These are the perfect cookies for the holiday season! First of all, the balance of ginger and cinnamon paired with the soft, chewy texture is about as good as it gets. You can even dial up the amount of ginger if you like them a little spicy.
Second of all, just look at them. They’ve got that crackly top and a deep brown color from the brown sugar and molasses. (Oh, and they’re vegan, obviously.)
Bring these cookies to a holiday party or just whip up a batch to eat at home. Right out of the oven, these molasses cookies are delicious, but they’re even softer and chewier the next day. Just be warned that you might be tempted to eat the entire batch in one sitting!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Vegan Molasses Cookies
- Vegan butter. My favorite for baking is the Country Crock Plant Butter.
- Brown sugar. Makes for a chewier than cookie than white sugar.
- Molasses. Gives gingerbread cookies much of their characteristic flavor. Make sure to use regular molasses (I use Grandma’s brand) and not blackstrap molasses, which is very bitter.
- Vanilla extract.
- Plant milk. Any kind should work; or substitute your favorite nondairy yogurt.
- All-purpose flour.
- Ground cinnamon & ginger. Double the ginger if you prefer a spicier cookie.
- Salt.
Equipment & Tools
- Electric hand mixer. The recipe can be made by hand, but an electric mixer makes it way easier to beat together sugar and butter till it’s nice and fluffy.
- Cookie scoop. Love this to quickly and easily ensure evenly-portioned cookies.
- Cookie sheet. We use Nordic Ware half sheets to fit 12 cookies at a time.
- Optional — parchment or a silicone baking mat. Not required for this recipe, but they make for easy cleanup.
How to Make Vegan Molasses Cookies (with photos)
Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add in the molasses, milk, and vanilla extract.
Add in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger) and combine. Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes.
Roll dough into balls, then coat in white sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Recipe FAQ
While I haven’t personally tested this, I have always had good results using the gluten-free all-purpose flour blend from Bob’s Red Mill in other cookie recipes. I think it would work with these.
Yes, if you like a spicier cookie feel free to add 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and cloves. You can also add cardamom.
Store them for up to 5 days in an airtight container. I think these actually taste best the next day because they get a little softer overnight in a sealed container!
You can freeze the cookies for up to a month. If you’re able to vacuum seal them, they can last longer. (Freeze them on a lined baking tray first, then vacuum seal them, then place back in the freezer.)
More Vegan Sweets and Treats
- Snowball Cookies – A light, nutty cookie dusted with powdered sugar.
- Cinnamon Rolls – The fluffiest cinnamon rolls you’ve ever had. They’re worth the time to make the dough from scratch!
- Silken Tofu Chocolate Mousse – Tofu? In a dessert? That’s right! This mousse is thick, creamy, and ultra chocolatey. You’d never guess the main ingredient was tofu.
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Soft & Chewy Vegan Molasses Cookies
Video
Equipment
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened at room temperature
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar (147g)
- 1/4 cup molasses (80g) not blackstrap molasses
- 2 tablespoons nondairy yogurt or plant milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g) spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger use 1 tsp for a stronger ginger flavor
For rolling
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat together softened vegan butter and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy.1/2 cup vegan butter, 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- Add in molasses, yogurt (or plant milk), and vanilla extract and beat for just a few seconds to combine.1/4 cup molasses, 2 tablespoons nondairy yogurt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in flour, baking soda, fine salt, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger. Beat about 80% of the way with the hand mixer, then switch to a rubber spatula to finish folding the ingredients together. (This will help you to avoid over-mixing.)2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or preferably 1 hour. (They can be baked right away, but they will spread less and look nicer if the dough is adequately chilled.
- While the dough chills, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl or other small, shallow dish.
- Portion out the dough into golfball sized balls — about 3 tablespoons each. Roll them into balls, then roll in the granulated sugar to coat.
- Arrange the balls on a baking sheet. (You can line with parchment or a nonstick silicone baking mat if you like, but it isn't necessary.)3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and appear matte (not wet) in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes — they will continue to firm up and become nice and chewy as they sit.
Notes
- Vegan butter:Â I tested this recipe with the Country Crock Plant Butter.
- Yogurt vs. plant milk: Both will work in this recipe. I have a slight preference for yogurt because it yields a slightly softer cookie which will spread a bit less. I use the plain cashew yogurt from Forager.
- Gluten-free: You can substitute in an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend like the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Blackstrap vs. regular molasses: Blackstrap is highly concentrated and will make your cookies quite bitter and salty. Make sure to use regular molasses, like the kind from Grandma’s brand.
- Extra spices: For a spicier cookie, feel free to add in 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom.
these were so good
Wow! These are delicious. The texture and flavor are perfect. The only difference was that I only had Blastrap molasses so I used 3 tablespoons and added an extra tablespoon of sugar to balance out the bitterness.
These were perfection! I was nervous about making a recipe without an egg substitute, but you really don’t need it—they are perfectly moist and so chewy. My non-veg friends didn’t know they were vegan, which is always a win. I doubled the amount of ginger and added a heaping half teaspoon of cloves, and they were deliciously spicy. Also recommend reducing the salt slightly if you’re using salted vegan butter. Thank you as always Sarah!!
I would love the option of the recipe in metrics 🙂
So much easier – and convenient for us outside US..
5/5, Sarah’s recipes never lead me astray! I made some vegan cookie boxes for friends and these were the top rated cookie. Would highly recommend rolling in turbinado sugar instead of regular cane sugar, it creates a delicious crunch on the outside of the cookie.
If I remember correctly, I believe I froze my dough balls and then added ~2 minutes to the bake time and they turned out great.
These also stayed soft and delicious for an entire week after baking. Will absolutely make again!