Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

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By: Oriana Romero/Published: /33 Comments

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These Eggless Gingerbread Cookies aresoft, perfectly spiced, and chewy but sturdy enough to be decorated. And oh-so-delicious. The perfect addition to your Christmas table! The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.

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Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (4)

Table of Contents hide

1.Egg-Free Gingerbread Cookies Recipe Highlights

3.How To Make Gingerbread Cookies Without Eggs

4.Decorating Ideas

5.Tips to Make the Best Egg-Free Gingerbread Cookies

6.Adapt This Recipe to Other Food Allergies

8.Frequently Asked Questions

9.More Egg-Free Christmas Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!

Egg-Free Gingerbread Cookies Recipe Highlights

These Eggless Gingerbread cookies are my kid’s favorites. In fact, I was a little surprised to see how they liked these cookies that have lots of warm spices. But they LOVED them. I made more batches of gingerbread cookies than any other kind this year.

I love to bring these eggless cookies for the school Christmas party – we have two every year- and we also gave them away as a gift to our neighbors, along with a homemade vanilla extract bottle.

These little eggless gingerbread cookies make the perfect addition to your Christmas table.

They’re soft, spiced, and chewy but sturdy enough to be decorated. BTW, I used eggless royal icing to decorate the cookies. It works wonderfully.

They are very easy to make– you know, easy is my second name- and so cute and so delicious that they are pretty much irresistible.

We’re ready for you, Santa!!

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (5)

Ingredients You’ll Need, Substitutions & Notes

Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions(scroll down).

  • Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour. Be sure to measure accurately; a kitchen scale is the best way to measure your ingredients, in my opinion.
  • Baking powder and baking soda: Make sure they’re not expired or too old. To avoid a chemical aftertaste, make sure your baking powder is labeled aluminum-free. I usually use the Clabber Girl brand, and though the ingredients state aluminum, I’ve never noticed an aluminum aftertaste.
  • Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
  • Spices: You will need ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. You can also use a gingerbread spice blend if available.
  • Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
  • Brown sugar: Light or dark will work for this recipe.
  • Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk serves as a binding agent, helping to hold the ingredients together and creating a cohesive dough. It can contribute to the flavor profile of the cookies, providing a slightly caramelized taste due to the concentration of milk solids during evaporation. Make sure to use the full-fat version. Check out my How to Make Evaporated Milk post.
  • Molasses: This is an essential gingerbread ingredient! It adds color, flavor, and moisture.I use and recommend unsulphured molasses. The blackstrap molasses will make the cookies bitter.
  • Vanilla extract: Reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation for optimal flavor. Even better, tryhomemade vanilla extract! If you are looking for non-alcoholic vanilla flavoring, I recommend Simply Organic Vanilla Flavoring.
Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (6)

How To Make Gingerbread Cookies Without Eggs

Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions(scroll down).

Step 1 – Make The Dough

This dough is very straightforward to make! Just mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Next, beat the butter and sugar and add the other wet ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Step 2 – Chill The Dough

The dough is sticky once it’s all beaten together in your mixing bowl; therefore, it must be chilled for at least 30 minutes.

Pro Tip: This dough will be VERY sticky once you’ve mixed it all together–this is normal! To make it more manageable, chill it for at least 30 minutes or for up to 4 days.

Step 3 – Roll Out And Cut

After chilling the dough, roll it out until about 1/4-inch thick. It’s okay to flour your hands, rolling pin, and work surface, if you see that the dough is still a bit sticky. The flour spots on top of your shaped cookie dough will bake off.

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (7)

Step 4 – Bake

The baking time might vary depending on the size of the cookies. For cookies with slightly crispy edges and tender centers, bakethem until they look slightly puffed and set. Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they’ll be.

Step 5 – Decorate

Decorate your cookies as your heart desires! I like to use my eggless royal icing recipe. If you want, you can tint the icing with a couple of drops of food coloring to jazz things up, too. My kids LOVE to do this themself!

Pro Tip: Make the icing in advance. Store it in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap against the surface.

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (8)
Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (9)

Decorating Ideas

When it comes to cookie decorating, I like to keep it simple! So these are my favorite easy ways to decorate eggless gingerbread cookies:

  1. Eggless Royal icing
  2. Chocolate candies, such as M&M
  3. Sprinkling sugars
  4. Festive sprinkles

Tips to Make the Best Egg-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Measure the ingredients properly! A kitchen scale is always the best option, in my opinion, but if you don’t have a kitchen scale, be sure to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (NOT a liquid measuring cup), and a liquid measuring cup for liquid ingredients. Also, do NOT dip a measuring cup directly into the flour bin, or you can compact it and get up to 25% more flour; instead, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then use a knife (straight-edged) to level the flour across the measuring cup.

Don’t over-mix your cookie dough, or you will end up with a dense cookie.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking; this gives the dough a chance to firm up a little and allows the cookies to bake much better.

