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.
Anita says
These are absolutely delicious and so quick and easy to make. I halved the sugar and they were still amazing. Thanks so much for sharing!
Alison Andrews says
So glad to hear they were a success! Thanks for sharing and the great review. 🙂
Jeanine says
My first vegan recipe and it turned out great! Substitutions: coconut oil and coconut milk. Took 4 Tbsp for the dough to stick together which worked out fine because I’m at higher elevation. Greased the cookie sheet lightly with coconut oil instead of using parchment. Cookies didn’t spread much at all while cooking and came out nice and chewy after 10 minutes in the oven. I would definitely make this recipe again!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing and the great review Jeanine. 🙂
Suzanne says
AMAZING!!! I’ve gotten non-stop compliments on these. Simply fantastic!
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear Suzanne! Thanks for the awesome review! 🙂
Ashleigh says
Hi! I’m sick with strep throat and craving cookies, but don’t want to leave the house to buy ingredients – do you think I could I use maple syrup in place of the molasses for these?
Thanks 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Ashleigh, yes you definitely can. It will change the flavor slightly but definitely not in a bad way. Hope you feel better soon! 🙂
Maika Lansing says
Hi Alison! The only time I tried cooking with vegan butter it burned horribly when baked at 350…any tips of suggestions for a brand that you have succeeded with? Thanks!
-Maika
Alison Andrews says
Hi Maika, I haven’t really tried one that hasn’t worked. I have used different brands according to where I am based, like Nuttelex (Australian brand), Earth Balance (US brand), various dairy-free margarines. You can also try making your own homemade butter, I have tested it in baking and it worked great. 🙂
Carmen says
Family loved these. I rolled mine in a ball and then pushed in a piece of crystalised ginger in the middle. I did find mine flatten out a lot more than your pics.I did use Organic Rice Malt Syrup instead of the Molasses do you think that could have made them flatter? Great recipe one more in the Vegan folder. 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Carmen! So glad you enjoyed them, and I love the idea to put some crystallized ginger into the middle! Thanks for the awesome review! :)The thing with cookies spreading is it can be quite variable, it depends on how soft your dough is when it goes into the oven. If your dough is more chilled then they will spread less (sometimes not at all if the dough is very cold) and if the dough is warm and soft and pliable then they will spread more.
Greenie says
Good but not spicy enough for me even though I increased the spices. Next time I’ll double them all – maybe my spices are a bit old and faded. Thanks for the good vegan recipe and instructions. I did get 44 small cookies.
Romy says
My boyfriend loves ginger and we’re semi-vegan. Would love to try these but I was wondering if you could make them with fresh ginger instead of powder? Or would that impact the consistency? Thanks in advance!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Romy, we just received a comment from someone who used fresh grated ginger in these! So I think you definitely can use it and it would be delicious. If it impacted anything it would be the amount of non-dairy milk you add in at the end. You might need a bit less to compensate for the fresh ginger.
Erika says
Great! I used fresh grated ginger in addition to the powdered ginger. Delicious.
Alison Andrews says
Ooooh what a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing that Erika and for the great review! 🙂
Dani says
Oh my! Ginger snaps are my favorite and these turned out perfect! I doubled the recipe as I made these as Christmas cookies. I followed the recipe exactly. I ate some while they were still warm and chewy and then when they cooled and were crisp. So good. Thank you and Merry Christmas from my vegan family to yours!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that Dani! Thanks a million and Merry Christmas to you too! 🙂
Kay says
Delicious! So good I added the recipe to my permanent file in Recipe Gallery.
Using 1 tablespoon per cookie, I ended up with 24 rather than 44 cookies., but these are the perfect size. Next time I want to try coconut oil rather than vegan butter.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kay! Yes, I think it was Jaye who rolled these cookies and ended up with so many! I usually would end up with way less as I tend to go large with cookies! Thanks so much for sharing and so happy you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Kris says
These. Are. Delicious! I have never made a ginger molasses cookie before but this was a breeze. I ended up having to add the extra table spoon of Almond Milk and baked for 10 instead of 12 minutes because I prefer a softer cookie but the taste on these is incredible. The smell and flavor are pure ‘holiday’ and I used my mixer to do most of the work making these even easier.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Kris! Thanks so much for the great review. 🙂
Anneke says
That is interesting-I read they might run, but my dough was so thick I had to add extra almond milk, and still, the cookies didn’t change from when I pressed them to when they wete fully baked. I will be making again this week. Perhaps I added more flour than I thought. Also, I used regular white flour. Could that make a difference? My kids can’t wait for me to bake them again.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Anneke, depending on where you are, if you’re in the UK I think regular white flour IS all purpose? I didn’t have the experience of them running at all, they also pretty much stay the same shape from when they go in to when they come out, mine just puff up a lot as you can see in the pictures. 🙂
Jeanette says
It was great.
Cookies do run a bit though.
fiyoda says
I just made these but subbed molasses for golden syrup and added chunks of crystallized ginger, absolutely delicious,crunchy and chewy, thank you ?
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for posting! 🙂