the almond butter? Thank you
Hi Natalie, perhaps tahini or sunflower seed butter? The flavor may be slightly different though! You could also try applesauce or mashed banana or another “thick liquid” ingredient that will add moisture. Let us know if you give any substitutions a try!
Nat says
As others have said, once chilled, the dough was pretty easy to work with. Next time I’ll try to chill the entire rolled dough in the freezer before cutting out the shapes.
I used a mix of GF flours (corn starch, quinoa flour, rice flour) and added 1/4 ts of Xanthan, and the texture is wonderful.
The only detail I’d add is that I think molasses are a very US food, and some other people not from the US (like me!) _might_ not love the taste-aftertaste (and smell. Wow, that was strong!). So, for my next batch I’ll most definitely reduce the molasses (maybe 2TB instead of 3), up the cinnamon and nutmeg, and add some allspice.
All in all, this is really good and tweak-friendly. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Nat! We’re glad you enjoyed it overall. Interesting about the molasses being so strong. Is it possible you were using blackstrap molasses? That is stronger than light/original molasses.
Nat says
Huh. Interesting question to which I have no answer 😅
Molasses really are not popular over here, so I just went to the health food store and bought the only molasses they had! It is quite dark, though, so probably? That’d make sense!
Name says
In the UK, molasses is known as black treacle and you can find it in all the supermarkets under Tate & Lyle brand. Also in the UK, we use golden syrup and light brown sugar to make gingerbread cookies so I would swap the black treacle for golden syrup to make them how I remember gingerbread biscuits. Maybe you feel the same? Hope that helps! :)
Dmitri says
Really great texture! I found the dough was pretty easy to work with after chilling. My only change was I increased the spices by A LOT. 1Tbsp ginger powder, 2tsp fresh ginger paste, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2tsp allspice, something like that. I also rolled them a little thick because I like a chewy cookie. I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking flour. I made 3 batches: one right away after 30 mins in the freezer which I made into little pfeffernusse type cookies, one in the fridge for a couple days because life got crazy, one in the freezer that I defrosted a week later. All 3 batches were lovely, and honestly the batches that were chilled the longest had the best texture imo. Thanks!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cookies. Thanks you for sharing your experience, Dmitri!
Sarah says
We make this recipe every year with Cusine Soleil organic gluten free all purpose mix and I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter!
It is an amazing recipe that always turns out and is perfect for making ginger bread houses!!!
So yummy!!!
Thank you!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Sarah. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Sheetu says
My daughter made these with her friends today. They were a super hit. We loved them and the best part was the icing. Thank you so much for such wonderful recipes. This recipe is a keeper and we hope we get to make them every christmas and share with friends and family. Merry Christmas!
Aw, love this, Sheetu! Thank you so much for the amazing review! xoxo
Barbara M. says
We made these! We have tried so many *failed* holiday treats for my egg-free, GF, girl. And we are so thrilled to have these! Beautiful treats to decorate! Thank you for the helpful tips and advice. We have a new tradition! Blessings!
We’re so glad this one was a success, Barbara. Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Mel says
If I make these and want to freeze them for later in the month…. Should I frost them before freezing? And also, what is the best way to defrost? Just leave them on the counter, in the fridge, warm in the oven?
Hi Mel, we’d recommend leaving off the frosting. Defrost on the counter for several hours.
Anne says
So disappointing! Coarse texture. Nowhere near enough ginger (and my ginger has not been languishing in the pantry for months, before you ask!).
I wanted to share these with friends as Christmas gifts, but just don’t think they are nice enough. I hate wasting food, but am not even sure I could make use of them :-(
I followed the recipe to the “t” and am surprized they turned out so poorly. Usually, your receipes work well for me.
Oh no! We’re so sorry they didn’t turn out right, Anne. This one is usually a reader favorite! It sounds like maybe there was too much flour, causing the flavor to be diluted. Confirming you didn’t adjust the number of servings? Which gluten-free flour blend did you use?
