Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are combined with molasses in this quick vegan gingerbread loaf. Moist, fluffy, and subtly sweet this loaf makes for a delicious breakfast, a healthy snack, or a holiday dessert!
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I love a good gingerbread cookie but sometimes I don’t have the time to make the dough, roll it out, and bake several batches. That’s when this delicious vegan gingerbread loaf recipe comes in handy. I get all the delicious gingerbread flavors in an easy, quick bread.
This recipe is whole grain, oil-free, and low in sugar, topped with pecan pieces for extra crunch. It uses simple ingredients and it’s full of warm spices. It tastes like the holidays in every bite.
Enjoy this vegan gingerbread loaf with a dollop of vegan coconut whipped cream, or top it with vegan buttercream frosting for a dessert cake! Or bake in small loaf pans to give as gifts to your friends and neighbors for the holidays. If you love this recipe, try my vegan gingerbread cake!
💗 Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread
- Vegan and Dairy-Free
- Low in Sugar
- No Oil or Vegan Butter
- Moist and Fluffy
- Classic Gingerbread Flavor
- Great recipe for the holiday season!
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Whole Wheat Flour: If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can use all-purpose flour, or oat flour for a gluten-free alternative.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda:
Date Sugar: You can also use coconut sugar or organic granulated sugar.
Spices: Ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.
Blackstrap Molasses and Warm Water: Blackstrap molasses combined with warm water helps to think it out and makes incorporating it into the batter easier.
Applesauce: Used as an oil substitute
Vanilla Extract: Brings out the flavor of the ginger.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Works with the baking powder and baking soda to leaven the loaf. Works as a great substitute for eggs.
Chopped Pecans: Adds an extra nice crunch on the top. You could also top the loaf with chopped almonds or walnuts.
🔪 Tools and Equipment You’ll Need
How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the hot water and molasses in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir until combined. Add the applesauce, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and date sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Do not over-stir. It’s okay if there are a few lumps in the batter.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with chopped pecans on top, gently pressing them into the batter to help them stick.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Run a knife along the edge to loosen the sides to help it fall from the pan easily. Wait until completely cool to slice and serve.
📝 Expert Tips
- Combine molasses in warm water. Heat the water over the stove until it is warm but not boiling. Add the molasses and stir to combine. Remove it from the stove and add the applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. For an extra fluffy texture, sift the flour.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients slowly. Stir until just combined. Do not over-mix. If you over-stir the wet and dry ingredients, you’ll break up the little bubbles that form, giving this quick bread a light, fluffy, and moist crumb.
- Use parchment paper to line your loaf pan. This eliminates the need to oil or butter your pan yet still remove the loaf from the pan with ease.
- Sprinkle the pecans on top of the loaf before baking. They’ll stick to the top of the loaf and make a pretty presentation.
❓ FAQS
Gingerbread is made by using a variety of spices. The most common spices are ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Sometimes, anise and cardamom are added. The bread is then sweetened with molasses, but can also be sweetened with honey or brown sugar. To keep it vegan, use maple syrup to replace honey when it is called for in a recipe. This vegan gingerbread loaf uses ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg with molasses and date sugar to give it a subtle sweetness.
To get moist, quick bread, you have to stir the wet and dry ingredients until they’re just combined stirring or mixing results in dense, quick bread. For a super moist quick bread, use a wet sweetener such as molasses or maple syrup to keep it vegan. Another tip for moist, quick bread is to put a baking sheet with water on the bottom rack of the oven while baking. The steam will create more moisture in the oven, resulting in moist bread.
While this isn’t healthful food, this gingerbread loaf is made with wholesome ingredients and is low in sugar. Instead of using white flour, this recipe uses whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is not processed like white flour, so it retains its nutritional value, helping you feel fuller longer. This recipe doesn’t call for white or brown sugar and instead uses date sugar which is lower on the glycemic index. Subbing out oil for applesauce in this recipe takes virtually all of the fat out of this loaf. One slice has only 135 calories and less than 1 g of fat.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Tea or Coffee: Enjoy this vegan gingerbread loaf alongside tea or coffee in the morning or as an after-dinner treat. You could also make it an extra special treat with hot chocolate!
Coconut Whipped Cream: Top with coconut whipped cream for a light and creamy addition.
Vegan Frosting: Slather on vegan frosting or icing sugar for a sweet finish. Or for a simple finish dust with powdered sugar.
🫙 How to Store
Room Temperature: This bread lasts up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not store it in the refrigerator, as it will dry out.
Freeze: You can freeze this vegan gingerbread loaf by wrapping it in plastic wrap and storing it in an airtight container in the freezer. It will last up to 2-3 months when frozen. When ready to defrost, please remove it from the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator.
😋 More Vegan Ginger Recipes!
🎥 Video
Recipe
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup date sugar
- 2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 ¼ cup warm water
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine warm water and molasses in a medium size bowl. Stir until combined. Add the applesauce, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and date sugar in a large bowl.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Do not over stir.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with chopped pecans on top, pressing gently to help them stick.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the sides of the pan to help to loosen the loaf. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients slowly. If you over stir, you’ll break up the little bubbles that form that gives this quick bread a light, fluffy, and moist texture.
- Use parchment paper to line your loaf pan. This eliminates the need to oil the pan yet still remove the loaf from the pan with ease.
- Sprinkle the pecans on top of the loaf before baking. They’ll stick to the top of the loaf, and make a pretty presentation.
- Check the loaf at the 40-minute mark by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean the loaf is done. If not, bake for an additional five minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Store at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tara
Yum! I love all those spices and that texture looks perfect, especially with the chopped pecans on top. It comes together so easily too!
Diana Reis
So perfect for all the family staying over for Christmas. Tastes great and covers all of our diet restrictions without missing any flavor.
Abigail Raines
I have no complaints about this bread because it’s loaded with my favorite spices! Every bite ensures a delicious explosion of flavors! Love this!
Anita
This vegan version is just as good as the normal version, no one even notices. 🙂 And I love all the spices in this, and added 1 tsp of cayenne chili powder cos the hubby loves his bread with more kick. 🙂
Irina
What a wonderful recipe of vegan gingerbread loaf! I just love it! It is scented with lots of flavors and sounds delicious!
Lifelemonsandlavender
This sounds so good!