These Healthy Gingerbread Cookies are easy Christmas gingerbread man cookies made with no refined sugar, less fat, and no eggs or dairy. They are the perfect healthy addition to your Christmas cookie platter to make kids and adults happy.
I love gingerbread cookies of all sorts, like my Easy Gingerbread Cookies, Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies, or Vegan Gingerbread Cookies, but I wanted to try making a recipe that was as close as possible to the classic version in taste, but made with all healthier ingredients.
This healthier version of the classic cookies is amazing. They taste perfect, with the exact right texture, and they are the best Christmas decorations!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe
This recipe is easy to make with wholesome ingredients. The key is to find the right combination of spices!
- Dairy-Free Butter – This provides the richness and softness that makes the cookies tender. It’s essential for creaming the sugar and adding moisture. Vegan margarine can work, but coconut oil may alter the flavor slightly. Avoid oil in liquid form, as it will not provide the same creamy texture.
- Coconut Sugar – This natural sweetener with a mild caramel-like flavor is perfect for gingerbread cookies. It contributes to the rich taste and darker color of the cookies. Muscovado sugar, soft brown sugar, or date sugar can be used for a similar result. Avoid white sugar, as it lacks flavors.
- Maple Syrup – This adds moisture, natural sweetness, and enhances the flavors. Agave syrup or coconut nectar work well.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – Almond milk adds moisture and softness to the dough without adding fat. Any non-dairy milk like oat milk, soy milk, or cashew milk work. Avoid flavored or sweetened varieties as they may alter the taste.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla enhances the flavor and adds a warm, sweet aroma. Almond extract also works for a nuttier twist.
- White Whole Wheat Flour – This healthier alternative to all-purpose flour provides more fiber and nutrients while maintaining a soft texture. White spelt flour or a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour can also work. Gluten-free all-purpose flour might work but I haven’t tested it. Avoid standard whole wheat flour unless combined with lighter flours, as it may make the cookies dense.
- Flaxseed Meal – Flaxseeds act as a binder and replace eggs to keep the recipe plant-based. Ground chia seeds can also be used.
- Baking Soda – This makes the cookies slightly airier, making them light and soft.
- Ground Ginger – The star spice for that classic gingerbread flavor.
- Cinnamon – Cinnamon adds sweetness to the spice blend. You can also use more ginger or nutmeg for a different balance.
- Allspice – This makes the cookies very gingerbready.
- Vegan Royal Icing – Used for decorating, if you like. Make my vegan royal icing recipe.
- Vegan Christmas Sprinkles – For festive decoration.
How to Make Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
This recipe is really easy to whip up. Here’s how in pictures.
Combine the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and softened butter in a large mixing bowl.
Incorporate the almond milk, flaxseeds, and vanilla.
Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the batter,
Work the dough until it sticks together.
Wrap the dough and pace it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Flatten it when ready.
Cut out cookies and bake them for 9-11 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
Carine’s Baking Tips
I have a few more tips for you to make this recipe 100% failproof.
- Chill the Dough for Flavor and Structure: Chilling is essential for developing the gingerbread flavor and making the dough firm enough to handle. Do not skip this step. Overnight chilling works best if you can plan ahead.
- Soften Butter for Creaming: Let the vegan butter soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Too cold or melted butter will not cream properly, affecting the cookie texture.
- Adjust Dough Consistency: If the dough feels too sticky after mixing, dust in small amounts of flour until manageable. If it’s too dry, add almond milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Use Parchment Paper to Roll Out Dough: To prevent sticking, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. This also eliminates the need for excessive flour, which can dry out the dough.
- Control Thickness for Desired Texture: Roll the dough to exactly 1/4 inch for soft cookies. Thinner cookies will be crisper, so aim for consistency across the batch to avoid uneven baking.
- Choose the Right Cookie Cutters: Smaller shapes bake faster (6-8 minutes), while larger shapes may require up to 11 minutes. Keep an eye on baking time.
