Chewy Vegan Ginger Cookies are everyone’s favorite holiday cookie! They’re filled with molasses and warm winter spices and decorated with a crisp sugar coating. Easy to make in 1 bowl!
Fill your cookie boxes with even more classic vegan Christmas cookies, like my Vegan Snowball Cookies, my Vegan Sugar Cookies, and these Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!
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“Just made these and they came out perfectly! I’m seriously in love with these and can’t believe they are vegan!” – Courtney
These Vegan Ginger Cookies are always some of the first cookies I bake around the holidays. They’re full of molasses, brown sugar, and cozy winter spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Usually, I have to bake a few batches because of how incredibly chewy and irresistible they are!
Believe me when I say I tested these vegan ginger molasses cookies until they were absolutely perfect. After a days-long cookie-baking marathon, I finally nailed the recipe! With gorgeous cracks on the outside and an irresistible soft chew on the inside, they were well worth the effort.
Why you’ll love these chewy ginger cookies
- Seriously chewy – The cookies I first tested were too puffy and cake-like. I’m happy to say that this now-perfect recipe gives you some seriously soft and chewy ginger cookies every time.
- Coated in sugar – I mean, just look at the glistening sugar granules surrounding the cookies. It’s gorgeous to look at, sweet in flavor, and makes them that much more eye-catching.
- Easy 1-bowl recipe – Just like my Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies, these ginger cookies are oh-so easy to make in only one bowl!
These easy ginger cookies are perfect for sharing with friends, neighbors, and co-workers. If you want to treat them to even more ginger cookies, try my Vegan Gingerbread Cookies or these Gingerbread Latte Cookies next!
How to make vegan ginger cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Start by beating the vegan butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Next, beat in the molasses and vanilla.
Add 2 cups of flour and the rest of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix on low speed to combine, then add the remaining flour. Mix again until incorporated.
Roll 2 tablespoons of cookie dough at a time into balls (or 1 tablespoon for smaller cookies), then roll each one in a bowl of sugar until coated. Place the balls on a prepared baking sheet.
Recipe Tip
You can always skip the sugar coating or roll the cookie dough balls in powdered sugar instead, just like with my Ginger Crinkle Cookies.
Bake the ginger molasses cookies until they begin to crack on top. They’ll look a little soft coming out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool.
Set them aside to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Chewy vs. crisp ginger cookies
As-is, these cookies are all about the chew. If you want crispier cookies, like vegan gingersnaps, bake them for 14 to 15 minutes instead.
Frequently asked questions
I usually use unsulphured blackstrap molasses, but these cookies are flexible in terms of what molasses you use.
Yes, that should be fine. A few of my readers have made these with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour (like King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour) and had great results!
I haven’t tested it, but softened coconut oil (not melted) should work. Your cookies may spread a little more in the oven, but they will still be very delicious.
Absolutely. Roll the cookie dough balls, place them on the baking sheet, and freeze until they’re solid. Transfer the balls to a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the balls at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before coating in sugar and baking.
They’ll stay soft and chewy for about 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also store them in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Vegan Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened vegan butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add the molasses and vanilla, and beat in until smooth. Scrape the sides as needed with a spatula.
- Add 2 cups of flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg on top of the flour. Mix on low speed to combine. Now add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and mix until incorporated. The dough will be quite thick, but not dry.
- Fill a small bowl with the cup of sugar for rolling.
- Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of dough for large cookies (1 tablespoon for small cookies), roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the sugar until completely coated.
- Place on the prepared baking sheets, and bake for 11-12 minutes, until they begin to crack on top. They will look very soft, but they firm up a lot as they cool. If you over bake, they will be crispy.
- Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For better cracks in the cookies: After a few minutes in the oven, sprinkle a little bit of cold water (I just flick it in the pan with my hands, about a teaspoon) on the pan. Cracks will form! (I learned this from my grandma)
- This recipe makes 36 large cookies, or about 48 small cookies. You can always cut the recipe in half if you don’t want that many. They are perfect for sharing with friends, neighbors or co-workers!
- Make sure to correctly measure your flour, or the cookies may not turn out right. To do this, use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup. Don’t pat the flour down or tap the cup. Use a knife to level off the top of the cup.
- If you want crispier cookies, like gingersnaps, simply bake these a bit longer, 14-15 minutes, and they will be quite crisp!
Nutrition
12/22/18- I found after further recipe testing that it was unnecessary to chill the cookie dough before baking the cookies, so I removed that step, making this recipe even easier!
SUCH GOOD COOKIES!! the texture was incredible and they tasted just as good for the next couple days.
Thanks for the comment. Glad they were great!
Hi Nora,
Hands down the best ginger cookie recipe, vegan or otherwise! I was skeptical about the 1 tablespoon of baking soda but they turned out great. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! So glad they were good!
