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Chewy, perfectly spiced, and covered with sparkly sugar, these vegan gluten free gingerbread cookies will make a welcome addition to your Christmas baking list and become a new favourite!
When the holiday season rolls around, it's all about baking in my kitchen, and I'm sure your kitchen is the same!
As I write this, two days before Christmas, I have a large container full of chocolate chip shortbread, another filled with cranberry, chocolate chip cookies, a tin of vegan coconut fudge, and these delicious, chewy vegan gluten free gingerbread cookies.
Of all the Christmas cookies I make, these are one of my favourites. I came up with this recipe a few years ago when I was experimenting with some of my regular recipes to veganize and de-glutenize (those are words, right?) them.
It took a few tries to get this one just right, but the final recipe is perfect. Now, each year, they make a regular appearance on my "holiday stuff to bake" list.
I make them to give as food gifts and I also make a batch (or two!) for us at home. It just isn't the holidays without them.
So what makes them so special?
They're soft, chewy, sweet, and they have that special holiday molasses gingerbread spice. PLUS, they have an extra hit of ginger flavour, thanks to freshly grated ginger.
Once you make these vegan gluten free gingerbread cookies, they'll surely become a favourite. And if you have friends on your list who are vegan and/or gluten-free, I guarantee they will love you for making these special cookies for them.
Even if they aren't vegan or gluten-free, still make these for them, they'll never know!
If you want to make these cookies a little more special, you can fold in ¾ cup of dark chocolate chips after the wet and dry mixtures have been combined.
Have a cozy, Christmasy night in and enjoy them with a homemade gingerbread latte or a decadent vegan hot chocolate while watching a Christmas movie on the couch by the Christmas tree lights. That is my kind of December evening 🙂
If you love gingerbread, be sure to check out these other delicious gingerbread recipes:
- Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Loaf
- Vegan Gingerbread Latte
- Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Waffles
And if you're looking for cut-out gingerbread cookies, I've got a recipe for those, too!
How to Make Chewy Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Chewy Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ cup gluten free flour blend **see important note about flour below**
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup softened coconut oil (see note below)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions:
- Whisk the tablespoon of ground flax seeds with three tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit until it thickens.
- In a medium bowl, add the almond flour, gluten-free flour blend, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the coconut oil, coconut sugar, flax mixture, molasses, vanilla, and grated ginger. Mix well to combine.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture a little at a time and mix well until they are both incorporated into each other.
- Refrigerate the dough in the mixing bowl for 30 minutes.
- Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- Using a spoon (I use a little less than a tablespoon per ball), scoop up a small amount of the dough and roll it into a ball.
- Roll each ball in the granulated sugar and place on cookie sheet.
- Refrigerate the balls on the cookie sheet(s) for 20 minutes. (This step is important to ensure you get the crackly tops!)
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Remove from fridge and bake for 10 minutes.
- Let cookies cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. They will appear very soft when taken out, that's OK, when they cool they will firm up.
Recipe Notes:
- Your coconut oil must be soft, not liquid. If it is liquid, put it in the fridge for a short while until it firms up.
- To make these cookies a little more special, you can add in ¾ cup of dark chocolate chips after the wet and dry mixtures have been combined together.
- It's important to know that different gluten-free flour blends use different ingredients and ratios, so results will always vary if you substitute. I have never used any other brand of flour to make this recipe (other than Bob's Red Mill in the red bag NOT the blue bag), so please know that your results may not be the same as mine if ingredients are substituted.
- This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour.
- This recipe makes 30-36 cookies, it all depends on how big or small you make them.
- Nutrition info listed below is for 1 cookie (without optional chocolate chips) and is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here for more info on how nutrition info on this website is determined.
Cody Cervenka says
Just made these with my girlfriend and they are great! Even substituted rice flour for the gluten-free flour blend, and vegan butter for the coconut oil, and they turned out awesome.
Gwen Leron says
So glad you like them, Cody, and that the substitutions you made worked well. Thanks for your note!
Caroline says
These cookies are amazing! As someone who recently had to go gluten free this recipe is a God sent. I didn't know gluten free baking could be so delicious! I did not have any coconut oil on hand, so I used a vegan butter stick instead. I also did not have a gluten free flour blend - so I used white rice flour and 1/4 tsp xanthan gum. They came out great, thanks so much for a great recipe.
