These chewy vegan ginger spice cookies are an easy sweet treat for the holidays. Made with whole wheat flour and warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. These delicious vegan spice cookies are soft and chewy on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. A perfect spice cookie experience.
Spice cookies are one of my favorites. Give me a soft cookie, spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and I’m a happy camper for the holidays (any beyond). Of course, I love the crunch of gingersnap cookies, but chewy spice cookies always steal my heart.
In our home, the holidays are filled with a fair amount of baked goods, with lots of gingerbread to go around. Christmas baking is a pastime for the whole family. And we eat a fair amount of it, too. As such, I try to make my holiday baking a little healthier, but that doesn’t always happen. These vegan spice cookies border the line between healthy and sweet decadence (and I'm totally ok with that).
They're sooooo good!
Chewy vegan ginger spice cookies
Unlike most vegan ginger cookies, this recipe is made without vegan butter or molasses. Instead, this recipe is made with a base of whole wheat flour, several warming spices, coconut oil, and liquid honey (or maple syrup). The base of this recipe is made without refined sugar, however, they are rolled in a light coating of organic cane sugar...because it’s holiday time!
Also, this recipe doesn’t need any binders like flax eggs, cornstarch or the like. It’s pretty simple, actually. I also love not having to fuss with rolling out the dough or dealing with a messy floured surface. Simply drop sugared dough balls onto a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. They’re chewy, sweet, spicy, and I'm so happy with how they turned out!
These cookies bake up about 3" across and about ⅓" thick. Of course, they can be made smaller if you want (just reduce the baking time and check them frequently to prevent burning).
Below, I share some tips on making this recipe, but I've also made notes in the recipe card if you’d rather skip over this.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
The trick to getting chewy vegan ginger cookies
Conventional chewy cookies are made with eggs, brown sugar, and high gluten flour (like bread flour). And, if you're interested in that kind of recipe, you can check out the 'holy grail' of chewy cookies by visiting Alton Brown’s recipe here.
However, these vegan ginger spice cookies are plenty chewy without using bread flour (or eggs). They really only need two things: whole wheat flour and liquid sweetener. Initially, I made this recipe with spelt flour, but I found whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour) work better for achieving a chewy texture. They both contain more gluten than spelt.
Moreover, a liquid sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup adds, not only sweet flavour, but additional moisture to these cookies. The extra moisture really helps with the chewy factor as well!
Substitutions for this recipe
Flour– this recipe works best with whole wheat flour. However, I've had success with light spelt flour as well. You can also use all purpose flour if you prefer. As noted above, spelt flour will make these slightly less chewy, but still excellent imo! I haven't tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, but let me know how they turn out if you give it a go.
Honey – most vegan recipes don’t use honey... it's a rather contentious issue. However, I am not opposed to using it so long as it comes from a local and organic producer that I know and trust. However, if you prefer not to use honey, swap it for maple syrup or agave syrup in equal measure.
Coconut oil – you can swap softened coconut oil for vegan butter. However, try to source a vegan butter with no palm oil if you can. As well, because most vegan butter contains sodium, I recommend omitting the ⅛ tsp of salt in the recipe.
More Tips and Recommendations for this recipe
Sift the flour before you measure it- this will ensure you don't end up with a dry cookie that won't spread. The measurement is 1 ½ cups of sifted flour.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer - the dough can be mixed by hand, however, I find a hand mixer (or stand mixer) works best for combining the dough. The dough may seem dry at first, but continue mixing; it will come together perfectly like any cookie dough.
Use a medium size cookie scoop - this recipe can be made into smaller cookies, but I prefer the size of the medium cookie scoop. If you don’t have one, simply roll the dough into 10 1 ½ - 2†size balls with your hands.
Cool on the baking tray first- letting them cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack will prevent the cookies from possibly cracking or breaking.
Let them cool completely - the cookies need to cool fully so they can set up and develop their perfectly chewy inside. These vegan spice cookies are also really good the next day, btw.
Want more vegan holiday cookie recipes?
If you love my chewy vegan spice cookies, here are a few of my other favorites:
Vegan Chocolate Dipped Olive Oil Biscotti
Vegan and Gluten Free Maple Almond Cookies
And my favorite vegan gingerbread cookies that I shared over on Baked The Blog.
Chewy Vegan Ginger Spice Cookies
These chewy vegan ginger spice cookies are an easy sweet treat for the holidays. Made with whole wheat flour and warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. These cookies are soft and chewy on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside for a perfect spice cookie experience. Recipe substitutions can be found in the notes below.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (8oz) sifted whole wheat flour (sift first, then measure)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, beat together the honey, vanilla and softened coconut oil. Add in the dry ingredients and beat until all the flour is combined.
-
Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Portion the dough into 10 balls with a medium size cookie scoop (or use your hands to make 10 ~2" dough balls). Roll each dough ball in the granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking tray 3" apart.
