Sugar Free Gingerbread Recipe (Healthy, Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Baking gingerbread is a holiday tradition I look forward to every December. There’s no better way to get the family together and make sweet memories with this easy, healthy recipe for gluten-free gingerbread. This moist and tender gingerbread is perfectly spiced with warming ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. One bite will wrap you in cozy, nostalgic gingerbread bliss. This detoxed recipe tastes just like the bread grandma used to make, minus the blood sugar spike and problematic ingredients. It will excite your ginger loving foodie friends, but it’s not too overwhelming for the less-adventurous eaters in your life.

Although we call it "bread", it's really more like cake.  You could certainly frost it, but it's sweet enough on its own. Just a sprinkle of Powdered Sugar Swap is all you need to impress your holiday guests. This deliciously healthy holiday dessert recipe takes 10 minutes to whip up, and I can assure you, this gingerbread will be remembered and requested year after year.

I love baking with ginger because it is full of antioxidants, soothing to the gut, and can cut down on gas and bloating. With the abundance of rich food around the holidays, stomach upset is a normality for most people this time of year. But, it doesn’t have to be! Think of this mouth-watering gingerbread as both holiday ‘soul nourishment’ AND gut-positive body nourishment. You really can’t go wrong;)

The Detox Desserts Flour Swaps make it easy to turn this gingerbread gluten-free, while promoting healthy digestion. The psyllium husk in the Flour Swap and inulin (Egg & Sugar Swaps) both help to feed and increase friendly gut bacteria. Plenty of good flora in your intestines can promote a strong immune system along with digestive benefits. Whole psyllium husk binds waste and toxins in the intestines and helps clear them from the body. This easy recipe for vegan gingerbread is not only free from the unhealthy ingredients found in traditional dessert but it’s actually gently detoxifying to the body…double win!

The plant soluble fiber in the psyllium and digestive resistant fiber in the inulin work synergistically to slow down digestion. The slowed digestion helps provide more blood sugar stability throughout your day which can keep you feeling full and satisfied. This also keeps energy levels consistent and prevents the sugar crash one would experience with a traditional, carb-loaded dessert.

I’ve tested this sugar free gingerbread recipe with Whole-Grain and Grain-Free Flour Swap numerous times. The bread made with Whole-Grain Swap will have a few extra slowly digesting carbs, a moist, soft texture, and a more hearty, earthy flavor coming from the buckwheat. The Grain-Free Flour will provide the lowest carb (keto/paleo) version, is ultra tender and moist, with a slightly sweeter, nutty flavor. I LOVE this recipe using both flours (¾ cup Whole-Grain plus ¾ cup Grain-Free Flour to equal the full 1 ½ cups of Flour Swap the recipe calls for) because it creates a flavor and texture profile that is most similar to traditional gingerbread. Plus, mixing the flours is a great way to create a lower carb gluten-free gingerbread and still allows for a small dose of healthy grains.

For most of my patients, I’m an advocate of balanced macronutrient meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here is an easy way to choose your Flour Swap to create a balanced macro meal that incorporates dessert. We’ll use dinner as an example. If your dinner consists of just protein and veggies, I recommend eating dessert made with Whole-Grain Flour Swap to serve as your healthy carb source. Conversely, if you already had a healthy carb with dinner (quinoa, sweet potato, beans, etc), I would recommend eating dessert made with Grain-Free Swap so you don’t overeat carbs at that meal.

Easy, right?! Balanced macro meals are the best thing you can do to keep your metabolism firing optimally, create blood sugar stability, and keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout your day (or night). If you’re a diabetic or need to stay in ketosis, always bake using the Grain-Free Flour Swap.

4. Fill the baking pan and smooth the top. You will need to press the Grain-Free batter into the pan evenly because it’s thick.

5. Bake Whole-Grain bread for about 40 minutes (about 25 minutes for Grain-Free if using a 9x9" pan) until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. If using equal parts Whole-Grain/Grain Free Flour; bake in a 9x5” loaf pan for 40-45 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

7. Sprinkle your cooled gingerbread with powdered sugar swap, slice and top with simple homemade keto ice cream or coconut whipped cream.

8. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or wrap tightly and freeze for long term storage.

For the best taste, texture, and health benefits, refrigerate all Detox Desserts overnight before indulging.