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    Home » Recipes » Easy Vegan Cookies

    Vegan Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (Dairy-Free)

    Published: Dec 2, 2023 · Modified: Dec 1, 2024 by Megan Calipari · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    This recipe for soft Vegan Gingerbread Cookies is dairy-free, easy to make and yields well-spiced cookies that are perfect to decorate with vegan royal icing. These are the perfect vegan Christmas cookie!

    Soft Vegan and Dairy-Free Gingerbread Cookies that have beed decorated with royal icing on a white linen cloth.

    I love the flavor of gingerbread. It's spicy, packed with molasses and makes all types of baked goods absolutely delicious! I have a Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake and Vegan Gingerbread Cupcake recipes here on Earthly Provisions that are both simple and incredible. I even have a Vegan Gingerbread Hot Chocolate recipe that just tastes exactly like Christmas.

    And these Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are no exception. They are simple to make, are filled with warm spices and they are fun to decorate with your family! And they bake up super soft and chewy!

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • What to Decorate the Cookies With
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • FAQs
    • Expert Recipe Tips
    • Looking For More Spice Recipes?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • They are well-spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
    • The cookies are made with simple ingredients.
    • They keep their shape perfectly.
    • These Gingerbread Cookies are vegan, dairy-free and eggless, so anyone can enjoy them!
    • They bake up soft and moist.
    • And they are fun to decorate with vegan royal icing! The perfect Holiday activity.

    Ingredient Notes

    Photo of ingredients need to make Dairy Free Gingerbread Cookies.

    Vegan Butter: I always recommend Soy-Free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks. I prefer the flavor of the soy-free over the original.

    Molasses: For that intense brown sugar flavor.

    Baking Soda: For a little lift, so these cookies bake up tender, not hard.

    Spices: I am not one to skimp on the spices! This recipe uses ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. And plenty of them!

    What to Decorate the Cookies With

    It is such a fun holiday activity to decorate cookies with royal icing! I love to use my Vegan Cut Out Sugar Cookies or even my Vegan Shortbread Cookies as a blank canvas for plenty of colorful icing.

    I tend to use less icing on vegan gingerbread cookies than I do for sugar cookies, but decorate them however you like!

    You can also decorate them with store-bought frosting or icing!

    How to Make this Recipe

    Non-dairy milk and vanilla added into the creamed mixture in a marble bowl.

    Step 1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter, sugar and molasses until well combined and creamy.

    Then, add the non-dairy milk and vanilla and mix to combine.

    Vegan Gingerbread Cookie dough shaped into a disc and wrapped in plastic wrap.

    Step 2. Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt. Mix on low until the vegan gingerbread cookie dough forms.

    Next, press the dough into a rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap.

    Then, place it into the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.

    Gingerbread cookie dough rolled out on a lightly floured surface with a gingerbread man cookie cutter on it.

    Step 3. Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin.

    Then, roll the cookie dough out to about ¼ inch thickness and cut out your desired shape cookie. I used a 3-inch gingerbread man!

    Cut out gingerbread man cookies on a lined baking sheet.

    Step 4. Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie. Bake in a 350* F oven for about 10 minutes.

    Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating with vegan royal icing.

    Vegan royal icing in a white bowl with a gold spoon.

    Step 5. While the dairy-free gingerbread cookies cool, mix the vegan royal icing.

    In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and vanilla. Whisk until completely smooth and creamy.

    Vegan Gingerbread cookies decorated with royal icing on a linen cloth.

    Step 6. Scoop the royal icing into a piping bag and pipe it onto the cooled cookies. I like to keep it simple, but decorate them however you like.

    Serve!

    FAQs

    How Do I Store Gingerbread Cookies?

    To store, place the cookies in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days.
    Or freeze for up to a month.

    What is molasses used for in gingerbread?

    Molasses adds that dark brown sugar flavor and also sweetens the gingerbread! Without molasses, these cookies would just taste like spice cookies.

    Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

    Yes! Make the Vegan Gingerbread Cookie dough up to 3 days before you want to bake the cookies. Keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

    Expert Recipe Tips

    Don't shortchange the chill time. I know its tempting to just get them in the oven, but the dough will be soft and you will have to use much more flour.

    To transfer the cookies to the baking sheet after cutting them out, use a spatula or a bench knife.

    Don't over bake these cookies! They should bake for only 10 minutes if you want soft, moist vegan gingerbread cookies.

    A hand holding a Dairy-Free Vegan Ginger Bread Cookie.

    Looking For More Spice Recipes?

    • a stack of four cookies on a white cloth
      Vegan Brown Sugar Cookies
    • Vegan Pear Ginger Cake with maple on a white plate.
      Vegan Pear Ginger Cake with Maple Glaze
    • Vegan Apple Cinnamon Crunch Bread slice on a white plate with a gold fork.
      Vegan Apple Bread
    • A slice of vegan dirty chai masala cake on a white plate with a gold fork.
      Vegan Dirty Chai Spice Cake

    If you tried this Vegan Gingerbread Cookies recipe or any other recipe on Earthly Provisions, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan Gingerbread Men decorated with royal icing on a lined baking sheet.

    Vegan Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (Dairy Free)

    Megan Calipari
    This recipe for soft Vegan Gingerbread Cookies is dairy-free, easy to make and yields well-spiced cookies that are perfect to decorate with royal icing!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Chill Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 18 Cookies
    Calories 128 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
    • 1 Rubber Spatula
    • 2 Cookie Sheets
    • Parchment
    • 1 Rolling Pin
    • Various Cookie Cutters

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter, room temperature
    • 6 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
    • 6 tablespoon Molasses
    • 1 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
    • ¼ tsp Baking Soda
    • ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
    • 2 teaspoon Ginger
    • 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon Clove

    For the Vegan Royal Icing

    • 3 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
    • 4 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk
    • ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

    Instructions
     

    • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment OR in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the vegan butter, sugar and molasses until well combined. Add the non-dairy milk and vanilla and mix to combine.
      6 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter, room temperature, 6 tablespoon Granulated Sugar, 6 tablespoon Molasses, 1 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • Add flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Mix on low to form the cookie dough.
      1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda, ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt, 2 teaspoon Ginger, 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon Clove
    • Form a disc with the dough, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least and hour, or up to 3 days.
    • Preheat oven to 350* and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll the gingerbread dough out to about ¼ inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut desired shapes. I used a 3-inch gingerbread man.
    • Then, use a spatula or bench knife to transfer cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie.
    • Press the remaining scrap dough back into a disc and roll it back out to cut more cookies. You should get about 18 cookies total.
    • Bake the cookies, one tray at a time, in a 350* oven for 9-10 minutes or until the center of the cookie feels set when you press it with a finger.
    • Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

    Make the Vegan Royal Icing

    • In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. The royal icing should be thick, but if you need more non-daity milk, add it ½ teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
      3 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted, 4 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk, ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • Transfer to a piping bag and decorate the cookies as desired. Allow the icing to harden for 20 minutes before serving.

    Notes

    Don't shortchange the chill time. I know its tempting to just get them in the oven, but the dough will be soft and you will have to use much more flour.
    To transfer the cookies to the baking sheet after cutting them out, use a spatula or a bench knife.
    Don't over bake these cookies! They should bake for only 10 minutes if you want soft, moist gingerbread.
    To store: transfer cookies to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1CookieCalories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 61mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.5mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Hi, I'm Megan! I'm a trained pastry chef who is passionate about creating vegan desserts and meals for everyone. My recipes use simple ingredients and methods to create delicious results.

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