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.
Can you use regular butter rather then dairy free?
Hi Dana, yes, this recipe calls for regular butter. The dairy-free butter is just an alternate option in the notes of the recipe card.
I never leave comments but omg…. These are the best cookies ever! Better than I remember my grandma making ginger snaps. Great flavor, not too sweet, and could definitely eat the entire batch! Haha. Pretty much followed the recipe to a T, just made a few minor tweaks for living at altitude! Thanks for my amazing recipe! Cant wait to make these every Christmas season!
Hi Taleah, we’re glad you made an exception this time! 🙂 Thanks so much for the thoughtful review—glad you enjoyed them and were able to successfully adjust for altitude!
Hi! I was wondering you could use regular butter for this recipe or if it has to be dairy free?
Hi Karen, yes, this recipe is written for regular butter. There is a dairy-free option in the notes of the recipe card, so that’s maybe where the confusion lies! Hope that clarifies!
I just made them and they are PERFECT! I may chop up some candied ginger and mix it in the next batch for fun! Thank you for doing the hard part and figuring out how to make the very best gluten free cookies.
Hi Kelly, glad you enjoyed them! Candied ginger sounds like an amazing addition!
I made and OMG they are incredibly delicious! I made mine chewy with a bite on the edge. I experimented and put some chopped crystalized ginger in 6 but I when I make them again I will add to the whole batch. Thanks for this great recipe and all the other ones too!!
Hi Lisa, love hearing this! The crystalized ginger sounds amazing! Thanks so much for the review.
So delicious and easy! We ate the first batch quickly and I’m now going to bake another for a cookie swap. I love doing gf cookies that nobody knows are gf! I bought turbinado sugar to roll them in. I love the big crunch with the soft cookie. Yum!
Hi Noelle, it’s the best test when no one knows they’re gluten-free, right? So glad these were a hit!
Which kind of brown sugar would you recommend, dark or light?
Hi there, we always use light brown sugar unless it calls for dark specifically. Dark brown will give a deeper molasses flavor, which is great if that’s what you’d enjoy!
amazing!!! these were so good you can’t even tell they’re gluten free and very easy to make too.
Yay! We’re so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe, Rowan! Thank you for your kind feedback. Happy baking!
I made these nd chilled them for 35 mins and they spread like crazy!! They came out super flat too. What did I do wrong?
Hi Josie, sorry to hear these didn’t come out as expected! 30 minutes is the minimum chill time, so it sounds like the dough could benefit from a longer chill. Other things to make sure: let the oven fully preheat before putting the cookies in, measure ingredients with a scale for more precision, and make sure the butter is soft enough to blend, but not any softer. Good luck!
Gingersnaps are my stepfather’s favorite so I made a batch at Thanksgiving. He loved them and everyone else did too! I’m going to do a batch and make sammies with cream cheese frosting for Christmas. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Hi Heather, the cream cheese frosting sounds delicious! So glad they were a crowd-pleaser! Thanks for the review. 🙂
In our household, I’m the chef while my husband is the baker, but this recipe was perfect for my first time exploration of baking. It was a very easy recipe to make and it was done in a day. My only comments to other first timers is this – wrap it in saran wrap like you would pie dough and let it chill for more than 30 minutes (1 hour to overnight), and then test the baking to find that precise crunch your family needs in a cookie.
My first batch was “too soft!” according to my mother. I thought they were perfect!
We’re so pleased to hear you enjoyed the recipe so much! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. Happy baking!
I liked the ease of this recipe, however I did something wrong because my test cookie stayed a ball. It never flattened. Thoughts?
Hi Terry, sorry they didn’t turn out as expected! The dough or butter may have been too cold. We recommend letting the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes after chilling, and slightly flatten the dough balls with your palm before baking.
Made these for the first time yesterday- they are perfect! Great flavor and texture, would not know that they are gluten free if I hadn’t made them myself. Will definitely be making again!
Yay! We’re so pleased to hear how much you loved this recipe, Amy! Thank you for sharing your kind feedback with us. Happy baking!
These are very good. They did spread a little even though I left the dough in the fridge. I added crystallized ginger to them and a little black pepper. I also increased the spices quite a bit. It’s definitely a keeper recipe! Thank you!
Excellent recipe! I thought that the batter seemed a little thick after combining all ingredients before putting in the frig, but they turned out great. Tasty cookies!
We’re so happy to hear you loved the recipe, Linda! Thank you for sharing your kind feedback with us!
I cannot thank you enough for this recipe. This recipe was a huge hit! I was prepared for potential failure because I only had Better Batter flour on hand but am so glad I decided to try anyway. These turned out amazing and I look forward to exploring more recipes on your site.
Yay! We’re so happy to hear how well this recipe went for you, Stephanie! Thank you so much for sharing! It’s good to know that flour blend worked well too. Happy baking!
These ginger cookies are delicious!! I am not much of a baker but the recipe was very easy to follow and we are very happy with how the cookies turned out–very flavorful and tastes like Christmas! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Yay! We’re so glad you loved the recipe, Rachele! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. Happy baking!
These turned out amazing!!! I used red mill gluten free flour and did not add xantham gum (don’t have at home) and they came out really good. I can’t stand the awful bean-y flavour that I find comes out with other GF cookie recipes, but these mask that really well and can compete with non-GF cookies. Thank you for the recipe!! My friend loved them!
Thank you for the kind feedback, Ayisha! This makes us so happy to hear how much you loved the cookies!
These are fantastic. Almost taste like toffee. Strong butter taste. So happy with how they baked up being gluten free.
Yay! We’re so glad you loved them, Sarah! Thanks for sharing your positive experience with us.