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The perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies with crisp golden edges, chewy middles, and chocolate in every bite. Bake a batch in just 20 minutes or freeze them for later. Everyone is guaranteed to love them! Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
I may be biased, but this truly the Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Think gourmet, bakery-style cookies with a perfect crisp-chewy texture and packed to the brim with dairy-free chocolate chips. Best of all, they’re easy to make in one bowl in 20 minutes or less! If there’s one vegan cookie recipe to keep in your back pocket, make it this one.
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A Vegan Cookie to Make Again and Again!
Everybody loves a chocolate chip cookie. Crisp and golden on the outside, perfectly chewy on the inside, and loaded with pools of melted chocolate—it’s cookie perfection. In this Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I swapped the typical eggs, butter, and milk for vegan baking staples to give you cookies that taste just as good, if not better, than the not-so-vegan-friendly classic.
There are so many vegan cookie recipes out there, but this is the one you’ll come back to again and again!
Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
This simple vegan cookie recipe is easy to make with 11 baking staples and plenty of chocolate chips:
- Flax “egg”: Mixing ground flaxseed and water together creates an egg-like mixture to help bind the cookies together.
- Salted vegan butter: I’ve had the most success baking cookies with salted butter from the brands Country Crock, Earth Balance, and Violife plant-based butter sticks (not spread). Different vegan butter brands will melt differently during baking, which may yield cookies that spread too thin in the oven.
- Sugar: Please use a 1:1 mix of cane sugar and brown sugar—you need both for cookie success! Brown sugar lends a signature molasses flavor and yields softer, chewier cookies, while cane sugar adds sweetness and helps them spread in the oven.
- Cornstarch: Just a pinch of starch is the secret to light and chewy cookies. This article has a lot of great information about the power cornstarch has in cookie dough.
- Vegan chocolate chips: Use your favorite brand of dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips, vegan chocolate chunks, or a chopped dark chocolate bar. Want more dynamic flavors? Use two kinds of chocolate in these cookies!
How to Make the Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mix the flaxseed and water together in a small bowl, then set aside to thicken.
- Cream the softened butter, cane sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy.
- Pour in the flax “egg” and vanilla, then beat again.
- Stir in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- Fold the chocolate chips into the batter with a spatula.
- Shape the dough into 12 smooth, evenly-sized balls. Space them out on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies until they’re puffy and pale on top and golden on the bottom.
- Sprinkle the freshly baked cookies with flaky salt.
- Let the cookies cool, then enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Soften your butter: Remember to take your butter out of the fridge at least 1 to 2 hours before baking. You’ll know it’s perfect when it’s at room temperature and feels soft to the touch (still solid, but not melted). Did you forget to take it out? Use this trick from Sally’s Baking Addiction to soften the butter in less than 15 minutes.
- Measure your flour accurately: A kitchen scale is the best and most accurate tool for measuring ingredients. However, if you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and scrape the excess off the top with a knife.
- Use different types of chocolate: Mix your semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks with a chopped dark chocolate bar for a more varied chocolate flavor in each cookie.
- Don’t skip the flaky sea salt! The rich chocolate is perfectly balanced with just a touch of salt sprinkled on the freshly baked cookies. You won’t want to miss out on this gourmet flavor combo!
- Fully preheat the oven: Your cookies will bake more evenly and in the 10 to 12-minute window when you give your oven all the time it needs to preheat. I’d even recommend waiting to put the cookies in 5 minutes after the preheating alarm goes off, just in case!
Serving Suggestions
Personally, I think these cookies are best when they’re still fresh and warm from the oven. The chocolate is melty and the cookies are still gooey… You can also pair them with a glass of cold, non-dairy milk for dunking or with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream for a truly indulgent and delicious treat.
If you’re looking for more classic cookies made vegan, you’ll love these Ginger Molasses Cookies, these Hot Cocoa Cookies, these Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies, and these Vegan Snickerdoodles.
How to Store Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
After cooling, transfer the cookies to an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh on the kitchen counter for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Freezing cookie dough balls: Preparing the vegan cookie dough ahead of time is a breeze. After rolling out the cookie dough balls, space them out on the baking sheet and pop the sheet in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. Transfer the frozen cookie balls to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 1 month.
You can bake the cookie balls from frozen but it’s recommended to add 1 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: I’ve only tested these chocolate chip cookies with all-purpose flour but I imagine a gluten-free all-purpose blend would also work well!
- Less or More Chocolate Chips: I like my cookies loaded with chocolate chips, but if you like slightly less, use only 1 cup of chocolate instead of 1 ½ cups.
- Brown Sugar Substitute: The brown sugar can be swapped for coconut sugar, but the cookies will be darker in color and more dry.
- Cornstarch Substitute: Use arrowroot powder instead.
Recipe FAQs
Your everyday chocolate chip cookie is made with butter, eggs, and milk, so they are not vegan-friendly. Thankfully, vegans can eat as many of these dairy-free chocolate chip cookies as they want since they’re made with plant-based substitutions!
I believe that if your cookies have crisp and golden edges, thick, gooey, and chewy centers, and melted chocolate chips whose sweetness is balanced with a touch of salt, then you’ve baked the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
It isn’t necessary to chill the cookie dough for this recipe but doing so can prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. If it happens to be a hot day or your kitchen is very warm when you’re baking these, then it would be a good idea to pop the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
Why not? The more chocolate, the better! My Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are a perfect fit for chocoholics or you can try adding ¼ cup of sifted natural cocoa powder to this recipe.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup salted vegan butter softened to room temperature (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or sub arrowroot powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt use 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter
- 1-1 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks
- Flaky salt for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray or line a large baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside. Prepare the flax “egg” by mixing the flaxseed and water well; set aside for at least 5 minutes to let thicken.
