Spiced, sweet, and moist! Nothing says happy holidays like this quick and easy homemade Vegan Gingerbread Loaf. You’ll want to double this recipe, because everyone will be asking for seconds.
Craving a holiday treat? Try our homemade Vegan Gingerbread Loaf and fall in love with every bite. Dare we say, it’s better than Starbucks!? Spiced to perfection, each bite is comforting, warm and just sweet enough to balance the spice.
Whether you’re looking for a sweet breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack, or a spicy dessert – this Vegan Gingerbread Loaf is just what you need. It comes together in a single bowl, which means less clean up afterwards, perfect for the holidays. While the full recipe takes just over an hour with prep, most of the time is baking time, which means you can relax with a wholesome holiday film by the tree.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Soft, moist, and perfectly spiced.
- Comes together with just one bowl!
- Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a snack.
- Packed with holiday flavour.
Top tips for making Vegan Gingerbread Loaf:
- Trust the process. The wet mixture will separate, that is normal! If you find your vegan butter separating from the rest of your ingredients, don’t fret and move onto the next steps of your recipe.
- Load up on spices. This loaf is as delicious as it is because we don’t shy on the molasses and spices – that’s what gives it it’s delicious holiday flavour. It may seem like a lot of spices but we recommend sticking to our tested recipe.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Overworking flour develops gluten and can result in tough and chewy texture, which we don’t want for our gingerbread loaf. When adding the dry ingredients we recommend switching to a spatula and folding in the flour until no more dry flour is visible.
- Test doneness. There’s nothing worse than slicing into a gingerbread loaf and discovering it’s under baked in the centre. To test doneness we insert a toothpick or wood skewer in the center, if it comes out clean it’s ready! We also like to gently press on the top, if it bounces back it’s fully baked. Finally, aroma is also a great sign of doneness. When your home is filled with a rich aroma it’s time to test.
- Let cool completely. Before slicing, let the loaf come to room temperature. This will make it much easier to slice.
Ingredient Notes:
- Vegan Butter – We like to use Becel Plant-Based Unsalted Sticks and recommend using the same if you want as close to a result to ours as you can.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar keeps this loaf super soft and moist, plus the molasses in the sugar adds to the robust gingerbread flavour.
- Sparkling Water – Instead of eggs we use sparkling water in this recipe to get a soft and fluffy texture. We have also made this recipe using non-dairy yogurt instead of sparkling water if you prefer.
- Molasses – We used fancy molasses for this recipe.
- Vegan Buttermilk – To make vegan buttermilk all you need is some non-dairy milk, like soy milk, and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- All-Purpose Flour – We use No Name Unbleached All-Purpose Flour for this recipe and highly recommend it.
- Spices – We load up this recipe with warm, seasonal spices perfect for the holidays.
Recipe FAQ:
Can you freeze gingerbread loaf?
Yes! We recommend freezing it in slices as it will be easier to thaw and enjoy later. Just slice the loaf and freeze in an airtight container.
How do you store gingerbread loaf?
To keep this loaf soft and moist we recommend storing it for up to 5 days in an airtight container or cake stand with a dome.
More vegan holiday recipes you’ll love:
- Vegan Gingerbread Cereal Marshmallow Treats
- Iced Gingerbread Biscotti
- Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Gingerbread People Cookies
- Orange Cranberry Loaf with Cranberry Glaze
How to make Vegan Gingerbread Loaf:
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 100 g (½ cup) brown sugar
- 113 g (½ cup) softened butter
- ⅓ cup sparkling water, (room temperature)
- ⅔ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup molasses
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1⅓ tsp baking powder
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- demerara sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare a loaf pan with non-stick spray and parchment paper to make removing the loaf easy. Set aside.
- Beat vegan butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly pour in the sparkling water 1-2 tbsp at a time beating into the butter mixture in between. Add non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, and molasses and beat until combined. The mixture will look separated – that's okay!
- To the wet mixture add all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt. Beat until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with a generous amount of demerara sugar.
- Bake in heated oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Let the loaf cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.
Video
Pin it for later:
