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:
Hi Katie,
I LOVE your recipes and have turned numerous people on to your recipes (my husband and I have pumpkin boatmeals every weekend for breakfast!) I’m making this for dessert on Friday but making it a day ahead. How do I store it? Does it need to be refrigerated? Thanks!
I would fridge it just to be on the safe side. And thank you!
This is such a great recipe, it was so tasty! I actually subbed the carrot juice for water, just because I’m allergic to carrots, and I used only one tbsp of liquid sweetener (maple syrup) and added one tsp vanilla. Thanks so much for making so many amazing recipes that are so easily adapted!
This is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! So delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
(Note that I made it sans frosting, and I used Bob’s GF flour.)
I made this today – found everything I needed at Sprouts. This is crazy delicious!!! My 4 sons and I love it!
Looks incredible!! Is there any way to make this oil-free, or perhaps replace the oil with nut/coconut butter?
I made this– I subsituted apple cider juice for the carrot juice, and I didn’t have any vinegar. And I did add raisins (golden raisins). The batter was so liquidy I thought I had made a mistake– I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out. I served it plain with soy whipping cream (the kind you buy in spray cans at health food stores). I’d definitely make it again– I was looking for a moist recipe because two other attempts with another vegan gingerbread cake turned out too dry.
Has anyone tried subbing anything for the flax meal? I don’t have any on hand and was planning to make this tomorrow. I thought maybe apple sauce or an egg white?
Hi Katie,
I’ve been looking at all of your wonderful recipes, but I think this may be the first I’ve tried (although the garbanzo-based chocolate chip cookie dough and oatmeal cinnamon “rolls” are on my list of things to make this week).
I took the pan out of the oven after 25 minutes (against my better judgment), thinking it would set up, but it really didn’t. After it cooled, it was still super squishy on top, so I put it back in the oven for another 10-15 min, which, of course, isn’t the same as simply baking longer in the first place, but it did set up a bit more.
I used your cream cheese icing recipe, using powdered xylitol as sweetener, but added extra vanilla and some coconut cream because I could taste the tofu. Since the gingerbread was sunken in, it made a perfect cavity to fill with icing! 🙂 I chilled it overnight and garnished with grated nutmeg. I called them gingerbread cheesecake squares, although my husband wanted me to call them gingerbread crap squares. When I asked why, he said that way no one would want to eat them and I would bring them home so he could eat them. Ha! 🙂
At the party I brought them to, they were a hit. Everybody loved them and even went back for more. The gingerbread had a wonderful, spicy flavor, but was super dense and not cakey at all. Oh, forgot to mention I used Manini’s GF mulit-use flour.
My husband and I have moved twice in the past six months, with new jobs for both of us, so I’ve been super busy and missing being in the kitchen. Thanks for all of your yummy-looking recipes. Can’t wait to try some more, now that things have calmed down a bit.
Hi Katie,
I’ve been looking at all of your wonderful recipes, but I think this may be the first I’ve tried (although the garbanzo-based chocolate chip cookie dough and oatmeal cinnamon “rolls” are on my list of things to make this week).
I took the pan out of the oven after 25 minutes (against my better judgment), thinking it would set up, but it really didn’t. After it cooled, it was still super squishy on top, so I put it back in the oven for another 10-15 min, which, of course, isn’t the same as simply baking longer in the first place, but it did set up a bit more.
I used your cream cheese icing recipe, using powdered xylitol as sweetener, but added extra vanilla and some coconut cream because I could taste the tofu. Since the gingerbread was sunken in, it made a perfect cavity to fill with icing! 🙂 I chilled it overnight and garnished with grated nutmeg. I called them gingerbread cheesecake squares, although my husband wanted me to call them gingerbread crap squares. When I asked why, he said that way no one would want to eat them and I would bring them home so he could eat them. Ha! 🙂
At the party I brought them to, they were a hit. Everybody loved them and even went back for more. The gingerbread had a wonderful, spicy flavor, but was super dense and not cakey at all. Oh, forgot to mention I used Manini’s GF mulit-use flour.
My husband and I have moved twice in the past six months, with new jobs for both of us, so I’ve been super busy and missing being in the kitchen. Thanks for all of your yummy-looking recipes. Can’t wait to try some more, now that things have calmed down a bit. Merry Christmas!
I made this for Christmas and everyone really liked it! Even the people who don’t typically like “healthy” desserts. People did not know it is so low in calories. It is very moist and light. Deliciously spiced.
The recipe made 30 mini cupcakes, I added regular cream cheese frosting (1.5c heavy whipping cream, 8oz light cream chz, 1c powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla) and they are approximately 115 calories per cake w frosting! The cakes themselves are 40 cal per cake which is amazing. Next time I’ll try your cream cheese frosting.
This was the 3rd dish from your website that I have made (I’ve made the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip) and every one has been a winner!
Thank you! I love getting your emails and read every one 🙂
I made this with the frosting for christmas and it was great! Was super easy and came out perfect. It was a hit with my family too. And bonus, it made my whole house smell FANTASTIC when I was making it. Will definitely make again!
Oh, I wish I had seen this post a few days ago.. could have presented it to the family for Christmas! Oh well it’s still the festive season.. can still put 1 or 2 of these ingredients on my shopping list and have it done by tomorrow. Thanks and have a great 2014!
I didn’t have carrot juice on hand and subbed in unsweetened applesauce- it worked DIVINE! The hard part is sharing!
I’ll definitely try again with the carrot juice. and again and again and again.
Thank you so much for posting your comment about using unsweetened applesauce in place of carrot juice! I had no clue what i was going to sub in place of carrot juice. 🙂
So this was an awesome recipe! My two year old came up to me begging for a birthday cake…well needless to say I don’t keep that on hand as his birthday is in August…when I told him we didn’t have any he threw himself down face to the floor crying. Well, I remembered seeing this recipe a couple weeks ago and decided to make it since it is super healthy yet oh so yummy!
Well he had the best time mixing the batter and waiting for it to cook and when I said it was ready he squealed with glee. Finally to top it off he looked at me with a mouthful of cake and tofutti cream cheese frosting covering his lips and says: Yummy!! This is officially toddler approved.
I subbed apple cider for carrot juice, used spelt flour, and subbed craisins for raisins. Um…awesome! truly a great keeper recipe…..especially for us moms with babies we are trying to train to eat healthy/vegan and still have some ooey gooey yummy fun!
What amount of stivia is in the one you use?
I used organic all purpose wheat flour and freshly expressed carrot juice. It was amazing. Even my husband who is an egg meat and sugar loving man devoured four pieces! My kids had this for breakfast. It was rich & moist and delicious. I didn’t have the flaxseed but if still came out beautifully. Thank you!
Oh, and I forgot to mention I found these on my fitness pal app as well which was awesome. It said 140 calories per serving (1/8th of the pan) not too shabby 🙂