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, vegan gingerbread loaf 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.
- Add vegan butter and brown sugar to your stand mixer and cream them together.
- 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 with a spoon 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.
Ingredient Notes
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.
Chef’s Tips
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
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Brown Sugar Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Vegan Butter (56g)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
- ¼ cup Unsulphured Molasses (60ml)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Allspice
- ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
- 2-3 Tbsp Non-Dairy Milk
- ¼ cup White Granulated Sugar (50g) for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- 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 with a spoon 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 your 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 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.
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly using the spoon and level method (spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup). Or weigh it on a food scale.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- This recipe was first published April 2017. It has been updated with new photos and extra tips, but the recipe itself is unchanged.
Loved these. My husband wanted a hard crunchy gingernut biscuit and these were perfect thank you.
Wonderful! Thanks Sue!
Super easy to make and I baked them for about 11 minutes and they came out perfectly! My non-vegan roomates loved them and the batch was gone in 2 days! I made no substitutions and the texture and portion sizes were perfect, I will definitely make again.
Thanks so much Kate!
Deee-licious!!
Thanks Heidi!
Can’t wait to try these! Any suggested vegan butter substitutions for making them oil free? Curious if almond butter or applesauce may work instead… TIA!
You could try applesauce but I have no idea if it would work out. I have not tried making these oil free. Even in recipes that use nut butter (like our almond butter cookies or peanut butter cookies) they use butter as well. So I’m not sure if either of those swaps would work at all.
I made these with my daughter with a slight change. We used organic apple sauce instead of almond milk/soy milk, and used fresh ginger, which we ground and grated. These are probably to most delicious cookies I ever ate! Really, phenomenal. I will most definitely make these again. My younger daughter asked to save them until winter because of the hint of spiciness. I never liked ginger bread or ginger cookies before. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Fantastic Mark, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for the wonderful review!
Oh my goodness!! I’m in the early stages of pregnancy and needed some ginger nuts that were vegan, decided to make these and I’M SO GLAD I DID. They are delicious! I followed the recipe and instructions to a T and they came out perfectly! The only problem I have now is my own self control or I’ll have to be making a batch everyday! I’m having to fight off my non vegan Husband and Son as they are also obsessed!
That’s so awesome Ash, so glad to hear they hit the spot! Thanks for the great review!
Hello! Thanks for the recipe! I don’t like overly sweet treats so I used a rounded 1/2 cup of brown sugar instead of 1 cup. This turned out great!
I have made three batches of these now. My biggest overall note is that the three tbsp’s of non-dairy milk is not enough. It still leave the dough powdery. Add more one tbsp at a time as too much and they will not crisp up to “snaps”, instead being a delicious gingery/molasses cookie. Add more non-dairy milk one tablespoon at a time until you get a dry enough mixture that you can make balls without it sticking to your hands. If it gets wet enough to stick to your hands it will not crisp up. Also, I bake mine for a minimum of 14 minutes to get the crispy snap quality.
All of that said, these are delicious flavorful cookies. Even my non-vegan baking friends find these cookies delicious and have asked for the recipe. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing your tips Jordan!
Really good, exactly what I was looking for! Super simple and easy to follow recipe. I increased the spices by a pinch, since usually I like my cookies and food in general on the spicier side, but these had a good kick so the amount specified in the recipe is perfect. Had to add a little bit more liquid to get the dough to stick, but they came out wonderfully. Made one chewy batch and one snappier batch, both delicious!
So happy they came out great Christine! Thanks so much for the great review.