-
Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
If you roll the dough between your hands, the coconut oil may soften too much and make the cookies spread too thin. Put the rolled dough balls in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before baking if you use this method.
Light spelt or all purpose flour can be used in equal measure for whole wheat flour. If you prefer not to use bee products, simply replace the honey with maple syrup or agave syrup in equal measure. Vegan ginger spice cookies will last 5-7 days in an airtight container and are even better the next day.
Can I substitute another kind of oil for coconut oil.
Hi Susie! Unfortunately, I haven't tried them with any oil other than coconut. Olive/vegetable oil may work. If you want to give it a go, try using 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of olive oil instead of the 1/2 C of coconut oil. I'd also suggest giving the dough balls about 10-15 minutes in the fridge before baking. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
I used canola oil, Chilled them in the fridge for 15 minutes, put in oven for about 16 minutes?
I’m so glad you like the recipe, and that the exchange worked, Linda!
Made these on Saturday and they came out great! Really happy with this recipe. I love how uniform all the cookies came out. Mine were a *little* crumbly in texture but it went really beautifully with a hot tea. And nice that these can be made with things most people have in their cupboards already. Thanks!
Hi Andrea! I'm so happy you like them and thank you so much for the feedback 🙂
I tried the cookies today, but they spread way too much on the baking tray :-/ What did I do wrong? Do the dough balls maybe need to be refrigerated before I bake them, so the coconut oil gets firm again? I quickly rolled them between my hands to shape them. Would love to make them again soon ;-).
Hi Nina! I suspect that's what happened...the coconut oil may have softened a little more from the heat of your hands (my hands tend to be really cold all the time lol). Yes, popping the dough balls in the fridge for 15 minutes or so should help prevent them from spreading too much. I will also update the recipe card to note this (thank you)! Let me know how they work out for you 🙂
xx
Thank you so much for your quick reply! I think you're right. Good to know for people that don't have a cookie scoop 🙂 I will update you on how it worked out with putting the dough balls into the fridge for a couple of minutes :-).
Delighted with these ginger biscuits. They were amazing, perfect! I need to make more next time for the 4 of us as all gone. Thank you so much!
I'm so happy to hear it, Lesley-Anne! Thank you for the wonderful feedback 🙂
Is there a gluten free version? Thanks.
Hi Regina! I haven't had a chance to try this recipe with a gluten free flour. I suspect there might be concerns with the actual cookie holding it's shape- because there are no eggs in this recipe, gluten is the main binder. However, I will try it with coconut flour and share the results if it works! I also have this recipe for gluten free maple almond cookies which is really good https://www.thesimplegreen.com/gluten-free-maple-almond-cookies/
This was actually the very first vegan cookies recipe I have ever tried so I was a bit nervous/skeptical, but they turned out SO well! Per your advice I popped them in the freezer for a few minutes between shaping the balls and baking them, and they held their shape beautifully. I'm going to try this same recipe tweaked as a snickerdoodle next. Thank you!
I'm so so happy to hear it, Amy! That made my day 🙂 And oh my heavens, a snickerdoodle version would be amazing!
Really enjoyed this recipe! Very easy to make and full of flavor. I already know I’ll be making a second batch again soon!
I’m so happy to hear it, Karmen! Thank you for making my recipe and for the lovely feedback ?
I have wholewheat meal flour, would that work the same as plain wholewheat flour?
Hi Leantha! I did a little research and couldn’t find any real information on how whole-wheat and whole meal flour vary. That being said, whole-wheat meal should work in this recipe too, although I haven’t tried it myself. I hope that helps and let me know if it works for you 🙂
Can I use liquid coconut oil? Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Rosanna! You can use liquid coconut oil, however, you’ll want to give the dough balls a chance to set up in the fridge before baking otherwise they’ll
spread too much (about 10-15 minutes should work). Let me know how you like them 🙂
Can you not use coconut oil at all? What is the coconut oil for?
Coconut oil is the fat component in this cookie recipe. Like most traditional cookie recipes, there is either butter or some other time to fat to create texture and enhance flavour. If you don’t want to use coconut oil, you could try a vegan butter alternative. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep well in the freezer?
Hi Vanessa! The baked cookies can be frozen for up to a month in a freezer safe container 🙂
This looks so good! Do you use this dough base for any other recipes?
Hi Suzanne! Yes I do have a few other recipes with a similar dough base, however, I haven’t posted them just yet. One option you can try is omitting the spices and adding in chocolate pieces. Super easy and they’re sooo good 🙂
Hi Heidi......your photography alone makes me want to eat these cookies!!....Never mind I am a sucker for ginger.......
Haha oh I’m glad to hear it, Lea! I hope you love them 🙂
.......you didn't let me down......tastes as good as your photos look.....I made them half the size and sprinkled chocolate instead of sugar on top......sooo good!!
