Super soft and perfectly spiced, these gingerbread streusel mini loaves are such a fun and delicious baked treat during the holiday season!

Gingerbread is one of my favorite flavors during the holidays! Enjoying the warm and spicy flavors of gingerbread in a fluffy quick bread topped with streusel might be the best way to get a gingerbread fix.

Three slices of gingerbread mini loaf with streusel.

Gingerbread Quick Bread Batter

The batter for these cute little gingerbread loaves involves mixing the wet ingredients:

  • oil
  • buttermilk
  • brown sugar
  • molasses
  • eggs
  • vanilla

And then piling in the dry ingredients:

  • flour
  • baking powder + baking soda + salt
  • cinnamon + cloves + ginger + allspice

I’m too lazy to whisk them together separately first, but you can definitely do that if you are worried about clumps and bumps and spices not being thoroughly dispersed.

Like any good quick bread or muffin recipe, mix just until those ingredients are combined and the dry streaks have disappeared.

No need to win a world record for mixing here. A few little lumps are ok.

The batter is deliciously thick and luscious and very gingerbread-y in all the best ways.

Gingerbread batter drizzling into bowl from whisk.

Streusel Your Way to Happiness

I challenge anyone to tell me even just one thing wrong with streusel. It is the delight of my baking life, and it is a fantastic addition to these fragrantly spiced loaves.

Because a heavy streusel will weigh down the bread causing it not to rise well in the oven, the streusel in this recipe is meant to be light and ever-so-slightly crumbly.

(And yes, although it pains me to admit it, you can leave off the streusel for a tasty unadorned gingerbread loaf version.)

Converting to a Full-Size Loaf Pan

Judging by the ingredient amounts, the batter for this recipe should convert quite well to a 9X5-inch loaf pan if you want to bake one larger loaf instead of three mini loaves.

Make sure the pan isn’t filled more than 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter (you may or may not need all the streusel for one larger loaf).

I will say, though, there is something really appealing and fun about the mini loaves. I have these mini loaf pans {aff. link} – they are nonstick, bake evenly, and have lasted for years.

Top down view of mini gingerbread loaf cut into slices.

These gingerbread streusel mini loaves would make a great holiday treat for friends or neighbors and a wonderful addition to a holiday dessert or appetizer spread.

The gingerbread flavor is just so good! Perfectly warm and spicy without being overpowering or annoying.

Bonus: no need to burn a Christmas-scented candle because your house is going to smell AMAZING while these little loaves bake away in the oven.

Two halves of mini gingerbread loaf stacked on top of each other.
Four half pieces of gingerbread loaf stacked on white parchment paper.

Gingerbread Streusel Mini Loaves

4.82 stars (22 ratings)

Ingredients

Bread:

  • ½ cup (98 g) neutral-flavored oil (like canola, vegetable, grapeseed)
  • ½ cup (121 g) buttermilk
  • ¾ cup (159 g) packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (85 g) unsulphured molasses
  • 2 large (100 g) eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour (see UPDATED note!)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Streusel:

  • ¼ cup (36 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • ¼ cup (30-40 g) finely chopped pecans

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease three mini loaf pans (5.75X3-inches). Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses, eggs and vanilla until well-combined.
  • Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking powder, salt, cloves and allspice. Mix until ingredients evenly combined and no dry streaks remain (don't over mix).
  • Spread the batter evenly among the prepared pans (if you live at high altitude, you may want to split the batter among four pans to avoid spilling over in the oven). Place the mini loaf pans on a foil-lined baking sheet. This isn't mandatory, but it does help catch the streusel if a tiny bit spills off as the bread rises and bakes in the oven.
  • For the streusel, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter into pieces, add to the dry ingredients, and use a pastry blender or two butter knives to cut in the butter until it is in very small pieces and the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the pecans.
  • Sprinkle about 1/4 cup streusel over each loaf.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (may need to add additional time – keep a close eye on the bread) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Add additional baking time, if needed.
  • Cool for a few minutes in the pan before lifting carefully out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

UPDATE: lots of people have commented saying the loaves sank in the middle. As noted in the recipe post, this bread doesn’t dome as high as some quick breads…but it shouldn’t completely sink. Here are a few tips:
  • It’s important to take into account what type of bread pan is being used. If the bread pan has a dark coating, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees and increase baking time as needed.
  • Under baking the bread may cause it to sink, so make sure to bake fully until the top springs back to the touch and the center is not wet with batter. 
  • Don’t open the oven while baking (until the very end when checking doneness).
  • To combat the sinking, consider adding another 1/4 to 1/3 cup flour to the batter. 
Full Size Loaf: the batter for this recipe should convert quite well to a 9X5-inch loaf pan if you want to bake one larger loaf instead of three mini loaves. Make sure the pan isn’t filled more than 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter (you may or may not need all the streusel for one larger loaf).

Recipe source: adapted from a recipe in Bake from Scratch magazine (2022); used oil instead of butter for a fluffier loaf, changed dry ingredient amounts as well as sugar amounts and altered streusel to make less to avoid having a lot left over