Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Old-fashioned gingerbread cookies are a Christmas classic, usually made with butter and eggs. These dairy-free vegan cookies give you that familiar flavor but are friendly for those with dietary restrictions. We’ve nixed the wheat for gluten-free flour combined with rice flour, the latter of which gives these cookies their light, crisp texture. If the GF mix you have on hand contains xanthan gum, leave that ingredient out of the gingerbread cookie recipe below.

If you’re a first-time vegan baker, you may be wondering about vegan sugar. Some refined sugars, including powdered and brown sugars, are processed using animal by-products. Many vegan brands are easy to find in today’s supermarkets. For more of a caramelized flavor, you could swap the plain sugar for coconut sugar.

Instead of flax eggs or vegan butter, this recipe gets its moisture from applesauce and coconut oil, which is mixed into the dry ingredients, no second mixing bowl required. This cookie recipe is light on spices, but if you want to add a dash of ground cloves or allspice, go for it.

You can use this vegan recipe for gingerbread men, stars, hearts, candy canes, or any other shape you like, but look elsewhere for a gingerbread house recipe, since these cookies won’t be sturdy enough to support that kind of cooking project. Use the glaze to dunk donuts, drizzle on cinnamon rolls, decorate sugar cookies—or any other baked goods—using a piping bag or butter knife. Want to make the glaze even more flavorful? Swap out a few tablespoons of the water for maple syrup.