Anne says
I didn’t adjust the servings and used just shy of 1 and a half cups of flour. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF baking flour (which usually works fine for me).
Thanks for the additional info, Anne! How strange. That should work. Sorry it didn’t!
Alyse says
Anne, just wanted to add that I’ve been making these for a few years and can confirm that they are excellent with the GF pancake/baking mix! It’s a bit of work to gather all the ingredients to make it, but so worth it in the end. These are my favorite holiday cookies—I share them with everyone I know and they are always a hit, even among my gluten-loving friends and family.
Sounds like subbing in Bob’s 1:1 flour didn’t work out, but the recipe as shown above is perfection :)
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Alyse. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Leah says
I feel the need to comment on this post as I’ve made these year after year… I’m sorry your cookies didn’t turn out well, but maybe give them another try? Maybe add more ginger(or use fresh?) next time?! Dana does such a wonderful job, and this kinda hurt to see a comment like this.
Also, try Namaste Flour, it’s amazing.
I love these, and even my husband who is not a gingerbread fan, likes them :-)
Thanks again for always creating great recipes, Dana(MB)!!
Thank you for your sweet words, Leah! xoxo
Elle says
Hello, do you think this dough would work well for spritz cookies? I want to use it with my Oxo cookie press.
Thank you!
Hi Elle, possibly! You might need more flour to get them to hold that shape. Let us know if you try it!
Medallio says
Can sunflower butter be used instead of almond butter?
We haven’t tested with that modification, but we think it would work!
Kristina says
These are absolutely amazing!! I haven’t had gingerbread in years and this really hit the spot! Perfect blend of spices and not too sweet! I used Bob’s red mill 1:1 gluten free flour blend, coconut oil, and coconut sugar, used the nutmeg, rolled them into balls and skipped the icing and they turned out perfectly! Crispy outside and chewy inside first day and second day they just melt in your mouth! Definitely a keeper and will be making again! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe😁
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you reconnected with gingerbread after years apart :) Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jo-Anne Lennard says
Hi There,
These look delicious but I have a question. I was wondering if a regular egg could be used instead of a “flax egg?” If so, would I use 1 or 2 eggs in the recipe? Thank you in advance. Happy Holidays!!
Hi Jo-Anne, Happy holidays! 1 egg should work well in place of the flaxseed meal and water. Enjoy!
Jo-Anne Lennard says
Great, thank you!!
Ellie says
Absolutely delicious!
I substituted tahini for the almond butter, dairy butter instead of vegan, and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. I found myself adding more flour — I think the tahini was slightly runnier than almond butter. (The dough did smell like tahini but the actual cookie does not.) I also used grated fresh ginger, which I will probably do in addition to actual ground ginger next time because my grater isn’t as small as I think it needs to be in order for that strong ginger flavor to really pop. That said, the cookies are positively delicious and not overly sweet (which was the goal!) – I want to eat them all right now. So great for the holiday mood!
Amazing! We’re so glad they turned out well. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Ellie. xo
Leigh Collins says
These look ah-mazing! Can this recipe be used for a gingerbread house??
Hi Leigh, we think so, but we haven’t tested it. Let us know if you do!
Sarah. says
I make ginger bread houses every year with this recipe! I use coconut oil, coconut sugar and cuisine soleil all purpose organic gluten free flour as my subs.
Linda says
Can I just use an egg and is just 1 needed?
Hi Linda, yes! 1 egg should work well in place of the flaxseed meal and water.
Kayce says
The pancake mix is a lot of things I would need to purchase. Im on a budget tighter than normal with our new baby.
What would be your other option that doesn’t have to be gluten free? All oat flour?
Can’t wait to make these this holiday season & surprise all of my neighbors with amazing vegan goodies! Thank you!
Hi Kayce, other readers have reported using store-bought GF blends with success if you’d like to try that. You may need to add a little baking powder as well. If using only oat flour, they will be more dense and wholesome. But if you don’t mind that, then it might work. Maybe start with less since oat flour tends to be quite absorbent. Hope that helps!
Lisa says
I like these cookies the texture is great chewy especially the ones which aren’t rolled out and cut with a cookie cutter. Only way they could be better would be if they had a stronger gingerbread spice taste.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them overall, Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Eloise says
I love this recipe! Amazing for sharing at work for cheap holiday gifts! I managed to use peanut butter instead of almond butter (because I’m a cheapskate), “freee” gf raising flour (already had it in the cupboard) and gf vegan egg replacer instead of the flaxseed (also in the cupboard). I think it’s going to be a definite go-to baking recipe from now on as the ingredients are cheap and it’s relatively straightforward for a newbie baker! Thank you so much!!
Yay! Thanks for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Eloise!
Keri says
These are my go to Gingerbread cookies year after year. Very easy to make and delicious. Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Keri! Thank you for sharing! xo
Mallory says
Hello, I am wondering if it is possible to use your basic gluten free flour mixture instead of the gf pancake mix? Thanks!
Hi Mallory, we haven’t tried it but we think it should work!
Katy says
This is my favourite gingerbread recipe and I love making them each holiday season. I no longer need to eat GF this year so I’m looking at doing the recipe subbing the pancake mix for AP flour. Lots of commenters seem to have success, but I wanted to make sure if I sub with regular flour do I still need to include the additional baking powder and soda that’s in the pancake mix? Thank you!
Yay! Thanks, Katy! You shouldn’t need the extra leaveners, just keep the baking soda from the cookie ingredients.
Tami Reich says
I may be reading it wrong but it looks like the gf pancake mix has egg in it? The recipe is for vegan gingerbread cookies though. I need to keep it vegan. Can I just use gf flour instead?
Hi Tami, you just need the dry ingredients from the pancake recipe, no eggs or wet ingredients. Other readers have had success using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in this recipe. Hope this helps!
Riannon Frebel says
Love this recipe! Even though both my kids have outgrown their gluten allergy, I sought out this recipe again for Christmas because we’ve had such great success with it in the past :)
Woohoo! So glad you all enjoy this recipe, Riannon!
Ashlee says
Hi! Do you think it be possible to sub out the gluten free pancake mix for all purpose flour? Thx!
Hi Ashlee, we haven’t tried it, but other readers have had success substituting all-purpose flour for the pancake mix!
Jessie says
Hello! Would love to make these for my preschool class (we have the gingerbread men “run away” and have to go find them, like the story ☺️) but we are a nut free facility. Do you know of an appropriate sub for the almond butter? Thank you!
Hi Jessie, perhaps tahini or sunflower seed butter? The flavor may be slightly different though. Let us know if you try it!
Molly Allen says
I love the taste of the cookies. They are delicious. My gingerbread cookies flatten out and don’t hold their shape. Suggestions? Add more pancake mix? I used a cup and a half.
Hi Molly, so glad you enjoy these! We think a bit more of the flour/pancake mix would help!
Nichola says
Can you use something instead of vegan butter? We try to avoid anything super processed but these sounds great otherwise.
Nichola says
Also if not GF can you just use an oat flour or other flour?
This recipe should work with all-purpose flour if you’re not GF!
Hi Nichola, we haven’t tried this recipe with coconut oil but it’s possible that it might work? Let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
Atara Dahan says
can i blend up cane sugar to make icing sugar?
Yes!
Atara Dahan says
Can I use blackstrap molasses?
It should work well!
Atara Dahan says
Any difference between this and your other ginger cookies recipe?
This dough is best for rolling out and cutting!
