This Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Chocolate Chips is full of warm spices and is perfect for the holiday season. It's easy to make and is great to bring to a party. It has all the classic gingerbread flavor plus the addition of chocolate chips.
This recipe is a family favorite!

Making the Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9" x 5" loaf pan by spraying it with nonstick spray.
Add the apple cider vinegar to the non-dairy milk in the measuring cup, stir and set aside. This will make a vegan buttermilk substitute. I use unsweetened soy milk but almond milk would also work well.

Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, ginger, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, molasses, and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed. Add the wet ingredients (the molasses mixture and the milk mixture) to the dry ingredients (flour mixture). Mix to combine but do not over mix.


Stir in all but a few of the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Immediately pour the gingerbread loaf cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. The batter isn't very thick so the chocolate chips can start sinking to the bottom of the pan. Adding a few chocolate chips on top makes sure that there are a few near the top of the bread.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 55 minutes. Loosely place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the loaf for the last 30 minutes to prevent over browning. Remove from the oven and let the gingerbread loaf cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Carefully remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely on a cooling rack. This will take 45-60 minutes. The cooling part is very important. If you try to slice the loaf while it's hot it can fall apart.

Slice and enjoy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
Optional Glaze
I love this gingerbread loaf just the way the recipe it's written. Since it has plenty of chocolate chips in it, it doesn't need a glaze. However, if you want to add a drizzled glaze, you can easily make one by mixing some powdered sugar with some vegan milk. Just add enough milk to get the right consistency and then drizzle it on top of the cake once it's cooled.
FAQ
Doesn't vegan bread need a flax egg or other egg replacer?
No, I don't like baking with flax eggs (made with flax seeds and water) as it makes baked goods too dense. This recipe does not need it.
My non-dairy milk and vinegar aren't curdling. What can I do?
Some people like to bring their non-dairy milk to room temperature first before adding vinegar. I haven't need to do that but if you're having trouble you can try that.
Can I use whole wheat flour in this gingerbread loaf?
Yes, but I don't recommend using only whole wheat flour. Instead, mix with white flour. I often use ½ cup whole wheat flour with 1 ½ white flour with great results.
Which is better to use - regular molasses or blackstrap molasses?
For best flavor, use regular molasses in this recipe.
Can I substitute lemon juice for apple cider vinegar?
Yes, you can substitute lemon juice or regular white vinegar if you don't have any apple cider vinegar.
Can I use a different sugar than white sugar?
While I haven't tried it, brown sugar or coconut sugar should work fine in this recipe.
I prefer baking with coconut oil. Will it work in this recipe?
Yes, you can use melted coconut oil. While coconut oil gives a coconut flavor, this bread has many different spices that should mostly cover it up.

Summary
This Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake is my family's favorite bread during the holiday season. It has a nice fluffy texture and is full of gingerbread spices. It makes a delicious dessert or afternoon snack.
Interested in other vegan breads? Check out:
- Easy Vegan Pumpkin Bread With Raisins
- Easy Vegan Zucchini Bread With Chocolate Chips
- Easy Vegan Banana Bread With Pears

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake With Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup oil
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup non-dairy chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9 x 5 loaf pan by spraying with non-stick oil spray.
- Add the apple cider vinegar to the non-dairy milk, stir and set aside for about 5 minutes. This will make a buttermilk substitute.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the oil, molasses, and vanilla extract.
- Add the molasses mixture and the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix to combine but do not over mix.
- Stir in all but a few of the chocolate chips. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 55 minutes. Put a piece of aluminum foil on top of the loaf for the last 30 minutes to prevent over browning.
- Remove the oven and cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Slice and enjoy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Use any unsweetened non-dairy milk. I use unsweetened soy.
- My favorite dairy-free chocolate chips to use are from Trader Joe's.
- Make sure your bread is cooled before you cut it or it will crumble.
Sarah says
We absolutely loved this gingerbread loaf! I was worried because the batter was a little thin but it baked up nice and fluffy. My kids already requested we make it again. Thanks!
jencardenas says
Thanks Sarah. Glad you liked it. It's one of our favorites too!
Maureen says
I haven’t made this loaf yet but it sounds delicious. I just wondered if it could be frozen.
jencardenas says
Hi Maureen. I haven't frozen it before but it shouldn't be a problem. Most quick breads are fine to be frozen for up to 3 months. I'd wrap it in foil once cooled and put it in a ziploc bag. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. You can heat up individual slices or warm the whole bread in the oven. Hope that helps!