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This is hands-down the most straight-up Christmas-tasting vegan gingerbread loaf you'll ever make! It's holiday coziness that's perfectly spiced, soft on the inside, and topped with citrus-kissed dairy-free cream cheese frosting. It doesn't matter if you suck horribly at cooking or are a professional baker. This recipe comes together in under an hour and will leave your kitchen smelling like pure Christmas magic.
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Like my fried apple cider donuts and vegan Christmas cookies that are all dolled up with vegan royal icing, this gingerbread loaf is a classic holiday favorite, but it's yummy enough that your kids will be asking for it all year round.
Let's get baking-you've got a foolproof gingerbread masterpiece that's about to upgrade your entire life!
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🥰 Why this is the best vegan gingerbread loaf recipe
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I publish, after tweaking and perfecting it, I shared this recipe with my team of hundreds of recipe testers from all over the world.
⏱️ Fast and Easy Recipe: You can whip this Christmas loaf up in under an hour with just a couple of pieces of standard kitchen gear. It's a dialed-in recipe that's perfect for both beginners and skilled bakers alike.
🛒 Pantry-Friendly Ingredients: This ginger loaf uses everyday items you probably already have. Without any fussy flax egg or wacky special-order ingredients, it's the ultimate convenience bake. I have included a link to my cream cheese frosting recipe, so you can easily make the whole project from scratch.
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan Christmas recipes, this delicious gingerbread loaf cake recipe doesn't harm animals. And since it's got no cholesterol, it's not gonna hurt you either!
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🫚 Ingredients for this vegan gingerbread loaf
Molasses
Using good-quality molasses is essential, both for the flavor and the color of this recipe. While blackstrap molasses has the most nutrients, I recommend using regular molasses here because the flavor is a lot more mellow and smooth.
Two Kinds of Ginger
How totally stupid would this holiday loaf be without proper gingerbread flavor? This recipe packs in two different dimensions of ginger flavor that complement each other and make the final baked loaf more complex and wonderfully gingery.
Of course, there's some grated fresh ginger. My recommendation is to use a microplane. While you can use the finest-holed part of a box grater, the way those little teeth are shaped often causes some wasted ginger. If you have great knife skills, you can super-finely mince it by hand too.
Just like I do for my pumpkin flan and vegan pumpkin muffins, I also use ginger powder in this recipe because it has a unique hot ginger flavor that can be more intense than fresh ginger (at least when the spice is not 200 years old from the back of your spice cabinet).
Hands down, the best dried ginger I have ever had is the buffalo ginger from Burlap and Barrel. It's super flavorful and aromatic. If you want to order some, you can use this link below to get a bottle of my favorite cumin seeds for FREE with your order!
Get my fave cumin seeds for free!
Using this link, add the wild mountain cumin to your cart, spend at least $15 on some of the other absurdly good spices from Burlap & Barrel (they all seriously slap) and the bottle of this bangin' wild mountain cumin becomes FREE, and you will love it so much.
The Warm Spices
In addition to ginger, this recipe uses a nicely balanced mixture of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. If you have some pumpkin pie spice on hand because you got it to make some vegan Thanksgiving recipes, you can use some up in place of the individual spices in this recipe.
Vanilla
You've got two solid options for use in this recipe: a good-quality vanilla extract or cut the amount in half and use vanilla powder instead.
These ground, already-husked vanilla beans add serious flavor and keep everything from bomboloni to vegan panna cotta.
Thinking about using artificial vanilla? Please no. Just don't. Only use artificial vanillin if you want your gingerbread loaf and entire kitchen smelling like an over-perfumed middle school dance. For the love of God, I am begging you not to do that. 🙏
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
While you can follow any recipe you like for this, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't turn you on to my vegan cream cheese frosting recipe. It can be quickly whipped up either using store-bought cream cheese or with the simple 4-ingredient vegan cream cheese recipe on my blog. If you make your own, be sure to use vegan powdered sugar because some are refined with a bone char filtration process.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
60+ stunning holiday classics designed to win over even the most anti-vegan guests.
🤯Variations
Vegan Lebkuchen
Try incorporating traditional German Lebkuchen spices like anise and coriander for a more complex flavor profile. You can also add finely ground nuts, such as almonds or hazelnuts, which are often used in Lebkuchen.
You can either grind up anise seeds (like what you would use in this Peruvian picarones recipe) or the star anise you might use in recipes like Indonesian bandrek, Madras curry powder, and Szechuan chili garlic sauce.
Vegan Ginger Cake with Nutella
Of course, regular Nutella isn't vegan, but I have a killer homemade vegan Nutella recipe on the blog you can use. Simply fold in ½ cup of dairy-free Nutella into the batter before you bake it. Once frosted and cooled, top the loaf with ground roasted hazelnuts and chocolate shavings.
Vegan Gingerbread Cake Donuts
I have a complete guide to making vegan gingerbread donuts. Trust me, mommy, you are going to love the heck outta them!
📖 How to make this vegan gingerbread loaf recipe
Nail this holiday cake on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card. If you are into vegan gingerbread cookies, you are gonna LOVE this!
Step One
Gingerbread Men-ace to Society:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), line your loaf pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease all internal sides of the pan with coconut oil, vegetable oil, or another plant-based fat of your choosing.
You want the loaf to be able to come out of the pan easily once baked, and this will make that a hack of a lot easier, since the cake's pretty moist.
Step Two
Sift Happens:
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves.
✅ If you don't have a sifter, you can just place the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them for a few seconds to break up any clumps.
Step Three
Vewy Whisky Business:
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the grated fresh ginger, vegan milk (my personal choice for baking is either soy milk or oat milk), plant-based yogurt, molasses, oil, vanilla, and salt. Mix just until smoothly combined.
