No Bake Gingerbread Cookies
No Bake Gingerbread Cookies bring all the warm spices you love about gingerbread into soft, chewy cookies that need zero oven time.
Molasses and a perfect spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves create that classic gingerbread flavor, while quick oats give each cookie a satisfying texture and vanilla pudding mix helps everything stick together.
I love making these when life gets too busy for regular cookie baking. The cinnamon glaze on top makes them look fancy enough for cookie trays, but they come together while you’re catching up on other things.
No Bake Gingerbread Cookies Recipe Highlights
- No oven required when your baking schedule is already packed
- Uses quick oats you probably have in the pantry
- Ready to eat after just one hour in the refrigerator
- Makes 20 cookies perfect for sharing or gift giving
- Gingerbread flavor without rolling out dough or cutting shapes
Ingredient Notes
Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.
SUGAR – Regular white granulated sugar dissolves into the warm milk mixture and sweetens the cookies. The recipe uses quite a bit because no-bake cookies need extra sweetness to balance the spices and molasses. Save a little work by measuring it directly into your saucepan.
SPICES – The combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves creates authentic gingerbread flavor. Fresh spices make a noticeable difference here since they’re so prominent in no-bake cookies. If your ground ginger has been sitting in the cabinet for over a year, grab a fresh jar. The spices bloom in the warm butter mixture, which intensifies their flavor before the oats go in.
BUTTER – Use unsalted butter so you control the overall flavor. Salted butter can make the cookies taste slightly off when combined with the molasses. The butter melts into the milk mixture and carries all those spices throughout each cookie. Let it come to room temperature if you remember, but it’ll melt in the pan either way.
MILK – Whole milk works best because the fat content helps create a creamy texture, but 2% milk will work if that’s what you have. The milk combines with the butter and sugar to create the base that binds everything together. You’ll use most of it in the cookie mixture and save a little for the glaze.
MOLASSES – Look for unsulphured molasses in the baking aisle. This gives the cookies their dark color and distinctive gingerbread tang. Don’t use blackstrap molasses unless you want very strong, almost bitter cookies. Measure the molasses after you measure any oil or butter so it slides right out of your measuring cup.
PUDDING MIX – Vanilla instant pudding mix acts as a binder and adds structure to these cookies. The pudding thickens when it hits the warm butter mixture and helps the cookies hold their shape in the refrigerator. You need the instant variety, not cook-and-serve. One 3.4-ounce box is the standard size.
OATS – Quick oats absorb the liquid mixture faster than old-fashioned oats and create the right texture. Old-fashioned oats will make chewier, denser cookies that take longer to set up. Quick oats are cut smaller, so they soak up the warm mixture evenly and the cookies firm up properly during chilling. Don’t use instant oatmeal packets.
How To Make No Bake Gingerbread Cookies
Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Combine sugar, spices, butter, milk, and molasses in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for one minute.
- Remove from heat and whisk in pudding mix until smooth. Pour over oats and stir to coat.
- Scoop onto parchment paper and press gently into cookie shapes. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Mix powdered sugar, cinnamon, and milk for glaze. Drizzle over chilled cookies and add sprinkles.
Leftovers and Storage
STORE – Keep your No-Bake Gingerbread Cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Layer parchment paper between stacks so the glaze doesn’t stick. The cookies stay soft and chewy when stored cold. Letting them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving takes the chill off.
FREEZE – Freeze unglazed cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to two months. Add the glaze after thawing so it looks fresh. Let frozen cookies thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours before glazing and serving.
MAKE AHEAD – These cookies actually improve if you make them the day before serving because they firm up more overnight. The oats continue absorbing moisture as they sit, which makes the cookies easier to pick up and less crumbly. Make the glaze fresh before serving for the best appearance.
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Serving Suggestions
COFFEE BREAK TREAT – The gingerbread spices pair perfectly with hot coffee or tea for an afternoon pick-me-up. Keep a container in your work refrigerator for a quick sweet bite.
LUNCH BOX ADDITION – Pack one or two cookies in lunch boxes as a special treat. They hold up well to a few hours at room temperature and won’t crumble all over everything like some delicate cookies do.