Thank you!
oh my gosh yay 😀 I’m so happy to hear it, Lea! The addition of chocolate sounds like a grand idea, too!
I should've read the comments first. I used the coconut oil and it gives the cookie a weird after taste. The cookies weren't chewy but more soft and crumbly. It wasn't what I was expecting. I'll try it again swapping out the coconut oil for plant based butter
Hi Ashley! I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the recipe. I might suggest using a refined coconut oil, which has no coconut flavour 🙂
Can I use liquid coconut oil instead of softened coconut oil?
Hi Diya! You could use liquid coconut oil, however, be sure to let the dough balls chill for about 10 minutes before baking. This will help them keep their shape!
Like!! Really appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
Great recipe as it held up despite me making a mistake and a couple of substitutions. I substituted date syrup for the honey and molasses for the vanilla extract. I mistakenly added the sugar to the dough rather than saving it to coat the cookies with. Despite these changes the cookies were delicious and had a great texture. Highly recommend. I think they'd be lovely if you made smaller cookies and dipped them in some dark chocolate too.
I'm so happy you like the recipe, Laura! Chocolate dipped sounds like a perfect idea 😉
Hi
I have slot of refresh ginger, can I use that? Kind regards
Hi Pernille! I haven't tried it, although I suspect you could substitute with fresh ginger. You will likely want to increase the amount so there is enough ginger flavorful. As well, make sure it is ground very finely so there are not large chunks which will affect the texture. Let me know how it works for you!
Wow - this is a perfectly chewy, soft spiced but not too sweet cookie! I also love that you can easily adjust the sweetness level right at the end (sugar coating) to either make it as an everyday or holiday cookie! This was great and guilt-free for me as I love having a small not so sweet dessert after dinner!
Hi Swati! I am thrilled to hear your feedback and I’m so glad you like the recipe 🙂
This was incredible. I used 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil and chilled for about 15 mins while the oven was preheating. I made them a little smaller and got 12 cookies--I flattened them just a little with a spoon before baking. I used 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup maple syrup and it came out a little bit too sweet for my taste. On the bright side, I'm 100% making this again because it is amazing 🙂 I also love that this was made with whole wheat flour!! My parents who never like trying my vegan food loved this. Thank you so much!
I am thrilled to hear the feedback 🙂 Thank you for choosing to make my recipe, Ishika!
The first time they were great. This time they spread on the baking sheet, I let them rest in the fridge for 10 minutes ! Dough was too runny. Any suggestion?
Hi Adriana! That's a great question and my thoughts are that if the dough seemed runny, it is likely that the coconut oil was too soft and maybe could have used a longer time in the fridge. Moreover, did you by chance you a different brand of coconut oil?
Instead of honey or maple syrup how do you think molasses would work? Maybe half maple half molasses?
Hi Anne! That is a great question and I haven't tried it myself, however, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Also, as molasses is less sweet than honey or maple syrup, you may want to roll the cookies in sugar as noted in the recipe. Let me know how it works out for you if you try it!
These spread like crazy... I followed the directions exactly, and let them sit in the fridge
Hi Annie! I suspect that your oven temperature might be higher than it’s registering. Or did you perhaps bake them on convection? I only ask because it’s happened to me in the past where my oven was much hotter than the temperature shown. A manual oven thermometer does the trick.
Loved these!!! Followed recipe exactly, but made cookies a bit smaller & since my preference is “crunchy” I took cookies out “on time”, kept a few out as chewy cookies and popped the remainder back in the oven (repeated this twice) in order for “biscotti crunchy” gingerbread cookies! Delightful! Perfect spice! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes!
I’m so happy to hear it, Janet 🙂 Thank you for making my recipe and sharing your feedback! Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you!
Hello,
I just wanted to know if I have read the information properly! Does it say that each cookie is 230 calories each? Lord....I already know, I'll come close to a thousand calories just by eating those cookies! Well...I guess it will be one of those days! hahaha
Hi Claudine! Hahaha! Well, The nutrition calculator is an estimation and may not be 100% accurate, however, the cookies are on the larger size, so it it may not be off that much, if at all 🙂
These where Amazing!!
My whole family loved them and Im the only one who needs to eat Gluten Free. I used a gf flour blend from King Arthur. Putting the dough in the fridge 15 before baking really helped them hold shape and be puffy.
About to go make more right now. I added a tiny bit of fresh ginger, but beware fresh ginger is very water so not too much!
That's wonderful, Anni! I'm so happy you like the recipe and I'll definitely give it a try with a GF flour blend next time; sounds perfect with a bit of fresh ginger too 🙂
Brought these bad boys into work to share and they were delicious. Mine were a bit more crumbly though and didn’t spread too much after chilling in the fridge. How do I get them more chewy?
Hi Annika! Im so glad to hear they were a hit! Likely it might have to do with your coconut oil being more on the firm side prior to refrigerating, especially if the ambient temperature in your kitchen is cooler right now 🙂