These are the best vegan gluten free chocolate chip cookies ever! With crispy edges and perfectly soft middles, no one will guess they’re gluten free. Egg, dairy and nut free as well with NO dough chilling required!
You’re going to love these vegan and gluten free cookies
You can stop looking. These are the best gluten free vegan cookies! They’re easy to make with a handful of staple ingredients and ditch the regular flour for gluten free flour. You’ll hardly be able to tell the difference between them and my Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Gluten free desserts don’t get much easier than these nut free and gluten free chocolate chip cookies. The dough is easy to mix together in one bowl before it’s rolled into cookie dough balls and baked in the oven. You won’t find any complicated ingredients here either! Just grab your favorite gluten free flour mix and vegan chocolate chips and you’re ready to start baking.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Vegan butter – Remember: softened room temperature butter is always easier to work with and incorporates better into cookie dough. Put it out on the counter 30 minutes before getting started or microwave it in 15-second increments until it’s soft to the touch (but not melted).
- Brown sugar – This is where all chocolate chip cookie recipes get their molasses-like flavors. If all you have is white sugar at home, try mixing it with molasses to make your own brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract
- Non-dairy milk – Any kind of plant milk is just fine. Make sure it’s room temperature before you get started.
- Gluten free flour – I recently discovered Better Batter Gluten Free Flour, and I feel like it’s one of the best. It’s less sandy tasting than others I’ve tried. Any quality gluten free flour mix should work quite well, so use your favorite.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vegan chocolate chips – Check the ingredients to make sure your chocolate chips don’t contain milk. You can find vegan chocolate chips at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Costco (look for Kirkland brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips). When all else fails, look for Guittard or Enjoy Life as both brands make vegan-friendly chocolate chips.
How to make vegan gluten free chocolate chip cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until you have a creamy and fluffy mixture. Add the vanilla and milk, and continue to mix. Lastly, slowly mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
Fold the chocolate chips into the dough and you’re done!
Roll 1 to 2 tablespoons worth of dough in your hands at a time to form the cookie dough balls. Place them on the prepared baking pans, then bake until the cookie edges are just starting to brown. It’s ok if they feel too soft at first! They’ll firm up as they cool.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired. Leave the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack, then dig in and enjoy!
Freezing cookie dough
Roll the cookie dough into balls, place them on a lined baking sheet, and freeze. Once they’re frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Bake the dough balls right from frozen, adding a few more minutes to the bake time to make up for their cold temperature.
The baked cookies also freeze well. Just pop them in an airtight container and grab one out of the freezer whenever you have a craving.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use almond flour? Using all almond flour won’t work well here, as the cookies will be very flat. You could try using 1 cup gluten free flour and 3/4 cup of almond flour.
- Do you have to chill the cookie dough? It isn’t necessary for this recipe. Chilling the cookie dough in the fridge before baking can solidify the butter and prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. If you love thick, chewy cookies, go ahead and pop the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Can I make these without sugar? I wouldn’t recommend it. Granulated coconut sugar, however, can be used instead of brown sugar as a natural sweetener alternative.
Want more vegan and gluten free desserts?
- Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Easy Vanilla Vegan Gluten Free Cake
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Gluten Free Vegan Brownies
Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour mix*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat the softened vegan butter and brown sugar together until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and non-dairy milk and mix to combine, scraping the sides as needed.
- Stop the mixer and add the flour, then sprinkle the baking soda and salt on top of the flour.
- Turn the mixer on low speed, and mix until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips until incorporated.
- Scoop about 1-2 tablespoons of dough using a cookie scoop or spoon, roll into balls and place on the prepared pans about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes, until barely golden brown on the edges. They will appear soft, but will firm up as they cool. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt, if desired.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Sugar – Brown sugar works best, but you can use coconut sugar if desired.
- Gluten free flour – Recently I discovered Better Batter, which I am enjoying more than any other brand I’ve tried. It has almost no sandy, gritty texture in baked goods. I recommend a quality mix that includes xantham gum, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 or King Arthur Measure for Measure. Almond flour will NOT work.
Nora…..these cookies are amazing! They taste just like regular cookies with dairy, eggs, and gluten. They did spread a lot on the pan…..but that’s okay. Next time I will refrigerate the dough before baking so the cookies remain a little bit thicker when baked.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
From Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦
Hi Dianna. I’m so glad that you loved the cookie recipe! I appreciate your support and your fantastic review! Some things that can cause spreading are butter being melted; kind of butter did you used; type of gluten free mix used. Chilling the dough in the fridge for 1 hour before baking is a great idea. Happy cooking!
Made these with Pamela’s all purpose gluten free flour and country crock and they turned out perfectly!!
I loved these! I used lard and olive oil instead of the dairy free butter and they were sooo perfect!
Easy recipe to follow. I could not roll the batter into balls. Refrigerating them did not help. They spread the entire pan and were so crispy on the edges that I actually got cut removing them from the pan. So very disappointed.
What gluten free flour did you use? This is very important because not all gluten free flours will work the same in baking. I like Better Batter brand the best for cookies, but I’ve also had success with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Almond flour will have results like you described and will not work. If you let me know what flour you used, I can help troubleshoot what went wrong here. Sorry they didn’t work for you!
Love your recipes usually but this one was a big miss. Could be the different flour brand (King Arthur’s gluten free) and butter (Earth Balance sticks). Everything else was followed to a “t.” I’ve used this flour and butter combo for an array of baked goods and it always comes out great, but here they turned into something more akin to lacey cookies, which I wouldn’t mind so much if they tasted good, but they were awful…greasy and too hard to chew. Will revisit with your suggested flour and butter and update my rating then.
