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!
Add me to the fan club! Made recipe just now “as is”, but next time will try amping up the spice level a bit. Also planning to try part of a batch adding chopped crystallized ginger which I’m pretty sure will put these straight over the top from “delicious” to “outrageous”. Pretty sure any discussion about how long these might last is irrelevant; they will not be around for long in this house!Thanks so much for a stellar recipe! !
Thanks so much for the great comment!
This is the nicest thing ever to come from my kitchen!! Thank you x
Delicious! My daughter and I just made these today and they turned out perfectly. I originally thought the batch was quite large, but the family ate them right up! And that’s saying something since the household is mostly non-vegans teens 🙂
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the comment!
I’ve been adding a smidge of cardamom and a splash of rum… and I have made this recipe almost a dozen times since quarantine began because my partner eats about half of them in the first hour. (He says it’s entirely reshaped his ideas about vegan baking!) Great recipe. Thanks!
Thanks so much for the great comment!!
Just took a bite and omggggg! Every recipe of yours I try is ALWAYS AMAZING! You’re my go to for everything! Xx
I love to hear that! Thanks!
Omg! These cookies are insanely delicious! One of my favorite dessert receipts I’ve tried. I didn’t press them down before baking and did it at the end and let them cook for 2 minutes longer and the texture is freaking mind blowing even days after sitting in a Tupperware. My mouth is watering thinking about them. Thank you for this recipe 🙂
You’re so welcome!
Hi I don’t have molasses. Is it ok if I leave that out and only use brown sugar? Or should I replace the molasses with syrup? If yes, how much should I use?
It would be best to sub maple syrup or agave for the molasses. Thanks!
We really like the taste of ginger so we tripled the ginger.
please may you tell me how many grams is one cup of vegan butter please?
225 grams.
Hi have you tried this recipe using gluten free flour? My son is vegan and I am GF and this recipe would be great for both of us.
I haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free flour, but Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour usually works well in my other cookie recipes, so I bet it would work here, too. I’m sure other mixes would work as well, but I haven’t tried another. Hope you both enjoy!
The first time I made these they we’re good, my family loved them but I wasn’t totally satisfied. Not chewy enough for me and they didn’t look like your beautiful pictures! But the second (and third, and now tonight the fourth) time I’ve made them they have been absolutely perfect! The difference is that I weighed my ingredients after the first time. I also added more ginger but that’s just cause I can’t get enough of it. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
You’re welcome! Glad they ended up turning out great!
Question: 1 tablespoon of baking soda?? or 1 teaspoon? I wanted to make sure. Other recipes say 1 teaspoon. I cooked it via 1 tablespoon .. and scared to try it as other recipes say 1 tea spoon lol. I wanted to make sure that is accurate. thanks 🙂
1 tablespoon is correct. 🙂 Let me now how they turn out!
Delicious! I can do without the smell of the molasses though. And thank God I didn’t bake all at once. My first batch burned. I have to remember if the recipe says 350 for 10 min, I have to check at 8.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
So glad they’re delicious!
Love these cookies. All my non-vegan friends at work were obsessed with the gingery goodness. I added chopped crystallized ginger. Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
You’re welcome! So glad everyone enjoyed them!
I made these for Christmas for my daughter-in-law who is vegan. She loved them–we all loved them. They are just what you crave for in a gingersnap cookie. They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the center. I did dip the top of some of the cookies in some left-over melted almond bark (making them non-vegan). They were delicious that way, as well.
Thank you so much, Judy, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies.
These were excellent. Thank you for doing all the testing to create such a yummy cookie and then sharing the recipe. I was craving a soft ginger cookie and these didn’t disappoint. They even looked beautiful.
The only thing I’d change is that I prefer a barely sweet cookie, and these are a bit too sweet for me, even without rolling them in sugar, which I didn’t do (I sprinkled a bit of sea salt on top instead). I wonder if I could reduce the sugar without compromising the pleasant texture overall though.
I think you could probably cut the sugar in half even without affecting the texture. I haven’t tried it but I think it would be okay! I’m so glad you liked the cookies, thank you!
These are outrageous! I can’t get vegan butter where I live, so I used coconut oil. I also used whole wheat pastry flour. They came out perfect and exactly what my family wanted. Thanks so much for the recipe.
You’re so welcome! Glad they came out great for you all.
did you sub the vegan butter 1-1 ratio for coconut oil
Scrumptious!! whole family loved these! 10/10!!
Yay, so happy to hear it!
Can the cookie dough be made a day or two before baking and be refrigerated? Thanks! Made these last year and they were delicious!
Yes, it can! Just let it sit out at room temperature until you can roll it into balls, as the dough will get quite hard in the refrigerator. Thanks!
Do these freeze well? I am batch cooking for Xmas and wonder if these will still be good 3 days later?
Yes, they freeze well! Enjoy!
Can you make this using fresh grated ginger over dry ground ginger? I tried it the other day the flavour profile was awesome but the cookies were flat. I wonder if the moisture from the fresh ginger affected the rise on the cookies.
I haven’t ever tried it with fresh ginger, but it may have added quite a bit of moisture that wouldn’t have been there otherwise, making them flat. You could add a few tablespoons of flour to compensate if you want, that should help!
Do you think I could use essential oil for the ginger and cinnamon? Or would that change the consistency of the batter? Any ideas…. thanks.
I’m sure you could, if you don’t use a lot it shouldn’t change the batter, but it will change the way the cookies taste. Thanks!
I made these cookies and they turned out beautifully delicious! The only change I made was to use maple syrup instead of molasses (I’m not a fan of molasses). Thank you a new favorite recipe!
You’re welcome! Glad they’re delicious!
What kind of vegan butter you would reccomend?
I usually use Earth Balance, but I have used Melt and Miyokos with good results as well.
Hi Nora! I absolutely love your recipes. I want to try these out and make them into sandwich cookies with a buttercream in the middle. Would these be soft enough/work for that do you think?
Yes, they would be perfect cookies for that!