This soft and moist vegan gingerbread loaf cake is full of sweet holiday flavor and tastes just like the Starbucks version but with 1/3 of the sugar, gluten free, dairy free, and oil free!

vegan gingerbread loaf cake sliced

Why you’ll love this gingerbread loaf cake recipe

I mean, it helps loving everything gingerbread (including this gingerbread house!), but truly, this is my favorite ginger loaf cake recipe. It’s entirely vegan (so egg free and dairy free), oil free, no butter, can be made gluten free, and tastes identical to the Starbucks version.

Like my vegan pumpkin bread and vegan banana bread, I had a few people who love the Starbucks version test this vegan gingerbread loaf and tell me the honest truth: they actually love this recipe more (and my copycat vegan cranberry bliss bars too!).

I kid you not, this gingerbread loaf is so moist, so fluffy, and full of holiday spice, sugar, and cheer! Yet, somehow, this recipe has less than a third of the sugar in the Starbucks gingerbread loaf.

This is quite literally my favorite holiday quick bread recipe that’s sure to please all eaters (although I have tons more of amazing quick bread recipes in my cookbook that you should definitely check out!). 

And if you love all things gingerbread, be sure to check out my vegan gingerbread cake, gingerbread cupcakes, gingerbread cinnamon rolls, and of course, classic vegan gingerbread cookies!

vegan gingerbread loaf cake sliced on parchment paper

Better than Starbucks vegan Gingerbread Loaf Ingredients

I’m serious, forget Starbucks gingerbread loaf and just make this copycat vegan version!

As I mentioned above, the low sugar and oil free ingredients to this vegan ginger loaf cake are so incredibly simple. You’ll need:

  • Flour: you can use all purpose or gluten free 1:1 baking flour if gluten free is needed.
  • Coconut sugar: only a little- quite literally 1/3 of the sugar found in a slice of Starbucks gingerbread loaf! You can also use brown sugar if you’d like!
  • Spices: I like to use a little bit more than just ground ginger. You’ll also need cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg
  • Leavening agents
  • Molasses: I use unsulphured organic molasses by Wholesome Sweets.
  • Dairy free milk: to keep this ginger loaf cake entirely nut free as well, use either coconut milk or oat milk.
  • Unsweetened applesauce: this is my trick for replacing both the oil and the eggs in this vegan gingerbread loaf. You won’t believe how moist this vegan gingerbread loaf gets!
vegan gingerbread loaf cake ingredients

How to make a vegan gingerbread loaf

The full instructions for how to make this vegan ginger loaf cake are found down below in the recipe card. However, let’s go over the basics here:

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients: definitely use a whisk here and not a spoon- this helps to evenly distribute all of the spices throughout the flour.
  2. Use room temperature wet ingredients: this helps ensure that the ginger loaf cake doesn’t bake with a gummy texture.
  3. Gently fold in the wet ingredients: just make sure there are no more streaks of dry ingredients!
  4. Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake! Use a metal baking tin here rather than a glass- glass bakeware doesn’t heat evenly, but then stays very very hot, sometimes causing an uneven bake. A metal tin loaf pin is the best bet!
  5. Make the vegan maple cashew cream frosting for a fun topping!

Vegan maple cashew cream frosting

The vegan maple cream frosting frosting on top of this vegan gingerbread loaf is completely optional. However, I highly recommend it! It’s so fluffy and delicious!

To make a vegan cream cheese frosting, you’ll need:

  • Vegan cream cheese
  • Powdered sugar
  • Maple syrup, for flavor

It’s that simple! Then just simply cream together all ingredients until smooth and smear on top of the gingerbread loaf cake, once it’s entirely cool.

If it’s not fully cool, the frosting will melt right off- so definitely wait!

I hope you love this vegan gingerbread loaf cake as much as I do! If you make it, let me know down below in the comments section, and be sure to give it a rating so that others may see it!

As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy ginger loaf cake baking!

sliced vegan gingerbread loaf cake

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

Better Than Starbucks Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake  pinterest pin
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Better Than Starbucks Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake slices

Better Than Starbucks Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake (Oil Free, Low Sugar)

  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 50
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This soft and moist vegan gingerbread loaf cake is full of sweet holiday flavor and tastes just like the Starbucks version but with 1/3 of the sugar, gluten free, dairy free, and oil free!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (swap in gluten-free 1:1 baking flour for GF)
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup dairy-free milk, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or dairy free yogurt, room temperature

Maple Cashew Cream Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9″ loaf tin with olive or coconut oil.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. Add in the remaining ingredients to a large bowl, and mix the wet ingredients with a hand mixer or whisk. Then add in the dry ingredients, and gently mix until there are no streaks of dry ingredients left using a silicone spatula.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, and place into the oven.
  5. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
  7. Serve as is or prepare the cashew cream frosting.
  8. Vegan cream cheese frosting: use a hand mixer to cream together the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. Smear onto the loaf before slicing.

Notes

Gluten free: I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 147
  • Sugar: 16.8 g
  • Sodium: 131.8 mg
  • Fat: 0.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 33.9 g
  • Fiber: 0.7 g
  • Protein: 2.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: gingerbread loaf cake, vegan gingerbread loaf, healthy gingerbread loaf