A soft and chewy vegan gingersnap cookies recipe that’s flavored with 3 kinds of ginger.
A seasonal favorite, these vegan gingersnap cookies always make their way to the holiday table. With a slightly crisp exterior and a soft and chewy center, they satisfy any ginger loving sweet tooth.
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What makes these vegan?
This gingersnap cookie recipe is both dairy-free and eggless. The butter and eggs commonly found in gingersnap cookie recipes are replaced with olive oil and a flax egg.
Triple Ginger
Something that makes these vegan gingersnap cookies a little extra is the triple dose of ginger. Instead of simply adding in dash of spice, this recipe uses 3 different kinds of ginger: fresh, dried and candied.
Ginger Spice
A commonly used version. This dried and ground ginger powder can be found in the spice section of a supermarket.
Candied/Crystalized Ginger
Crystalized ginger are pieces of fresh ginger that are soaked in sugar water, rolled in additional sugar and then dried into a candy. Look for it in the baking or dried fruit aisles.
Depending on the brand you buy, the size of pieces can vary. The pieces should be soft and malleable. A knife or kitchen scissors can be used to easily cut down larger pieces. Aim for pieces the size of chocolate chips.
You can also make it yourself.
Ginger Paste
Made from fresh ginger that gets ground into a fine paste.
This can be purchased premade (it may be labeled as “crushed ginger”), either refrigerated in a squeeze bottle or frozen in cubes.
You can also make it from a piece of ginger from the produce section.
How to make ginger paste + tips
- You’ll need a fresh knob of ginger root. Any size piece will work.
- Break into smaller, more manageable sections.
- Wash and dry the piece of ginger you’re going to use.
- The skin can be left on or removed with a spoon.
- If possible, start from the end that you broke off a the larger knob. Rub against a fine grating surface, such as a box grater or a microplane. Work over a surface that can catch the crushed ginger, such as a cutting board or dish.
- Another option is to use a grater that’s specifically meant to be used with ginger (as shown above & here). Unlike a standard grater, there are no holes for small pieces of food to fall through. This one contains the grated food and any liquid.
- You can freeze leftover ginger. Next time you need it in a recipe, grate it fresh from the frozen piece.
Watch how to make vegan gingersnap cookies
Ingredients
- flax meal + water
- flour: both all purpose & white whole wheat
- baking soda
- spices: ginger powder, cinnamon, cloves & coarse salt
- crystalized ginger
- unsulphured molasses – save the rest of the jar to make Chewy Gingerbread Bars for dessert or these Blackberry Bran & Zucchini Muffins for the morning.
- olive oil
- sugar
- vanilla extract
- grated ginger
How to make vegan gingersnaps
- Make a “flax egg” by mixing together the flax meal with water. Let it sit for 15 minutes for it to gel.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add wet ingredients in with the flax egg.
- Incorporate the dry ingredients into wet.
- Scoop and shape cookie dough into balls.
- Roll ball in spiced sugar mixture (optional).
- Bake in a preheated oven & enjoy.
Another layer of ginger
Before baking, the cookie dough gets rolled in cinnamon, ginger, sugar spice mixture.
Get ready to bake!
Arrange the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets. These cookies don’t spread. But leave enough space on the tray to accommodate 2½ inch cookies.
Keeping the cookies flat
When the cookies are about 80% baked, remove the trays from the oven. Press each cookie down to flatten.
Don’t use your hands to do this! 1) Because the cookies are gonna be HOT. 2) They’ll be slanted and pressed unevenly. 3) Won’t look so good.
Use something with a flat bottom, such as the bottom of a glass or a metal measuring cup. Make sure the object is ~3 inches. You could even use another sheet pan.
Once flat, return to oven to continue baking. If needed, press each cookie down again once they’re removed from the oven, before giving them a chance to cool.
Let the holiday baking continue……with more cookies.
FAQS & TIPS
No. The cookies will puff up during baking, creating more of a dome shape.
These vegan gingersnap cookies are flattened before they’re completely baked. After 10 minutes in the oven, remove the cookie tray and use a flat bottom object to gently press each cookie down. Return the tray to bake for another 2 minutes. Press cookies again once they’re done baking and allow to cool.
To keep them more uniform in size. It’s easier to flatten them out of the oven when they’re soft than when the dough is still raw.
Yes, the dough can be mixed together a day in advance. Keep it in a small bowl, covered/wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, scoop and roll in sugar.
You can also freeze the cookie dough raw or once baked. Roll the dough into balls and freeze on a baking tray. Transfer to a sealed container once frozen.
Add 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder into the wet ingredients to turn these cookies from plain gingersnaps into chocolate ones.
Yes, however the dough is going to be a lot more wet & oily than regular sugar cookies.
Divide the dough into smaller more manageable pieces (2-4). Press or roll each one out between two pieces of parchment paper. Cut out your cookies, leaving enough space between each one to remove excess dough. Depending on the size/design of your cookie cutter, it may be necessary to chill the dough.
Pin to Save this Vegan Gingersnap Cookies Recipe
Vegan Gingersnap Cookies
Soft and chewy vegan gingersnap cookies. That's packed with 3 kinds of ginger.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flax meal
- 1 cup (138 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (138 grams) white whole wheat flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ginger powder
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher/coarse salt
- ⅓ cup (48 grams) diced crystalized ginger
- ¼ cup (60 mL) molasses
- ⅔ cup (150 mL) olive oil
- ½ cup (100 grams) sugar
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) grated ginger
For Rolling (optional)
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large (half) sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Place the flax meal into a large mixing bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons of water. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until gel like.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl prepare the dry ingredients. Mix together the flours, baking soda, dried spices and crystalized ginger pieces.
- Once the flax egg is ready, add the molasses, olive oil, sugar, vanilla and grated ginger. Whisk until combined and the oil is incorporated well into the mixture.
- Pour dry ingredients into the larger bowl. Mix together with a spatula.
- Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the dough. Roll between the palm of your hands into a ball. Place on the prepared baking trays.
- (optional) In a small bowl or rimmed plate, mix together the sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Roll each ball around to coat before placing on the baking trays.
- Bake in a 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove trays from oven. Press each cookie down with a flat bottom object (like a mason jar). Return to the oven for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a cookies to a rack to cool.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 28 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 39Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 87mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
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Thanks so much for this recipe! I was looking for vegan gingersnap recipes online and most of them just said to swap out butter for vegan butter and egg for vegan egg, so this is much appreciated.
Best,
G