Traditional gingerbread gets a makeover with this healthy recipe. Gluten free, vegan, and full of warming spices, this gingerbread makes the perfect holiday treat. Enjoy a slice with a warm cup of herbal tea for a cozy afternoon snack. Or share a loaf at your next holiday gathering for a cleanse-approved treat that’s sure to please.
Ginger spice and everything nice
This gingerbread is packed with warm, comforting spices. But ginger is the star of this recipe. Ginger is renowned for its ability to soothe the digestive tract and relieve nausea. It contains gingerol, a compound that has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are also added to give this loaf that distinctive gingerbread flavor. But these spices come with powerful health benefits too. Cinnamon is shown to lower blood sugar levels by slowing the breakdown of carbs in the digestive system. Nutmeg and cloves are both anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and rich sources of antioxidants.
Yacon syrup, a cleanse-friendly sweetener
Traditional gingerbread is sweetened with molasses. To keep this recipe cleanse-approved, we’ve swapped molasses for yacon syrup. This sweet-tasting syrup comes from the roots of the yacon plant, a tuber vegetable native to the Andes.
Yacon syrup’s thick consistency and dark, rich color make it the perfect sub for molasses. But yacon delivers a host of health benefits too. It’s low in calories and low glycemic, making it an excellent sweetener for weight loss and blood sugar regulation.
Yacon syrup also benefits your gut health. It’s packed with gut-loving prebiotic fibers like inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). Inulin and FOS both feed your beneficial gut bacteria to help them flourish. Yacon also supports healthy elimination. It’s shown to relieve constipation and increase bowel transit time, helping your body remove toxins.
Flax eggs keep it vegan
At Clean, we love using flax eggs in our recipes any chance we can. Flax eggs are a vegan egg replacement made with ground flaxseed and water. They form a gel-like consistency and help bind ingredients, similar to eggs. This comes in handy for Clean 7 and Clean 21, since eggs are eliminated while cleansing. But they’re also a great option for those sensitive to eggs or following plant-based diets.
Plus, flaxseeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. They’re rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid that helps your body fight off inflammation. Not to mention, they’re high in lignans, a type of polyphenols shown to have anti-cancer properties.
Coconut oil for healthy fats
This gingerbread is super moist, thanks to a generous serving of coconut oil. Coconut oil’s neutral flavor makes it an excellent swap for butter in baked goods. But it also offers powerful health benefits.
Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are shown to have fat-burning properties. The MCTs in coconut oil may also give you an energy boost. Once consumed, your liver converts MCTs into ketones, which provide a quick source of energy.
Coconut oil may also help keep your gut bacteria in balance. It contains lauric acid, a compound which can help kill off pathogenic bacteria.
Ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free flour blend (check for cleanse-friendly ingredients)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup yacon syrup
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch bread pan with coconut oil or line with parchment paper. Set aside and prepare the flax eggs.
In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water. Whisk well and let it set for 5-10 minutes to give it time to thicken.
Feel free to swap the flax eggs for two eggs if you're not cleansing. Just be sure they’re at room temperature to keep the coconut milk from hardening.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir until evenly combined. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, flax eggs, coconut sugar, yacon syrup, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Stir until well combined.
Note: When apple cider vinegar is combined with baking soda, it helps the batter rise. But the sooner you get it into the oven after mixing, the better it works. So be sure your oven and bread pan are ready before moving on to the next step.
Use a whisk or spatula to make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well while scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients.
Be careful not to overmix. This can create a tougher texture and make it more difficult for the bread to rise. Once you no longer see any flour, you’re good!
Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean.
Let the gingerbread cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. Then, remove from the pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Slice and enjoy warm or room temperature. Or store leftover bread in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to a week.
Recipe and photography by Mindy Palmer
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy these Gingerbread Cookies.
References
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9654013/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31372918/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2017.943
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18781073/
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6630319/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25997382/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24328700/
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