Look no further, this best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is the only one you’ll ever need. Packed with a blend of three types of chocolate and a perfect balance of sweet and salty, these cookies are plant-based and easy to make. Freeze the dough for even better flavor, and enjoy a treat that’s sure to satisfy any cookie craving.
What makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie? Everyone seems to have their own opinion. Some prefer them soft and cakey, while others like them crumbly and crunchy. Some want them tall and others prefer them flat. Many agree that the perfect chocolate chip cookie is best warm, with melty chocolate chips. There are even those who swear they are best eaten frozen straight from the freezer.
For me, the perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie has layers of texture and flavor. Each bite has a flawless balance of salty and sweet, and every cookie in your batch is unique in design with different shapes and sizes of chopped chocolate. They have a crisp, caramelized exterior that holds up well when dunked in a cold glass of soy or oat milk. In short, they taste like heaven on earth.
When I began my vegan baking journey, chocolate chip cookies were at the top of my priority list. They’re an American classic and a dessert that almost everyone loves. Little did I know they would be so easy to make and taste just like the real deal – buttery and chewy – even without any eggs or dairy. My husband turned into the Cookie Monster for an entire week after I baked these off.
Looking for another chocolate chip recipe? Check out these amazing Vegan Blondies with White Chocolate Chips!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll LOVE These Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Favorite Vegan-Friendly Chocolate
- Special Equipment
- Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- How to Make Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies – Step by Step
- Tips and Variations
- Common Questions about Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Want to save these cookies for later? Here’s how!
- The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Why You’ll LOVE These Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Perfect Texture: These cookies have a perfect texture, with a crispy exterior and a chewy, soft center. They’re not too cakey or too crumbly – just the right balance.
- Amazing Flavor: These cookies are packed with flavor, thanks to the combination of brown and white sugar, vanilla extract, and a blend of three different kinds of chocolate. They’re sweet, salty, and have just the right amount of chocolate in every bite.
- Vegan-Friendly: These cookies are completely vegan-friendly, which means they’re free from any animal products like eggs or dairy. Whether you’re a vegan or just looking to cut back on animal products, these cookies are a delicious and satisfying treat.
- Easy to Make: Despite their incredible taste and texture, these cookies are surprisingly easy to make. The recipe requires just a few basic ingredients and doesn’t require any fancy techniques or equipment.
- Freezer-Friendly: These cookies freeze beautifully, which means you can make a big batch and have them on hand whenever a cookie craving strikes. Just freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for easy baking later on.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-purpose flour: AP flour gives your cookies their texture and structure. If you need a gluten-free option, try using a 1:1 (measure for measure) gluten-free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.
- Dark brown sugar: Two sugars are better than one when it comes to amazing chocolate chip cookies. This recipe calls for a blend of brown and white sugar. Dark brown sugar has a high concentration of molasses, which gives your cookies a beautiful, rich, chewy texture.
- Granulated white sugar: White sugar balances the brown sugar and creates delicious crispy edges.
A note about sugar:
Unfortunately, most sugars in the United States are processed using animal-derived bone char. If you want to guarantee the sugar you are baking with is vegan-friendly, make sure it is raw cane sugar, certified-organic cane sugar, or sugar made exclusively from beets.
- Vegan butter: Cookies aren’t cookies without butter, in my opinion. Use room temperature vegan butter in this recipe, and if it’s still hard, soften it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Earth Balance salted butter sticks are the best and most accessible option for me, but I’ve also had good luck with Country Crock Plant Butter and Miyokos. If you don’t have any butter on hand, you can swap in 1 cup of vegetable, coconut, or sunflower oil.
- Aquafaba: Also known as the brine/juice from a can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, aquafaba acts as an egg replacement and binder. Don’t dump the liquid gold down the drain ever again! If you don’t have aquafaba, you can replace it with ¼ cup of oat, soy, almond, or other non-dairy milk. Keep in mind that this will give your cookies a slightly cakier texture.
- Vanilla extract: A good quality vanilla extract is the key to creating a full-flavored butterscotch dough. Don’t skimp on it! Maple syrup is a good alternative if you’re all out of vanilla.
- Non-dairy milk powder: Inspired by baking icon Christina Tosi, just a couple of tablespoons of milk powder adds rich chewiness and a creamy texture that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Anthony’s Oat Milk Powder is my favorite vegan-friendly milk powder.
- Baking soda and baking powder: Baking soda reacts with the acid in brown sugar to create carbon dioxide bubbles that help the cookies rise and spread. Baking powder provides a bit of lift without relying solely on acidic ingredients, helping the cookies rise and providing a perfect texture.
- Salt: Coarse sea salt gives your chocolate chip cookies a perfect sweet and salty bite.
- Chocolate: Using three kinds of chocolate takes these cookies to the next level. Use a good quality dairy-free milk chocolate bar alongside two types of dark chocolate in the 70-90% cocoa range. Rough chop the bars into chunks yourself, instead of using chocolate chips. Chocolate chips often contain stabilizers to hold their shape and prevent melting, while chocolate bars have higher concentrations of cocoa butter, which creates pools of melty, velvety chocolate in your cookies.
Favorite Vegan-Friendly Chocolate
Choosing which chocolate to use for cookies is all about balance, just like in life. Our dough is rich and sweet, so the combination of oat milk and dark chocolate creates a nice equilibrium of flavor. For this recipe, I used a variety of Lindt brand chocolate bars and was not disappointed. My favorites include Lindt Classic Recipe OatMilk Non-Dairy Chocolate Bar, Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar, and Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar.
