Air Fryer Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Add Preferred SourceI love making Air Fryer Vegan Gingerbread Cookies when I crave that spicy-sweet Christmas flavor without the oven running for hours. They come out perfectly soft and chewy with just enough crispness, packed with ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The molasses gives them that rich, classic gingerbread flavor. You’ll be decorating a second batch before you know it.
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I make them for Christmas cookie exchanges, school holiday parties, and bake sales every December because they’re kid-friendly and fun to decorate. They’re perfect for gifting in festive tins or bringing to potlucks since they stay fresh at room temperature for 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. The air fryer makes them quicker with less mess than heating up your whole oven.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
How to Make Air Fryer Vegan Gingerbread Cookies with Step-By-Step Instructions
Scroll down for the full recipe card containing a full printable recipe and measurements in both US customary and metric units.
Let me walk you through making these festive vegan cookies in your air fryer.
Beat the Butter and Sugar
Beat the vegan butter and light brown sugar together until they’re fluffy and well combined. I like using this stand mixer for this because it speeds up the process and incorporates more air into the mixture.
The sugar should fully incorporate into the butter, creating a creamy base that’ll give your cookies the right texture.
Add the Wet Ingredients
Mix in the molasses, vanilla extract, and flax egg to your butter-sugar mixture. Beat everything, so it’s fully combined and smooth. The flax egg acts as your binder here, holding everything together just like a regular egg would.
Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves. A flour sifter makes this step effortless and catches any lumps before they end up in your dough.
Sifting helps distribute spices evenly and removes any lumps, ensuring every cookie has a consistent flavor.
Form the Dough
Add your dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a thick cookie dough forms. The dough will look slightly crumbly at first, but that’s normal; resist the urge to overmix it.
Once you roll it out in the next step, it’ll come together perfectly.
Roll Out the Dough
Flour your hands and work surface generously to prevent sticking or use a silicone mat. Transfer the dough onto your floured surface and roll it out to about ¼ inch thick using this rolling pin.
If you have any loose pieces, just press them back into the dough as you work.
Cut Your Gingerbread Men
Use a floured gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out your shapes. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray, leaving a bit of space between each cookie.
Gather up the scraps, roll the dough out again, and keep cutting until you’ve used all the dough. Add more flour as needed if things start getting sticky.
Air Fry the Cookies
Set your air fryer to 160 degrees C (320 degrees F) and bake the cookies for 8 minutes. I love using my basket-style air fryer for cookies because it heats up instantly and doesn’t warm up the whole kitchen.
They’ll firm up as they cool in a wire rack, so don’t worry if they seem slightly soft when you first take the batch out. Let the baked cookies cool completely on the lined baking sheets before you start decorating; warm, softer cookies will make the frosting melt and slide right off.
Make the Frosting and Decorate
Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and soy milk in a small bowl until smooth and thick. Dip each cooled gingerbread man into the frosting, or use a piping bag to add details like buttons, faces, and trim.
Sprinkle Christmas sprinkles on top while the frosting is still wet, so they stick. Let the frosting set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Serve and Enjoy
Arrange your decorated gingerbread men on a festive platter and watch them disappear at your holiday gathering. Enjoy!
They’re perfect for gifting in decorative Christmas tins like this one, setting out at cookie swaps, or enjoying fresh with a warm drink by the fireplace. These cookies also travel well.
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Men:
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons hot water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
For the Decorating Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons soy milk
- Christmas Sprinkles
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat vegan butter and brown sugar together.½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup vegan butter
- Add molasses, vanilla, and flax egg to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until combined.⅓ cup unsulphured molasses, 1 flax egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix into a thick dough. (The dough will look a bit crumbly, there’s no need to over work it, once you roll it in the following steps it will come together).
- Flour your hands and surface generously. Transfer dough onto the surface and roll out to about ¼ inch thick – if you have loose pieces just press them together.
- Cut out gingerbread men with a floured cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Gather dough scraps, roll out again, and cut more cookies. Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Bake in the air fryer at 160ºC (320°F) for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely before decorating.
To Decorate:
- Mix frosting ingredients until thick and sticky.1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoons soy milk
- Dip the gingerbread men in the frosting and decorate with Christmas sprinkles.Christmas Sprinkles
- Serve and enjoy your cookies!
Notes
- Add extra spice if you want: If you love bold gingerbread flavor, increase the ground ginger to 1 tablespoon for extra warmth.
- Don’t skip the sifting: Sifting your dry ingredients ensures the spices distribute evenly throughout the dough so every cookie has consistent flavor.
- Chill the dough if too sticky: If your dough feels too soft to roll out, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to firm it up.
- Use parchment paper: Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier, just trim it to fit without blocking airflow.
- Check for doneness: Air fryer temperatures can vary, so check your cookies at 7 minutes; they should look set on top but still slightly soft. They’ll firm up as they cool.
- Flash freeze before storing: Freeze decorated cookies on a baking sheet for 1 hour before transferring to containers so the frosting doesn’t smudge or stick together.
Nutrition
How to Store Leftovers
Keep your gingerbread cookies fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. I use a bread container because it keeps the cookies from getting crushed, and the seal locks in freshness perfectly.
Layer them with parchment paper between each level to prevent the frosting from smudging or sticking together. If you want to freeze them, place the unfrosted cookies in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers, and they’ll keep for up to 2 months in the fridge.
Thaw them at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then add fresh frosting and sprinkles before serving. You can also freeze already-decorated cookies, but flash-freeze them on a baking sheet first for about an hour so the frosting hardens.
Then transfer them to containers, and they won’t stick together. The texture stays just as good after freezing, so it’s a great way to prep ahead for holiday parties.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
I love serving them with hot cocoa, spiced chai tea, or dairy-free eggnog for a cozy holiday treat. They’re also perfect on a dessert platter alongside sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, or peppermint bark for variety at cookie exchanges.
You can crumble them over vanilla ice cream, or sandwich two cookies together with cream cheese frosting for a fun twist. They also pair beautifully with warm apple cider or a strong cup of coffee to balance out the sweetness.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes for You to Try at Home
If you love using your air fryer for holiday cooking, these vegan recipes are perfect.
