Healthy Gingerbread Loaf
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Healthy Gingerbread Loaf is a delicious treat you will love. Made with whole wheat flour & simple ingredients, it’s full of holiday flavor! This post is sponsored by my friends at Bob’s Red Mill.
It’s THAT time of year again, friends! I can’t believe we’re already here.. but it’s time for all things gingerbread. (And I’m SO excited about it!)
I’m a HUGE ginger/gingerbread fan… I love drinking a Gingerbread Latte alongside some Healthy Gingerbread Muffins.
Anything I can make gingerbread flavored, I do. This is why I knew this holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a healthy gingerbread loaf recipe!
This gingerbread loaf is made with whole wheat flour, is low in sugar, and still has all the holiday flavor and spice that your traditional gingerbread loaf or cake would have! We based the recipe on a mix of Zucchini Banana Bread and Apple Cider Bread
As a kid, we always had gingerbread cake as a treat this time of year, so I was excited to come up with a better-for-you version of it!
If you’re looking for other holiday recipes check out these Healthy Christmas Recipes!
Ingredients
This healthy gingerbread loaf is made with pantry staples like:
- molasses
- maple syrup
- applesauce
- coconut oil
- spices – help bring together that gingerbread flavor
- almond milk – other dairy-free options should work too
- an egg
- Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour!
Substitutions:
Oil: Olive oil or avocado oil can replace the coconut oil.
Gluten Free / Flour: I also tried this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour and it came out great.
Milk: You can use any kind of milk, dairy or dairy-free in this recipe.
Sweetener: You can substitute honey for maple syrup.
Glaze: I prefer my gingerbread without a glaze, but you could add one to this! If you want to make a glaze, I recommend the following: 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 coconut milk powder, 1/4 cup almond milk.
Muffins: I haven’t tried turning this bread into muffins, but we do have a Healthy Gingerbread Muffins recipe on our site.
I used my favorite organic whole wheat flour from Bob’s Red Mill in this bread. I love to bake with this flour because it’s got a rich, almost earthy taste to it that is so delicious!
It’s great for baking bread and cookies, which we bake A LOT of this time of year! (I use it in my super popular Healthy Banana Bread and Zucchini Bread recipes too!)
This whole wheat flour is organic, 100% whole grain, and loaded with fiber – making it the perfect way to make holiday baking just a little bit healthier!
How to Make Healthy Gingerbread Loaf
Making healthy gingerbread loaf is SUPER easy. Even the most inexperienced holiday bakers can master this!
- Whisk together wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add in your dry ingredients.
- Stir to combine. The batter will be thick and almost rough looking.
- Pour it into a greased 8×4 loaf pan (I use this oil sprayer), and bake!
- After about an hour, you’ll be left with the perfect gingerbread loaf, and your whole house will basically smell like a ginger-y, cinnamon-y wonderland.
This gingerbread is perfect for baking + sharing with friends, giving as a gift, or just making and enjoying for yourself!
I know that some people like to experiment with baking, so I’ve included some substitutions for you below
Storage Options:
Storing Gingerbread: You can store this bread covered on your counter for a few days, but I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator for maximum freshness! It will last up to a week in the refrigerator – but will lose its freshness after about 3 days on the counter.
How to freeze Gingerbread: You can slice this bread and individually wrap it or freeze it whole. To defrost a whole loaf – take it out the night before you’d like to enjoy it and set it in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to serve – pop in the microwave. If you’re defrosting a single slice, you can put it directly in the microwave or toaster oven until it is warm.
Other healthy holiday recipes:
Healthy Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted + cooled to room temp
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a greased 8×4 loaf pan.
- In a bowl, mix molasses, maple syrup, applesauce, egg, almond milk + coconut oil until smooth.
- Add in whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Mix until combined.
- Pour batter into greased 8×4 loaf pan. Bake for 40 -45 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out completely clean when inserted in the center of the bread.
- Allow the bread to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
Video
Notes
- Oil: Olive oil or avocado oil can be replaced for the coconut oil.
- Gluten Free / Flour: I also tried this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour and it came out great
- Milk: You can use any kind of milk, dairy or non dairy in this recipe
- Sweetener: You can substitute honey for maple syrup
- Glaze: I prefer my gingerbread without a glaze, but you could add one to this! If you want to make a glaze, I recommend the following: 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 coconut milk powder, 1/4 cup almond milk
- Muffins: I haven’t tried turning this bread into muffins, but we do have a Healthy Gingerbread Muffins recipe on our site.
Mold- shaped like a toy soldier pan. My bad! Looks like , woukd this recipe not work for that?
I’m sorry but I have no idea how that would work. I have never tired anything but a loaf pan.
Sweet and hearty
Delicious gingerbread, I ate half the loaf for dinner. Perfect for enjoying after a cold day in the snow. I substituted the molasses for honey and it still turned out amazing.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Wondering if melted butter can be substituted for the coconut oil?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it would work, but I think it might be fine!
I made them into 16 muffins in silicone cups on a tray and it worked! They baked for about 15 minutes. Nice fluffy moist texture.
A couple questions and comments. Was the intention for the coconut oil to be refined (flavor removed) or raw (strong coconut flavor/scent)? I used raw and with all the spice and molasses I didn’t really detect it. It might help to use room temp egg and milk. I had some trouble with the coconut oil solidifying on the sides of the bowl. Maybe not as much of an issue in the warmer months, but today it was. No salt?
I use both coconut oils when cooking – it’s really a personal preference. You could use room temp egg/milk. Feel free to add a pinch of salt if you’d like
This looks amazing! The kids and I just finished reading Mary Poppins (so different than the movie!!) in which they had gingerbread, so I’m planning on making some for snacking on while we watch the movie! I have a bunch of organic all purpose flour on hand… Do you think that’d substitute well? Thanks!
I’m sorry but I’m really not sure if it will work with all purpose flour. Baking is so finicky! I think it would probably work, but without trying it I can’t be sure!
How many servings are in the loaf?
Check the recipe card- it says 8 slices 🙂
Hi, what can I use instead of applesauce please? thanks
Sorry but I haven’t tested this recipe without applesauce. possibly yogurt? but I’m not sure without trying it!
Very good, thx. Decreased both molasses and Maple Syrup to half the recipe amount and added 1/4c chopped Ginger candy and 1/2c Thompson raisins turned out delicious and moist.
Delicious! Love the unprocessed ingredients & the bread had such amazing spice flavor! I used a flax egg and the texture turned out amazing, fluffy, and moist. And I don’t have to feel bad having a piece or 2 for breakfast! Thanks!
Thanks, Claire! So glad you liked it!
Just made this today and my family loved it. I used bob red mills gluten free flour and it came out great. It’s the perfect amount of sweet mixed with the spices.
So happy to hear this, Grace! It’s the perfect holiday treat 🙂