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome, Caroline! There are so many amazing gluten-free recipes out there to try. I'm glad you decided to try this one and that it worked well for you. Thanks for taking the time to leave your note and rating, I appreciate it! 🙂
Tesa says
My family is celebrating Christmas in July to help cope with all the stress in the world right now. We make your cookies every Christmas and are looking forward to making them for our party on Saturday (a party of just my husband and kids). ❤️ This recipe is a family tradition in our home with NO changes from the original recipe. Thank you for bringing our family joy 🎄🍪
Gwen Leron says
Wow, Tesa! Your comment totally made my day! What a nice way to life everyone's spirit during these times. And I'm so glad one of my recipes have made their way into your celebrations and family tradition. I hope you enjoy them, have a wonderful time celebrating Christmas in July and thank you SO much for your note, I appreciate it so much 🙂
Jamie says
Hi I was reading the comments because I am gluten free but nut free as well and I saw you said you were working on a nut free version of this cookie...did you ever finish that? Thinking of maybe trying this with all GF flour. Thanks!
Gwen Leron says
Hi Jamie! I did figure out a nut free version not long ago, but it's a whole different recipe from this one and I haven't had a chance to publish it yet. This recipe may work with all gf flour, but a few other adjust will need to be made as well so the dough is balanced properly. Very sorry I don't have that recipe up yet, I hope to get it done soon 🙂
Jamie says
Oh man ok thanks! I was wanting to make these for Christmas they sound so yummy!! I’ll look forward to checking it out when you publish it. Thank you 🙂
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome! 🙂
Antoinette says
I followed directions exactly, step by step, and they came out under done and flat! Pretty disappointed as I needed a Gluten Free, Vegan cookie recipe for Christmas for those with allergies/sensitivities.
Gwen says
Hi Antoinette, I'm very sorry to hear they did not turn out, especially since you needed a gf/v cookie for the day. I suspect that you made an ingredient substitution. Did you follow the recipe exactly as it is written? What type of flour did you use? Happy to help troubleshoot with you.
Cara says
I prefer the Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer to flax. How do I substitute? Is it approximately 1 egg in the recipe ? The egg replacer is 1 tbs + 2 tbs water = 1 egg. Thanks!
Gwen says
Hi Cara! You are right, the flax mixture I make in this recipe is equivalent to 1 egg. So whatever amount you need to equal one egg should be fine! I haven't tried an egg replacer instead of flax in this recipe, so I don't know how it will turn out, so please come back and let me know 🙂
Ashley Morgan says
How long do these cookies keep for? Thank you!
Gwen says
Hi Ashley, I would say about a week, maybe a day or two longer. The quicker you serve/eat them, the better since vegan + gf baking doesn't last as long 🙂
Tiba Al Damen says
Just tried these and they were delicious! The recipe was so easy to follow. Thank you!!!
I used Quinoa flour and it worked out great!
Gwen says
Hi Tiba! I'm so happy you liked the recipe and that they turned out well for you! Thanks for letting me know about the quinoa flour, I'm glad that substitute worked well 🙂
Katrina Burkett says
I look forward to testing today! I'll be using substitutes, so I was wondering what to dough should look like before it gets put in the fridge the first time?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Katrina! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the dough to show you...it should be like a regular cookie dough before you put it in the fridge to chill, it should hold together. I hope that helps, good luck with your substitutions.
Tally says
My daughter has dairy and egg allergy so though I'm not vegan, always looking for vegan recipes to make. I made these with regular flour, a mix of white/brown sugar and all fresh ginger. Turned out great! Don't be afraid to to try this without the fancy ingredients. Making these to leave for Santa tonight! Thanks!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I'm so glad you love them, Tally! I hope Santa loves them too 😉 Have a wonderful holiday!
Caitlin says
Mine turned out flat!! Any suggestions? Also, my coconut oil was still chunky in the batter even though I mixed forever with the mixer— which type do you use? Thank you for any feedback!!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Caitlin! I'm sorry to hear they didn't turn out for you! You have to be sure the coconut oil is soft (but not liquid) before you mix it together with the sugar or it will never mix together properly and will be chunky as you described (see the recipe notes). You also want to be sure everything you are adding to the wet mixture is at room temperature so the coconut oil will not harden. As for the cookies turning out flat, the only thing I can think of here is that the coconut oil or some other ingredient was not measured properly and/or you didn't refrigerate the cookie balls before they go in the oven long enough. Also, the chunks of coconut oil will make the oil distribution very uneven throughout the dough, so that may also be the issue. If you try again, I hope all of these tips help!
