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.
Â
Link Of The Day:
Â
Haha I read this that there were *only* three ingredients, not three *secret* ingredients. So, when you announced carrot juice, molasses, and flaxmeal, I was not convinced. Oh what a laugh that gave me 🙂 The real recipe sounds great, though!
YUM! YUM! YUM! We made a double batch of this for our family and the the whole family thought it was out-of-this-world-delicious! I had some date caramel filling leftovers in the freezer from when we made your Candy Bar Cupcakes. We spread that over the cake for a frosting. Heavenly! Awesome recipes, Katie! Thanks a million!
I’m officially on holidays now so I am totally making this this week! I have already been making lots of gingerbread smoothies with fresh grated ginger and blackstrap molasses. I love these flavors this time of year…
Great!!! I plan to make this very soon, it seems very delicious!:)
can you sub coconut palm flour for the brown sugar?
Yes
Coconut sugar or date sugar are what I use in place of brown sugar. We are diabetic and these sugars have not caused us any problem.
Could you use more molasses for the liquid sweetener part? (you suggested maple syrup…)
Thanks for the recipe. Going to make this on Christmas 🙂
In a traditionnal recipe from Poland, coffee is used as a liquid to add moisture and flavor to gingerbread. I like also to add candied Ginger pieces in it! I have found in a libanese store carob molasses: it’s simply made from carob pods, so it’s quite healthy as a sugar substitute for molasse. If you can find some, give it a try!
Nope, I definitely did not see that one coming. I love gingerbread and now I have an excuse to make it with all the carrots in my fridge. Thanks!
O…m…g…that looks delicious!!! I love the addition of carrot juice! SO healthy! I actually made a batch of Pumpkin-Pie Spiced Puffed Rice Marshmallows Squares (http://www.bitesforbabies.com/recipes/pumpkin-spiced-puffed-ricesquares/) I wish I would have made these instead, lol!
Oh my goodness, yum! You are just so creative and inspiring.
I made this in a large cup in the microwave. I used a fourth of each ingredient listed except carrot juice. I subbed water for it since I didn’t have any. I nuked it for 1 minute & it was great!! I used your canned coconut Cool Whip for the topping. I will bake this for Christmas Eve for my family. I would like to reduce the sugar for my Diabetic Dad, but I will keep the molasses in for the flavor. If anyone has any ideas about how much liquid or even powdered Stevia to use, please let me know. Thanks!
Just made this recipe this morning and it is amazing! Came out exactly as pictured and described. I didn’t have carrot juice so I replaced it with lemonade (!), and used half spelt and half ww flour. Love it!! Thanks so much!
Oh and also forgot to mention that I used stevia in place of the brown sugar!
Sarah-How much stevia did you substitute for the brown sugar?
Just made these but as cupcakes instead and added cranberries! SO yummy.
Thanks for yet another amazing recipe!
just wondering if i could use carrot puree instead of carrot juice
Thanks for the great recipe Katie. I think these are going to be our Christmas eve dessert!