Better Than Starbucks Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake
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!
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!
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!
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:
- 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.
- Use room temperature wet ingredients: this helps ensure that the ginger loaf cake doesn’t bake with a gummy texture.
- Gently fold in the wet ingredients: just make sure there are no more streaks of dry ingredients!
- 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!
- 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!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
Better Than Starbucks Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake (Oil Free, Low Sugar)
- 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
- 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
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9″ loaf tin with olive or coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- 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.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, and place into the oven.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- 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.
- Serve as is or prepare the cashew cream frosting.
- 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
Hey! Looks soo delicious! I was wondering if I could replace the flour with oat flour? Thanks in advance!
Hi Marija! So Ive tried this with oat flour- it’s not my favorite texture, as it comes out a bit too crumbly. I am planning on coming out with a loaf that uses a mixture of oat and cassava though (as that seems to yield the best texture!)!
Yum!! I’ve been looking for an oil free gingerbread!! Do you think whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour would work to keep it whole grain? I also don’t have coconut sugar, so thinking 1/3 cup packed brown sugar might go okay?
Hi Allison!! Aw so happy to hear it!! I actually haven’t tried this with whole wheat flour, and I know that whole wheat tends to bake very differently than all purpose or even GF 1:1. You can definitely use brown sugar in place of coconut sugar- either works!
Did you try the whole wheat flour and did it work?
I made this recipe with whole wheat pastry flour, and a few other changes, and it was wonderful. When I made it, I didn’t have cardamom or allspice on hand. Because of this, I increased the cinamon and ginger by 1/2 teaspoon each. I didn’t have coconut sugar so I used date sugar. I used the applesauce rather than the yogurt. I also added 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar right before I added the dry to the wet ingredient and put it in the oven immediately after combining and adding to the loaf pan. In order to avoid oil, I lined the loaf pan with parchment paper. I baked it to an internal temperature of 195 degrees. This was moist, flavorful, and had a tender crumb that held together well. I hope this is helpful to Allison. I wanted to let you know the whole wheat pastry flour works great. I also I felt compelled to be clear about the other changes I made out of necessity. Great recipe Britt!
★★★★★
Cake is in the oven and it smells delicious! Curious how you store leftovers? Thanks for the recipe😁
Aw wonderful! I hope you loved it! I would either store the whole loaf in a freezer bag or wrapped tightly and in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (depending on how cold your fridge is), or you can alternatively store it sliced in the freezer for up to 3 months!
This is incredible! I made mini muffins instead of a loaf, I baked about 19 minutes and they’re slightly overdone but still amazing. I’ll definitely be making these again!
★★★★★
Aw I just love this!!! Enjoy!!
I was wondering what gluten free flour you recommend? Is it Bob’s Red Mills 1:1? Can’t wait to try!
Hi Morgan!! Yes Bob’s Red Mills 1:1 or King Arthur 1:1 work best here!! Enjoy!!
Forgot to also ask if this can be made like a cake in two small cake pans?
Ah yes!! So I actually have a very similar recipe that I turned into a three-layer cake here: https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-ginger-cake/ but you can definitely turn this into a layer cake as well- I would recommend 4″ or 6″ cake pans!
Can not wait for the cassava/oat flour recipe!
Hi, is molasses necessary? I have issues in finding it. Can I substitute it with something else?
Hi Vittoria! For this recipe, yes the molasses is necessary- you can usually find it in the baking section of your grocery store and you can use any molasses that’s available to you!
Can I use canola oil instead if applesauce isn’t available?
Hi Desiree! Canola oil won’t work in place of applesauce here, as the applesauce is working as the egg! You can also use 3 ground flaxseed “eggs” in place of applesauce here instead!
Looks so wonderful! Does the GF flour have to have xanthan gum in it? If so any workarounds on that due to xanthan gum allergy?
