One Bowl MOIST Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Recipe
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 and entirely dairy free! Made in just one bowl and topped with an irresistible cashew maple frosting!
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), 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!). It’s such a fun and simple vegan Christmas recipe, and truly one of my favorites, along with my vegan shortbread cookies (or really all of my Christmas cookies!).
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 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. I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free baking flour.
- Light brown sugar: only a little- quite literally 1/3 of the sugar found in a slice of Starbucks gingerbread loaf! You can also use coconut sugar if you’d like!
- Spices: I like to use a little bit more than just ground ginger. You’ll also need cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg
- Leavening agents
- Neutral oil: I like to use avocado oil.
- 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.
- Dairy free yogurt: this is my trick for replacing the eggs in this vegan gingerbread loaf. You won’t believe how moist this vegan gingerbread loaf gets!
Overview: 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:
- Use room temperature wet ingredients: this helps ensure that the ginger loaf cake doesn’t bake with a gummy texture.
- Gently fold in the flour into 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
- Cashew butter
- 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!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
One Bowl MOIST Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Recipe
- 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 and entirely dairy free! Made in just one bowl and topped with an irresistible cashew maple frosting!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, sifted (swap in gluten-free 1:1 baking flour for GF)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup (240 mL) dairy-free milk like oat milk, soy milk or almond milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) molasses
- 1/2 cup (120 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) neutral oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Maple Cashew Cream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 cup (240 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9″ loaf tin with olive or coconut oil.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, molasses, dairy free yogurt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Add in the flour, then pour in the dairy free milk as you whisk in the flour, being careful not to over mix the batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, and place into the oven. Bake for 50-55 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: Serve as is or prepare the cashew cream frosting and frost when fully cool!
- Vegan cream cheese frosting: use a hand mixer to cream together the vegan cream cheese, cashew butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. Smear onto the loaf before slicing.
Notes
Gluten free: I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour.
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
This recipe is definitely a keeper. It was so nice to find a recipe that is vegan and oil-free and tastes good. I would like to try it with gluten-free flour but am not sure which one would work best. Thanks for the recipe!
Can I use just regular granulated sugar in place of the coconut sugar?
Hi Nicole! Yes you can!
Hiya! I loved this recipe but see it’s recently been updated to no longer be oil free. Is there any chance I can get a hold of the original recipe??
OH absolutely, I’m so sorry for the confusion! Here you go:
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, sifted (swap in gluten-free 1:1 baking flour for GF)
1/2 cup (100 g) coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup (240 mL) dairy-free milk like oat milk, soy milk or almond milk, room temperature
1/2 cup (120 mL) molasses
1/2 cup (120 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Enjoy!
Not bad but I think it’s pretty bland/weak flavor and needs way more spices. I would double them next time around. 50 mins bake time was also a bit too long for my oven so ya’ll be careful and maybe check at 45 mins. I would try making this again I think. Thank you.
Hello. I’m very confused by the mention of applesauce throughout the comments. I don’t see this in the recipe as stated. Does this recipe call for applesauce? I saw one comment mention using this instead of yogurt but there are subsequent comments as if it applesauce were an original listed ingredient. Please advise. I would like to try this recipe. Thank you.
Oh I’m so sorry for the confusion! Yes so applesauce can be interchangeable with yogurt- I noticed more height on the loaf when using yogurt, but some prefer to still use applesauce!
I made the bread without the frosting and it’s delicious! I used King Arthur’s 1:1 gluten free flour. I also just about doubled the amount of coconut sugar, coming in just under 1 cup (I have found that cane sugar and coconut sugar cannot be substituted 1:1 – cane sugar is much sweeter so when substituting with coconut sugar I increase the amount of sugar).
So happy you loved it, and I appreciate these notes 🙂 Thank you so much for the review!! Enjoy!
