Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
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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.
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865 Comments on “Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies”
This is a perfect classic chocolate chip cookie. I had never used cornstarch in a cookie recipe before but the texture was fantastic and they did not spread out as sometimes happens with vegan butters. Thanks Nora!
Okay, I was having a moment, and accidentally used 2x the amount of butter 😂😂 I bake AL the time, and thought it was odd to need 2 sticks of butter for cookies but again I was a little hungover and not “with it.” The dough was super greasy, and then in the oven they spread like crazy and weren’t really baking through. I said to myself hmmm…. Cookies spread like this when there’s too much butter… and then I put the pieces together and realized what I did! Anyway, I was so sad I thought they were garbage…. WELL, a few hours on a wire rack later and OMG, literally best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made or had in my life 😂😂😂😂😂😂 I was bringing them to a play date and every last crumb was DEVOURED by these kids- and us adults! So, if it turned into a success with my error, I’m sure with a normal amount of butter they are deeelicious as well! They were a crumbly, ooey-gooey mess but soooo good 🤤🤤🤤🤤
LOL! Thanks for sharing your fun story, Tiff! I’m glad the cookies turned out wonderful and delicious! I appreciate you taking your time to share your review and comments! These cookies are a favorite in our home for sure!
Love this recipe and used it to make a giant cookie cake. Made a double batch, pressed the dough into a 16″ aluminum pizza pan lined with parchment leaving a 1 inch gap around the edge, and baked for 25 minutes at 350. It turned out beautifully. Thank you!
Oh what fun! I’m really glad the cookie cake turned out beautiful! Sounds scrumptious! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful review and idea!
Absolutely love these cookies! It’s my go-to for chocolate chip cookies. I like changing it up every time, sometimes I add vegan m&ms or I sprinkle some flaky salt on top… always delicious!
So glad you are loving the cookies, Julia! My daughter loves to bake these as well! Thanks for taking time to share your review and comments!
Hands down THE BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe!!! I have made this SO many times and every single time it is spot on. The flavor is insane on these! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
I’m so glad you are loving the cookie recipe! We love these cookies at our house! Thank you for taking your time to share your review and comments!
Oh my GOSH! I am blown away by this recipe and don’t even want to admit how many times I’ve made these cookies in the last few days. I followed the recipe exactly every time and they turned out perfectly chewy and soft. These are the absolute best vegan chocolate chip cookies ever and they were a huge hit with my non-vegan family as well! Thank you so much for sharing this, Nora!
Aren’t these great!? My daughter made lots of these cookies this week! I’m so glad that you love them, and I appreciate you taking your time to share your wonderful review!
These are perfect when you make them as directed! 🙂 I definitely messed up and misread the amount of butter 😳 but I’ve made them before and they were absolutely delicious.
These cookies are delicious. My daughter, husband, and all who ate the first batched raved about them. Soft and chewy. Made my first batch for my daughter two weeks ago. She’s visiting and wants another batch. Great recipe. Thank you
Hi Cheryl! So glad you guys are all loving the cookies! They are a hit around my house for sure! I appreciate you taking your time to share your review and comments!
I made these with half shortening, half butter (all vegan of course) and they’re absolutely perfect. So simple and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your review and comments! I’m glad you love the cookies!
Trust the process! I was nervous cuz they seemed so soft when they came out but they make the best chewy cookies! My housemates devoured them, lol. Thanks, Nora!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!
Hi what vegan butter do you use? I followed the recipe exactly and my dough was super wet/: so I added more flour to thicken it and the cookies spread all over the pan
Sounds like something was off, are you sure you measured everything accurately? You didn’t start with melted vegan butter did you? I have used Country Crock, Earth Balance, Miyokos and Melt. They all work well.
These are the best cookies 🍪 my family and I ever had! Way better than the non vegan cookies! I’m making these from now on!
I’m thrilled these are your new go to cookies! My kids love these cookies! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!