- Cream the Butter: Add the softened butter, cane sugar, and brown sugar to a large bowl or stand-mixer. Use a stand mixer or electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together on low speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until the butter is smooth, light, and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the flax “egg” and vanilla to the bowl and beat again, until the mixture is smooth and combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until a thick, non-sticky dough forms. Add the chocolate chips to the batter and fold into the dough using a spatula.
- Form the Cookies: Use a cookie scoop or spoon to form 12 cookies with ~3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll each cookie into a smooth ball and space evenly across the prepared baking sheet. Do not flatten the cookie dough; it will spread as it bakes in the oven.
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes; the cookies will look puffy and pale, but the bottom edges should be golden.
- Cool: Take the cookies out of the oven and sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for another 10 minutes, where they will deflate further. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.
- Serve & Store: Enjoy the cookies immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also store the baked cookies in the freezer for up to 2 months, but I would recommend storing the cookie dough balls instead and baking when desired 🙂
Recipe Notes
- Vegan Butter: Different vegan butters will spread differently during baking. I have had success using Country Crock, Earth Balance, and Violife plant-based butter sticks (not spread). Vegan butter can be replaced with softened coconut oil, but they will be slightly more dry. I recommend using refined coconut oil so there is no coconut flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: I prefer my cookies to be loaded with chocolate chips, but if you like slightly less, use only 1 cup of chocolate instead of 1 1/2 cups. I also recommend using a mixture of chocolate chips and a chopped chocolate bar for a more varied chocolate flavor in each cookie.
- Other Substitutions: The sugar can be swapped for coconut sugar, but the cookies will be darker and color and more dry. I have not tested this cookie with any flour substitutions, but I imagine a gluten-free all-purpose blend would work well!
Do you know if we could replace the flax egg with another egg replacement? We have a flax allergy.
I haven’t personally tried other replacements but here are some suggestions if you have a flax allergy; you can replace the flax egg in the Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe with a chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds + 2 1/2 tbsp water, mixed and let sit for 5 mins), a commercial egg replacer, mashed ripe banana (1/4 cup), or unsweetened applesauce (1/4 cup). Adjust based on your taste preferences and dietary needs. Each substitution may slightly alter the texture and flavor of the cookies, so it’s a good idea to experiment and see which one you prefer.
This is the fifth vegan choc chip cookie recipe I’ve tried because I was determined to find the best one and THIS TRULY IS IT. We almost finished half in one day because my partner and I are obsessed. Thank you!!
Happy to hear you and your partner enjoyed it, Ingrid!
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I made mine with a 1:1 gluten free flour and it worked beautifully.
That’s awesome to hear! Thanks Taylor!
Yay! Glad it worked well!
I made these for a quick after supper treat and they did not disappoint. They perfumed the house with a lovely cookie aroma and my littles loved them. Great classic chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Happy you liked it, Emily!
This is hands down the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have come across. The flaky sea salt is a must! They are just as good the next day as they were when you bake them!
Totally agree with you!
These cookies were amazing, they barely lasted a few days in my house 🤪
A batch never lasts a day in ours! Glad you enjoyed them, Sophia!
UMMM…these are SO good…like, probably the best vegan chocolate chip recipe I’ve come across! I made a double batch and was very glad I did (as was my husband). We even broke up some of the cookies into bite sized pieces then mixed them into homemade vanilla ice cream. Wonderful!! I’m pleased that this has made it into my “favorite recipes” binder 🙂
Wow, the Favorites binder! Thank you so much, Katelin!
These really are perfect! I made a double bavdouble batch because i knew we would want them all and I bet these are gone within 24 hours. The sea salt at the end of the best.
Glad you loved the recipe, Kate!
SO yummy! Had lots of fun making these 🙂
Thanks Kathryn!
This is my third cookie recipe I’ve tried of yours and they have all turned out great! I love how easy they are to make, and there’s no complicated steps or ingredients!!
These are a perfect classic chocolate chip cookie. I froze a double batch of these and made them at 330deg for 22min and they turned out perfectly. I’ve also tried a couple different combinations of chocolate chips/chopped chocolate bars and they’re all good!
So happy you loved the recipes, Glenna!
These are amazing! They’re better than anything you can get at the grocery and they’re ready in no time.
Thank you Jasmine!
These were super delicious and more importantly super easy to make. Also I had all of the ingredients on hand already to make these. Will definitely be making again!
Thanks Paige!
These cookies rival a grandma’s secret recipe! They have a crispy exterior, soft center, and are fluffy as a cloud. The only part I struggled with was set-control to not consume all the dough. Another bonus is the wonderful smell they gave my house while baking!
Thank you so much, Alice!
These cookies are unreal!! Seriously the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. I substituted for gf flour and they turned out fantastic. 100% would make again and recommend
So happy to hear it worked with gf flour too!
I made these cookies a few weeks ago and they did not spread (but they still tasted good). I thought it was because I used Miyoko’s butter, but Caitlin Shoemaker replied to my comment (!) and mentioned that I should try using the metric measurements for the flour.
I made these cookies again today using Country Crock butter and weighing the sugars and flour. The cookies came out so perfectly! The flavor is traditional chocolate chip cookie, and it has nostalgic chewiness. I definitely recommend this recipe. 🙂
Thank you so much Sarah! Glad to hear that the recipe worked better the second time 🙂
Made these for galentines and tbh I don’t want to share them cause they’re so good. But also I do want to share them cause my friends deserve amazing cookies. 100/10 recipe 🙂
Thank you so much!