✅ Don't over-mix, or you may give the loaf a chewy or dense crumb.
Step Four
Bake to the Future:
Pour the cake batter into your prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350°F (175°C) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step Five
Cool Runnings:
Let the loaf cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before you carefully remove it and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step Six
Queen Frostine:
While you let the cake cool, stir orange zest and optional Grand Marnier into the cream cheese frosting.
Step Seven
Spreaddy Krueger:
Once the loaf is cool, spread the orange cream cheese frosting over the top, garnishing.
Step Eight
You've Tried the Rest, Now Try the Zest:
If desired, with additional fresh orange zest.
👉Top tips
- Cold Ingredients Are Sucky: Using plant-based milk and oil at room temperature ensures that the batter mixes evenly and prevents the wet ingredients from seizing up, which could result in an uneven bake.
- Don't Overmix: Mixing the gingerbread batter for longer than it takes to come together will result in a dense, chewy loaf. Once your wet and dry ingredients are combined, stop mixing. This will keep your loaf light and perfectly textured. Plus, it's less work anyway, which is nice, right?
- The Toothpick Test Isn't Really Foolproof: Check for doneness with a toothpick, but also give the top of the loaf a gentle press. If it springs back, it's ready. If it feels liquid or looks jiggly, it needs more time in the oven. If you get impatient and pull it when your loaf looks baked on top while it's still gooey inside, you will spend Christmas sobbing uncontrollably into a Yuletide sock.
- Let It Cool Completely: Resist the urge to ice the gingerbread loaf cake while it's still warm. Letting it cool fully lets the crumb set, and makes it so the fats in your cream cheese frosting don't melt, resulting in a sloppy-looking piece-of-crap loaf that will anger Santa greatly.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
The key to absolutely nailing a classic gingerbread cake is not overbaking it. Take it out of the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The vegan yogurt in this recipe helps lock in moisture, too.
A dense loaf usually happens from overmixing the batter. Stir just until the ingredients are combined to avoid activating too much gluten, which can make the loaf heavy.
All-purpose flour is ideal for this recipe, but you can also use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend without much change in texture.
This often happens if the loaf is underbaked or if you opened the oven door too early. Make sure to bake it fully and resist the temptation to peek until the last few minutes of cooking. Another common cause is using cake pans that are too deep and narrow, resulting in a thicker area of batter that needs increased baking time to fully cook through.
To store your gingerbread loaf, just place it in an airtight container on your kitchen counter (providing you don't have 100 rescued doggos like me who steal all your treats right from the counter…).
As long as your kitchen is not super hot, the cake will stay good for up to 5 days.
If you want to freeze it, let the loaf cool completely, then freeze it on a baking pan until solid. Once solidly frozen, transfer it to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer, which is great if you want to have it outside of the holiday season.
To thaw, leave the loaf in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a few hours before serving.
✌️You'll love these vegan gingerbread recipes too
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ¾ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup unsweetened plant-based yogurt
- ¼ cup molasses regular unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ¼ cups vegan cream cheese frosting
- 2 ½ teaspoons orange zest
- 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom and two sides of a standard loaf pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease it with canola oil, or any other neutral-tasting oil of your choice.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt until evenly combined and lump-free.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the plant-based milk, apple cider vinegar, plant-based yogurt, molasses, canola oil, and vanilla.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir until just combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent a dense loaf.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula or an offset spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 12 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the orange cream cheese frosting, stir the orange zest and optional Grand Marnier into the vegan cream cheese frosting until evenly distributed.
- Once the loaf has fully cooled, spread the frosting over the top. Optionally garnish with additional orange zest. Slice and serve.
Notes
Using room-temperature plant-based milk and oil ensures a smooth batter and prevents the wet ingredients from seizing up, which can mess up your bake. 🛑 Stop! In the Name of Loaf!
Overmixing makes your gingerbread dense and chewy. Mix only until the wet and dry ingredients are combined, then stop. Less work, better loaf—everyone wins! 🔍 Use Your Senses of Perception…
A toothpick helps, but pressing the top of the loaf is key. If it springs back, you’re good. If it’s jiggly or wet, give it more time or you’ll have an underbaked disaster. 🧊 Ice Ice Baby (But, Like, After Cooling)
Hold off on icing until the loaf cools completely! Frosting too soon melts the fats, leaving you with a drippy mess that’ll make Santa put you on his naughty list. FOREVER. He’s not even joking about all the coal he has in store for those who are too quick to frost his holiday loaves.
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Robyn says
First off: DO NOT skip the frosting!! The loaf itself took me back to my childhood favorite ginger snap cookies. The edges of the loaf were crispy (maybe because I cooked it a little extra 🤔), making a nice texture surprise. I typically prefer my desserts on the less sweet side and this loaf is EXACTLY that. Once again, Adam has created a beautiful recipe worthy of any holiday or just-because event.
Thank you, Adam!
Dawn says
Easy to make and DELICIOUS! My only struggle was getting the frosting to *set*. I think I might play with the frosting recipe next time to see if I can get it to firm up better for serving.
Paula says
How would this work as a cake instead of loaf? And do you think I could just scale it up for soup kitchen cake pans? Pans usually give me 40 servings. Not a chef, just a volunteer, and I need to feed a 100...thank you.
Adam Sobel says
It can still work in a cake pan. Gingerbread cake is a bit denser than your average cake batter, so keep that in mind. But as long as you aren't doing it in too crazy-big of a pan, it should work for you
Christine says
Easy to make. House smelled so good. Good texture. Just the right level of ginger and not overly sweet. The frosting was perfect with the grated orange. This will be a regular part of our life from now on.