These Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies are a gluten-free and dairy-free version of the classic gingerbread man, and they are ready in just about 20 minutes!
I’m a huge fan of gingerbread cookies for Christmas, but I wanted to make an allergy-friendly version of my Vegan Gingerbread Cookies that keeps the same exact great taste! For that, I transformed the classic recipe by using almond flour and tapioca flour, but I kept the molasses for the rich flavors.
While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!
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Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Almond Flour - (note 1)
- 5 tablespoons Tapioca Flour - (note 2)
- 2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil - melted, cooled (note 3)
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup - (note 4)
- 1 tablespoon Blackstrap Molasses - (note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil paper with cooking oil spray.
- In a mixing bowl, whish almond flour, baking soda, tapioca flour, ginger, and cinnamon.
- Add the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and molasses, and stir with a rubber spatula, or knead with your hands to form a consistent cookie dough ball. The batter should be sticky but easy to combine into a ball.
- Set the dough aside for 10 minutes.
- Line a large piece of parchment paper in front of you, place the cookie dough in the center of the paper, place another piece of parchment paper on top, and use a roller pin to roll. The thinner you roll the dough, the crispier the cookies will be. I like gingerbread to be a bit soft and chewy in the center, and roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thick (0.5 cm ).
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread shape and release on the prepared baking sheet.
- Reuse leftover dough to reform a cookie dough ball and follow the same process of rolling/cutting to form more cookies from the dough.
- Bake the cookies for 8-9 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until just golden brown for a soft, chewy center or for 10-11 minutes for darker, crispier cookies.
- Let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then on a cooling rack.
- Decorate with my vegan royal icing recipe if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
These allergy-friendly gingerbread cookies only need a few healthy ingredients:
- Almond Flour – Almond flour brings a soft texture and rich flavor. Almond meal works too, but it may result in a slightly grainier texture.
- Tapioca Flour – Tapioca four is here to bind the dough and add structure. If needed, swap with arrowroot powder for similar results.
- Ground Ginger – Ginger adds spice, giving the cookies their signature gingerbread flavor. Increase the ginger to 2 ½ teaspoons for extra spice.
- Cinnamon – Cinnamon and ginger make a sweet combination. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg or cloves for more depth.
- Baking Soda – To make the dough rise ever so slightly, creating a light, soft texture.
- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil adds moisture and binding. Replace it with light olive oil or another neutral oil if preferred. Ensure it’s melted and slightly cooled before use.
- Maple Syrup – Maple syrup brings natural sweetness and helps bind the dough. Feel free to use agave syrup or coconut nectar instead.
- Blackstrap Molasses – Molasses give the cookies their classic caramel-like flavor. If you don’t have molasses, replace it with another tablespoon of maple syrup.
How to Make Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies
Here are pictures of the key steps to making these gingerbread cookies.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour the liquid ones on top.
Combine the batter with a silicone spatula.
When the liquid ingredients are incorporated, roll the dough into a ball.
Flatten the ball on a baking sheet to a 1/4-inch thickness.
Use a mini cookie cut out to make you almond flour gingerbread cookies.
Bake the gingerbread cookies for 8-9 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
Carine’s Tips
I have a few more tips for you to have perfect cookies every single time!
- Measure the Almond Flour Correctly – Use the spoon-and-level method to avoid overpacking the flour, which can make the dough dry.
- Adjust the Dough Consistency if Needed – If the dough feels too dry, add a teaspoon of water or maple syrup. If it’s too sticky, chill it for 10-15 minutes before rolling.
- Control the Crispiness with Thickness – For soft and chewy cookies, roll the dough to ¼ inch (0.5 cm). For crisper cookies, roll it thinner—just watch them closely while baking to avoid overbrowning.
- Roll Between Parchment for Easy Handling – Rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper prevents sticking and makes transferring the cookies to the baking sheet a breeze.
- Re-roll Leftover Dough – Gather and gently press together the leftover dough. Avoid overworking it, as this can make the cookies dense.
- Storage – Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To extend freshness, freeze the cookies and thaw them as needed.
I don’t have any tapioca flour or arrowroot. can I use cornstarch instead?
Absolutely! you can use the same amount.
Delicious cookies! Beautiful and fun to decorate Christmas muffins or cakes!
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you.
will this dough be firm enough to use an embossing rolling pin (PastryMade) to imprint a design on the cookie?
I have never used an embossing rolling pin, but I have cookie cutters that I press on the dough to mark them like your roller pins and it works for me.
Is it possible to make these cookies without oil? Could I substitute aquafaba? If not, what might you recommend?
It will be way too soft.
How much would I adjust the baking time if I want to make regular size( 2 TBL of dough) cookies as opposed to mini cookies? Thank you.
The thickness is what impact the baking time. I usually bake larger cookies 9-11 minutes max
I love this recipe so much, I’ve made it loads now.
Thank you
I’m wondering if there might be scope to add some fresh grated ginger in for a spicy kick.
What do you think?
Kitty
First, thank you for baking my cookies. I am so happy that you enjoy this recipe as much. You can absolutely add fresh ginger, I would grate it finely and add small amount to avoid a too strong flavor, but probably 1/4 t 1/2 teaspoon would be enough if you don’t change the other spices.
Thank you for sharing I am going to make these Ginger cookies tonight.
That’s amazing, I look forward to hear back from you.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
My pleasure!
My kids love making these! This last time I ran out of almond flour so I used about 1/2 oat flour and they were wonderful too!
I am so happy to hear that!
Hi these sound delicious!
I need to sub tapioca for Arrowroot but 5 tablespoons of Arrowroot sounds like an awful lot (based on other recipes I’ve tried).
Should I add less if making that substitution?
Thanks
Kitty
You always swap tapioca flour for same amount of arrowroot flour. The recipe works, try and you will see! Fill the tablespoons don’t overpack and sweep off excess on that.
Hi, finally got around to making these today and they turned out really well.
I used 20g of arrowroot and 10g of cornflour as that’s what I had, and apart from they took about 25mins to cook, it went perfectly.
Really lovely dunked in my cuppa tea
Thank you so much!
Thank you !