Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Tried and true, these are the most perfect vegan chocolate chip cookies ever! Made in 1 bowl and oh-so-soft, chewy and full of chocolate chips!
Everybody has their go-to, tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe, right? Well, I used to before going vegan and since then it’s been hit or miss. I have tried countless recipes over the years, and some have been pretty good but I had yet to find the PERFECT recipe I was looking for. Until now.
What makes these cookies so perfect?
- They are SO soft, chewy and full of chocolate chips. They aren’t too flat, and they aren’t too puffy and cake-like. No one would guess they’re vegan, unlike some cookie recipes I’ve tried.
- They’re made in 1 bowl.
- No chilling time is required for the dough. So you can have cookies to eat FAST!
How to make vegan chocolate chip cookies
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened vegan butter and brown sugar.
- Mix in the flax egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour, and then sprinkle the cornstarch, baking soda and salt on top of the flour. Mix on low to combine.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Look at that cookie dough! Perfection.
- Roll the dough into 1-2 tablespoons sized balls. Bake for about 10 minutes for smaller cookies, or 12 for larger cookies, until puffy and just slightly golden on the sides. They will look underdone, but will firm up considerably as they cool. Do not over bake!
Are all chocolate chips vegan?
No, a lot of brands have milk fat or butter oil in them. Check the ingredients to ensure vegan friendliness. Trader Joe’s brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips happen to be vegan, as are Guittard. Costco sometimes carries the Kirkland brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips, which are also vegan and a great price if you can find them! There is also Enjoy Life, which you can find on Amazon or Whole Foods.
If you are really having trouble finding vegan chocolate chips, you can always look for dairy free chocolate bars, and chop them into chunks.
What should the cookie dough feel like?
The cookie dough should be soft and mushy, but not too wet or too dry. You should be able to easily roll it into balls. If it feels too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour at a time until it’s just right. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon or two of almond milk.
This is important because the kind of vegan butter (or coconut oil) you use will affect the dough, as well as how you measure your flour, and just the temperature and altitude of where you live. If your dough is too wet, the cookies will spread; if too dry the cookies won’t spread enough.
That said, I never have to add extra flour or milk when I make them exactly as written.
How to freeze the dough
Roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze in a large ziplock type bag. When you want to bake cookies simply preheat the oven and bake, adding a few more minutes since the dough was frozen.
Baked cookies also freeze well and are wonderful straight from the freezer. I love having frozen cookies to throw in my kid’s lunch box on school days.
Want more vegan cookie recipes?
- Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Ginger Cookies
Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) vegan butter, slightly softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with oil.
- Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside to make your flax egg.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened vegan butter and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
- Add the vanilla and the flax egg and mix to combine.
- Next, stop the mixer and add the flour. Sprinkle the cornstarch, baking soda and salt on top of the flour. Turn the mixer on low speed, and mix until just combined.
- Add in the chocolate chips to incorporate, either by hand or using the mixer.
- Roll the dough into balls, about 1-2 tablespoons each. Place on the prepared pans and bake for 10 minutes (12 minutes for larger cookies), until they are barely golden around the edges. Do not over bake! They will be puffy and lightly colored.
- Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will firm up as they cool, and become the most perfect chewy cookies ever! Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Cookies will stay fresh for 3-4 days, if they last that long.
- TIP: Freeze cookie dough balls to have on hand to make just a few cookies at a time! Simply cook for 1-2 minutes more, no need to thaw.
- May substitute coconut oil for the vegan butter if desired. Just make sure it's not melted, you want it to be semi-firm.
- If you don't like salt in your cookies or your vegan butter is very salty already, you may omit the salt.
- Recipe inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction.
Nutrition
*Post last updated August 15th, 2019.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here
337 Comments on “Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies”
The BEST vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve tried in the past 5 years of eating vegan, and I’ve tried them all! Both my nonvegan fiancé and I agree, these are the best! Thanks, Nora!
You’re welcome!
these cookies literally changed my life. my omni boyfriend and room mates all lost their minds over how amazing these cookies are
That’s so great!
I made these on a whim after a long day in the kitchen (I almost skipped it because it was getting too close to dinner time, but in the end I made them because the vegan butter had been sitting out all day). The dough was super quick and easy and it yielded maybe 18 cookies (I used the tablespoon to make the chalks and they were a great size. These are so tasty! A bit of a crispiness on the bottom with chewy insides. Really nice texture. They didn’t last long in my house, they were a hit with the vegan and the omnivores! Will make again,
That’s so great!
