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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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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!
10.Recipe Card 📖
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!!
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Eggless Royal icing
- Chocolate candies, such as M&M
- Sprinkling sugars
- 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.
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.
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
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
- 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon (4.5 g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup (160 g) molasses
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
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
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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!
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…
Reader Interactions
Comments
Trent says
I just made these with my daughter and it turned out perfectly and will probably be a Christmas staple for us from now on! Good spice level and not too complicated. Ended up using my kitchen scale for the flour, butter, molasses, and sugar. The dough turned out really well. Wasn’t too dry either.Reply
- Oriana Romero says
Hello Trent! It’s great to hear that it was a hit! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Reply
- Megan says
These cookies are delicious for an egg free gingerbread, but I feel the recipe may need some extra moisture. The dough was so dry it was just crumbles. After adding an additional few tablespoons of butter the dough was just barely able to be worked and cut into cookies. Overall though, this is my GoTo website for all things eggless. It is such a help to have this recourse when you have kids with egg allergies!Reply
- Oriana Romero says
Hello Megan! I am sorry to hear that! I never had that issue with this recipe. Is it possible something may have been mismeasured? There could have been a little too much of a dry ingredient, maybe? Thanks for trying my recipe and for your feedback.
Reply
- Kat says
I made these for a friend who is allergic to eggs, not expecting much. Most recipes that I’ve made without eggs are a little underwhelming, but these knocked it out of the park! I had the rest of my family try them, and all gave outstanding reviews. Most of them couldn’t believe they didn’t have eggs! Will absolutely be using this recipe in the future.Reply
- Oriana Romero says
Hello Kat! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Reply
- Lisa S says
Made this dough for a ginger bread house. I did add a few drops of water to help the dough come together. But otherwise this was excellent gingerbread. We built a small house and still had some dough leftover for gingerbread men and trees. I will use this recipe for future gingerbread cookies and builds. Thanks do much for sharing so many egg free recipes!Reply
- Oriana Romero says
Hello Lisa! Thanks so much for your feedback and for trying my recipe.
Reply
- Ashley says
Hello! What can we use as a substitute for the nutmeg powder?
Reply
- Oriana Romero says
Hello Ashley! You can use any other spice you have/like, such as cinnamon, or simply skip it. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Reply
- April says
I have a daughter who is allergic to eggs and a vegan daughter in law. I made these using palm shortening instead of butter. I didn’t chill the dough and they rolled out beautifully and tasted delicious, Thank you for creating this recipe that works so well for our family.
Reply
- Oriana says
Hello April! Thank you so much for trying my recipe, and I’m SO GLAD you and your family enjoyed it!!
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- Laura Munroe says
I rolled the dough out today, very crumbly, but I added water and they came out delicious. I am making these for a friend who has an egg allergy…I have been looking for years for this recipe. Thank you. Next time I will use 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of butter.Reply
- Oriana says
Hello Laura! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for your feedback. I’m happy you enjoyed it!!
Reply
- Laura says
Not enough butter in my opinion dough is very dry..in fridge now and will try to roll out tomorrow will let you know how it turns out
Reply
- Jessica says
Thank you for your recipe. Can we substitute molasses with treacle? If yes, how much treacle should be used?
Reply
- Laura says
I made these but the dough after being chilled is hard as a rock. Only difference I made was using Earths best fake butter for baking. Any clue how to soften up my dough so I can roll it out?
Reply
- Oriana says
Hello Laura! I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful but I haven’t tested this recipe with fake butter. Thanks for trying my recipe.
Reply
- Rachel says
Thanks for this recipe – I am pleased to be able to make Christmas biscuits with and for my egg allergic three year old son. I found the mixture very dry at first and it wouldn’t come together into a dough. I added 5-6 tablespoons of water and that brought it together. They also needed 10 minutes in my oven. We’ve just done a taste test and they’ve turned out well. I wonder if melting the butter, sugar and molasses, then adding them to the dry ingredients would help in bringing the dough together without adding extra water? I might try that next time…
Reply
- Oriana says
Hello Rachel! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for your feedback. I am happy they turned out well.
Reply
- Carol Chillik says
I made a half recipe for my 5 year old egg/dairy allergic granddaughter to take to school for a gingerbread cookie decorating project. She ate one and declared them delicious. She’s so excited to participate with her classmates! Thank you for the recipe. I plan to make them for all my grandchildren to decorate while visiting.Reply
- Oriana says
Hello Carol!! I am so glad your granddaughter love it. My kids love these cookies too. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. ?
Reply
- Nitika says
Hi Oriana!!
I tried this recipe and it was a super hit! My daughter and my husband loved it! Now this cookies are the favourite of them. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe. And soon I am also going to try your orange cake recipe 🙂Reply
- Oriana Romero says
Hello Nitika! It sounds like you nailed it! The Orange Cake recipe is delicious. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know. Happy 2021!
Reply
- Dianna says
What is the fake egg recipe?
Reply
- Oriana says
Hello Dianna! A fake egg is a combination of ingredients I use to simulate an egg. For this recipe, you just have to combine 2 tablespoons water +
1 teaspoon baking powder + 1 teaspoon neutral tasting oil (such canola or vegetable) and then add it when the recipe calls for adding the fake egg mixture. Hope this help. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it. ?Reply
- Jenny says
I made your cookies- YUMM -but made them with a substitution of almond flour and gluten-free flour and they turned out fantastic thanks for your recipe and sharing your light!!Reply
- Oriana says
Hello Jenny! I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed the cookie. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!?
Reply
- Kayla Prior says
I want to make these but I need them to be gluten-free. May I ask what amounts of almond and gluten-free flour that you used? Thank you!
Reply
- Oriana Romero says
Hello Kayla! I make these gluten-free for my kids’ class every year and use this flour. I haven’t tested these with almond flour since my daughter is highly allergic to nuts. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Reply
- Ashley says
Hi I tried these with the substitute you included for eggs with the aquafaba. Do you still have hat recipe, I made it and I loved it and would love to print it!Reply
- Oriana says
Hello Ashley! I sent you the recipe via email. Thanks for loving my recipe ?
Reply
- Mayito Castillo says
Te felicito Ory eres toda una experta haciendo galleticas te quedaron hermosas, y me imagino el delicioso sabor. Me llevo la receta! Gracias por compartirla, felices fiestas!Reply
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