We generally host a small and low-key Thanksgiving consisting of my parents, my brother, my grandma that lives across town, and me. Even with that small number of people, my dad still cooks for a crowd—especially when it comes to the herbed sausage stuffing!—and we end up with a fridge jam-packed with leftovers.
But this year, both my brother and my stomachs felt slightly under the weather, so it seemed rather silly to prepare a meal that could easily serve twelve with just three people eating the dishes! We downsized the turkey, cranberry salad, homemade wheat rolls, green beans, and pecan pie (we turned those into mini pies, if you saw that on my @AmyBakesHealthy Snapchat!)…
But we still cooked the full-sized maple sweet potato casserole and stuffing. Never get between Dad or Grandma and their stuffing!
After the feast ended and we nibbled on pieces of pie in front of the classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” animated movie, we packed up leftovers for Grandma. We sent her home with all of the turkey and a few portions of everything else, which left very little for us. Finally, a Thanksgiving meal that didn’t take over every square inch of space in the fridge!
With just a few slices of pie that were bound to disappear in the next 24 hours, I figured my family wouldn’t mind if I started on holiday baking the day after Thanksgiving. Surprisingly enough, my favorite way to kick off the season isn’t with cookies or candy…
It’s with this Classic Gingerbread with Maple Glaze! There’s something magical and incredibly irresistible about the warm, spicy flavor of gingerbread, and those qualities really shine in this easy recipe. It’s the perfect treat for curling up in front of the fire or pairing with a hot cup of coffee—and I definitely did both!
This healthier recipe begins with whole wheat flour. Yes, just plain ol’ regular whole wheat flour! Some people believe that 100% whole wheat baked goods always turn out dry or bland, but not this one. There’s plenty of moisture from the other ingredients to keep the loaf tasting as tender as cake!
The spices are the true stars of the show! Ginger is the most important (it’s impossible to make gingerbread without it!), and you’ll use a full 2 tablespoons to give the loaf its rich, spicy taste. You’ll also sprinkle in cinnamon, plus a hint of nutmeg and cloves. I tried the bread both with and without the latter two, and they add a much fuller, rounder flavor. Please don’t skip them!
The loaf only contains 1 tablespoon of butter and egg whites, so the rest of its tender texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking: Greek yogurt! It’s thick and creamy, and it provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories. It also gives the loaf a little protein boost!
The loaf is sweetened with molasses and pure maple syrup. Molasses is a thick, dark brown liquid with a consistency similar to honey. It’s fairly inexpensive, and you can find it on the baking aisle near the other liquid sweeteners. It provides the iconic rich, warm background flavor profile of gingerbread, so don’t substitute anything for it! You can bake these muffins, or these other muffins, or these scones, or this granola with the rest!
Make sure you buy the good stuff when it comes to maple syrup! Avoid pancake or sugar-free syrups; both of those include corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re trying to avoid in this healthier recipe. The only ingredient on the bottle should be “pure maple syrup.”
And now for the finishing touch… The maple glaze! It’s truly optional, so if you prefer a classic plain gingerbread loaf (like most of my family), feel free to skip it. However, some of my taste testers really enjoyed the extra sweetness it provided!
The glaze is very simple. It consists of Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way! This is the kind I buy, and you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. You can also use it to make all of these recipes, too!
Even with all of the Thanksgiving leftovers, this gingerbread disappeared amazingly quickly. I caught my mom sneaking a slice nearly every time I walked in the kitchen! Then again, I was guilty of the same thing too, so…
This recipe is definitely becoming a weekly routine during the holidays at our house! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy gingerbread!
| Healthy Classic Gingerbread with Maple Glaze | | Print |
- for the gingerbread
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp (11g) ground ginger (see Notes!)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- for the glaze
- 2 tbsp (30g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp liquid stevia, or to taste
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and lightly coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the gingerbread, whisk together the flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the molasses and maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk to the yogurt mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 325°F for 35-40 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the glaze, stir together the yogurt, maple syrup, and stevia in a small bowl. Just before serving, drizzle the gingerbread loaf with the glaze.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup in the gingerbread loaf.
Do not substitute anything for the molasses. It’s a dark, thick liquid with a consistency similar to honey, and it’s what gives gingerbread its iconic flavor and color. Molasses is inexpensive and can be found on the baking aisle near the other liquid sweeteners.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
I do not recommend substituting any other liquid sweetener in place of the liquid stevia. Liquid sweeteners will make the glaze too thin and runny to stick to the gingerbread loaf. If using a different granulated sweetener, you’ll need the equivalent of 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.
IMPORTANT GINGER NOTE: I love my gingerbread on the spicy side, so I use a lot of ground ginger! If you prefer a mellower ginger flavor that's not as spicy, use 1 tablespoon (5g) of ground ginger instead.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Holy cow! Way too much ginger. I used 2 tbsp as directed, and no one could eat it. It burned your mouth. For reference, I’m using ground ginger; not fresh. Other than that, the texture was great. I could have left it in the oven for a bit longer. I will try again next Christmas with less ginger. Also, 2 cups of my GF flour measures well over 300g. I went with your specified 240g anyway, and it worked out fine. I had to remove over 1/4 a cup.
I’m honored that you tried my recipe, Chrissy! I’m glad the 240g of your gluten-free flour worked out, and I really hope you like the version with less ginger much better! 🙂
Do you have the nutritional info? Or estimated calorie count?
Yes! It’s included directly underneath the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of this gingerbread if you try making it, Ellie!
Oooh I see now. Can’t wait to try it!
Yay! I’m so excited to hear what you think, Ellie! 🙂
Hi! I’ve recently discovered your blog and I’m already in love with it 😍
What substitutions will i have to make if i use normal yogurt or applesauce instead of greek yogurt?
You’re so kind, Mayeesha! That means so much to me. 🙂 If you use regular (non-Greek!) yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt, you shouldn’t need to make any recipe modifications. I’d love to hear what you think of this gingerbread if you try making it!
Thanks a lot ☺️
Can’t wait to try that!
My pleasure — I’m happy to help, Mayeesha! So excited to hear what you think of this gingerbread! 🙂
I’ve made this last year and think it’s great! Thanks for reminding me to make it. Merry Christmas!
You’re such a sweetheart, Libbie! It means so much that you made this recipe last year and would consider making it again. Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones too!
Can you make the gingerbread loaf recipe with maple glaze into cookies or do you have a really great gingerbread cookie recipe.
Thanks 😊.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Cathy! I actually do have quite a few gingerbread cookie recipes. Using one of those would be much easier than trying to adapt this recipe! 🙂
I have recipes for classic cut-out gingerbread cookies, drop-style gingerbread cookies, gingerbread oatmeal cookies (← plain or with chocolate chips!), gingerbread snickerdoodles, gingerbread thumbprint cookies, chocolate gingerbread blossoms… Perhaps you can tell I love gingerbread? 😉
If you end up making any of these recipes, I’d love to hear what you think of the gingerbread cookies!