This is the Beat cookie recipe I’ve made so far! I’ve tried several cookie recipes since going vegan for 1yr and this one is it! It gave me the taste and texture I’ve been looking for. I added nuts, berries and a little protein to them as well. Thanks so much for this recipe! In dSharing it today online on my IG Page ladylfree36, I’ll yah you!
♥️🔥👏🏽😋
I’m so glad you like it!
Absolutely delicious. I was nervous that I brought them out too early because they looked very underdone but they were SO GOOD.
That’s so great!
I made these twice. I am the only one in my family on a plant based diet, but the second time I made them I had to make a second batch because everyone loved them/ate them.
These are the best chocolate chip cookies vegan or not. I subbed 1/4 c applesauce for the flax egg out of curiosity. I made a second batch a few days later but with the flax egg and subbed chopped dates and pecans with 1/8 tsp of allspice. They tasted amazing but they were really flat this time. Could it have been the flax egg? Or the dates? I’m curious if you have any ideas. Thank you so much for all our recipes. They are fantastic!
I’m so glad you enjoy the cookies! They actually probably turned out flatter the second time because your vegan butter happened to be softer, or even that your home was warmer. To make them puffy and thick every time, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes before baking the cookies, that will always help! Thank you.
I’d l0ve to make these with the addition of nuts, coconut and oats… what adjustments do you suggest so they won’t be too dry?
I’d probably just add a little of everything in, I’m not sure of the exact amounts, but I don’t think they will be dry unless you add a lot of oats and coconut, so maybe just a few tablespoons of those.
My family LOVED these! Vegans and non-vegans alike. Even impressed my grandfather who constantly asks if what I’m giving him is “real food.” Pleased a pretty tough-to-please crowd!
Best vegan CCC recipe I have found so far and will by my only go to recipe at that. I used only vegan butter instead of oil and my cookies did not turn out flat. The outside had a bit of a crunch while the inside was soft and gooey. My cookies were rolled bigger so I took them out of the oven at 12 minutes. So stinken delish!
Amazing. These were so simple and SO delicious. When I started the recipe (and my 4 year old’s heart was already set on making cookies), I realized we were out of brown sugar. I subbed in coconut sugar and it took it up another notch – just a hint of earthiness and a tad less sweet. My husband thought they were some of the best cookies he’s had!
That’s so great! Thanks for the comment!
These were amazing! We had to add some extra flour to the recipe but other than that they tasted great! We aren’t vegan but we have an egg allergy so it is easiest to just bake vegan.
Made these cookies and they are so delicious! This is gonna be my go to recipe from now on. Even my non-vegan family members said they liked it and would have never guessed they were vegan. I do have one question. I wanna make a bunch of cookies to take with us for a camping trip but was wondering if I could DOUBLE the recipe?
I’m so glad they’re good! Yes, you can double the recipe. I do it all the time!
Can’t wait to try these! 💖 Can I make these as cookie bars? Do you have a time or pan recommendation?
Hmmm I’ve never tried it but I’m sure it can be done! Maybe a 9 x13 inch pan for 20 minutes or so? But I’d have to test it to know for sure.
These are amazing!!!!!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! We baked them in an air fryer (360 for 7 minutes) and they tasted so good!!!!! They are a different texture that way (crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside) but are soo good! We froze the rest and will enjoy them one at a time 💕 Thank you!!!
You’re welcome!
Amazingly perfect! I consider myself a chocolate chip cookie tasting expert!!
Thanks!
These are amazing. They baked up beautifully and taste so good. This will be my go-to. Thank you so much for sharing this. Absolutely delicious!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Wow! What a wonderfully delicious and simple recipe. My new go-to!
Good recipe. I think I might reduce the butter and replace the flax with an egg replacer because they seem slightly oily and I can taste the flax. No biggie; just a little tweaking.
These cookies are beyond perfect!! OMG, we all love them. Only change I made is decrease the sugar to 1 cup & add 3 kinds of chocolate chips..Why not?!?!
I would dare to say all of your recipes are a success at my house. Thank you for making vegan cooking easy!
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the great comment!
Damnnnn Nora, you’ve done it again! This is the most delicious cookie i’ve ever had, thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
Sooo good! These are soft and chewy and the perfect thickness. The first time I made them they weren’t browning so I baked for 4 minutes longer. They still tasted great but they did get hard. Take them out even if they look raw. They do firm up as promised! Thanks for another great recipe, Nora!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the comment!