Stephanie Ciancio says
Made these twice now in one week – WOW. We didn’t let the passing of Christmas dampen our enthusiasm for gingerbread. We feel like we could eat them any day, everyday…. which has me wondering if they could be tweaked to be slightly less sugary? Not that they don’t already taste perfect as is, but I’d feel better eating them more often with less sugar. I’ve heard that sugar in baking does more than just sweeten, but has someone had success reducing the brown sugar or (half) subbing in lakanto?
Hi Stephanie! Thanks so much for the wonderful review! We haven’t tried these with less sugar ourselves, and you’re right that sugar is important for the right texture, as well as sweetness. We’re sure some other readers have some great insight for you!
Sarah says
This is my first review here. Loved these cookies & am so grateful for all of your wonderful recipes. My young child is allergic to wheat, eggs, milk & some tree nuts so your gf & vegan recipes are so good for us. My grocery store pickup cancelled my xanthan gum SO I used bobs red mill gf pancake mix and the cookies turned out great! Would recommend that sub if you’re missing any of the MB pancake mix ingredients. Used cookie cutters on one roll out & did circles with the rest. Baking with a 2 & 4 year old and didn’t want to keep chilling the dough. Both the shapes & circles turned out so well! Undetectably gf & vegan I’d say. Thanks again!
Aw, we’re SO glad your little one is able to enjoy them, Sarah! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! xo
Adrie says
I made this tonight, in preparation for Christmas, and they turned out amazing !!
Gluten free and vegan baking is not always easy, so thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Adrie! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Chloe S says
I love this recipe! Total fan favourite for non-vegans and gluten eaters too! All my friends have requested I make them again this year but I am now baking for a nut free friend as well.
Question: Can I sub the almond butter for Tahini?
Yay! So glad you enjoy this recipe, Chloe. And that should work, yes.. but it may have a slight tahini taste? You could also try sunflower seed butter!
Jen says
This is a great recipe! Thank you! I’ve subbed almond flour for almond butter with good results. I changed the process a bit which works well for me. I roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment without extra flour and then cut them out right on the parchment paper. I find I don’t need to flour my metal cutouts. I leave enough space between shapes and remove the excess. I then put the parchment directly on the cookie sheet to bake. It is more rolling of the dough but saves time of freezing to move the delicate shapes onto the cookie sheet. I keep the shapes similar in size per piece of parchment and found some of the smaller shapes cooked in just 6 minutes.
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your experience, Jen!
Neha says
What kind of vegan butter do you recommend? I usually use Earth Balance but I know some prefer Miyokos (salted or unsalted??). Thanks! Love your recipes and can’t wait to try this!
We prefer earth balance for this recipe! Either salted or unsalted will work.
Eni Susak says
Hi, I love this recipe, I was only wondering if I can use maple syrup or agave instead of molasses, since I’m celiac, and can’t have it.
Thank you so much!
Hi Eni, molasses gives it a classic gingerbread flavor, but maple syrup would probably work for texture! Let us know if you try it!
Jen says
I think most molasses is gluten free. Wholesome brand is certified. It comes from sugar cane or sugar beets.
Woan says
Hello! Just wondering, if I don’t need it gluten free, what can I sub the gluten free pancake mix with? I would make the mix but I don’t have all of the listed ingredients. I have buckwheat flour though. Should I just use wholemeal plain flour? Or?
Hi Woan! We haven’t tried this recipe with regular flour (all purpose or wholemeal) but it should work! Just add a little less at first as AP flour can be more absorbent than GF flours. Let us know how it goes! You can also scan the comments to see if anyone else has tried that successfully.
candce says
Do you prefer a flax egg over a chia seed egg? I have both- just wondering what the difference is in cookies.
You recipes are always solid!
Aw, thanks! Either one would be fine here!
Hannah says
What substitutions do you have for almond butter!?
Hi Hannah! Any nut butter would work fairly well here (cashew might be the best option, sunflower seed butter would also work) although peanut butter may impart too strong of a flavor. If you are hoping to avoid nut butters all together, you could possibly try using mashed banana or another “thick liquid” ingredient that will add moisture. Let us know if you give any substitutions a try!
