Erin’s Recipe Rundown
I love baking up gluten-free gingersnaps during the holidays. They’re simple enough for a cozy night at home, yet impressive enough for a Christmas party or cookie exchange.
A great make-ahead recipe, these easy cookies make holiday baking a breeze and offer a timeless flavor that makes them the perfect treat any time of year.
Why You’ll Love It: These gluten-free gingersnaps have everything you’d want in a classic holiday cookie: deep molasses flavor, cozy spices, and the perfect texture. I even provide instructions on how to make them chewy or crispy so you can bake them just how you like!
Top Tip: Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. It allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate, help the cookies hold their shape, and creates that signature crackly top.
If you like these cookies, try these gluten-free molasses cookies, gluten-free gingerbread cookies, or this gluten-free gingerbread house! You also might like these gluten-free gingerbread bars or this gluten-free gingerbread cake.
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Brianne: “I think these were the best gingersnaps I’ve ever had, gluten free or not. Perfect recipe.”
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free gingersnaps. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: I recommend using high-quality gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. This is my favorite brand!
- Molasses: Use unsulfured molasses, not blackstrap. Blackstrap is more bitter and can overpower the cookies. Unsulfured offers a natural sweetness that’s perfect for baking!
- Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, and cloves create the warm gingersnap flavor! You can also use pumpkin pie spice for ease or even fresh ginger for a stronger ginger flavor.
- Brown sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar. The dark brown sugar will add a stronger molasses flavor and give the cookies a chewier texture!
For more gluten-free Christmas cookies, check out this full collection of recipes! Some favorites include gluten-free sugar cookies, gluten-free snowball cookies and gluten-free thumbprint cookies.
How to Make Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
In separate bowls: In one bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Using a stand mixer, or a hand mixer and second bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add ingredients: Mix the molasses and egg into the butter/sugar. Pause to scrape down the bowl for even mixing, then slowly add in the dry mixture. Scrape again, then mix one more time to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
Chill and roll: Cover the bowl and refrigerate before shaping the dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized balls and rolling them in sugar. If chilled longer than 30 minutes, let the dough sit out so it becomes slightly tacky. We want the sugar to stick for that crackly top!
Bake and serve: Place the dough balls 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. Decision time: Should the gingersnaps be chewy or crunchy? I provide baking times for both options!
MORE GLUTEn-FREE CHRISTMAS TREATS
Gluten-Free Gingersnaps (Old Fashioned!)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (337g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Other
- ¾ cup (170g) butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (80ml) molasses
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the molasses and egg and mix until well-combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well-combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix again until fully incorporated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. (If chilling for more than a few hours, let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop the cookie dough into round balls, 1½ tablespoons per ball, then roll in granulated sugar.
- Place on the prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. For chewy cookies, bake for 13-15 minutes. For crisp cookies, bake for 16-18 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November 2022. It was updated with new photos and instructions in November 2025.
I think these were the best gingersnaps I’ve ever had, gluten free or not. Perfect recipe.
Yay! Thanks for such a kind review! We’re so happy you loved them, Brianne!
Fantastic cookie! They remind me so much of the ones I ate growing up. 10/10. Highly recommend this recipe to anyone. It’s has quickly become a family favorite.
Hi, could I replace the butter with Earth Balance vegan butter or use oil instead? I am GF and DF. Thank you for our help
Hi there, yes the Earth Balance buttery sticks work well. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
My grandchildren love this recipe. They even prefer it over the gingersnaps that I make with regular flour.
Hi Elaine, we’re so happy to hear these have been such a hit with your grandchildren! Thank you for sharing your kind feedback with us!
If I use fresh ginger, does the amount change? Thanks!
Hi Carol, yes you’d use the same amount. Fresh ginger will add a stronger flavor to the cookies. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Love the recipe. They are perfect as is. My family likes more spice to them so next time I will double the ginger and add a dash of cayenne to spice them up the way my family would prefer. I’m going to use some of them to make a gluten free ginger spice crust for a cranberry curd pie.
Excellent, easy ginger snap cookie made with simple ingredients I always have on hand. I needed to use ginger snaps to thicken sauerbraten gravy but needed gluten free ones. These will become a regular household cookie, and I love the choice of chewy or crisp so my daughter won’t complain they are too crisp!
Thank you for the kind review, Joanna! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Erin,
I’ve been asked to make gluten-free desserts for a catering event and these look great. Can you tell me how large the cookies are once baked?
It depends on how big you scoop the dough, but they spread quite a bit. I’d say 1 tablespoon of dough would make 2-3 inch cookies.
Hi.. I made these for my youngest daughter who is gluten free and she adores them!! She shared with her older sister who is not gluten free and she’s asked me to make her a batch. Quick question… For my eldest daughter could I sub the gf flour with regular all purpose flour??
These cookies are literally perfect. I was recently diagnosed with Celiac, so I am new to gluten free baking. This is the first recipe I’ve made that didn’t make me cry because of the sadness that I’ll never be able to enjoy treats again. These cookies are perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The recipe makes a lot which is great, I like to make a big batch and have a few with my coffee every morning. And I’m pleased that it works with Bob’s Redmill 1:1 instead of needing a fancy GF flour blend. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve made it twice already and will be making it over and over again!
I’m so glad the cookies didn’t make you cry! You can definitely enjoy delicious treats while eating gluten-free. Great to hear you’re enjoying them with your morning coffee!
Making for the second time. I’m GF and these are GREAT! I added 3 teaspoons of ginger. They are so pretty and good. I freeze them and bake 3 each day. I’m thinking I’ll keep experimenting with these options:
* dip each cookie one half in dipping chocolate
* add raisins
* frost with creamy white frosting
* add fresh ginger in place of ground
I love all of these options! Thanks for the great ideas. I’m going to try the raisins and dipping the in chocolate myself this holiday season!
These are wonderful cookies!! I just wanted to say that I skipped the rolling out part. I just rolled them into balls and rolled them in my sugar then gave them a light press. They turned out amazing! Just good to know if you want to save some time.
I’m so glad they turned out for you! 🙂
These are wonderful! They came out delicious to eat, and I’m sure the batch that I froze is going to work well for the cheesecake crust I’m planning. Thank you Erin!
Using them for a cheesecake crust sounds amazing! I’m so glad they turned out well for you 🙂
These are perfectly soft and taste fantastic! As soon as I shaped them and coated them in sugar I popped them in the freezer for 10 mins and baked them immediately after. The only thing I’d change for next time is adding less sugar because they are way too sweet!
I’m glad they turned out for you!
Finally! 20 years ago I fell in love with chewy ginger cookies and could never find a recipe as good as the “secret” one at the store I bought them from. THESE are them! It’s so cool to have them gluten-free and simple to make. Both my neighbor and I died and went to heaven yesterday when I made them! Thanks so much!
Oh this makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad they live up to the “secret! ones you fell in love with. So happy!
Hi, can u sub flaxseed for the egg?
I would try Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer!
These cookies are super super yummy and super easy to make! I only rested the dough for 40 min so the cookies spread a bit extra and they were thiner than the pictures. My first batch was crispy at 13 min. I imagine that with longer resting time, the cookies will not spread as much. Either way, this recipe is a keeper for the holiday baking! Thank you for sharing Erin!