Aw thank you Sophia! I have only unfortunately tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour in the blue bag, which contains xanthan gum (that one is my go to!). I can’t verify any other swaps at this time unfortunately (I’m so sorry!). Oat flour can sometimes work with a bit of arrowroot, or sometimes I find that arrowroot can work with the right recipe and gf flour…but unfortunately,I just can’t guarantee it! I will work on testing one that is oat flour based, though, for the season!
You could always try psyllium husk powder (or psyllium husks ground in a spice/coffee grinder) as a xanthan gum replacement. Use about 1/4 tsp per cup of flour – at least that’s what I do for my gluten-free baking. Hope that helps.
Years ago I made a gingerbread spiced cake that was out of this world good, but it was before I was gluten-free & Dairy-free! Since then I have been trying my best to find something that might come close, but I found something even better! Britt killed it with this spiced Gingerbread cake and I could eat it every day for the rest of my life and be a happy camper!
★★★★★
Aw my goodness!! The sweetest comment! You’re the best 🙂 SO GLAD YOU LOVED IT!! Thanks for trying 🙂
This gingerbread loaf is incredible! So soft, tender, and perfectly moist. Apart from reducing the coconut sugar slightly, I followed your recipe exactly as written and it baked beautifully. I love how much the molasses flavor comes through, and I can’t believe how great the bread’s texture is despite the loaf being oil-free. All of the bread recipes of yours that I’ve tried have been spot-on! Thank you so much for sharing such delicious vegan recipes!!
★★★★★
Aw my goodness!! So wonderful to hear!! Thank you so much for this <3 So grateful you love these recipes so much!! Enjoy and Happy New Year!
Super delicious as muffins! I have long searched for a spicy fat-free vegan gingerbread recipe, and this is it! I followed the recipe exactly and added 1/2 c. raisins. Spooned the batter into 12 lined muffin cups (filling the cups to the top, to use up all the batter) and baked them for 20 minutes. Cooled the muffins in the tin for 15 minutes and they popped right out. Just tried one and it was deliciously dark and spicy, pleasantly sweet, firm yet moist! Love the hint of cardamom which is, in my opinion, an underused spice. I skipped the frosting this time (not really needed?) but will try in future. Thanks, Britt for a perfect recipe! 😋
Oh this is so lovely to read!! Thank you so much for sharing your notes with everyone, this is wonderful and so helpful! Thanks for making them- and I’m totally trying the addition of raisins as well! 🙂 Enjoy!
This recipe is the best ever! I made it for a small dinner birthday party last night. It was a hit! So moist, not too sweet, perfect texture. I used sucanat instead of cane sugar. Thank you for this! I will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear this!! Thank you so much for leaving a review, and so glad it was a hit at the birthday party!! 🙂 Enjoy!!
Wow! Made this as muffins this morning with Doves Farm Gluten Free self raising flour and reduced the sugar to 25g (as that’s all I had left!) and 100g molasses and was plenty sweet enough for my tastes.
Didn’t make the frosting due to nut allergy, but it’s amazing plain and goes really well with a hot black coffee.
Will increase the spices a bit next time as I like a bigger ginger kick.
Texture was absolutely perfect and you couldn’t tell it was oil free, gluten free and vegan. Will definitely be making these again. Haven’t had ginger cake in nearly 20 years and was always one of my favourites.
Thank you for an amazing recipe :o)
Looking forward to finding out if anyone else in the family likes them…
★★★★★
Oh my goodness!! This is the sweetest review!! Truly thank you! And I’m so beyond happy to hear you can finally enjoy one of your favorites again 🙂 That’s my goal always!! Enjoy, and thanks for being here!
Hi, I only have black strap molasses. Would this work would that be too strong a flavour?
Yes, you can use black strap molasses! It will be a bit of a richer loaf cake, but still delicious!
OMG Britt, this gingerbread loaf was AMAZING. So full of flavor and the texture was perfect. I did use very finely ground, then sifted oat flour, plus 2 TBSP. arrowroot powder. I will be making this again and again!!!