Sandy says
Hi! I want to make these but don’t have the gluten free flour mix. Have you tried making it with only almond flour ?? Would that work ??
Gwen Leron says
Hi Sandy, I have not tried making them with just almond flour so I can't say from experience how they will turn out, but I do think it would work. The texture is going to be a bit different from how they are supposed to be, though. If you do try, please come back and let me know how they turn out 🙂
Katelyn says
I'm not sure what coconut sugar is or how it's different from regular white sugar, do you suppose i would be able to use regular sugar in place of the coconut?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Katelyn, brown sugar would work very well in place of the coconut sugar 🙂 I hope you like the cookies!
Adriana says
I want to try these, they look delicious; however, I and eating oil free right now. Can I substitute anything for the coconut oil?? Thanks
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Adriana! I have not made these cookies with any substitutes for the coconut oil, I have always made this recipe as-is, so I'm not 100% sure what will work and what won't. I have had luck replacing oil in recipes with applesauce, and this is what I would try first in this case, but again, I can't guarantee that it will turn out well. If you do try, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Adriana! I have not made these cookies with any substitutes for the coconut oil, I have always made this recipe as-is, so I'm not 100% sure what will work and what won't. I have had luck replacing oil in recipes with applesauce, and this is what I would try first in this case, but again, I can't guarantee that it will turn out well. If you do try, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Heathr says
I just found out I'm gluten intolerant a few months ago. It has been a little emotional for me to avoid all the yummy baked goods at every social event I go to. My daughter made these for me last night to cheer me up. They are absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. What a godsend to have women like you sharing with all of us who are just starting to learn how to eat and live like this.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Heather, thank you SO MUCH for your note. Knowing that something as simple as my cookie recipe has made someone happy is a big reason why I do what I do here on this website. Your kind words made me smile, I am so glad these cookies were able to bring you a little happiness and show that gluten free eating doesn't have to be boring at all and can still be delicious. This is definitely a rough time of year with all the treats everywhere. I have many other vegan gluten free recipes on the site, you can start here with some more holiday recipes: https://delightfuladventures.com/recipes/?fwp_seasonal=christmas-recipes And please feel free to reach out if you have questions or need recommendations. Best of luck with everything 🙂
Suzanne says
These look amazing! I love that they are GF AND vegan; sometimes it is hard to find GF cookie recipes that don't have dairy / eggs. Thanks again!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
If you make them, I hope you like them, Suzanne! 🙂
Zoe says
I want to try these but my boyfriend is allergic to nuts. Any suggestions for replacing the almond flour? Just use all GF flour??
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Zoe! I have never tried it without the almond flour so I am not sure that it will work with just gf flour. The almond flour is that main ingredient, so I would be hesitant to try to replace it. If you do try, let me know how it goes. I have been working on testing a nut free gingerbread cookie recipe, but likely won't have it ready until sometime in December.
Alex says
Just finished up baking these for halloween. I used cookie cutters and it gave me no trouble at all. I got 24 cookies.
Best gingerbreads I’ve had in years! Had to make another half batch because i knew they wouldn’t last!
Thank you so much, will share and used from now on!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I am so glad to hear that the recipe worked out with cookie cutters, Alex! I haven't tried making them that way yet, but I'm going to try soon! A good excuse to make a batch 🙂 Thanks so much for your note.
Nicole says
Hey 🙂 I loooooove the recipe. Some flour and GF flour are super expensive in my country though, so do you reckon everything would turn out well if I used regular all purpose flour?
Thanks?
Gwen says
Hi Nicole 🙂 I have never tried this recipe with regular all purpose flour. BUT, this is adapted from a recipe I used to make years ago that did use regular flour, so it may just work. However, I can't guarantee the results. If you do try, please come back and tell me how it went!
Nadine says
Is the gluten free flour you use the Bob's Red Mill all purpose flour or the 1:1 flour?
Gwen says
Hi Nadine! The Bob's Red Mill flour I use in this recipe is the gluten free all purpose baking flour (this one here: https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Baking-Gluten/dp/B000QSHJZU), not the 1:1. If you make the cookies, I hope you like them! 🙂
Terri says
I made these cookies today to put away for Christmas. I'm doing a test to see if they freeze well. They smell and taste great. Fingers crossed that they freeze and thaw nicely.
Gwen says
Hi Terri! I have never put them in the freezer (they never last long enough!) but I'm pretty sure they will be fine. Let me know how it goes, I hope you like them!