• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Evergreen Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Cookbook
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Cookbook
    • Recipes
    • Resources
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Published: Oct 8, 2015 · Modified: Nov 19, 2022 by bri · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies

    These soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies have just the right amount of spice. They're vegan (no eggs or butter!) and made with whole grains, but you'd never guess it. Make a batch (or two) this holiday season.
    Jump to Recipe
    Stack of ginger molasses cookies on a grey plate


    Ginger molasses cookies are my favorite kind of cookie (second only to the classic chocolate chunk!). When my boyfriend and I started dating, he noticed my love of ginger cookies and started to collect them from local coffee shops. After work, he'd pull out the crumpled cookie bag from his work jacket for "us" to taste test. Usually, that meant me eating most of the cookie before noticing he was patiently waiting to try some too. Oops! (Update: We're married now!—and if he buys treats, he'll get two just to be safe.)

    Ironically, after all that testing, the ginger molasses cookie we love best are these homemade ones. I tweaked a family-favorite recipe to make it vegan. The whole-grains don't only make these cookies more wholesome, but they also provide a slightly more complex flavor than all-purpose flour. The pretty sugar-coated exterior is optional, but make for a picture-perfect cookie, don't you think?! Enjoy these cookies with a hot cup of tea or coffee—or eat them on it's own, because the perfect ginger molasses cookie truly needs nothing else.

    Jump to:
    • Key ingredients
    • How to make
    • Frequently asked questions
    • 📖 Recipe

    Key ingredients

    • Ground flax and water: Whisked together to make a vegan "flax" egg for baking.
    • Whole wheat pastry flour: This flour is finely milled and has a low protein content, which helps keep baked goods light (which can be a challenge with whole-grains).
    • Spelt flour: Another whole-grain flour that adds a subtle nuttiness.
    • Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
    • Coconut oil: Melted coconut oil is a vegan-friendly butter substitute. The other flavors in these cookies make it so that there's no noticeable coconut flavor, but if you can use refined (deodorized) coconut oil to be extra safe. Grapeseed oil or other vegetable oil works too.
    • Molasses: I usually use dark molasses for these cookies. But "fancy" molasses works too (see the FAQ below). Pro tip—measure out the molasses after the coconut oil. That way, the residual oil in the measuring cup will help the molasses slide out easily!
    • Cane sugar: For sweetness, both inside the cookie and for rolling. You can use cane sugar or granulated sugar, whichever you prefer.
    Pouring molasses into cookie mixture

    How to make

    These vegan cookies follow a similar baking process as regular cookies. Ginger cookie dough is often quite firm/stiff when you're incorporating the final dry ingredients. Use either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, and mix until the dough comes together—because it will!

    • Make the flax egg: Whisk the flax and water together until smooth. Set it aside to let it thicken.
    • Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together the flours, spices, baking soda, and salt.
    • Mix wet ingredients: Use an electric mixer to combine the oil, molasses, flax egg, and sugar.
    • Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, in batches, starting on low speed (so the flour doesn't fly out of the bowl). The dough will appear quite still and dry at first—keep going until it comes together.
    • Bake: Scoop the dough into balls (we recommend using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop), then roll the balls in extra sugar. Arrange the balls on a baking sheet (see the FAQ below), and gently flatten the tops before baking. Bake until the edges are set and the middles are soft. Enjoy!
    Placing ginger molasses cookies on a baking tray and shaping them using hands

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I substitute the whole wheat pastry flour?

    Yes, you can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour. For best results, substitute by weight (grams are provided in the recipe card, under "metric").

    Can I substitute the spelt flour?

    Yes, you can use more whole wheat pastry flour instead of spelt. For best results, substitute by weight (grams are provided in the recipe card, under "metric").

    What kind of molasses should I use?

    Molasses is the byproduct of processing sugar cane (or sugar beets). The juice from the sugar cane gets heated in stages to remove the additional sucrose, which then gets turned around and sold as table sugar. Each stage of heating removes more and more sugar (and becomes more concentrated).

    Fancy Molasses has gone through one stage of heating and contains the most sucrose (sugar). Dark Molasses has gone through two stages of heating. Blackstrap Molasses has gone through three stages of heating, so it contains the least sucrose (sugar) and the most concentrated in mineral content but also the least sweet.

    For these cookies we recommend using either Fancy or Dark Molasses, which will provide the flavor and moisture from the molasses without bitterness.

    Why is the dough dry?

    Dry dough could be from using too much flour. For best results in baking, measure your ingredients by weight (on a scale) rather than volume (cups, spoons). If you don't have a scale, fluff up the flour in the bag, lightly spoon it into the cup, and level off the flour using the back of a spoon.

    If you added the right amount of flour and the dough still looks dry, it likely just isn't mixed enough. Use an electric mixer (either handheld or a stand mixer) and keep mixing on low speed until the dough comes together.

    Do I need to roll ginger molasses cookies in sugar?

    You don't have to! But the sugar makes them extra pretty, and adds a bit of sweetness and texture to the outside.

    Should I use a light or dark baking sheet?

    We usually recommend baking cookies on a light baking sheet. We like these ginger molasses cookies to be soft and chewy, so they're sensitive to bake time. Don't over bake because the cookies will firm up slightly as they cool. Darker pans will cook faster, so if you use them, check the cookies a couple minutes earlier than the recipe says.

    How do I store ginger molasses cookies?