★★★★★
I just finished making this loaf after reading all of the comments on how great it is. I made it in 4 mini loaves, unfortunately they sunk, not sure why??? My milk and applesauce was not exactly room temp, does the temp affect the rise? I baked them for 45 minutes, should it have been longer?? I am having a lot of problems with this happening when I am baking without eggs, feeling defeated this morning, any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!! The loaf does still taste AMAZING!! Thank you!
Hi Christy! I’m so sorry to hear this! It sounds like an issue with your baking powder/soda- we actually need to change them out more often than we think! A good way to test right now if you can is adding a tsp of vinegar to a tsp of the baking soda and powder. If it bubbles, it’s still good, but if it barely reacts or not at all, that was definitely the cause!
Thank you! I will try it out. I just finished reading your “vegan baking 101” post, thank you for this!!!! You have no idea and thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I am excited to try this recipe again.
Aw I’m so glad to hear it!! Please let me know how it goes next time!! Curious to see if that was the issue (it’s happened to me before!! And I know how disappointing it is when something doesn’t work so I completely understand!). Enjoy! 🙂
Can’t wait to make this!!
Can I ask what vegan cream cheese you prefer? I haven’t found one I completely love yet so if you have any good suggestions I’d LOVE and appreciate hearing them 🙂
Thank you!
Absolutely!! So I used Tofutti cream cheese for the loaf in the photos, but I have tested this with Miyoko’s, Violife, and Kite Hill. My preference for taste is Violife, but occasionally I notice their cream cheese can split sometimes in frostings (same with Miyoko’s! I love everything by Miyoko’s, but the cream cheese splits pretty bad in frostings and at times cheesecakes, so it’s not so guaranteed to work, which can be frustrating when you’re spending a lot of money on ingredients!). Tofutti is next best because I overall like the flavor when combined with the remaining ingredients (I just notice a bit of a soy flavor), and it definitely works amazingly in frostings!
This is an AMAZING recipe, along with all then others iv tried! My non vegan family members could not believe it was vegan!
Thank you so much ❤️
★★★★★
So happy to hear this 🙂 Enjoy, and thank you so much for the review!!
Absolutely the PERFECT gingerbread loaf recipe. I absolutely loved it!!! I’ve not had a lot of success with vegan baking but this was AMAZING. Thank-you for sharing your recipe.
★★★★★
So so happy 🙂 Enjoy my love!! Thanks so much for the review!!
The best gingerbread and I can’t believe how well it turned out being GF and vegan!
Thank you for always putting amazing content and recipes out in the world!
★★★★★
Oh I’m so beyond happy to hear it!! Thank you so much for coming back to review the recipe 🙂 Enjoy!! And happy holidays!!
Love the flavor! I didn’t have cardamom, so skipped that and it was still great. I added a splash of vanilla to the frosting! For some reason, the texture was more chewy than I expected, but not in a bad way. Just not what I’d expect for a bread. I did not wait for my oat milk to reach room temp, so maybe that had something to do with it. I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Hi Lacey!! So happy to hear it, that’s wonderful!!! Yes, the chewiness definitely sounds like it was a temperature issue! But so glad you still enjoyed it 🙂 Happy holidays!
My sister-in-law brought a loaf for our New Year’s Eve family dinner last week. Long ago, I was turned off by dry, crumbly, overly-spiced gingerbread and I thought I didn’t like gingerbread. This one looked tasty and I was happy to give gingerbread another try. It was delicious – so moist with a well-balanced flavor profile! It only took one bite for me to ask for the recipe! I can’t wait to bake my own loaf.
I also appreciate the comments about others using whole wheat options, etc.
★★★★★
Oh I’m so happy to hear this!! Thank you so much for coming back to review it- and so glad we were able to change your mind on gingerbread 🙂 It’s a lovely loaf!! Enjoy, and happy New Year!!