Special Equipment
While you don’t necessarily need any special equipment to make these vegan chocolate chip cookies, having the right tools can make the process easier and more enjoyable.
- Electric Stand Mixer: While you can cream the butter and sugar together by hand, using an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment will make the process much faster and easier.
- Cookie Scoop: Using a cookie scoop ensures that each cookie is evenly portioned, which means they will all bake at the same rate and have a consistent shape.
- Baking Sheets: Use high-quality baking sheets that are heavy-duty and have a non-stick surface. This will prevent your cookies from sticking and ensure they bake evenly.
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat: Lining your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat will make cleanup a breeze and prevent your cookies from sticking.
While these tools aren’t necessary, they can certainly make the process of making these cookies more efficient and enjoyable.
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make these vegan chocolate chip cookies gluten-free, simply substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Brands like Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour make great gluten-free flour blends that can be used as a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour in most baking recipes.
When making this substitution, keep in mind that the texture of your cookies may be slightly different than if you were using all-purpose flour. Gluten-free flours can sometimes result in a more crumbly or dry texture, so you may need to adjust the amount of liquid in the recipe slightly to achieve the desired consistency.
You can also experiment with other gluten-free flours like almond flour or coconut flour, but keep in mind that they will behave differently than all-purpose flour and may require additional adjustments to the recipe.
How to Make Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies – Step by Step
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In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, non-dairy milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside for later.
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In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, add room temperature vegan butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated white sugar. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit it with a paddle attachment. Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5-8 minutes. Add in aquafaba and vanilla extract. Continue beating on medium speed until velvety.
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Stir in half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Once the dough starts coming together, add in the remaining flour and continue mixing until just combined. Don’t overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in chocolate chunks with a spatula. Reserve about ¼ cup of the chocolate chunks for later.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Using a cookie scoop (I recommend a 4 tablespoon scoop), portion dough into balls and place evenly on the prepared sheet. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a ¼ cup measuring cup. Sprinkle extra chocolate chunks and sea salt on top of dough balls. Cover and freeze dough for 30 minutes or overnight. If you are freezing overnight, take out the dough balls after about 15-30 minutes and transfer them to gallon-sized freezer bags or a sealed Tupperware container.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line more baking sheets with parchment paper, depending on how many cookies you are making. Remove dough balls from the freezer and space 2-3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. These are bigger cookies, so you definitely don’t want them to be overcrowded. Place cookies in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges have just turned golden brown and the centers have puffed up. Keep in mind that they will continue cooking a bit while resting.
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Remove cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Sprinkle cookies with a little more sea salt and finish cooling for 5-10 more minutes before enjoying!
Tips and Variations
- My number one tip for amazing cookies is to freeze your dough. The longer the dough chills, the better! The fat solidifies during the chilling period, which prevents the dough from spreading too much during baking. Also, the sugar and vanilla have time to marinate and absorb moisture. As a result, you get a golden brown color and ultra-decadent flavor. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, but ideally, you’ll want to hold off baking for 24-72 hours.
- The type of baking sheet you use plays a big role in your total baking time. Dark-colored pans absorb heat, while light-colored ones reflect it. If you are baking your chocolate chip cookies on a dark pan, they will cook much faster. With a light pan, they will take a little longer.
- Want to take these vegan chocolate chip cookies to the next level? Brown half of your vegan butter on the stovetop to add rich, nutty flavor. After it has cooled, add it to your already creamed butter-sugar mixture and beat for an additional couple of minutes.
Common Questions about Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yes, you can, but it will require more time and some arm strength. To cream the butter and sugar together, start by mashing your softened vegan butter with a wooden spoon. Then add the sugar and mix together with a fork, as if you were using it as a whisk. After about 5 minutes, it should start looking light and fluffy.
Even though these chocolate chip cookies don’t contain eggs, it is still not recommended to eat the dough raw. Uncooked flour contains germs that can make you sick, which means it needs to be baked before consumption.
Absolutely! Just keep in mind that the morsels will not melt as well as chopped bars of chocolate.
Want to save these cookies for later? Here’s how!
To save leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months.
What’s better than having a supply of ready-to-make cookie dough in your freezer? After the initial freeze on the baking sheet, transfer the dough balls into a freezer-safe ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thank you so much for reading, friend! If you make this recipe in your very own kitchen, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would absolutely LOVE to hear what you thought!
Happy Baking!
xoxo, Audra
The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup vegan butter room temperature
- ¼ cup aquafaba chickpea liquid/brine
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk powder optional
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon sea salt + extra
- 10-12 oz dairy-free chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, non-dairy milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside for later.
- In a bowl of an electric stand mixer, add room temperature vegan butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated white sugar. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit it with a paddle attachment. Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5-8 minutes. Add in aquafaba and vanilla extract. Continue beating on medium speed until velvety.
- Stir in half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Once the dough starts coming together, add in the remaining flour and continue mixing until just combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in non-dairy chocolate chunks. Reserve ¼ cup chocolate for later.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Using a ¼ cup cookie scoop, portion dough into balls and place evenly on the prepared sheet. Sprinkle extra chocolate chunks and sea salt on top of dough balls. Cover and freeze dough for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line more baking sheets with parchment paper, depending on how many cookies you are making. Remove dough balls from the freezer and space 2-3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges have just turned golden brown and the centers have puffed up.
- Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt and finish cooling for 5-10 more minutes before enjoying!
