Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe is outrageously good! It’s easy to make with simple ingredients and has the best rich flavor, chewy with crispy edges. No one will know they are vegan!

Outrageously good is the only way to describe these vegan chocolate chip cookies! In fact, they just taste like one darn good cookie. They’re chewy with crispy edges, sweet with just the right nutty intrigue in the flavor, and studded with dark chocolate chips and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. They are easy to make with simple ingredients: no vegan substitutes! Plus, there’s no dough refrigeration or wait time (required for cookies, to us). Try them warm out of the oven and you will absolutely melt.

Why these are the best vegan chocolate chip cookies

We think these are the best vegan chocolate chip cookies, but we wanted to make sure it wasn’t just our opinion! A few of our Instagram readers tested this recipe in their kitchens before it became public and here’s what they had to say:

  • “I love these cookies! They have a great chewy texture with a nice crisp edge. They came together quickly and effortlessly. To taste these, you’d never think they were vegan!” -Lexi
  • “Delicious! I’ve been trying to shift to a vegan diet but baked goods are one of the hardest things to substitute. These are amazing and taste just like my regular chocolate chip recipe, yum!!!! You can’t even tell there’s no butter!” -Natalie
  • “They were amazing! Not too sweet and tasted like a really good chocolate chip cookie. My three year old said ‘Mommy you get a prize – these are really good cookies!’ My husband approved too! The recipe was easy to follow and I was thankful it used all regular ingredients.” -Amanda
  • “All I can say is wow! These cookies blew me away. They are so delicious and I would never have guessed that they are vegan. I really like that they don’t call for any unusual ingredients also. The directions were very easy to follow and the recipe came together really fast. I will without a doubt make these delicious cookies again.” -Annika
  • “My girls LOVED them. I thought they were really great, too. They have a soft and pillowy texture, and are filled with chocolate. The salt on the top is the perfect compliment. 10/10!” -Haylea

Are you convinced? We hope so. Here’s more about the recipe and techniques!

PS A big thank you to all our recipe testers: Kaela, Natalie, Amanda, Nancy, Liz, Jennifer, Lexi, Renata, Julia, Haylea, Annika, Julie, and Sarah!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredient notes

Vegan baking requires substitution of a few key ingredients that make the texture of a cookie: butter and eggs. Butter is an important fat that adds texture and makes a cookie crispy and soft. Eggs make a smooth dough and help everything come together in a cohesive way. Let us tell you: it’s tricky to make a great vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe.

We tested a few batches with vegan butter and found that it wasn’t as reliable at making a desirable cookie texture. So, we turned to a mix of oils (neutral oil and coconut oil), and used applesauce instead of eggs to bring the dough together. After tweaking and massaging the recipe, it worked even better than expected to get that chewy yet crispy cookie texture! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Neutral oil: You can use grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil; we use grapeseed.
  • Refined coconut oil: Refined is important because it has a neutral flavor; unrefined coconut oil has more of a coconut flavor. Using coconut oil is important for the dough texture because it is a fat that is solid at room temperature, similar to butter.
  • Granulated and light brown sugar: The mix of sugars is key for the flavor here, especially the brown sugar since it has hints of molasses in the flavor.
  • Unsweetened applesauce: Applesauce works surprisingly well in place of the egg to hold the dough together and add moisture. You can substitute sweetened applesauce if desired.
  • Vanilla extract and almond extract: Vanilla extract is key to cookie dough. Here we’ve added one more element: a hint of almond extract! It brings a toasty, complex nuance to the flavor without overpowering it. We found this was helpful for a vegan cookie since it doesn’t have the richness of egg or butter.
  • All purpose flour, baking soda and salt: These are the traditional baking characters. The salt is important since there is no butter or egg to add flavor.
  • Dark chocolate chips: Look for dark chocolate chips that are marked “dairy free.” We love the brand Guittard 63%.
  • Flaky sea salt: This is optional, but there’s nothing better than a good salty-sweet bite.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tips for vegan chocolate chip cookies

This vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe is simple to put together with minimal equipment. The best part is that many cookie recipes require the dough to chill, but this recipe has no chilling at all. Because once you’ve made up your mind to bake them, who wants to wait hours or even overnight for chocolate chip cookies? Not us. Here are a few things to note about equipment that helps to pull these cookies together:

  • Use a cookie scoop. If you have a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, it’s helpful for portioning the dough: just overfill it slightly.
  • Non stick cookie sheets are helpful. This has become our preferred method for cookies. We recommend using two of these non-stick cookie sheets for the most even bake (keep reading for more).
  • Bake each tray separately for the most even bake. Do not refrigerate the cookie dough while the first tray bakes. We found that the dough texture is even better if it’s room temperature.
  • Add 3 to 4 chocolate chips and salt after baking. Adding chocolate chips to the top makes for that signature cookie look.

Notes on substitutes

We recommend not substituting vegan butter for the oil in this recipe. We tested a few batches with vegan butter and found that it wasn’t as reliable at making a desirable cookie texture. In addition, every brand of vegan butter is made with different ingredients, so a recipe becomes very brand specific.

Here the mix of neutral oil and coconut oil is key to the texture. Coconut oil is important because it is solid at room temperature: do not try to substitute it! However, we had a few recipe testers that used avocado oil for the neutral oil with good results.

We do not recommend substituting liquid sweeteners for the sugar in this recipe. Sugar is important to the texture of the cookies (using maple syrup has so much moisture that they become cake-like).

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Storage for vegan chocolate chip cookies

These vegan chocolate chip cookies are sublime warm from the oven, after cooling on the tray for 10 minutes and a baking rack for 10 minutes. If you can eat them this way, absolutely do it! But the cookies also hold up well over time. This is a must for cookies in our opinion, since you’re making them in a big batch. Here’s what to note about storing these cookies:

  • Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 1 week. The texture holds up well: no need to add anything to the container.
  • Store refrigerated for 2 weeks. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
  • Store frozen for up to 3 months. 

More vegan dessert recipes

These vegan chocolate chip cookies are our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe: even though we don’t eat vegan regularly! They’re just that good. Here are a few more vegan desserts you’ll love:

This vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

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The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Description

This vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe is outrageously good! It’s easy to make with simple ingredients and has the best rich flavor, chewy with crispy edges. No one will know they are vegan!

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup neutral oil (grapeseed, canola or vegetable)
  • ¼ cup refined coconut oil (at room temperature)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups [280 g] all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips (we used 63% Guittard)
  • Flaky sea salt, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or omit if using non-stick cookie sheets (we swear by these).
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), add the neutral oil, coconut oil,  brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix with the paddle attachment (or an electric mixer) on Medium speed until fully combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the applesauce, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined, a few seconds. 
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Turn on the mixer and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Add 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips and mix on low for a few seconds until mixed in. The dough will feel slightly oily, but this is as expected.
  4. Scoop nine 3-tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving a few inches between each cookie for spreading (using a cookie scoop is helpful; we overfilled our 2 tablespoon scoop). Bake one batch for 12 to 13 minutes, or until just golden (baking one batch at a time makes the most even bake). Press 3 to 4 chocolate chips into the top of each warm cookie, then sprinkle with sea salt. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool fully. They taste great warm after cooling on the rack for about 10 minutes, or fully cooled. 
  5. While the cookies cool, portion out and bake the second batch of dough; don’t refrigerate the dough in between. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week or refrigerated for 3 weeks (bring to room temperature before serving).

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Sonja Overhiser
January 31, 2024 at 09:30AM

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