Bake the cookies until they are JUST golden around the outside. The cookies might still look a little raw in the center, but once they cool, they will be perfect. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for just a few minutes, around 2. If you leave the cookies on the baking sheets for too long, they will continue cooking, and they will be hard

Adapt This Recipe to Other Food Allergies

This recipe isegg-freeandnut-free, but you can certainly adapt it to other food allergies.

Gluten-Free

Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour mix. My favorite brand is Better Batter, but Cup4Cup will also work.

Dairy-Free

Butter: Use your favorite plant-based, dairy-free, or vegan butter. My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:

Evaporated Milk: You can use Evaporated Oat Milk or Evaporated Coconut Milk.

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Storing & Freezing Instructions

STORE:Cookies stay fresh for up to 7 days if stored covered at room temperature.

FREEZE:Unbaked cookie dough can be made ahead and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then roll out, cut, and bake as instructed. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these gingerbread cookies hard or soft?

These cookies are soft with crisp, well-defined edges and chewy, melt-in-your-mouth interiors. If you like dry, crisp gingerbread cookies, this recipe may not be for you.

Is there a substitute for molasses?

I have no substitution suggestions yielding the same texture, moisture, and flavor.

Why my dough came out super crumby and dry?

Probably you added too much flour. To fix this, try picking it up and rotating it as you go. You can also use your fingers to help meld the cracking edges back together.

How many cookies does this recipe make?

It will depend on the cookie cutter size, but about 24 four-inch cookies.

Can these gingerbread cookies be made ahead of time?

Absolutely! You can make the dough 3 days in advance and keep it wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. You can also refrigerate or freeze the cut-out cookies.

Can I make a gingerbread house with this recipe?

This cookie dough is not sturdy enoughfor gingerbread houses. However, if you reduce the baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon and bake the house pieces for longer (12 – 14 minutes), it might work.

Can I re-roll the scraps?

Yes, you can press the cookie dough scraps together and re-roll.

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (11)

More Egg-Free Christmas Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!

  • The Best Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Eggless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
  • Eggless Sugar Cookies
  • Easy Eggless Christmas Cookies
  • Eggless Royal Icing
  • browse more eggless cookie recipes

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Recipe Card 📖

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (12)

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies

Oriana Romero

These Eggless Gingerbread Cookies aresoft, perfectly spiced, and chewy but sturdy enough to be decorated. And oh-so-delicious. The perfect addition to your Christmas table!

4.35 from 78 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

Cookie dough:

  • In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.

  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed butter and sugar until well combined, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add in the evaporated milk, molasses, and vanilla; mix until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture at low speed; mix until just combined. NOTE: the dough might look dry, but it's okay; just use your hands to bring the dough together in one ball.

  • Divide dough into two equal portions. Form each half into a round disk, and wrap in plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 days.

  • When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (180º C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

  • Roll each portion out between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into your desired shapes. Then, transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart.

  • Bake for 7 – 8 minutes, or until slightly set. Take them out of the oven. Let them sit for 2-3 minutes over the baking sheet and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

  • Decorate as desired. Eggless Royal icing recipe here.

Oriana’s Notes

STORE: Cookies stay fresh, covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

FREEZE: Unbaked cookie dough can be made ahead and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then roll out, cut, and bake the cookies as instructed. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.

MAKE-AHEAD: This eggless gingerbread cookie dough can be made up to 4 days in advance. Keep covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

GINGERBREAD SPICE BLEND: This is a blend of ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice and is easily found in most American grocery stores. If this blend is available in your country, you can add 2 1/4 tablespoons of the spice blend instead of all the spices called in the recipe.

EGG-FREE ROYAL ICING: Check out my Eggless Royal Icing recipe.If you want, you can tint the icing with a couple of drops of food coloring to jazz things up, too.

For Substitutions, check my ” Ingredients Section” above.

QUICK EXTRA TIPS:

  • It’s okay to flour your hands, rolling pin, and work surface if you see that the dough is still a bit sticky. The flour spots on top of your shaped cookie dough will bake off.
  • The baking time might vary depending on the side of the cookies. For cookies with slightly crispy edges and tender centers, bake until they look slightly puffed and set. Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they’ll be.
  • For crunchier cookies, bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes until they begin to brown around the edges.

If you’re making this recipe, please read the whole post content to get lots of tips, tricks, variations, frequently asked questions, and step-by-step photos. Also, before you get started, I recommend reading my Beginner’s Guide to Eggless Baking and my FAQs section.

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate, and it can vary depending on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 134kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 189mgSugar: 12gVitamin A: 85IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 1.2mg

Rate This Recipe

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 134

Keyword cookies eggfree Eggless gingerbread

Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions

You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions abouteggless baking.

FAQs

This recipe was originally published in December 2015. The recipe was slightly modified, and more notes, tips, photos, and information were added to the post in November 2023 to make it as helpful as possible!

Welcome to my eggless kitchen!