Kelly says
Can I just use a real egg instead of flax egg (trade in the V part)?
Yes!
Sarah says
This recipe is great but it would be even better if I didn’t have to scroll down to the bottom past all those links and endless paragraphs every time I want to look at the recipe.
Hi Sarah, you can find a “jump to recipe” button beneath the title that will do that for you =)
Jess says
At the top of the screen there’s a ‘jump to recipe’ button.
Sarah says
These were incredible.
My substitutions:
• coconut oil for almond butter
• panela for molasses
• vegetable shortening for vegan butter
• fresh ginger for powdered (STRONGLY RECOMMEND)
• all-purpose flour for GF blend
The nutmeg was a great addition, as well as the frosting.
After chilling the dough overnight, like another commenter, I did not require any plastic wrap/parchment nor extra freezing—the dough was easily to roll and cut and bake immediately!
The results were stunning. A crisp but somewhat chewy cookie with delicious light spice notes. I also used the leftover cut edges to roll into balls for the chewy cookies as described—also amazing, and refreshingly different from the cutouts.
A light piping of frosting really brought it over the top.
My new holiday go-to!
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Sarah! xo
Maria Dresser says
Is it ok to use just a standard GF flour (like bobs red mill 1 to 1) or is the “pancake mix” /“baking flour” aspect crucial for any reason?
That would be fine! Hope you love them, Maria!
Maneesha says
I’m the kind of baker who only uses what’s in her kitchen, so I sub left and right. I’ve baked these gingerbread cuties many a times and have decided – they must be baked as is, down to the rice flour on the cutouts, because they are truly THAT PERFECT and so worth the search for the right ingredients!! Thanks for this recipe, Dana, you’re truly so talented. These have become a holiday staple for my family xoxo
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Maneesha!
Megan says
Wonderful recipe. I substituted regular gingerbread pancake/waffle mix (not GF) for the GF pancake mix (and still added the recommended spices because I love gingerbread). I ended up using the same amount of flour in the substitution- about 1 3/4 cups. A perfect recipe to bake up as we head into Christmas lockdown in Rome. Thank you!
We’re so glad they turned out well! Thanks so much for sharing, Megan! xo
Amanda says
Hi! Would wow butter work instead of almond butter?
Hi Amanda! Unfortunately we don’t think it would, but another nut or seed butter (such as sunflower or cashew) should work in place of almond. We wouldn’t recommend peanut butter or regular butter here.
Laurie says
These were easy to make and nice and crispy however they don’t taste like gingerbread cookies – the almond butter way overpowers the other flavors. If I were to make these again, I would leave that out and add more ginger and some cloves. I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Baking Flour since I was not able to find any GF pancake mix that did not have milk in it (buttermilk). I ended up making another batch with a similar recipe that did not require the almond butter.
Hi Laurie, thanks for the feedback and sorry to hear they didn’t turn out as expected! Some brands of almond butter have a stronger flavor, so we wonder if that may have been the case for you?
Sarah says
Can I use bobs Gluten freefree 1:1 Flour as a substitute for the gluten free pancake mix?
Yes, that should work well!
Lindsey Myers says
I’m excited to make these with my son! Can I sub maple syrup for the molasses?
Hi Lindsey, molasses gives it a classic gingerbread flavor, so we wouldn’t recommend subbing it. But maple syrup would probably still work for texture.
Sarah says
Hey!
I’m so excited to make these cookies! I try to avoid using vegan butter (and I’m also dairy free). I’ve seen other gingerbread recipes that omit the butter entirely. Is that possible with your recipe or can you recommend a substitution for the butter and how much of that substitute should I use for the original recipe (applesauce maybe?). Thanks!!
I would sub nut butter in place of vegan butter vs. omitting altogether! Almond would be best here. Or coconut oil. We haven’t tested these options but let us know if you do!