I’ve made this bread twice this year already, and it turned out so good! The first time, it wasn’t quite fully baked, so it needed the full 50min. I used whole wheat flour. I’m about to make them again and noticed they’re no longer oil free and the applesauce has been swapped for yogurt. There was also allspice and cardamom in them, which was the perfect spice blend. I think it was 1/4tsp of each?
OMG this was divine, I followed your cake recipe exactly and it was such a hit with my whole family. Sadly in rural France I cannot get vegan cream cheese or cashew butter so I made my own cashew cream cheese frosting and it worked.
The whole cake was gone in 24 hours and my family is super picky so I will be making this again soon.
Hi Britt! This looks AMAZING. If I wanted to bake this in a Bundt pan, would you recommend the 2x or 3x measurements? Thanks in advance!
I have made the cake a few times, the only problem I have is it is a bit dry each time. I have a fan oven and I cook it for 50 mins. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to make it moist? It freezers great, so would really like to make more. Thanks.
Hi Anne! Hmm are you measuring the flour with cups or a scale? If you’re using cups, you might be over-measuring the flour which would result in a dry loaf!
I use a scale. Do you think I should add some more liquid or a little less flour? I have a fan oven. maybe that is making the difference.
Hiya
I love this recipe! Just wanted to alert you to the fact that the option for double the recipe hasn’t doubled the flour… still says 300g
I didn’t have vegan yoghurt so used vegan double cream and apple sauce instead. I also used coconut oil rather than neutral oil. The cake took 65 minutes before the skewer came out clean. However the finished cake is absolutely delicious. Moist and tasty. Oh, I also made orange zest frosting as I had no cashews. I’ll certainly make this again.
Omgsh with orange zest frosting?! That sounds LOVELY!! Thank you so much for the review!! So glad you loved it!
The overall review I received was,” gourmet” highly recommend with or without the frosting. I’ve made it twice. The second time I definitely over mixed… the first time it was amazing. Everyone tried it and wanted more more more!
Hi there- I just scrolled to find your original r
recipe with no oil. Is the DF yogurt the replacement? Thx so much
Hi Tama! So sorry for the confusion, the older recipe was oil free, but has since been adapted with oil to lock in more moisture 🙂 You can use DF yogurt to replace the oil (1:1), but I highly recommend using avocado oil or olive oil- ether is fine!
Exact instructions such as using the yogurt and oat milk at room temperature make all the difference. First time I made this, I just rushed through and sure enough, the loaf had a gummy texture just as author predicted. Making it again today because it was so yummy but this time I will follow the instructions.
Wow, this gingerbread is delicious! I made it in 2 King Arthur Flour gingerbread “house” cake pans for our family Christmas and they turned out perfectly–I got to sample the flavor when I trimmed the overflow at the bottoms. Two questions: I realized when putting ingredients away that I never used the vanilla extract. Was that supposed to go in to the liquid mix before adding the dry ingredients? And I was so concerned about not overmixing that I ended up with a few dry white lumps in my finished product. Should I have sifted the flour, baking powder and soda, etc.? Thanks!
There’s a question about leaving the applesauce out of this recipe – I don’t see applesauce listed in the ingredients. Since your answer was that the applesauce is necessary, I’m very confused. Can you please clarify whether applesauce (or a flax egg, which also isn’t mentioned) are required for the vegan gingerbread loaf.
Hi Mel! So sorry for the confusion! The recipe has since been updated and improved so no applesauce is needed! 🙂
Hi!
is there another version of this recipe? I see older comments regarding using apple sauce and being oil free. is there a link to this oil free version? thank you!
Hi Chris! yes this recipe is an updated version from what it originally was!
perfect recipe
This is awesome 🙂 Thank you so much!! ENJOY!
Making this for a thanksgiving dessert. Just put it in the oven after having to pull it out bc I hadn’t added the vanilla extract. Ultimately it’s on me for not double checking the ingredients before putting it in the loaf pan but you may want to include the extract in the instructions as well. Can’t wait to try it
Hi Leah! Thanks for the note, will double check the card!