- Rotate the Baking Tray: Rotate the baking trays halfway through baking to ensure even browning if your oven has hot spots.
- Decorate Only Once Fully Cooled: Ensure the cookies are completely cool before decorating with icing, or it will melt and ruin your designs.
- Batch Prep: Double the recipe and freeze extra dough discs for easy cookie-making later. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling out.
Troubleshooting
Let me answer typical issues with a few tips to solve them.
- Why is my dough too sticky? Sticky dough often happens if the butter is too soft or the flour measurement is slightly off. Chill the dough longer, or knead in extra flour sparingly until it reaches a manageable consistency.
- Why are my cookies tough or dry? Over-kneading the dough or adding too much flour can lead to tough cookies. Be gentle with the dough and add flour only as needed.
- Why are my cookies spreading too much? Ensure the dough is well-chilled and the butter is not melted. Also, avoid over-creaming the butter and sugar mixture.
More Gingerbread Cookie Recipes
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Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
These Healthy Gingerbread Cookies are easy Christmas gingerbread man cookies made with no refined sugar, less fat, and no eggs or dairy. They are the perfect healthy addition to your Christmas cookie platter to make kids and adults happy.
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Servings: 12 gingerbread men cookies
Calories: 179.6 kcal
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Dairy-Free Butter (Unsalted) - softened at room temperature 30 minutes (note 1)
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar - (note 2)
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup - (note 3)
- 3 tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk - (note 4)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour - + a little more to work the dough (note 5)
- 2 teaspoons Flaxseed Meal - (note 6)
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Gingerbread spices
- ½ tablespoon Ground Ginger
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice - (note 7)
Decoration
- 1 batch Vegan Royal Icing
- ¼ cup Vegan Christmas Sprinkles
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the dairy-free butter, coconut sugar, and maple syrup for 1 minute on high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Next, beat in the almond milk, flaxseed meal, and vanilla and keep beating a few seconds until the mixture splits.
- Fold in the remaining dry ingredients: white whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and all these gingerbread spices: ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and allspice.
- Beat again at low speed until the cookie dough forms. If too dry, add a little more milk to bring the ingredients together. It should be soft, sticky, and easy to shape into a ball.
- Divide the dough into two balls of the same size. Wrap each ball into plastic wrap tightly and slightly flatten them into a disc.
- Refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours or overnight. Chilling is compulsory, or the dough would be fragile and gingerbread flavors not developed.
After Chilling
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line parchment paper onto two or three cookie sheets and lightly oil each with oil spray. Set aside.
- Remove one disc of chilled gingerbread cookie dough from the fridge. Flour your kitchen work surface, place the dough in front of you, sprinkle extra flour on the top, and roll into a thin disc of 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut into shapes using a gingerbread man cookie cutter.
- Place each gingerbread man in the prepared cookie sheet leaving half a thumb of space between them. They won't expand much in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until golden brown on the edges. If your cookie cutters are smaller, they cook faster, in around 6-8 minutes. For crunchier cookies, bake for longer. For softer gingerbread cookies, cook less time.
- Let the cookies cool down for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then cool completely on a cooling rack at room temperature.
Decoration
- Use one batch of my vegan royal icing and use a pipping bag to decorate.
Notes
Note 1: You can use any butter including regular softened butter if you use dairy in your kitchen, we don’t.
Note 2: Other options are muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar.
Note 3: Agave syrup or coconut nectar are great swaps.
Note 4: Or any milk you like including oat milk or soy milk,
Note 5: White spelt flour works too. I haven’t tried all-purpose gluten-free flour and I can’t recommend this option yet.
Note 6: Ground chia seed or cornstarch can be used instead.
Note 7: or nutmeg or more cinnamon.
Storage: You can store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie (no icing) | Calories: 179.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.6g | Protein: 2.3g | Fat: 4.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 146.2mg | Potassium: 180.6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 241.7IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 42.1mg | Iron: 1.6mg | Magnesium: 29.9mg | Phosphorus: 28.7mg | Zinc: 0.2mg
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