Vegan Ginger Cookies (Gingersnap)

These vegan ginger cookies are super crunchy and made in a ‘gingersnap’ style for a perfect holiday cookie. Packed with ginger flavor.

I’ve long been a fan of ginger cookies and specifically gingersnap cookies. I love crunchy cookies so we based this recipe on a classic crunchy gingersnap cookie.

A gingersnap cookie (as opposed to a regular ginger cookie) needs to be crunchy, so that it ‘snaps’ when you bite into it or break it in half.

It’s the classic crunchy cookie, basically. So of course these cookies need to have some snap. And they definitely do.

Of course if you prefer your cookies super soft then check out our vegan molasses cookies. They’re similar to these but soft and chewy instead of snappy and crunchy. And if you love all things ginger then also check out our classic vegan gingerbread cookies and our vegan gingerbread cake.

How To Make Vegan Ginger Cookies

You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

• Cream vegan butter and brown sugar together and then add molasses and vanilla extract and mix in.
• Sift all purpose flour into a bowl and add baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves and mix together.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir in by hand until crumbly.
• Add 2 Tbsp non-dairy milk and mix. You should get a very thick cookie dough. However, if you still have crumbles and it’s not yet sticking together then add another 1 Tbsp non-dairy milk. Only do this if you really need it though.

• Break off pieces of the dough and roll into balls. Place them evenly onto a parchment lined baking tray. Aim to get 20 cookies from the batch.
• Roll the balls in white granulated sugar and return to the parchment lined tray.
• Flatten the cookies with a fork.
• Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. If you want them more on the softer side then bake for 10 minutes, if you want more snap/crunch then bake for 12 minutes and if you want them super crunchy then you can bake them for up to 15 minutes, but keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
• The cookies will be soft when they come out the oven. Allow them to cool and firm up directly on the tray before moving them.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Vegan Butter: Only a quarter cup of vegan butter is used in this recipe, but it’s the perfect amount for this recipe. It’s possible that you could substitute it for coconut oil (solid form). We haven’t tested this with coconut oil but this is based on reader feedback in other cookie recipes.

Molasses: The molasses should be unsulphured molasses. Grandma’s is a good brand if it’s available to you otherwise just use any molasses that says unsulphured somewhere on the label. If you can’t get molasses at all, then you can substitute something like maple syrup, but you will lose that richness of flavor that you get from the molasses.

Non-dairy milk. Before you add the non-dairy milk (we used soy), your dough will be very crumbly. The non-dairy milk is what makes it form into a cookie dough. However, you only need a small amount (2-3 Tbsp). It’s important that you only use as much as needed so that it forms into a cookie dough, and no more than that.

Flatten with a fork. Once you roll the dough into balls, you then roll them in granulated sugar and then flatten them with a fork. This helps to ensure even baking which also makes them crunchier.

Baking time. We found 12 minutes to be perfect, but if you want them REALLY crunchy, you can bake them up to 15 minutes. Just keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.

Make Them Gluten-Free

If you’d like to try these cookies as gluten-free then I recommend using a gluten free all purpose flour blend that is meant to replace regular flour in baking. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour is a good brand that we have used many times before and recommend.

We have not tested these particular cookies as gluten-free but this is my recommendation based on other cookie recipes that we have tested.

Storing and Freezing

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for a week. They are also freezer friendly up to 3 months.

More Vegan Cookie Recipes

1. Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
2. Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
3. Vegan Chocolate Cookies
4. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
5. Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
6. Vegan Sugar Cookies

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