    Allow the cookies to fully cool, then transfer them to a sealed container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies

    These soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies have just the right amount of spice. They're vegan (no eggs or butter!) and made with whole grains, but you'd never guess it. Make a batch (or two) this holiday season.
    Prep Time 25 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes
    Servings 14 cookies
    Author: Bri
    Pin Recipe
    Stack of ginger molasses cookies on a grey plate
    Print

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon ground flax
    • 3 tablespoons water
    • 1¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 cup spelt flour
    • 2¼ teaspoons cinnamon
    • 1½ teaspoons ground cloves
    • ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¾ teaspoon nutmeg (see note 1)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ¼ cup melted coconut oil (or grapeseed oil)
    • ⅓ cup molasses (unsulfured)
    • ⅔ cup cane sugar (or granulated sugar, more for rolling)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat: Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (177°F).
    • Flax egg: Whisk together flax and water. Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken.
    • Dry ingredients: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
    • Wet ingredients: To a large bowl, add melted oil and molasses to a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer, on high speed, until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add "flax egg" and sugar. Mix on low speed until fully combined.
    • Combine: Add half of the dry mixture to wet mixture and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the remaining half of dry ingredients and mix on low speed until there's no visible flour. The dough will appear quite stiff and dry at first, but keep going because it will come together with enough mixing!
    • Bake: Scoop dough into golf-ball sized balls (about 3 tablespoons each). Roll each ball between your hands until smooth, then roll in extra cane sugar to coat. Arrange dough on parchment lined baking sheets (about 6 to 8 per sheet, leaving space for spreading). Use the palm of your hand to gently flatten each ball. Bake one sheet at a time, until the edges are set but the middle is still slightly soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and bake remaining dough.

    Notes

    1. Nutmeg: Freshly grated nutmeg is a lot more flavorful, so use it if you can (but pre-ground nutmeg works too). 
    2. Baking by weight: For the most reliable results, we recommend measuring by weight when baking. Ingredient weights are provided in metric. If you must go by volume (measuring cups), make sure to fluff, spoon, and level the flour to avoid adding too much.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a rating below and tag us @evergreenkitchen on instagram!

    More Desserts

    • Perfect slice of Banana Walnut Cake being served.
      Banana Walnut Cake
    • Best Earl Grey Shortbread cookies, sprinkled with sugar, on a while plate
      Best Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
    • Bowl of icing with orange and gingerbread on table
      Orange Icing
    • Vegan gingerbread cookies decorated with royal icing.
      Best Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      LEAVE A COMMENT Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Carla says

      December 24, 2022 at 8:25 am

      5 stars
      So delish! I used regular granular sugar and they worked out great!

      Reply
      • bri says

        December 30, 2022 at 7:50 am

        Yay, glad you enjoyed these cookies Carla! Happy holidays!

        Reply
    2. Summer says

      December 12, 2019 at 8:00 pm

      Hey Bri 🙂

      Would these cookies work out the same using eggs and gluten-free flour?

      Reply
      • Bri says

        December 12, 2019 at 8:56 pm

        Hi Summer! You can definitely substitute an egg instead of the flax egg. If you have "Extra Large" eggs, use one of those, otherwise opt for "Large". I haven't tested this recipe with gluten-free flour BUT there's a lot of gluten-free flour blends out there that are marketed as 1:1 substitutes for regular flour. If you have one of those that you find reliably works as a substitute in other recipes, then you should give it a try! Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
    3. Beth Erman says

      October 15, 2015 at 6:16 pm

      Have you tried this with a gluten-free flour? I have celiac disease. I can't imagine there would be an issue, but thought I'd ask.

      Reply
      • Brianne B. says

        October 16, 2015 at 5:46 am

        Hi Beth! I haven't yet tried it with gluten-free flour, but I definitely think you should! I would suggest a reliable gluten-free all-purpose substitute. I'm eager to hear how it goes - please let me know:)

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Evergreen Kitchen! We're all about delicious vegetarian food you actually want to eat. Here you'll find craveable dinner recipes, meal prep ideas, healthy-ish desserts, and everyday cooking resources.

    More about us →

    Get the Cookbook!

    Evergreen Kitchen Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone Cookbook Cover
    Learn more about Evergreen Kitchen:
    Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone

    Spring Features

    • Vegetarian Lentil Nicoise Salad
    • Whipped ricotta dip with honey, thyme, and pepper in a bowl.
      Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey
    • Black Lentil Salad with Feta in a bowl with a fork.
      Mediterranean Black Lentil Salad with Feta
    • Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon on a green plate with a fork.
      Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon
    • Lemon Spinach Orzo in a bowl topped with feta and dill.
      One Pan Lemon Spinach Orzo with Feta
    • Roasted veggie sandwich with avaocado and chipotle mayo on a serving platter
      Roasted Veggie Sandwiches with Peri Peri

    Fan Favorites

    • Close up of crispy breaded air fryer tofu with panko breadcrumb crust
      Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Tofu
    • Lemon dill and chickpea sandwich cut in half
      Vegan Smashed Chickpea Sandwich
    • Mushroom stroganoff in a white plate with fresh thyme and parmasen
      Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff (One Pot)
    • 12 peanut butter coconut power balls on a marble background
      Best Peanut Butter Coconut Balls
    • Close up of crispy air fryer breakfast potatoes (home fries)
      Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries)
    • A bowl of Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup with a piece of bread sitting on the edge of the bowl, with a white spoon and sliced lemon
      Instant Pot Bean Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Contact

    Contact us

    Recipes

    Jump to Recipes

    As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Evergreen Kitchen!