Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf

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Introducing this moist and fluffy vegan gingerbread loaf. 

Aka a copycat Starbucks gingerbread loaf that everyone is OBSESSED with. And unlike Starbucks, this healthy vegan gingerbread loaf is actually good for you. 

This easy gingerbread loaf recipe is loaded with nutrients from the sprouted spelt flour, bananas, spices, tahini and molasses. 

Plus, it uses bananas as the main sweetener, cutting down on the overall sugar content. Oh, and yeah, this gingerbread loaf is also oil-free! 

Did I mention that this gingerbread banana loaf is fluffy, moist, slightly fudgy and healthy enough to eat for breakfast? Seriously, I actually have two slices of this for breakfast around the holidays because it’s that nutrient dense. 

Ok, enough talk, let’s get into the recipe. 

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Ingredients 

Here’s everything you’ll need for this healthy gingerbread loaf recipe. 

• Bananas 
• Tahini 
• Coconut sugar 
• Molasses 
• Cashew milk — linking my recipe here (takes 5 minutes to whip up)
• Spelt flour — I recommend using the One Degree Organics brand because it’s sprouted and better for gut health and overall nutrient absorption 
• Vanilla extract 
• Lemon juice
• Spices — like cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg
• Baking powder and  Baking soda

Quick Note on Molasses Brands

Not all molasses is created equal. 

Some brands are super bitter, some are super sweet and then you have the confusing addition of blackstrap molasses. 

So I’m outlining the difference between regular molasses and blackstrap molasses, as well as letting you know which molasses I use myself. 

But first, what is molasses? Molasses is essentially just the juice of sugar cane or sugar beets and is boiled down to remove the sugar crystals.

• Regular Molasses: Usually referred to as light or regular molasses is produced after the first or second boiling. Which means the molasses will still be quite sweet and be light in color. 
• Blackstrap Molasses: Comes from the third boiling and is very bitter. I would only ever use this for savory cooking, in baked beans or barbeque sauce. Never use this in baked goods as the bitter note will ruin the final product.

So which molasses to buy? I recommend using Wholesome Sweetener Unsulphured Molasses — the flavor profile of this molasses is perfect!

Can I Use Something Other Than Molasses?

A gingerbread loaf recipe without molasses? 

Seems wild, but there is a dupe that you can use instead of molasses if you want to keep this gingerbread loaf completely cane sugar free. 

It’s date syrup! Date syrup has a similar flavor profile to molasses (obviously not the exact same) but it is a good option if you want to avoid using molasses/can’t have molasses. 

Just use the same amount of date syrup as molasses called in the recipe.

Tips for the Perfect Vegan Gingerbread Loaf

If you read any part of this blog post, read this portion! 

• Mise en place: Aka have all of your ingredients out and ready to go. Once you add the baking powder and baking soda into the batter, those two leaveners will start working their magic. So you’ll need to add in the flour, mix, and pour it into your bread pan fairly quickly to get the full effect of these rising agents in the oven. Obviously, don’t panic and rush lol, just move quickly to get the batter in the oven as soon as possible. The longer it sits, the less rise your gingerbread will have.
• Don’t overmix: The cardinal sin of baking. But seriously, as soon as the flour is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. The more you mix, the gluten will develop, making your gingerbread tough and chewy.
• Taste the batter: I’m sure you’ll do this anyway, but please taste the batter. In any recipe that uses spices like this, I recommend taste testing. This way you can adjust the spices to your liking. Add more cinnamon, ginger or cloves if needed. I recommend tasting the batter before you add the flour, that way you won’t run the risk of over-mixing by adding in additional spices. 
• Use the CORRECT bread pan: If you want your gingerbread to be tall and perfectly cracked on the top use this bread pan here. It’s smaller than the standard 8×5 pan, and helps your bread rise up instead of just becoming squat. 
• Sprinkle that top with sugar: I think we can all agree that the crunchy sugar top of gingerbread is the best part. So sprinkle the top of the loaf liberally with coconut sugar before baking to get that bakery style crust. 
• Lastly, don’t substitute ANYTHING: Let me repeat that, don’t substitute ingredients. Overall this recipe is forgiving, but if you want it to turn out perfectly like these photos, follow it exactly. I’ve perfect this recipe over 2 years and I know that these ingredients and proportions work like magic. 

How to Store This Vegan Gingerbread Loaf

I recommend letting this moist gingerbread loaf cool completely and then wrapping it in plastic and storing it on the counter. If you want to last for a week, you can store it in the fridge. 

Just warm up your slice of gingerbread, because this bread tastes best toasty warm! 

Even More Gingerbread Recipes 

• Chewy Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies (perfectly cracked on the top and bursting with spices and warm molasses flavor)
• Single-Serve Gingerbread Mug Cake (the perfect holiday sweet treat after dinner)
• Gingerbread Baked Oats (obsessed with these, they’re gooey and moist in the middle and perfectly crisp on the top)
• Fluffy Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes 

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