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!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
They keep longer than most cookies actually. About 5 days at room temperature, or freeze them!
This looks so good! What a great recipe to have on hand for the upcoming holidays!
I agree, a great holiday recipe! Enjoy!
Delicious! These came out perfectly and I love the ginger and molasses levels in them. For any Australians out there – I used Nuttelex Buttery spread and it worked just fine
Thank you very much for your great review and comments! I’m glad the cookies came out delicious for you!
SOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!!
My husband just said, “these are the best cookies you have ever made!” Thanks for another awesome recipe!
I’m thrilled to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing your review and comments!
Wow! These cookies turned out SO good! I substituted bob’s red mill 1:1 gluten free flour for the all purpose flour as I am gluten free. I ended up having to add a bit more flour than directed because of this I think. The end result was amazing! I am super impressed with this recipe. Even my non vegan husband was gobbling these up. Thanks so much!
Hi Kirsten. I’m really glad the cookies turned out great for you! Thanks so much for taking your time to share your great review and comments!
Perfect!!!!!!
Thanks for the recipe, these turned out really good.
For some reason they didn’t flatten like they were supposed to – remained
they remained quite puffy. Can you think of a reason this might happen? Thanks again. 😀
I have been having the same issue. They still taste great but I prefer them to spread out. Any ideas ?
I live in Mexico and finding molasses’s is quite hard! Is there a way to substitute them? Maybe agave syrup? Maple syrup?
I’m sorry it’s hard to find molasses, I didn’t know that. I think maple syrup would be a pretty good substitute. They won’t taste exactly the same, but hopefully it will work pretty well!
SOOOOOOO GOOD FAMILY FAVOURITE MY FAMILY LOVES THEM THANK YOU FOR THIS AMAZING RECIPE YUM ?
I’m glad you guys love the cookies! Thank you for sharing your review!
These are delicious. I’m thinking maybe I’ll go vegan! Though I’m not at the moment. I found the recipe while looking for eggless cookies. Not because I don’t eat eggs, but because there weren’t any in the fridge. It turns out you don’t need them. Also, vegan butter sounded complicated, so I used regular butter. That was a mistake because they didn’t flatten out much in the oven and get that crackly look. But they taste great. Do you think half butter, half olive oil would work?
Hi Robert. I’m glad the cookies tasted great for you! I don’t think using regular butter had anything to do with how the cookies turned out. Make sure you are measuring out your flour accurately. Also, if the butter is too cold it may cause the cookies not to spread. Using half butter, half olive oil probably will not work, though I have not tried it. I hope this helps!
This is my favourite go to recipe
Real crowd pleasure . Question can you make dough ahead of time and freezer or keep in freezer ?
Thx in advance
Thanks, glad you like the cookies! Yes, you could certainly freeze some cookie dough, I would probably shape it into balls first just to make it easy. The dough in the refrigerator should be okay for a day or two. It will get very thick though, so let it warm to room temperature until it softens before trying to roll into balls.
We followed your recipe but used gluten free flour and did not roll in sugar. They came out perfectly and were absolutely DELICIOUS! Thank you.
Hi Melana. I’m glad the cookies turned out perfect for you! Thank you!
These cookies tasted amazon, but the texture was totally off. They completely melted / spread out in the oven and were super thin making them more like crisps. Has that happened to anyone else? They were also pretty oily. What vegan butter did you use? I used Myokos but have found that this choice can drastically impact baking results.
Bummer! No, they should be flat and thin like that. I haven’t tried them with Miyoko’s butter, but I think it’s coconut oil based? It may have led to the cookies spreading, I’m not sure. I tend to use Earth Balance, Country Crock or Melt. Make sure you are measuring everything correctly as well, and not making any substitutions if you did.
Just made the Vegan Ginger cookies and they are fabulous! Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi Rosemary. Thank you! I’m glad you love the cookies!
Easy and delicious. Recipe directions are very clear. My only suggestion is that many bakers measure by ingredient weight so would appreciate measurements – especially for flour – in grams.
There’s an option to switch to metric at the bottom of the ingredient list. I think she has it on all of her recipes, or at least a lot of them.
Made these for my wife’s birthday and they came out so good! Thanks for sharing your recipe, I’ll definitely make them again! 😀
Hi TJ. How fun! I’m glad they turned out good for you! Thank you for sharing!
Is it possible to use margarine, instead of vegan butter?
It should work just fine, as long as you don’t mind the flavor of the margarine you use.
If you’re looking for the *perfect* ginger molasses cookies, vegan or not, halt your search; you’ve found them. These cookies are life changing. When they’re fresh, they are the ideal combination of a lightly crisp coating and soft chewy interior. And I usually don’t like cookies that are more than a day old, but these are the exception; still delicious (albeit less crisp, naturally) 3 days later! I followed the recipe exactly, making no substitutions, and mine look identical to the photos. Bottom line, make these cookies NOW. You’ll be happy you did. Thanks so much Nora for this incredible recipe!
Hi Claire. Thank you for your terrific comments! I’m glad you enjoyed the ginger cookies!
Brother couldn’t tell they were vegan! Yay
Hi Gabrielle! Thank you!
Delicious but I found these to be super sweet… but I find most baking recipes to call for more sugar than I like. Personal preference I guess. Will reduce brown sugar next time but otherwise turned out awesome.
Thanks Jenn! Yes, feel free to cut the sugar back somewhat if you like.
These are the best cookies I have ever made. Everyone loved them and I can’t stop eating them! I’d note that the cookies I baked on the center rack were perfect, but the ones on the lower rack a bit burnt. That’s my fault, but just be careful with that. Otherwise, so easy and completely worth it!!
Hi Megan. I’m glad you liked the cookies! Thank you for sharing!
I tried making these, with home made brown sugar, made with 1 1/2 cups of Erithritol granules and 3 tbls of molasses, mixed with a fork. Plus used the Erithritol for rolling the dough in sugar. My cookies didn’t crack, and stayed more cake like. They taste good, but I was disappointed that they didn’t look like your photos. Any advice on trying this again? I am trying to avoid sugar for health reasons.
Hi Janet! Oh, I’m sorry to hear they didn’t look like they should using erithritol. I haven’t tried this myself, but I know baking with sugar substitutes can be tricky. I’m not quite sure what to suggest, perhaps another brown sugar subsitute, maybe a monk fruit blend? But they may not spread and crack the same way without sugar, sorry!
Delicious! I substituted almond flour and coconut oil, baking for 12 minutes at 350. Perfectly chewy and tasty!
I haven’t made them but I had some vegan ginger snaps so I can’t wait to make what other cookies recipes do you have ?
You can see all my cookie recipes here, I have a lot! Thank you!