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (13)Thanks for stopping by! I’m Oriana, a wife, mom to three wonderful kids, and a passionate baker and cooker of all eggless things delicious. My goal is to give you the confidence and knowledge to cook and bake without eggs while providing quality recipes that your whole family will love. I’m really happy that you’re here, so take a seat and have fun exploring! Read More…

Eggless Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do gingerbread cookies contain eggs? ›

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Ingredients

Brown sugar and molasses – They sweeten the cookies and add rich molasses flavor. We've had success baking these cookies with Wholesome and Brer Rabbit blackstrap molasses. An egg yolk – It makes the cookies extra-soft and chewy. Baking soda – It helps the cookies rise.

What is a good substitute for gingerbread? ›

Almost any kind of sturdy cookie dough will work. Gingerbread is only one type of dough, and it's popular for houses and other decorations because it is a traditional holiday treat. But you can make sugar cookie dough, chocolate cookie dough, pretty much any stiff, rollable dough.

What makes gingerbread so strong? ›

A 1:4 ratio of butter to flour makes the gingerbread strong. Corn syrup keeps freshly baked gingerbread pliable and soft, so it's easy to cut while warm. Rolling the dough directly on parchment makes it easy to transfer to the pan.

Why do my gingerbread cookies fall apart? ›

From doubling up on molasses to using too much flour, there is a lot that can go wrong. Forgetting the molasses resulted in a crumbly cookie that was light in color. Combining all ingredients at once created lumps in the finished product.

What can you substitute for eggs in gingerbread? ›

Ground Flaxseed and Water

Ground flaxseed, or flax meal, is a popular egg substitute in vegan baking. "When substituting flaxseed for egg, the general rule is 1 tablespoon of flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of water per egg," shares Weintraub.

What can I use for cookies if I don't have eggs? ›

WHAT TO USE INSTEAD OF EGGS WHEN BAKING
  • MASHED BANANA. ...
  • APPLESAUCE. ...
  • SILKEN TOFU. ...
  • GROUND FLAXSEED OR CHIA SEEDS & WATER. ...
  • YOGURT. ...
  • BUTTERMILK. ...
  • SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK. ...
  • ARROWROOT POWDER OR CORNSTARCH.

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

What is a substitute for ginger in gingerbread cookies? ›

Allspice, Turmeric, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, or Mace. Of course, none of these spices really tastes like ginger. Instead, think of them as alternatives rather than direct substitutes: In a recipe that calls for ground ginger, you can substitute the same amount of any of these spices—or a mixture of them.

What is the best gingerbread in the world? ›

Grasmere Gingerbread Shop | The World's Best Gingerbread. Victorian cook Sarah Nelson invented Grasmere Gingerbread® in 1854 in the English Lake District village from where it gets its name.

What happens if you don't chill gingerbread dough? ›

Chilling the dough before it goes into a hot oven gives the butter a chance to firm up and reduces how much it spreads when baking. “You should chill the dough both before rolling and cutting and after,” she said.

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? ›

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? Soft gingerbread biscuits are ideal. They ought to be flexible. However, they should still be somewhat elastic, and if you hold them too firmly because you're so excited to eat them, you might even be able to leave your fingerprints on the cookie!

Why refrigerate gingerbread cookie dough? ›

Chilling it for at least two hours or overnight gives the ingredients a chance to absorb one another, making it a whole lot easier to roll out the dough without it cracking. Follow this tip: Let the dough chill in the refrigerator, well-wrapped, for at least two hours or overnight before rolling it out.

Why is my gingerbread cookie dough so dry? ›

Double-check the amount and type of flour you're using. All-purpose flour is commonly used in cookie recipes, if a recipe calls for AP and you decide to use something like whole wheat pastry flour or bread flour, it will absorb more liquid and lead to a dry dough.

What is the secret to soft cookies? ›

For soft cookies, use:
  1. Brown sugar, as it has a high moisture content and retains moisture better than white sugar. ...
  2. Shortening instead of butter or in addition to butter. ...
  3. Baking powder instead of baking soda. ...
  4. Eggs, particularly egg yolks. ...
  5. Cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Oct 5, 2020

What are gingerbread cookies made of? ›

Gingerbread is made with the following simple ingredients: brown sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, butter, milk, and molasses!

Do cookies contain eggs? ›

A cookie (American English) or biscuit (British English) is a baked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat, and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, or nuts.

Do all cookies contain eggs? ›

Instead, try seeking out one of the many types of cookies out there that are eggless by nature, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the number of options you have to experiment with. Keep reading for 17 egg-free cookie recipes, ranging from homemade Oreos to gingerbread to the best vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Are eggs needed in cookies? ›

Egg yolks also help to keep all of the ingredients together, so, with cookies, they're needed to achieve the right consistency of the dough. And egg whites can help get the cookies to a fluffy end result. Using whole eggs will result in a cookie that has a cake-like texture with a rich flavor.

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