GIFT PACKAGING – Stack these in cellophane bags tied with ribbon for neighbor gifts. They travel better than fragile baked cookies and look impressive despite how quick they are to make.
ICE CREAM TOPPING – Crumble a cookie over vanilla ice cream for instant gingerbread crunch. The spices complement the cold ice cream surprisingly well.
Recipe Success Tips
BOILING TIME MATTERS – Let the mixture boil for the full minute after it reaches a rolling boil. This step cooks the sugar properly and helps the cookies set up correctly in the refrigerator. Undercooking this stage results in cookies that stay too soft and sticky.
PUDDING MIX TECHNIQUE – Whisk the pudding mix into the hot mixture immediately after taking it off the heat. Work quickly because the pudding starts thickening right away. A few small lumps will disappear when you stir in the oats, but big clumps won’t, so whisk thoroughly.
COOKIE SHAPING – Use a cookie scoop or two tablespoons to portion the cookies while the mixture is still warm. Cold mixture becomes difficult to scoop and shape. Press each portion gently with your fingers to flatten slightly rather than leaving them in tall mounds.
CHILLING TIME – Resist the urge to taste these before they’ve chilled for at least an hour. Warm cookies fall apart and taste gummy. Overnight chilling makes them even firmer and easier to handle if you’re stacking them in containers or packaging them for gifts.
GLAZE CONSISTENCY – Start with the two tablespoons of milk in the glaze and add more only if needed. The glaze should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but thin enough to drizzle. Too much milk makes it run off the cookies and pool on your serving plate.
Expert Tip – Spray your measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the molasses. The molasses slides right out without leaving a sticky mess behind, and you get the full quarter cup amount the recipe needs.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I use old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats?
Old-fashioned oats will work but create a chewier, denser texture that takes longer to firm up. The cookies might need extra refrigeration time. Quick oats absorb liquid faster and give you the right consistency in one hour.
Why didn’t my cookies set up properly?
The mixture likely didn’t boil long enough or wasn’t at a full rolling boil. The sugar needs to reach the right temperature to help the cookies firm up when chilled. Make sure you see big bubbles covering the entire surface for one full minute.
Can I make these without pudding mix?
The pudding mix is essential for binding and structure in no-bake cookies. Without it, the cookies will be too loose and crumbly. There’s no good substitute that creates the same texture.
How can I make these less sweet?
Reduce the white sugar to one cup instead of 1 ¼ cups. The molasses still provides sweetness and gingerbread flavor. You can also skip the glaze or just dust with powdered sugar instead of making the full cinnamon glaze.
Do these taste like real gingerbread cookies?
They have authentic gingerbread flavor from the spice blend and molasses, but the texture is softer and chewier than crispy baked gingerbread. Think of them as gingerbread-spiced no-bake cookies rather than exact replicas of traditional gingerbread.
Can I add mix-ins like chocolate chips?
Fold in ½ cup mini chocolate chips after stirring in the oats. Regular size chips are too heavy and sink to the bottom. White chocolate chips also work well with gingerbread spices.
More Easy and Delicious Recipes
Cool Whip Cookies – Another easy cookie that uses just four ingredients and comes together fast when your schedule is packed.
Banana Pudding Cookies – Soft cookies flavored with banana pudding mix and vanilla wafers for nostalgic dessert flavor.
No Bake Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon divided
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup milk
- ¼ cup molasses unsulphured
- 1 3.4-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 3 cups quick oats
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons milk
Optional
Instructions
- Add the sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, butter, ⅔ cup milk, and molasses to a medium saucepan.
- Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture reaches a boil. Let it boil for one minute.
- Take the saucepan off the heat, add the dry pudding mix, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and fully blended.
- Transfer the oats to a large mixing bowl and pour the warm pudding mixture over them. Stir until the oats are evenly coated and the mixture is combined.
- Scoop two tablespoon portions of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Gently press each portion to shape the cookies.
- Refrigerate the cookies for at least one hour so they can firm up.
- Add the powdered sugar, remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk to a small bowl. Stir until the icing is smooth.
- Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and drizzle the icing over the tops. Add sprinkles if you like.
Notes
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett is the founder and food blogger of Cheerful Cook, a popular recipe website featuring comfort food recipes from the US and Germany. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the AP Wire and MSN.