The perfect healthy gingerbread recipe that does not taste even the slightest bit healthy!
This healthy gingerbread has three secret ingredients.
The cake turns out soft and incredibly moist, with the same deeply rich flavor as traditional gingerbread laden with eggs and butter and sugar…
Yet this is probably the healthiest gingerbread recipe you’ll ever eat!
It is especially delicious with Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting on top.
The Secret Ingredients:
The gingerbread recipe is sweetened with blackstrap molasses – a sweetener that is actually good for you! Unlike regular white sugar, blackstrap molasses is a great source of calcium and iron (20% RDA of each in just one tablespoon!), copper, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.
The recipe also employs Omega-3-rich flaxmeal instead of eggs, allowing this gingerbread to be completely cholesterol-free.
And the final secret healthy ingredient in this gingerbread recipe is…
Carrot Juice.
Did you see that one coming?!
I added the carrot juice in a spell of creativity, believing the sweet and earthy flavor of the carrots would complement both the cinnamon and molasses in the gingerbread.
The carrot juice also adds moisture to the recipe, which keeps the fat content low without sacrificing richness.
Healthy Gingerbread Recipe
Healthy Gingerbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 cup molasses (blackstrap or regular) (50g)
- 1/4 cup liquid sweetener, such as pure maple syrup (60g)
- 1/3 cup carrot juice (80g)
- 1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar (15g)
- 2 tbsp vegetable or melted coconut oil (20g)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxmeal (12g) (or 2 tsp energ)
- 1 cup ww pastry, white, spelt or bob's gf flour (120g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp each powdered ginger and cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 cup xylitol or brown sugar (45g)
- 1/2 cup raisins, optional
Instructions
Gingerbread Recipe: Preheat oven to 400 F and grease an 8×8 pan. In a large measuring bowl, whisk together the first seven ingredients (all liquid ingredients and the flax). Let sit at least 5 minutes. In a separate measuring bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry, and stir until just evenly combined. Do not overmix. Pour into the pan and bake 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and let sit another 20 minutes to cool and achieve the correct texture. If desired, frost with my homemade cream cheese icing recipe linked below the second photo in this post.
Link Of The Day:
Yummy! Looks so good, I love how it combines carrots and maple syrup!
Please, Please, PLEASE tell me there is some way to make this GF and be just as tasty!
Just use an all purpose blend! That’s what I do with tons of recipes!
You can use GF flour. I’ve done it and it works fantastic. Family doesn’t even know!
Would this work to make gingerbread men cookies or is the dough not rollable and cut-outable?
I think it would not work because the dough is for cake, not cookies. I do have a gingerbread cookie recipe going in my cookbook (out in late 2014) but am unfortunately not allowed to publish it here for copyright reasons :(.
This looks FABULOUS! I am going to make it in mini-s for holiday treats. I, too, an wondering if it would work with Gluten-Free baking mix? Have you experimented with any other types of flours?
Thanks!!)
Sorry, I haven’t.
WOW! Finally made this bread last night at a GF Baking Party! Came out sooo good. Used a GF All-Purpose Flour..Bob’s Old Mill, homemade carrot juice and maple syrup for sweetener. I made a batch in a 6 Mini-Loaf pan and cooked for the same amount of time. They came out MOIST and SO DELICIOUS..of course, we had to sample one right out of the oven;-). Frosted the loaves with a Vegan/Allergy Free Tofu Frosting recipe. Super perfect. Really amazed at how good and sweet and wonderful this recipe is. THANK YOU AGAIN)
Katie, I do not have flaxmeal but I have flax seeds, can I crush them?
You can 🙂
Yes it works with Gluten Free flour. I used my own mixture from “America’s Test Kitchen”.
does this recipe work with with gluten free flour x
I have not tried it. If you try it with Bob’s gf mix or another gf mix, definitely be sure to report back!
Would this work with spelt flour? I never have ww pastry flour on hand. Thanks! Looks amazing!
I would think so, but I have not tried it so can’t say for sure.
I just made this with spelt flour and it worked great! I used your vanilla fudge frosting recipe and it’s delicious! Thanks! 🙂
Oh, and I used sucanat instead of brown sugar
Definitely saving this recipe, I love gingerbread so much! thanks Katie.
Where do you get carrots juice? Could I find and organic carrot juice? This recipe sounds great! My Holistic dr. says my spleen needs the molasses, so it’d be a yummy way to get it! Lol! 🙂
Just remembered my local Costco has organic carrot juice. What are the odds, I mean really? Perfect! 😉
You can also make your own carrot juice if you have a good blender)..super easy..I do it in my Vitamix alot..just a few carrots and lemon juice and water!
Thanks for the tip Lisa! However, I don’t have a VitaMix (I want one!). I hope your day is great! God bless! 🙂
Is it just a splash of lemon and water, or a significant amount? I was thinking of just throwing carrots in the blender until I saw your post!
Hi! Yep..just a splash of lemon juice…I guess you could leave it out as well..I just do it that way)..a couple carrots, about 3/4 c water! So easy! Enjoy)
Ginger alone is something I can’t stand eating, but I’m always so tempted to try gingerbread recipes. This one looks really good! Maybe I’ll try it with less ginger…
I love gingerbread! Your healthy version looks so delicious. I just bought some Blackstrap Molasses and I can’t wait to use it.. this gingerbread looks like an awesome place to start.
Pinning!
That looks so dense and delicious! I might have to give this a try!
I too would like to know a substitute for the whole wheat pastry flour!! This sounds great!
If you try it with a different flour (such as all-purpose), definitely report back with results. I would think ap flour would work, but I haven’t tried it.
Spelt works nicely!
Oh my goodness, Katie! I’m devouring a big piece of this right now, and it’s so good! My grandmother makes fantastic gingerbread, but I haven’t had it since before I went vegan. It sucks that I can’t have her gingerbread anymore, but the outcome of this recipe really reminded me of hers! It’s just as moist, with this amazing little crust on the outside. <3 I halved the recipe and added a pinch of cloves as well as 1 tsp of soy cream, though.
I won't be the only one not having gingerbread this year. Thanks for saving my Christmas. 🙂
Thank you so much for making it. I think you’re the first one to try the recipe! 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing!! Thanks so much for a healthy holiday recipe; I’ve been looking for something to take to our family potluck, and I think this is a winner!
Oh my gosh. I am making this. Stat. Thank you, thank you!!!
Katie we need you on instagram!!
I second that! 🙂
You are wearing me down… I promise to start an instagram before February of next year. Hopefully this month. 🙂
Oh no! I don’t mean to wear you out! I know you’re busy with your cookbook (Super excited for that too!). God bless you Katie! Thanks for all that you do and always replying! 😀
No no, in a good way. As in, “why don’t I have this already?”
Oh! Okay! I’m glad there is no stress then! I totally understand having so much to do and not really having time for little things like instagram. Lol! :]