Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Crackly top with a slightly gooey, chewy center.
Taste: Classic gingerbread flavor — molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices perfect for the holidays.
Ease: SO easy to make! This is a 1 bowl recipe that comes together in minutes!
Top Tips: Measure the ingredients and follow the instructions closely for the best results.
Recommended GF Flour: Works great with many gluten-free flour blends. Use a high-quality flour that contains xanthan gum. I like King Arthur Flour and Bob’s Red Mill.
Would I make these again? Yes! These unassuming gingerbread bars are unbelievably good. They will disappear quickly!
xoxo erin
These chewy gluten-free gingerbread bars are everything I love in a recipe: simple, easy, delicious, and crowd-pleasing! They come together quickly, are made with pantry staples, and have the best chewy texture!
This is the perfect dessert for a crowd, whether you’re headed to a holiday dinner, cookie exchange, or party.
Featured Comment
From Katie: “I made these twice this Christmas season, they were soooo good!! I have to eat GF and my son usually doesn’t like my GF food but he devoured these!”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Chewy Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bars
- Storage/Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions
- Can these gingerbread bars be made dairy-free?
- What type of pan should I use?
- What kind of molasses should I use?
- More Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes
- Chewy Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bars Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these chewy gluten-free gingerbread bars. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Gluten-Free Flour: These bars turn out best when you use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Look for a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum so the bars have the structure they need. This is my favorite brand.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter for more depth of flavor in all of my baked goods. Melted butter is important for creating a rich, chewy flavor rather than a fluffy, cakey texture.
- Molasses: Molasses gives these bars a classic gingerbread taste and a chewy center with crispy edges. Any brand will work here!
How to Make Chewy Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bars
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- Whisk sugar and melted butter: Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar and molasses to a mixing bowl. Pour the butter over the sugars and whisk to combine.
- Add the rest of the ingredients: Whisk in the egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Then add the flour and spice and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Spread dough in baking pan: Evenly spread dough in the baking pan using a rubber spatula.
- Bake: Bake bars for 22-24 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.
Storage/Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions
- To store: Store these gingerbread bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.
- To make ahead: These gingerbread bars can be made up to three days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve. This is a great option to save time before a holiday party or cookie exchange!
- To freeze: Let bars cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe bag. Bars will keep up to three months in the freezer. Let thaw at room temperature before serving.
Can these gingerbread bars be made dairy-free?
Yes! For dairy-free gingerbread bars, substitute the melted butter with a dairy-free butter substitute. Make sure the dairy-free butter is melted for consistent mixing and chewy texture.
What type of pan should I use?
I recommend using a glass baking dish to make these gingerbread bars. I’ve tested this recipe in a metal and it doesn’t turn out the same. A Pyrex glass 9×13 pan is the best choice!
What kind of molasses should I use?
For these gingerbread bars, use unsulfured molasses, like Grandma’s molasses. Unsulfured molasses is made from mature sugarcane and has a clean, natural sweetness, making it ideal for baking. Avoid blackstrap molasses, as it’s much darker and more bitter, which can overpower the flavors in your recipe.
More Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake
- Gluten-Free Gingersnaps
- Gluten-Free Millionaire’s Shortbread
- Gluten-Free Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies
This recipe is adapted from the Gingerbread Bars from Alexandra’s Cooks.
Chewy Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (160g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup (226g) butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups (375g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar and molasses. Pour the butter over top of the sugars and whisk to combine.
- Add the egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the dry ingredients until fully combined. The dough will be stiff and thick.
- Spread the dough into the baking pan. Bake for 22-24 minutes. The bars will puff up as they bake, then deflate.
- Let cool before slicing. I like to slice small squares with 4 rows lengthwise and 6 rows widthwise. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Notes
- For dairy-free bars: Use a dairy-free butter substitute in place of regular butter. Be sure to melt the dairy-free butter for easy mixing and chewy texture.
- To store: Store bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.
- To make ahead: These gingerbread bars can be made up to three days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve. This is a great option to save time before a holiday party or cookie exchange!
- To freeze: Let bars cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe bag. Bars will keep up to three months in the freezer. Let thaw at room temperature before serving.
Do you recommend dark brown sugar or light brown sugar? Planning to make these the week of 12/15/25.
Hi Elizabeth, we always default to light brown sugar unless otherwise specified. Dark brown sugar has a deeper molasses flavor, so if you like that, you’re welcome to try it!
These are absolutely incredible!
I need to make them dairy free for a friend. Could I substitute canola oil or vegetable oil for butter?
Hi Hannah, so glad you enjoyed these! We share a dairy-free recommendation in the notes of this recipe: “For dairy-free bars: Use a dairy-free butter substitute in place of regular butter. Be sure to melt the dairy-free butter for easy mixing and chewy texture.” So I would stick with dairy-free butter rather than an oil!
Just made these today and are so delicious and melt in your mouth! I doubled the cinnamon and ginger as we prefer a more spicy taste. I like that they are a lighter texture versus a dense brownie. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi Sandy, thanks so much for sharing! Glad they were a hit!
this recipe is gold! I warmed the bars and topped with a scoop of oatly vanilla ice cream my husband and I ate the whole batch in a few days and he isn’t even gluten free
Hi Yasmine, that sounds amazing! Thanks so much for the kind review–glad your husband enjoyed them too!
OH MY GINGERBREAD! This gives all the warm, cozy, yummy gingerbread feels. And the texture is pure heaven! I haven’t had gingerbread in over 20 years due to Celiac and THIS was a flashback to Christmas past <3 Thank you, Erin for this amazing (& EASY) recipe!
Hi Jen, how wonderful! Thanks for the review and so glad you got to enjoy gingerbread again!
These are DELISH, came out perfectly, I followed the recipe exactly. These will be a nice addition to my cookie tray this year, thanks!!
Hi Jennifer, so happy to hear you enjoyed them! Thanks so much for the review!
My entire family devoured these I also took some to our thanksgiving and they were a hit !
Hi Liz, we love hearing this! Thanks so much for the review and glad they were a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving desserts!
Can I substitute honey for the molasses.
Hi Sacha, the molasses is key to getting the classic gingerbread flavor. We wouldn’t recommend replacing it with honey for this recipe. Thank you for your question!
I made these twice this Christmas season, they were soooo good!! I have to eat GF and my son usually doesn’t like my GF food but he devoured these!
Aww, we’re so glad the recipe was such a hit! Thank you for taking the time to share your kind feedback with us, Katie!
We had our niece over for dinner. She is gluten-free and brought these to share. They were absolutely amazing! We all loved them. Great recipe!
Thank you for your kind feedback! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed the recipe!
Just made these for a cookie exchange and they’re perfect!!
Yay! We’re so glad you loved the recipe, Angelea! Thanks for sharing your positive feedback with us!
Is 2 1/2 cups of flour really 375 g? I normally use the conversion of 120-125 g per cup. Should I follow weight or cup for this recipe? Thank you.