These easy vegan paleo gingerbread men are beautifully spiced and not too sweet, free from grains, refined sugar and with dairy free options.
One of the things I love most about December is baking, and without doubt gingerbread cookies are at the top of the list. Its a labour of love and its the easiest (and most delicious) activity for kids in December, as they’re all too willing to help create and decorate the cute people and shapes. We could make them on the daily but, hey, we couldn’t eat them quite that often (without ensuing meltdowns from the sugar high).
But of course, if we made a gingerbread cookie that was free from refined sugar and grains- well, who is to stop us making these on the daily?
Certainly not me!
Thats right- these gingerbread men are grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free and have a dairy free option. They’re so easy, beautifully spiced and can be either crunchy or chewy.
Ingredient list
Ingredient list- Super fine almond flour OR almond meal. Almond flour can be tricky to source but will give you a smoother texture. I tested these multiple times with almond meal and they’re great- tiger biscuit will have more texture to it than a regular gingerbread cookie, but that is personally fine with me.
- Arrowroot or tapioca flour. I have made these with arrowroot which helps to give a chew to the cookie and should not be omitted. You could substitute for tapioca flour.
- Ground spices- cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. The spices you use can really make a difference- as can their age! If you want your easy vegan paleo gingerbread cookies to be really well spiced I recommend buying fresh spices. I trialled these with old and fresh spices and it made a HUGE difference. I love these organic spices here the best.
- Butter or coconut oil. I prefer the texture of these when baked with butter, but coconut oil offers an easy, dairy free and vegan alternative.
- Maple syrup and molasses/honey. We use a mixture of liquid sweeteners for etc best flavoured vegan paleo gingerbread men, however you can use all maple syrup if tahini t is what you have on hand. These cookies are not sweet at all, and I do not recommend reducing the amounts of sweeteners as the spices become too over powering.
TIPS FOR THE BEST PALEO GINGERBREAD MEN
TIPS FOR THE BEST PALEO GINGERBREAD MENFollow the gram measurements.
Grainfree baking requires precise measurements, and everyone measures cups differently. Using kitchen scales is the most accurate way to measure your ingredients.
Use superfine almond flour
If you want a more traditional texture, use superfine almond flour. I regularly make these with almond meal as it is easier to find (and tastes just as good), though. The images on this post used almond meal, and you will see that they have a chunkier texture.
Bake one tray at a time
Only bake a single tray at a time and watch the cookies carefully! As we are baking with almond meal these cookies can easily burn. For my oven 10-12 minutes is perfect, but every oven runs differently. You can also use an oven thermometer to check your ovens true temperature and for hot spots.
Likewise, using a light coloured baking tray is better for cookies and will give you a more even result.
Space your cookies for baking.
Place 6-8 gingerbread people per large baking tray, only. Leaving ample room between each. the cookies will not expand much, but leaving room around each cookie will help them crisp up while baking.
Looking for more grain-free baking ideas? You might like:
Looking for more grain-free baking ideas? You might like:- Paleo lemon curd slice
- Grain-free chocolate avocado muffins
- Paleo chocolate chip cookies
- No bake raspberry tart
- Paleo vegan chocolate bread
- Blueberry lemon sticky buns
We hope you enjoy these Easy vegan paleo gingerbread men as much as we do. If you make them, we would love to hear from you below. Your reviews and comments helps other find this recipe, too.
Easy vegan paleo gingerbread men
- Prep Time: 10 minutes PLUS resting time
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 54 minute
- Yield: 14 1x
- Category: Christams
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Cookies
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These easy vegan paleo gingerbread men are beautifully spiced and not too sweet, free from grains, refined sugar and with dairy free options.
Ingredients
- 210g (1 + 3/4 cup) fine almond flour (or almond meal)
- 81g (3/4 cup) arrowroot flour
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp orange zest- optional
- 60g (1/4 cup) butter OR 55g (1/4 cup) coconut oil
- 75g (1/4 cup) pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp molasses OR dark, floral honey (I use Jarrah Honey)
- To decorate- paleo/vegan dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- I recommend using scales for this recipe to give the best results. If using cups, I have used Australian standard sizes, and follow the spoon and scrape method of measuring.
- Into a large mixing bowl add all of the dry ingredients- everything from the flour down to salt, adding in the orange zest if you choose to do so. Mix well until even and uniform.
- Add butter/oil, maple syrup and molasses/honey to a saucepan. Over a gentle heat melt slowly, turning off the heat as soon as everything is liquid. Pour into the dry mixture and combine well. The mixture will be very thick and easily kneeded- if you have any dry spots transfer onto a bench and kneed a few times.
- Place the dough onto a large sheet of cling wrap- you can easily buy home-compostable wrap these days, which I recommend (for the planet, it makes no difference to the recipe!). Flatten dough into a dish shape, and wrap to cover all the dough. Place in the back of the fridge for at least 2 hours, or over night. Note– this dough can stay in the fridge for up to 3-4 days like this, allowing you to make ahead and bake when ready.
- When you’re ready to bake preheat the oven to 180c and line 2 x large baking trays with baking paper.
- Remove dough from fridge and unwrap, leaving it on top of the plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll out, aiming to have the dough around 1-1.5 cm in thickness, ensuring its even all over. Work quickly to avoid the dough heating too much- this will make it easier to transfer your cut out shapes onto the baking trays.
- Use desired cutters to cut shapes, cutting as many as you can from the rolled dough before carefully transferring them to a baking tray. Note– you can also take dough and roll it into balls to make round cookies. You will need to flatten each ball to around 1.5cm in thickness.
- Place 6-8 gingerbread people per tray, leaving ample room between each. The cookies will not expand much, but leaving room around each cookie will help them crisp up while baking.
- Bunch up the remaining dough, roll into a ball and repeat step 6 and 7 as many times as needed to use all the dough. Decorate the cookies with chocolate chips, if desired.
- Note that the baking times I have provided are for gingerbread people 8-10cm in length. If your cookies are smaller or larger, you will need to adjust the baking times. I recommend baking one tray at a time for best results. Place a single tray in the bottom 1/3 of the oven bake for 8-12 minutes for soft, chewy cookies. For crisper cookies bake up to 15 minutes.. I bake mine for 10 minutes, but it is best to set the timer for 8 minutes and check every minute there after. If you bake the cookies in the top part of the oven they WILL bake quicker, and may burn. The cookies will still be completely soft in the oven, but are ready when they have become a light golden brown on top, and you can see the bottom of the cookie beginning to brown.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Your easy, vegan paleo gingerbread men are now ready to eat, however they are truely at their best one cooled completely. I find day 2 and day 3 are the best time to eat them, when their texture has become harder and chewier.
Store your paleo gingerbread men on a plate, covered by a tea towel, in the pantry/on the bench for up to 3 days. You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. They’re freezer friendly.
Notes
These paleo gingerbread men and not designed to be sweet like the original cookies. I do not recommend adding extra maple syrup, however you could add 1/4 cup granulated sugar of choice if you want a sweeter gingerbread man.
Keywords: Gingerbread, paleo, vegan baking, Christmas cookies