Name: Paleo Almond Flour Gingerbread Men Cookies, Grain-free & Dairy-free
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 15 cookies
Ingredients: 2 Tbs extra light olive oil; 3 Tbs blackstrap molasses; 1 extra large egg; 1 tsp vanilla; 2 cups packed almond flour; 1/3 cup coconut sugar; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground ginger; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1/2 tsp baking soda; tapioca flour, (to sprinkle on the dough prior to rolling it)

Enjoy these soft, chewy Paleo gingerbread men cookies—made with almond flour and naturally dairy-free. Just right for holiday baking and grain-free diets.

If we said that we loved these gingerbread men cookies, it would be an understatement. They are the BEST Paleo, Grain-free, Gluten-free, and Dairy-free gingerbread cookies that we've ever made.

These gingerbread men cookies are soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced cut outs of holiday joy and we are thrilled to be sharing this recipe with you guys! For more gingerbread flavor, try our gingerbread banana bread.

Why this recipe works:

These Paleo gingerbread cookies are soft yet firm.
They have a strong gingerbread taste that is not overpowering.
This recipe is made with 10 ingredients.
The dough comes together in the food processor.
It’s allergy friendly. It is dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free.
These almond flour gingerbread men come together quickly.
It is tried and true. It took us three years to develop this recipe!
- After several failed attempts, we were inspired by the shortbread cookie base that we made for our Paleo Cranberry Sauce Bars. We tweaked that recipe and it worked great!
These cookies are kid friendly!

Recipe Ingredients:

Ingredients for paleo gingerbread men cookies.

Extra light olive oil: We like baking with extra light olive oil. We use it to replace butter in baking. Make sure to use a light colored oil, so it doesn’t have an overpowering olive flavor.
Blackstrap molasses: The key to the gingerbread flavor here is from the blackstrap molasses! Blackstrap molasses is an incredibly nutrient dense food. It contains iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium.
An egg: Eggs help keep the cookies chewy.
Vanilla extract: Make sure to use vanilla extract and not vanilla flavor. It’s healthier and the flavor is so much better.
Almond flour: We prefer using blanched almond flour in our grain-free baking recipes. It has a better overall texture and flavor.
Coconut sugar: We have found that coconut sugar is a great replacement for brown sugar.
Cinnamon: When it comes to cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon has our favorite smell and taste. It is much stronger than the generic cinnamon found in many stores.
Ground ginger and cloves: these spices give the cookies a great taste. Some people like using allspice as well.
Baking soda– This helps the cookies rise.
Tapioca flour or arrowroot flour: this ingredient isn’t in the cookie batter itself. The batter tends to be sticky, so tapioca flour helps you roll out the cookie dough more easily.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Is blackstrap molasses Paleo?

Blackstrap molasses is a byproduct that forms when sugar cane is refined. The juice that comes from mashing sugar cane is boiled to create syrup. It is boiled three times to make blackstrap molasses.

It’s funny because sugar has no nutritional value but blackstrap molasses is a superfood that contains many vitamins and minerals such as: iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium.

Since it is such a superfood, many consider it beneficial to have in their diet.

Check out this post on blackstrap molasses and if/why it is considered to be Paleo.

Step by step instructions:

Ingredients in food processor mixed until a dough forms.

Step 1

Step 1– Put the wet ingredients ( the olive oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla) into a food processor and mix.

Then, add the dry ingredients ( the almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking soda) to the food processor and mix again until a dough forms.

Step 2

Step 2- Take the dough out of the food processor and put it into a bowl.

Step 3

Step 3– Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Gingerbread dough on parchment paper with tapioca flour.

Step 4

Step 4– Sprinkle tapioca flour or arrowroot flour onto parchment paper. Put 1/2 of the dough onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle with more flour.

Rolled out gingerbread dough on parchment paper.

Step 5

Step 5- Put parchment paper on top of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin.

Step 6

Step 6- Take a cookie cutter and push it into the dough.

Step 7

Step 7- remove the gingerbread man cut out and place on a cookie sheet.

Step 8

Step 8- Bake and then decorate!

Expert Tips:

Make sure to pack your almond flour into the measuring cups. This means you scoop the measuring cup into the bag and press against the side of the bag to fill the almond flour.
Roll the dough into a ball prior to refrigerating.
Be generous with the tapioca flour or arrowroot flour! Since this dough is sticky, using a lot of this flour on the parchment paper and on top of the dough, ensures it doesn’t stick.
Use parchment paper or silicone mats to put the cookies on before baking.

Kid-friendly gingerbread cookies:

We did a taste-test to see how non Paleo people liked this recipe.

Our husband, mother and sister loved them, and actually didn’t believe us that they were Paleo.

Our 2.5 year old nephew loved them the most! He ate 2 in 5 minutes. Now we make them for our own kids that are 2 and 4 every year.

Toddler enjoying gingerbread men cookies.

Recipe FAQs

Are Paleo gingerbread cookies gluten-free?

Yes! Using almond flour instead of regular wheat flour makes it gluten-free.

Can we freeze Paleo gingerbread dough?

We wouldn’t freeze the dough, we would freeze the cookies after they have cooked and cooled.

Can we make these gingerbread cookies without molasses?

You can substitute maple syrup or honey, but molasses gives traditional gingerbread its classic deep flavor and chewy texture.

Can we double the recipe for a holiday party?

Yes, this recipe doubles well. Just be sure to chill the dough slightly longer, so it’s easier to cut.

Paleo Almond Flour Gingerbread Men Cookies (GF)

Prep 35 minutesCook 10 minutesTotal 45 minutesMakes 15 cookies

Ingredients

2 Tbs extra light olive oil
3 Tbs blackstrap molasses
1 extra large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups packed almond flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda
tapioca flour, (to sprinkle on the dough prior to rolling it)

Method

Put the wet ingredients ( the olive oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla) into a food processor and mix. Add the dry ingredients ( almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking soda) to the food processor and mix until a dough forms.
Remove the dough from the food processor and form into a ball shape with your hands. It can help to use a rubber spatula and put the dough into a bowl and then, grab it and form it into a ball. Put the ball into a bowl, cover the bowl in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat.
Sprinkle some tapioca flour on a piece of parchment paper. Cut the dough in half ( put the other back in the fridge) and put it on the parchment paper with tapioca flour on it. Sprinkle tapioca flour on top of the dough. Then, roll the dough out between the 2 pieces of parchment paper with a rolling pin, until ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough with gingerbread man cookie cutters. Note: If the dough is too sticky and sticks to the cookie cutter, wet the cookie cutter. If the dough sticks to the parchment paper, sprinkle a little tapioca flour onto the parchment paper. We noticed that using metal cookie cutters was easier than plastic ones.
Repeat with the other half of the dough. Once all the gingerbread shapes are cut from the dough, take the dough scraps and form into a ball and roll it out again. Keep doing this until all the dough is used up and cut into shapes. Note : you may need to put the dough in the fridge or freezer in between rolling it out to harden it a bit.
Place the gingerbread men shapes onto a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 – 2 minutes. Remove and put on wire racks to cool. Decorate cookies once they are cooled.
This recipe yields 15 cookies, using a 9 x 3 inch gingerbread man cookie cutter.

Notes

* Make sure to pack your almond flour into the measuring cups. This means you scoop the measuring cup into the bag and press against the side of the bag to fill the almond flour.
* Roll the dough into a ball prior to refrigerating.
* Be generous with the tapioca flour or arrowroot flour! Since this dough is sticky, using a lot of this flour on the parchment paper and on top of the dough, ensures it doesn’t stick.
* Use parchment paper or silicone mats to put the cookies on before baking.