Sarah says
I made them tonight using unrefined coconut oil instead of vegan butter and they turned out great!! We kept the rest of the recipe the same as the original.
Great! Thanks for sharing, Sarah! xo
Angela says
I was looking for this info. Thank you!!
Sophie K. says
I’m wondering if there is a problem with this recipe’s tags? I searched “gingerbread men” and “gingerbread cookies” as a general search on your site, and could not find this page. I had to go through the holiday cookie roundup post to get here. Just wanted to leave a note in case there is a problem with more people finding these delicious cookies!
We actually just updated that function last night so it should be working more properly. We just tried that search and it seems to be working now!
Zaina says
I’ve tried so many gingerbread cookie recipes and none of them came through like this one! I subbed 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut sugar and 2 Tbsp organic cane sugar for the brown sugar. I also only had regular AP flour on hand so I used 1 cup, still perfect!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Zaina!
Jennifer Baer says
I adore this recipe. I’m on my 4th batch for Christmas 2020 and it’s only available to be eaten for a few hours before all my kids devour them. Love it!
I’ve used organic kamut flour with success, only use 1 cup, its denser than all purpose. I’ve also used Trader Joe’s GF flour and that’s my favorite. The Trim Healthy Mama baking blend makes it really dry.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jennifer. We are so glad you enjoy this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Leanne says
These are so delicious! Thank you for all your great recipes! We have nut allergies so I substituted tahini for almond butter. They were maybe a bit stickier but I added a bit more flour and they were totally workable. Will definitely be making these every year!
We’re so glad they turned out well! Thanks for sharing, Leanne! xo
Jenn says
Absolutely delicious. We made them together as a family & they turned out perfect. We used the namaste GF flour blend & used 1 1/4c flour plus a little extra (maybe 1 TBSP). For the egg we used Enger G egg replacer & it worked out great!!! We also only added 1/8tsp salt & it worked well. My husband, myself & our 15 month old son love them. I think this is going to be a regular holiday cookie for our family!!
We’re so glad to hear it, Jenn! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Darby says
I’ve made this recipe twice in two days! I’m not vegan but I’m celiac so this is perfect. I made it with one egg and regular butter (non-vegan, same amount) and they turned out amazing. Love them both rolled out and not! I dip the round ball in white sugar, freeze for 5 mins., then cook. MMM!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Darby! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Paul Kerrigan says
I spent a long time looking at a previous recipe, I kept scrolling through so many similar pictures of the cookies that I became annoyed. I looked at the second link available and it was minimalist baker. I like your recipes. When I got to the site I saw “Jump to recipe” button and felt contentment.
We’re so glad that feature was helpful. Thanks for sharing, Paul!
Keira Morgan says
I made these and they were, in a word, AMAZING! The flavour is fantastic and my hubby couldn’t even tell they were vegan/gf. I ended up refrigerating the dough for several days rather than just overnight and it was very easy to work with, cut, transfer, and bake. I didn’t need to roll it out between two sheets of parchment or transfer it with a thin metal spatula, etc. The extra chilling definitely made a difference in its workability!
Thank you for such a yummy gingerbread recipe that is truly perfect!
Whoop! We’re so glad you both enjoyed them. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Jen says
I made 2 batches of these cookies this week and YUM! We are gluten, dairy and egg free and the first batch (made with almond butter) was delicious! The second batch I thought I would try with Sunflower butter instead of almond butter, to make it daycare friendly (using your recipe https://minimalistbaker.com/super-seedy-sunflower-butter/) and it was a hit too! Apparently the kids gobbled them down fast (I may have slipped 2 too and thought they were yum!). They hold their shape and last in the fridge (especially for gluten free!).
Thanks for a great recipe. It’s going into the school lunch box freezer stash cook up!
We’re so glad they turned out well both ways! Thanks so much for sharing, Jen! xo