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.
Anneke says
These were easy to make and delicious to eat! I used 5 tbsp of almond milk in order to get the dough to the right consistency. I am not sure how they “snapped” as my children ate them as I slid them to the cooling rack.
My vegan daughter complimented me by calling me a fabulous vegan baker! Thanks, Alison!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful Anneke! So glad they were a success and thanks for sharing your adjustments! 🙂
Rachel says
Hi! Loved the gingersnap cookie recipe so much I wrote a blog post on them and tagged you on Instagram at #howtosuburb! Thanks!
Maggy says
How would these turn out if I added some pumpkin puree? I don’t want them to become soft and chewy, I love the crispy snap!
Kinlie says
These were fantastic! Perfect way to welcome in fall on a rainy day, and my non-vegan fam absolutely loved them! Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe ?
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Jennifer says
These were great, easy to make, and I already had all the ingredients in my cupboard! Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks for posting Jennifer! 🙂
Deborah Bee says
Wow! Delicious! These Ginger Snaps cookies came out perfect! I must admit that I amazed myself! Easy to follow recipe. I just can’t stop eating so you know this recipe is a must keep! Thanks for sharing……
Julia Savory says
I’m looking forward to making these. I could do with a gluten free version… Have you made this recipe with a GF flour blend?
Charlie says
Hi Julia
I tried this with an all purpose gluten free flour and it worked a treat 🙂
Molly says
These cookies are amazing!! I made a batch in the afternoon and had to make a double batch that evening because they were so popular. Both my vegan and non vegan friends and family loved them!
Alison Andrews says
That is amazing news! So glad everyone loved them! Thanks so much for posting. 🙂
Jan says
As a cancer survivor, I am always looking to cut down on sugar and to use more spices which are anti-inflammatory. I just made these cookies and they turned out wonderful. I swapped out 1 cup of the regular flour for almond flour, nutmeg instead of cloves and since almond flour is super absorbent added 3 more Tbsp of coconut milk. I like crispy on the edges and chewy in the center so I baked them 10 minutes. I am taking them to my meditation class tonight and seeing if the non-vegans like them too…like who wouldn’t love these. Mahalo from Maui.
Alison Andrews says
Sounds wonderful Jan, thanks for posting about your adjustments! 🙂
Mouse says
I just made these with regular butter and milk because that’s what was on hand. I’d never made ginger snaps before and was a little nervous I would mess them up, but these turned out great. Thank you for the recipe. I’m keeping it bookmarked for future use.
Alison Andrews says
Great! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Pierre says
I made these for a pot luck and, as a dyed in the wool carnivore, I will say that this is an amazing recipe and very easy to make.
I did substitute orange juice for the non dairy milk, and half the ground ginger with minced. Otherwise I stayed true to the recipe.
I may sniff around your recipes to see what else you have, especially the salads, so that I can liven things up a bit in my cooking repertoire.
Alison Andrews says
That’s awesome Pierre! Hope you get some good ideas here! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Monica says
THESE ARE AMAZING. We didn’t have vegan butter so I subbed regular butter and subbed in fine cake flour. I’ll be pinning this to use again and again! Thank you so much!
Alison Andrews says
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Eileen says
I’ve made these a few times now- great texture- my new favorite ginger cookie recipe! The only things I change is the amount of spices (I use more and add fresh ginger purée- I like them spicy) and the baking time (a little longer, but I think it’s my oven). Otherwise I love this recipe!
Alison Andrews says
That’s awesome Eileen! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Eileen says
I’ve also replaced 1/2 the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Unlike other baked goods, the texture stays the same and you can’t even tell they’re a little healthier!
Anna Andrews says
Crunchy and delicious
hollykate says
So, if we want them softer, how much extra molasses should we use?? ?
Alison Andrews says
My original ‘soft and chewy’ version used a 1/3 cup molasses (100g). You could also bake them for 10 minutes rather than 12.