Vegan gingerbread biscotti — easy, spicy, and perfect for dunking. These eggless, dairy-free cookies keep well, making them ideal for homemade gifts.
Biscotti, also known as cantuccini, are crunchy, twice-baked Italian cookies. They are traditionally enjoyed with coffee or a glass of sweet wine and are firm on their own — dunking softens them and releases their flavour.
I like to bake these at Christmas, but they work any time of year. They store exceptionally well in an airtight container, so they travel and gift nicely. This vegan gingerbread version is adapted from an earlier almond-and-cranberry biscotti recipe and swaps eggs for oil and nondairy milk without sacrificing texture.
These biscotti are warmly spiced and studded with chopped crystallised ginger for an extra gingery kick.
What You Need
Flour: Plain (all-purpose) flour. I haven’t tested this gluten-free.
Oil: Any neutral oil works; olive oil is fine. You can use melted vegan block butter or coconut oil.
Milk: Any unsweetened plant milk will do. Unsweetened soy milk is preferable because its protein helps mimic the egg’s structure.
Sugar: Light brown soft sugar adds depth, though caster or granulated sugar will work.
Treacle: Molasses is an acceptable substitute.
Spices: Ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Adjust to taste — pumpkin spice could be used instead.
Baking powder: Needed for lift; do not substitute baking soda.
Crystallised ginger: Use dry, sugar-coated crystallised ginger (not stem ginger in syrup).
Citrus zest: Finely grated lemon or orange zest adds brightness; omit if preferred.
Vanilla: Optional but recommended for depth of flavour.
How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Biscotti
(Full measurements and recipe card are below)
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together treacle, sugar, oil, nondairy milk, vanilla and citrus zest until combined.
3. Add spices, baking powder and salt, then stir in the flour until a stiff, non-sticky dough forms.
4. Fold in the chopped crystallised ginger, using your hands if needed to distribute it evenly.
5. Divide the dough into two even pieces and shape each into a log roughly 6 cm wide and about 18 cm long. Place the logs on the lined baking sheet, space them well apart, and flatten slightly to square the edges.
6. Bake the logs for about 40–45 minutes until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F.
7. Using a very sharp serrated knife, slice the logs diagonally into pieces about 1½ cm thick. Place the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet.
8. Return the slices to the oven for 10 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes. They should look mostly dry; they will crisp further as they cool. For extra crunch, bake a further 5 minutes.
9. Cool on a wire rack, then store completely cooled biscotti in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Ingredients
- 50 g (2 tbsp) treacle (or molasses)
- 150 g (packed, ¾ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil (olive oil works)
- 50 ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy preferred)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 300 g (2½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 180 g (6½ oz) crystallised ginger, chopped
Instructions (Step-by-step)
- Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk treacle, sugar, oil, milk, vanilla and zest together in a large bowl.
- Add spices, baking powder and salt. Stir in flour until a stiff, non-sticky dough forms. Adjust with a spoonful of flour or an extra teaspoon of milk if needed.
- Fold in the chopped crystallised ginger until evenly distributed.
- Divide dough into two logs roughly 6 cm wide and 18 cm long. Flatten slightly and square the edges.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes until firm. Remove and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F.
- Slice logs diagonally into 1½ cm pieces with a sharp serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion.
- Place slices cut-side down on the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Flip and bake another 10 minutes. For crisper biscotti, add 5 more minutes.
- Cool completely on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container.
Top Tips
– Use gram measurements with a digital scale for consistent results — cup measures are less reliable for baking.
– The dough should be stiff and not sticky but without dry patches. Add a little flour or a teaspoon of milk if needed.
– Allow the logs to cool for 20 minutes before slicing; slicing while too hot makes them crumbly.
– Adjust the second bake time to control crunchiness: shorten for softer biscotti, lengthen for very crisp ones.
– Use crystallised ginger, not stem ginger in syrup, to avoid extra moisture.
– You can substitute some or all of the crystallised ginger with roughly chopped nuts or dried fruit like cranberries.
– Properly stored in an airtight container, these biscotti will keep for several months.
How to Slice Biscotti Neatly
Slicing biscotti takes practice. Wait 20 minutes for the logs to cool, then use a very sharp, narrow serrated knife. Saw gently rather than pressing down. If the crust is too tough, lightly mist with water and wait a minute to soften the surface before slicing.
More Vegan Christmas Cookies
- Vegan chocolate pistachio biscotti
- Vegan biscotti with almonds and cranberries
- Vegan chocolate orange shortbread
- Vegan cranberry orange shortbread
- Vegan pecan snowball cookies
- Vegan nussecken
- Vegan linzer cookies
- Vegan shortbread fingers
- Vegan gingerbread cookies
If you try this recipe, let me know how it went — rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram with the hashtag #domesticgothess.
All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe, please use the site share buttons rather than reposting the full content.