These kept a good shape and didn’t spread like other reviewers have said, but to me they just have a little bit of a weird taste. I’m not sure what it is.
If you don’t have access to the same flour mix, don’t try this recipe. I added 2 dl of extra flour mix + extra psyllium and it still wasn’t enough. Not cookies at all. Taste ok but no, I will never use this recipe again.
I followed the recipe but my cookies didn’t spread out like the ones pictured. Is there anything I can do to get spread out cookies?
What brand of gluten free flour did you use? That’s likely the reason they didn’t spread. I like King Arthur Measure for Measure or Better Batter.
Made them today using Trader joes gluten free flour and they were delicious! I used coconut oil in place of the butter so was nervous they would spread….. but they turned out amazing! I did use less sugar than the recipe called for and they were still too sweet for me, so I will cut back some even more next time. I will be making them again, thanks!
Mine turned out delicious with vegan white chocolate chips. I used Krusteas gf flour and miyokos butter.
My cookie dough didn’t quite look like the photos. I was concerned because the dough was moist and there’s no way I could roll it into balls. I did a couple of test cookies thinking perhaps I would stick the dough in the fridge for a little while, but they turned out wonderful. Not to flat, not too fat, a little crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. I used Red Mill gluten-free flour and earth balance margarine. Thank you so much for the recipe, I will definitely make them again.😊
These came out perfect! I follwed the recipe as exactly written. This is my second time making them and my family loves thm.I used king Arthur GF flour and vegan country crock butter. So delicious! Thank you!!
Hey there!
Are you meant to push the batter down once rolled into balls, or just leave them in balls? Mine did not spread out 🙁
Hi, any recommendations for freezing the dough for later use?
I like to freeze cookie dough in ball to make baking them later a breeze.
At what temperature and time do you bake the frozen cookies?
I would let the cookie dough balls defrost at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes, per the recipe. You can also the the dough balls thaw in the fridge overnight.
You didn’t specify all-purpose or self-rising flour. Here in Australia our GF brands produce both (but we call them plain or self-raising).
I didn’t know that about Australia, which is why I didn’t specify. 🙂 All-purpose (plain) is what I’m referring to, not self-raising flour.
Hey I had the same problem with first batch spreading. The actual batter was too wet so I added a bit more flour but it didn’t help. I only did one batch and I’m leaving the other in the fridge over night to see how they turn out tomorrow! It’s got to be something my end as your recipes are normally amazing just please help! I’m using English stuff so flora butter and coconut milk and freee self raising flour thanks
Update – I left in fridge over night and have cooked at 150degrees Celsius instead of 180 and they have retained more shape. Going to play around a bit more but any advice still welcome! My daughter is allergic to dairy soy egg and gluten it’s a mine field!
I found that not softening the butter is the way to fix this. I use it straight from the fridge. I also use King Arthur flour and I can’t believe it’s not butter olive oil sticks
Hi I can’t stop my. cookies from spreadign like everytime I bake them no matter the recipe they spread and become crispy. What am I doing wrong. These ones weren’t the worst but they were a little crispy I think its defo me rather than the recipe
What kind of vegan butter are you using, and what brand of gluten free flour? I’m guessing it most likely has to do with what flour you are using. If using the same ingredients I call for and you are still having trouble, double check your ingredient amounts. You can also stick the dough balls in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, then bake them, which can help. But I don’t find this necessary.
Used a different brand of vegan butter and gluten free flour so maybe that’s the problem but I’ve tried cooking without chilling, with chilling and for less time (as I made a huge batch) but every time they’ve completely gone to liquid and spread tons ending up very crispy at edges and raw in the middle to varying degrees. Maybe this recipe was just not going to work with slightly different ingredients.
Hello! I’m excited to try this recipe. I see the nutrition info at the bottom of the recipe. Is that info for one cookie?
Hello Pastor! I think you will love the cookies! Yes, the nutrition information is for one cookie. Happy baking!
Hello,
Can you please share how many cookies does this 1x mixture yeilds?
Hi! This recipe will yield about 20 cookies. Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe! Can you use regular sugar?
Yes you can.
Hi,
Would using oat flour work too?
Oat flour can contribute a more cake-like texture in baked goods. I recommend a quality gluten free flour, like Better Batter, or even Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. I hope this helps!
Can I replace the non dairy milk for 1 tablespoon flaxseed with 2.5 tablespoons of water, like in your vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Yes, that will work!
I made vegan brown butter for these (vegan butter and cashew butter on the stovetop!) and they were amaaaaaazing.
Hi Kali. Oh wow, that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing the delicious idea and great feedback!
It is the best cookie recipe I’ve ever made because of my dietary restrictions I often can’t find a good recipe every one in my family love them thank you so so much 10 out of 10❤️
Hi Ollie. How awesome you found a cookie that works with your diet restrictions! I’m thrilled you and your family love them! Thanks for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
This recipe is wonderful! I used 1/2 Better Batter flour and 1/2 Bob’s 1 to 1. I don’t like the aftertaste of Better Batter and this worked well! Thank you so much for your recipe! We have gluten and egg allergies here so I was able to use butter. But the egg allergy + gluten is the hardest part for us.
Hi Keala. Living with food allergies is challenging, and I am so glad you were all able to enjoy some chocolate chip cookies that you loved! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and recipe experience! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Thank you for this recipe. My sister & son have celiac, and I glad I can continue baking cookies for them.
I am so impressed with so many of your recipes.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this recipe. My sister & son have celiac, and I glad I can continue baking cookies for them.
I am so impressed with so many of your recipes.
Thank you so much!