The other day I noticed that we didn’t have a basic dairy-free gingerbread men cookies recipe here on Go Dairy Free. We have a recipe for gluten-free & vegan gingerbread cookies, but not all of you need gluten-free treats. And you simply can’t head into Christmas without a staple gingerbread cookies recipe!
Fortunately, I have a well-loved “just” dairy-free recipe to share with you today (with vegan options). It has the perfect amount of flavor and spice for go-to, roll-and-cut, dairy-free gingerbread men cookies.
Recipe Tips for Perfect Dairy-Free Gingerbread Men Cookies
Picking the Best Dairy-Free Buttery Sticks
Formerly known as margarine, the new “buttery sticks” are usually non-hydrogenated. And there are actually several brands to choose from. Some vegan “buttery sticks” or dairy-free margarine brands for baking include Melt, select varieties of Blue Bonnet, and select varieties of Fleischmann’s.
Or you can use my Bakeable Butter Recipe if you have the 2nd Edition of my flagship book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook – it works great in cookies!
As a heads up, there have been some baking issues with Earth Balance Buttery Sticks this season. They’ve sworn that their formula hasn’t changed, but many people are experiencing very flat, greasy cookies with their product. I think it’s a bad batch where the oils haven’t been properly emulsified.
A couple of the brands mentioned above do have unsalted versions. If you use an unsalted variety of buttery sticks or margarine, increase the salt in the recipe by an 1/8 teaspoon.
Which Type of Molasses
Look for an unsulphured “cooking” molasses for the best results, like Grandma’s Molasses or Brer Rabbit. For a less intense molasses flavor, you can use a mild molasses. Blackstrap molasses will work, but it produces a darker color and might be too intense for some taste buds.
How to Color the Icing
Alternative Icing Recipes
The icing recipe below using powdered egg whites. If you don’t have any on hand, this Decorator Icing Recipe uses egg whites. If you need an egg-free and vegan icing, then use this Perfect Icing Recipe.
This gingerbread men cookies recipe with photo was shared with us by McCormick.
Special Diet Notes: Gingerbread Men Cookies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, and vegetarian.
For egg-free and vegan gingerbread men cookies, see my Egg Substitutes Guide.
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dairy-free buttery sticks, softened (see Recipe Tips above)
- ¾ cup firmly-packed brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses (see Recipe Tips above)
- 1 egg (can use an egg sub, if needed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Royal icing (recipe below), for decorating (optional)
- In large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add the buttery sticks and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until light and slightly fluffy. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- With the mixer on low, gradually beat in the flour mixture until thick dough forms. You might need to stir it if the dough is too thick for your mixer.
- Shape the dough into a thick disk, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. If it's cracking, let the dough rest and warm slightly for a few minutes.
- Cut into gingerbread men shapes using a 5-inch cookie cutter. Carefully transfer the cut outs to your prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set and just begin to brown.
- Let the gingerbread men cookies cool on the baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once completely cool, you can decorate!
More Dairy-Free Gingerbread Cookie Indulgences
Gingerbread Cookie Butter
Spiced Gingerbread French Toast
Gingerbread Cookie Mix in a Jar
For More Sweet Dairy-Free Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!