Hi Nora! I was wondering if you think we would be able to create a gingerbread house using this recipe? Thanks!
I’ve never tried it, so I’m honestly not sure!
These were fabulous! I only added fresh grated ginger, a dash of black pepper and a teaspoon of dark cocoa powder. This is my new go to recipe. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m glad they were fabulous!
Instead of oil or vegan butter, I used a half cup of tahini and a half cup of applesauce. You have to flatten the cookies before baking, but they turned out perfect!
That is so cool! I’m glad it worked well, I’ll have to try that sometime.
These were soooo yummy!! I didn’t have molasses so I substituted more brown sugar, and they still turned out fabulously!
I’m glad they came out great! These are one of my favorites this time of year. 🙂
I made these today for my Christmas baking and they are delicious!
I’m so glad you like the cookies!
I just made these and they turned out so yummy! I used the Country Crock Almond Plant Butter and whole wheat flour. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I will be making this again.
You’re welcome! Glad they’re a winner and that you’ll be making them again. 🙂
Any issue with omitting the rolling sugar? Just trying to cut back on the sugar levels a bit! Thanks!
Nope, totally fine to leave it out! Enjoy!
These are addictive! I am not vegan but we have egg/dairy allergic family members. I made them with coconut oil. I rolled some if the dough into balls and stuck them in the freezer. They baked up wonderfully! Oh, and I added some minced candies ginger. So so good!
I agree that they are addictive. Whenever I make them, I can’t stop eating them! Glad you liked them!
I replaced the flour with orange lentil flour to make this recipe gluten-free.
✵ THE GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN GINGER COOKIES VERDICT ✵
I was REALLY LAZY on the whole mixing part of the recipe, but they still came out AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! The tastiest ones (I thought) were the teaspoon-sized ginger cookies that were in for 10 minutes. They had a satisfying, grandma-worthy SNAP, and just the right amount of chewy goodness in the middle. Using the orange lentil flour gave it a savory base that (surprisingly) complimented the molasses beautifully. These were a crowd-pleaser, and I’ll certainly be making them again, and I’ll be posting about this on my blog (with credit to you, of course) for the holidays. Thanks, Nora! What a treat!
I’m so glad that you were able to make a tasty gluten-free version! Sounds delicious!
Sooo delicious!!! LOVE! Brought them into work today and everyone love the cookies. Thank you! Xoxo
I’m so glad everyone loved the cookies! Thank you!
Do you think I could replace the vegan butter with vegan cannabutter? I want to turn these into edibles if possible, they look great 🙂
I’m not sure! If it acts like vegan butter, probably. Good luck if you try it!
Just made these for the first time and WOW! These cookies are AMAZING. Nora, you are brilliant once again!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Absolutely the best cookies I’ve ever had. I tried to use eat one but I ended up immediately consuming four ?.
I didn’t have molasses so I used agave. I also ran out of flour so I ended up doing one cup of oat flour and 1/4 of a cup of coconut flour. It ended up working out beautifully.
Thank you!
These cookies are ridiculous. I can’t stop eating them!
So glad you like them!
These are so good! I used coconut oil and they still turned out soft with a nice chew. They didn’t crack though, but still so tasty!
Absolutely fabulous! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
I just want to make a pot of tea and munch away on these….
Thank you so much! Mmmmmm ginger cookies and tea sounds wonderful.
Is there a substitute you can use for molasses?
Sorry, not for these cookies! The molasses is essential for both flavor and texture.
Can you use vegan margarine instead of vegan butter?
Yes, you can. Just make sure you don’t mind the flavor of the vegan margarine you use, as it may come through in the cookies.
This is an amazing recipe! I will never even LOOK for another ginger cookie. Recipe is exactly as stated. Thank you for sharing, Nora!
Yay! I’m so glad. The texture and flavor of this cookie took me many attempts until I found the perfect combination! So happy you enjoyed the cookies.
These look absolutely delicious! Do you know if the dough can be made ahead a day or two before baking?
Thanks! It could, but it will need to sit on the counter for 30 minutes or longer before you roll into balls and bake. The dough gets a bit thick in the fridge. Hope you enjoy!
These turned out amazingly . Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll definitely make these again.
I’m so glad they turned out well for you!
You nailed this recipe! The cookies are delicious; crispy outside and soft inside. I rolled them in balls as directed, but they did not flatten out and crack after baking. I pressed them down with a spachula right out of the oven and they flattened and cracked perfectly. My husband, daughter and myself took the cookies to our individual workplaces and all three places devoured them. So easy and so yummy. Keep up the good work.
My little vegan fam is a HUGE fan of these cookies! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thank you! 🙂
Amazing taste and texture! One of the best cookies I’ve ever had!